Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter
Play is often called the work of children, but questions abound about how early childhood educators are prepared to support children’s learning through play. In this study, we investigated undergraduate pre-service teachers’ perception of community-engaged coursework in the early childhood and eleme...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1387 |
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| author | Cynthia A. Wiltshire Robyn K. Pinilla Heriberto J. Garcia |
| author_facet | Cynthia A. Wiltshire Robyn K. Pinilla Heriberto J. Garcia |
| author_sort | Cynthia A. Wiltshire |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Play is often called the work of children, but questions abound about how early childhood educators are prepared to support children’s learning through play. In this study, we investigated undergraduate pre-service teachers’ perception of community-engaged coursework in the early childhood and elementary educator preparation program of a U.S.-based Hispanic-Serving Institution and how such a course could support student training and capacity for planning playful lessons. We analyzed data collected by our institutional Center for Community Engagement to understand the impact of field-based engagement on student experiences. Findings indicate that despite initially mixed perceptions, students developed professionally and felt positively about engaging children in various play types in the classroom. Practical implications for teacher educators and directions for future research are discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d1165c5badb4514ad7ee17b480c853d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-9d1165c5badb4514ad7ee17b480c853d2025-08-20T02:56:06ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022024-12-011412138710.3390/educsci14121387Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses MatterCynthia A. Wiltshire0Robyn K. Pinilla1Heriberto J. Garcia2Department of Teacher Education, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USADepartment of Teacher Education, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USACenter for Community Engagement, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USAPlay is often called the work of children, but questions abound about how early childhood educators are prepared to support children’s learning through play. In this study, we investigated undergraduate pre-service teachers’ perception of community-engaged coursework in the early childhood and elementary educator preparation program of a U.S.-based Hispanic-Serving Institution and how such a course could support student training and capacity for planning playful lessons. We analyzed data collected by our institutional Center for Community Engagement to understand the impact of field-based engagement on student experiences. Findings indicate that despite initially mixed perceptions, students developed professionally and felt positively about engaging children in various play types in the classroom. Practical implications for teacher educators and directions for future research are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1387playful learningpre-service teacher educationundergraduate studentsearly childhood educationcommunity-engaged learning |
| spellingShingle | Cynthia A. Wiltshire Robyn K. Pinilla Heriberto J. Garcia Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter Education Sciences playful learning pre-service teacher education undergraduate students early childhood education community-engaged learning |
| title | Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter |
| title_full | Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter |
| title_fullStr | Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter |
| title_full_unstemmed | Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter |
| title_short | Engendering Playful Purpose in Pre-Service Early Childhood Educator Preparation: Why Community-Engaged Courses Matter |
| title_sort | engendering playful purpose in pre service early childhood educator preparation why community engaged courses matter |
| topic | playful learning pre-service teacher education undergraduate students early childhood education community-engaged learning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/12/1387 |
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