Disrupting and Deconstructing Notions of Preschool: Exploring Preservice Teachers' Perspectives on a Study Abroad

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Coaching, Professional Learning, and Early Childhood Teacher Preparation (Table 2)

Abstract

This research explores preservice teachers' perceptions and experiences of deconstructing and disrupting their ideas of schooling. The research questions include: (1) What are preservice teachers' perspectives of Scandinavian early childhood pedagogies? (2) What are preservice teachers' perspectives of US early childhood pedagogies? (3) What are preservice teachers' experiences comparing Scandinavian and US early childhood pedagogies? Qualitative case study was used to describe and explain student experiences through Mezirow’s transformative learning theory. Data included student coursework, presentations, and open-ended interviews. Data codes were categorized across data sources in order to show instances illustrative of a larger category. Findings indicate sustainability/ accessibility, children as valued society members, and equity/inclusion ambiguities were the most impactful to the students perceptions and experiences.

Authors

• Susan S Norton, Northern Arizona University

• Robert Macias, Northern Arizona University

• Mengxuan Gao, Northern Arizona University

• Victoria Damjanovic, Northern Arizona University