ABSTRACT

Three Australian Government reports released between 2011 and 2017 highlight a child development theory–practice gap in Australian early childhood initial teacher education. This qualitative study explores what informs university lecturers’ teaching of child development theory in tertiary programmes. Grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, four themes are discussed from a Freirean inspired perspective. According to those interviewed, institutional culture and the practice focus of regulatory bodies strongly informs the teaching of child development with systemic practices often experienced as oppressive. The minimisation of early childhood content in combined early childhood/primary degrees also informed practice, but fostered a sense of marginalisation for many. Liberation was also evident as participants indicated that, despite many challenges, professional values, including commitment, tenacity and respect, informed their teaching practice. Implications for Australian universities and regulatory bodies are discussed with findings serving as a case example with international applicability to tertiary education policy and practice review.

摘要

2011 年至 2017 年期间发布的三份澳大利亚政府报告强调了澳大利亚幼儿初级教师教育中儿童发展理论与实践之间的差距。这项定性研究探讨了大学讲师在高等教育课程中教授儿童发展理论的原因。以解释现象学分析为基础，从弗莱尔启发的角度讨论了四个主题。根据受访者的说法，制度文化和监管机构的实践重点强烈地影响着儿童发展的教学，而系统性的实践往往被认为是压迫性的。结合早期儿童/小学学位的早期儿童内容的最小化也为实践提供了信息，但培养了许多人的边缘化感。解放也很明显，因为参与者表示，尽管面临许多挑战，但包括承诺、坚韧和尊重在内的专业价值观影响了他们的教学实践。讨论了对澳大利亚大学和监管机构的影响，并将调查结果作为国际适用于高等教育政策和实践审查的案例。