What Works?: Reimagining Pre-service Teacher Education in Rural China with the Simple Interactions Approach

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Justice, Ethics, and Innovation in Teacher Education: Feedback Loops, Computational Thinking, and Comparative Perspectives

Abstract

Simple Interactions (SI) is a relational framework for professional learning that uses simple, everyday classroom interactions between adults and children to advance healthy child development across contexts. This study explores the SI framework’s applicability for pre-service early childhood educators in rural China, where teachers lack opportunities for practice-relevant training. Through a randomized controlled trial with 130 pre-service rural early childhood educators, we designed and tested an SI intervention for pre-service teachers in a low-resource, cross-cultural setting, grounding their professional development in local, interaction-focused practices that promote participant agency. Post-intervention, we observed a shift in adult-centered teaching beliefs, without immediately impacting child-centered beliefs or teaching efficacy. Findings point to the potential of relational approaches in reimagining teacher preparation.

Authors

• Amelea Ng, One Village One Preschool Project

• Xiaoyue Dai, Harvard University

• Xuerong Wang, Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Junlei Li, Harvard University

• Si Chen, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Catherine E. Snow, Harvard University