1. Practice Matters: How Practicum Experiences Change Student Beliefs
- Author
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Christine N. Lippard, Claire D. Vallotton, Maria Fusaro, Rachel Chazan-Cohen, Carla A. Peterson, Loria Kim, and Gina A. Cook
- Abstract
Development of professional competencies is a key outcome of undergraduate programs preparing practitioners to work with infants and toddlers. Competencies for working with young children were examined among 1300 undergraduate students at 12 universities. Students completed a series of online questionnaires indicating their knowledge, beliefs, and hypothetical practices with young children; end-of-semester scores were analyzed using linear regression. Having had a practicum course is associated with more positive dispositions for supporting the development of teacher-child relationships, building partnerships with diverse families, guiding children's behavior, and fostering development and learning. Further, we examined development of dispositions over the course of a semester based on undergraduates' current and past practicum experiences. Implications for programs who prepare infant and toddler practitioners are discussed.
- Published
- 2024
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