Relationaalisen asiantuntijuuden rakentuminen varhaiskasvatuksen opettajankoulutuksen ohjatun harjoittelun diskursseissa

Abstract

The opportunities for the development of expertise created by the cooperation between academic education and working life are the subject of topical discussion. A supervised practicing period for early childhood education teacher-students is a traditional form of co-operation between education and working life and a key context for students learning. Our study examined the possibilities of building the relational expertise of early childhood education teacher students and their supervisors from early childhood education centers and the university during a practicing period. The phenomenon under study was examined through the positions produced for teacher students and supervisors, as well as through the discourses produced about the development of expertise. The data was collected with a questionnaire and discourse analysis was utilized in the analysis. According to the results, teacher students have uncertainty in identifying their expertise. The teachers from early childhood education centers were uniformly positioned as practical experts and the knowledge of the supervisors from university education was produced to manage theoretical knowledge. In addition, three discourses were produced during the practicing period: renewal, need for support, and non-encounter.