Abstract:
This paper reports on a study of early childhood teacher education students' perceptions on community views of care and education, their personal perspectives on child care options for families, and their occupational goals and aspirations.
In the current climate of education and social change with its increasing focus on early childhood education as a critical stage in the education continuum, and the continuing care versus education debate, the challenge to ensure relevance and quality in early childhood teacher education programs is pressing. Career goals and aspirations helps provide a useful background for designing and targeting teachers into their education programs. It is important that all child care personnel, regardless of the service within which they will be employed, reflect the unique characteristics expected of early childhood trained teachers, able to deliver both quality care and education.
With a growing demand for early childhood teachers and evolving early childhood teacher education programs in many Australian universities, better understanding of undergraduate early childhood students' attitudes toward childcare as a social and personal issue is crucial.
Students' attitudes and perceptions on issues relating to the importance of care and education in early childhood services and the implications these may have on course structure are discussed.
In the current climate of education and social change with its increasing focus on early childhood education as a critical stage in the education continuum, and the continuing care versus education debate, the challenge to ensure relevance and quality in early childhood teacher education programs is pressing. Career goals and aspirations helps provide a useful background for designing and targeting teachers into their education programs. It is important that all child care personnel, regardless of the service within which they will be employed, reflect the unique characteristics expected of early childhood trained teachers, able to deliver both quality care and education.
With a growing demand for early childhood teachers and evolving early childhood teacher education programs in many Australian universities, better understanding of undergraduate early childhood students' attitudes toward childcare as a social and personal issue is crucial.
Students' attitudes and perceptions on issues relating to the importance of care and education in early childhood services and the implications these may have on course structure are discussed.