Exploring Professionalism in Early Childhood Teacher Education: Insights from a Scoping Review

• In Event: Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Education: Feedback, Futures, Technology, and Equity

Abstract

In recent years, professionalism has gained attention as a way to improve early childhood education quality, with teacher education playing a key role in shaping professional identities. However, how professionalism is conceptualized and enacted in teacher education remains underexplored. This scoping review analyzes 35 peer-reviewed studies (2015–2025) to map current understandings. While justice-oriented and relational models are emerging, standardized approaches still dominate, constraining identity formation and agency, especially for marginalized pre-service teachers. This review calls for reimagining professionalism as flexible, inclusive, and rooted in equity and critical pedagogy. By connecting past conversations with future directions, it supports more just and sustainable early childhood teacher education programs.

Author

• Yue Qi, Pennsylvania State University