Field Experience Make Difference: Early Childhood Student-Teachers’ Beliefs about Best Practices for Jordanian Kindergarten Children

Abstract

The separation between academic knowledge gained from university courses and practical knowledge gained from field experiences is an ongoing problem in teacher education. This research investigated the impact of field experiences on early childhood student-teacher’s’ beliefs regarding the best practices (Developmentally Appropriate Practice [DAP]) at kindergarten setting in Jordan. The quantitative methods utilizing pre-and post-surveys were employed. The respondents consisted of (65) students who agreed to be part of the study and filled out the surveys before and after attending the practicum program at the school of education during the first semester of the (2018/2019) school year. The survey consisted of (48) items that evaluated the early childhood education student-teachers’ beliefs regarding the best practices for kindergarten children. The results revealed that the overall mean of the early childhood student-teachers’ beliefs regarding DAP in the kindergarten setting in Jordan before field experience was (2.79), which means they had a moderate belief level of DAP. Furthermore, the researchers found that there are a “statistically significant differences” (at α = 0.05) in early childhood student-teachers’ beliefs regarding DAP before and after attending the practicum program in all domains favoring the post survey, except the “reciprocal relationships with families” domain. Focusing more on the inclusion of developmental practices in theoretical courses during the teacher education programs in university are recommended.