GINTL (Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning) Early Childhood Teacher Education Conference 2022, jointly organized by the Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education at Beijing Normal University (BNU) and the Faculty of Education at the University of Turku (UTU), was successfully held on November 15. The theme of this conference is "Trends and Perspectives in early childhood teacher Education". It aims to actively respond to the strategic requirements of the construction of high-quality early childhood teaching team in the new era, and to explore the development prospect and future direction of early childhood teacher education under the background of globalization. 34 wonderful reports were made at the main forum and five sub-forums to share the cutting-edge scientific research findings and practical experiences of early childhood teacher education. More than 100 early childhood education experts and scholars, teacher education practitioners, researchers and pre-service and in-service teachers from Finland, the UK, the Netherlands, Namibia and China attended the conference.

The opening ceremony of the conference was co-chaired by UTU Professor Inkeri Ruokonen and Associate Professor Xinghua Wang of Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education at BNU.

 

Professor Inkeri Ruokonen of Turku University, presided over the opening ceremony

First, Professor Inkeri Ruokonen extended a warm welcome to the delegates. Then, she introduced the agenda of the GINTL-ECTE Conference. Finally, she thanked the organizing committee for its strong support, and expressed her expectation for the establishment of a deep friendly cooperation between GINTL members.

 

Xinghua Wang, Associate professor of Beijing Normal University, presided over the opening ceremony

On behalf of the Institute of ECE at BNU, Associate Professor Xinghua Wang expressed her warm welcome to all the guests and participants. She summed up the cooperation between BNU and UTU in the field of ECE in the past two years and looked forward to continuing educational exchanges and strengthening research cooperation between the two universities. She wished this GINTL-ECTE conference a great success in providing opportunities for scholars and experts from around the globe to communicate and exchange experiences and studies from international perspectives.

 

Dr. Olli-Pekka Malinen，Helsinki University, delivered a welcome speech

Dr. Olli-Pekka Malinen, coordinator of GINTL China Relations and Cooperation expressed his friendly greetings to everyone. In view of the challenges of global preschool teacher education, the positive significance of international cooperation is highlighted. Therefore, Dr. Olli-Pekka proposed to strengthen the partnership between GINTL HEL and key partners, and launching new internationalization measures for Finland's higher education.

After the opening ceremony, professor Inkeri Ruokonen hosted the main forum, where seven keynote speakers from Beijing Normal University, Amsterdam University, Namibia University, Turku University and Helsinki University delivered their keynote reports.

 

Professor Xiumin Hong, Beijing Normal University, delivered the keynote speech

Professor Xiumin Hong, Director of the Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education of Beijing Normal University, delivered a keynote report entitled "Early childhood teacher education policy and practice in china: opportunities and challenges". Focusing on four aspects: "an Overview of Opportunities of Chinese ECE Policy and Practice", "the Development and Requirements of Chinese Early Childhood Teachers", "the Challenges of Chinese Early Childhood Teacher’s Development", and "the Prospect of Future Development of Chinese Early Childhood Teacher Education", professor Hong introduced the achievements of early childhood teacher education policy and practice in China, pointed out the problems and challenges faced by early childhood teacher professional development and teacher education, and shared her future prospects and suggestions on early childhood  teacher education in China in the new era.

 

Professor Ruben Fukkink, Amsterdam University, delivered the keynote speech

Professor Ruben Fukkink, the special appointment of Childcare and Education Services for Young Children in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the University of Amsterdam, delivered a keynote report entitled "Professional development of ECEC staff: Effects on competencies of pre- & in service staff and children". Professor Ruben conducted research around issues such as the key components in effective pre-service and in-service training for teachers in early childhood education and care, the approaches seem effective in the professional development, and so on. these experimental studies suggest effective components for teachers’ professional development. This line of research also sketches the contours of an effective curriculum for teachers’ professional development with positive outcomes for teachers, process quality and - last but not least - children in their early years.

 

Dr Taimi Nghikembua & Ms Richardine Poulton-Busler, University of Namibia, delivered the keynote speech

Professor Taimi Nghikembua, the head of Department of Early Childhood Education and Care of the University of Namibia and Ms Richardine Poulton-Busler, the lecturer of Early Childhood Education and Care at the University of Namibia (UNAM), delivered a keynote report together entitled "Transforming early childhood teacher education at the university of namibia". Based on the teaching background of the Faculty of Education at the University of Namibia, and the difficulties and challenges faced by the overloaded university curricula with repetitive modules, a strong leaning to theory than practice, a content-driven and examination-driven curricula rather than a skills-driven, lack of passion and soft skills in graduate teachers, lack of pedagogical skills, among others, the two professors highlighted the solutions and efforts of the newly-formed School of Education to reform the education curriculum.

Anitta Melasalmi &Tarja-Riitta Hurme, University of Turku, delivered the keynote speech

Anitta Melasalmi and Tarja-Riitta Hurme, university lecturers of Department of Teacher Education in Turku university, delivered a keynote report together entitled" Pre-service ECE teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: supported by video-guided reflection". They developed a model of reflective and video-guided pedagogical discussion for the purposes of carrying out mentoring discussion during the guided teaching practicum in early childhood teacher education (ECE) program. The study focuses on pre-service ECE teachers’ developing self-efficacy beliefs, facilitated by video-guided reflective method or on-line streamed teaching and guided discussion. The study provides evidence of the effective usefulness of the video-guided reflection and discussion model. 

 

 

Dr. Shuanghong Jenny Niu, University of Helsinki, delivered the keynote speech

Dr. Shuanghong Jenny Niu, who is working in GINTL coordination team in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the University of Helsinki, delivered a keynote report entitled "Teaching and learning self-management and social emotional skills in kindergarten". Her starting point is to help children to overcome their emotional or behavioral problems in a creative way and joyful way, and the solution-focused “Kids’ Skill” method is used to support children to learn new self-management and social-emotional skills to reach desired outcomes and to overcome their problems. And it reconstructed children’s thinking and reaction when facing difficult situations. It also builds a supportive learning community and safe environment, this eventually increases children’s wellbeing. 

 

 

Dr. Heyi Zhang, Beijing Normal University, delivered the keynote speech

Dr. Heyi Zhang, University lecturer at the Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education at Beijing Normal University, delivered her keynote presentation entitled "Connecting Teachers’ Emotional Support and Young Children’s Self-Regulated Learning in Chinese Kindergartens". Dr. Zhang first introduced the concept of self-regulated learning and relevant empirical research evidence, as well as the connections between teachers' emotional support and the early development of self-regulated learning as identified by existing research. Her research project investigated the mechanism by which preschool teachers’ emotional support was associated with young children’s self-regulated learning, using both the behavioural observational approach and questionnaires. The main results suggested that teachers’ emotional support behaviors and teacher-child closeness had serial mediating effects on the association between teachers’ beliefs about feelings and children’s self-regulated learning in the Chinese context. The findings provided further evidence for understanding the role of teachers’ emotional support during interactions in young children’s self-regulated learning outcomes. In addition, through vivid examples of teacher-child interactions and her own practical experiences, Dr. Zhang further explained how teachers should provide appropriate support for young children’s self-regulated learning.

 

Associate Professor Xiaowei Li, Beijing Normal University, delivered the keynote speech

Associate professor Xiaowei Li, the Institute (Department) of Early Childhood Education of Beijing Normal University, delivered a keynote report entitled "Work-family Conflict, Organisational Commitment and Turnover Intention in Chinese preschool teachers: A Comparison of mediation models". Her study examined the mediating role of organizational commitment in the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intention with a sample of 726 beginning preschool teachers and 603 experienced preschool teachers coming from China. Results indicated that Chinese beginning preschool teachers’ organizational commitment played a partial mediating role in the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intention. And organizational commitment fully mediated the relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intention among Chinese experienced preschool teachers. These findings have important implications for devising interventions separately to reduce the turnover intention of beginning and experienced preschool teachers.

Then, the conference entered into a sub-forum session. Scholars from all over the world had in-depth exchanges around five major topics, including "Developing innovative ECTE education in global era", "Professional learning and identity", "Leadership and Educational Policy", "Pre-service practice and work life", and "Developing pedagogical future strategies of ECTE". Participants enthusiastically participated in the discussion and speech, and shared academic ideas and innovative experience of early childhood teacher education.

【Theme group I: Developing innovative ECTE education in global era】

 

Professor Inkeri Ruokonen of the University of Turku, Finland, chaired theme group I

This discussion forum was chaired by Professor Inkeri Ruokonen of the University of Turku, Finland. 6 speakers from China and abroad shared their ideas of the theme of "Developing innovative ECTE education in global era".

 

Rongjun Zhou, Education Bureau of Yandu District, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, China

Rongjun Zhou gave a report entitled “Research on the path of innovating teacher education strategies based on children's development”. He said that, under the current mode in the new era, kindergarten education should not stagnate in the process of promoting the game oriented reform, but should actively forge ahead and innovate education strategies. Better meet the development needs of the times, and drive children to grow and develop more healthily. He proposed that, How to make good use of the "e" platform carrier, join hands with kindergartens and families, and further promote home co education to a higher level? It has become a new direction of teaching and research proposed by the development of the times for preschool teachers.

 

Jonna Kangas, University of Helsinki & Heidi Harju-Luukkainen, University of Tampere

Jonna Kangas gave a report entitled “Teachers for the Future? The agencies of Teachers in Early Childhood Education policies”. She analyzed the current steering documents aimed at both practical implementors and teacher educators in the ECEC sector from the perspectives of teachers’ agency. She suggested that, suggest that teachers are given many different roles as well as values across the different documents. Teachers are asked to be more of everything now and in the future, without any guidance on how to reach these goals.

 

Mingyang ZHAO, Institute of Education, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang

Mingyang Zhao gave a report entitled “Seek a Secure Life and Raise Children with The Root of Life of The Native Culture: The Construction of Rural Children's Cultural Identity from the Perspective of Adjustment Education - Rural Preschool Teachers’ “Localized” Education”. His research was based on the theory of social " adjustment education". Using rational speculative research methods to analyze the problems in contemporary rural cultural identity education, to guide rural preschool teachers to carry out "localized" education from the three aspects of experience, emotion and behavior.

 

Zhiying Liu, Wuyi University, Wuyishan, China & Sook Jhee Yoon SEGi University, Kota Damansara, Malaysia

Zhiying Liu gave a report entitled “An Ecological Perspective on Teachers' Motivation in Teaching Critical Thinking Among Preschool Children”. She used Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), explored preschool teachers' motivation in teaching critical thinking among preschool children and how their motivation leads to they teach critical thinking. This findings found that clarity in policy from macro and meso levels is core to teachers’ motivation in teaching critical thinking in preschool education in China.

 

Siyu Wang, Chengdu University

Siyu Wang gave a report entitled “Synergy between collaborative action research and project approach– A promising practice to develop collaborative inquiry among early childhood in-service teachers”. In her study, two teams of in-service teachers evidenced change in the ways they participated in and also developed an inquiry-oriented teaching stance. It was providing a new approach to combining research and practice for in-service early childhood teacher education programs.

 

Meri Pihanperä, University of Turku

Meri Pihanperä gave report entitled “University-based ECEC centre ECTEC Rauman pikkunorssi”. She introduced the ECTEC Rauman pikkunorssi concept, development process, and collaboration with University of Turku.

【Theme group II: Professional learning and identity】

 

Ms. Anitta Melasalmi chaired theme group II

This discussion forum was chaired by Ms. Anitta Melasalmi. 2 speakers from China and abroad shared their ideas of the theme of "Professional learning and identity".

 

Nan Hu, Moray House of Education, The University of Edinburgh

Nan Hu gave a report entitled “A Study on the Cognitive Characteristics of Burnout among Chinese Early Childhood Education Teachers”. He focused on the Burnout in early childhood teachers, combed up the CECE teachers from different backgrounds to explore their burnout cognitive features and differences. He pointed out that, there are different burnout problems among private kindergarten teachers and public kindergarten teachers. 

Peishan Huang, Faculty of Education, University of Macau

Peishuang Huang gave a report entitled “Relationship between Preschool Teacher Efficacy and Emotional Labor in the Chinese Context: A Meta-Analytical Examination”. She proposed that preschool teachers’ emotional labor is closely related to teachers’ performance-related indicators including teacher efficacy, and the three emotional labor strategies (i.e., surface acting, deep acting and expression of naturally felt emotions) varied across effects on efficacy.

【Theme group III: Leadership and educational policy】

Ms. Tuulikki Ukkonen-Mikkolk and Ms. Tarja-Riitta Hurme chaired theme group III

This discussion forum was chaired by Ms. Tuulikki Ukkonen-Mikkola and Ms.Tarja-Riitta Hurme. 4 speakers from China and abroad shared their ideas of the theme of "Leadership and educational policy". 

Xiao Zhang, Lancaster University

Xiao Zhang gave a report entitled “Towards Democratic Professionalism in Early Childhood Education: Ways of Participation in Educational Decision Making”. He explored how early childhood practitioners participate in educational decision making in their classes. The finding found that (1) what considerations do early childhood practitioners make in shaping decisions. (2) in what ways do early childhood practitioners address disagreements during the process of decision making. (3) to what extent do early childhood practitioners open for new idea or thoughts.

 

Shuoqi Song, Center for Teacher Education Research of Beijing Normal University

Shuoqi Song gave a report entitled “Bail-out and Breakthrough of Teacher Education under the Bi-transitional Orientation between ECEC Institutions and Primary Schools in China”. She found that the current problems of teacher edcation for bi-transition includes ambiguity of core concepts, the prevalence of performativity, and the dysfunction of child-centered discourse. She gave some suggestions that the clarification of identity boundaries between preschool and primary school teachers, the promotion of core reflection and self-exposure of in-service and pre-service teachers, and so on.

 

Xiaoya Ma, Guizhou Normal University

Xiaoya Ma gave a report entitled “From "Teacher" to "Daxiansheng": The predicament and path of Daxiansheng from the perspective of intellectual capital”. In 2017, General Secretary Xi proposed for the first time that "teachers should not only be teachers who teach book knowledge, but should become 'Daxiansheng' who shape students' character, conduct and taste". She analyzed the ought to be of “Daxiansheng” (a concept similar to, but beyond, the master), and analyzes the predicament of "Daxiansheng" from the perspectives of teachers themselves, training units and work units.

 

Jiahui Wang, Nanjing Normal University, School of educational Science

Jiahui Wang gave a report entitled “How do kindergarten teachers perform leadership? —From the perspective of leadership practice”. School reform and teacher professional development put forward higher requirements for teacher leadership. She explored the type and performance of teachers' leadership by combing quantitative and qualitative research methods, suggested that attention should be paid to the differences in leadership orientation at the institutional design and practice context levels, and it could complete the transformation of type of leadership in practice.

【Theme group IV: Pre-service practice and work life】

 

Professor Anitta Melasalmi chaired theme group IV

This discussion forum was chaired by Professor Anne Sorariutta. 7 speakers from China and abroad shared their ideas of the theme of "Pre-service practice and work life".

Junwei Xia, Changchun Guanghua University

Junwei Xia gave a report entitled “Exploring the practice mode of online and offline integrated teaching of kindergarten teachers under the background of informatization”. She point out that the overall effect of pre-service information education for kindergarten teachers in China is not ideal. She put forward the background of information kindergarten teachers before front offline integration education countermeasures, in order to pre-school education professionals to lay a solid foundation.

 

Yifei Zhao, Faculty of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng

Yifei Zhao gave a report entitled “The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy between Emotional Intelligence and Work Engagement in Preschool Teachers: Evidence from China”. She proved that preschool teachers’ self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between their emotional intelligence and work, which is a positive idea for improving the work input of preschool teachers.

 

Jialing Yang, Chongqing Vocational College of Transportation

Jialing Yang gave a report entitled “Workplace Fun and its Relationship with Work Engagement in Kindergarten Teachers: The Mediating Effect of Psychological Capital”. Her study explored teachers”. She focused on the workplace fun and its relationship with psychological capital and work, providing a good inspiration for improving teachers 'daily working environment and exploring the interest of teachers' work responsibilities.

 

Dan Wang, Chongqing Vocational College of Transportation

Dan Wang gave a report entitled “Practice-Based-Coaching to Improve Observation Ability of Kindergarten Teachers”. Observing and understanding children is the key to high-quality preschool programs. Her study used the pretest-posttest control group design, and explored that PBC can effectively improve the kindergarten teachers’ observation ability.

 

Qian Li, Beijing Normal University

Li Qian gave a report entitled “Research on the improvement of caregivers’ responsive caregiving ability in childcare institutions”. She was combined with experience learning theory and responsive caregiving theory, designed three special activities focusing on the three stages of "Watch-Ask-Adopt", and organized caregivers to conduct case-based experience learning through the group workshop and one-on-one guidance. The result of the research is that case-based learning through group seminars and one-to-one instruction is effective in improving teachers' responsive care ability.

 

Jinyu Yang, Guizhou Normal University

Jinyu Yang gave a report entitled “A case study on the role identification of preschool teacher trainees from the perspective of community of practice”. Based on the realistic consideration of the role identity development situation of pre-middle school teacher interns in the practice field, she pointed out that the practice process of the role identity generation process, the construction of normal students' role identity requires the guidance teachers to give full teaching autonomy.

 

Yufan Lei, Beijing Normal University

Yufan Lei gave a report entitled “The Impact of Self-Evaluation of Kindergarten Educational Quality on Teachers’ Professional Learning Community”. By Using the Self-Evaluation Scale and the Teachers’ Professional Learning Community Scale, she proposed that self-evaluation of kindergarten educational quality contributed to teachers’ professional learning community after controlling for the kindergarten and teacher characteristics. As the result, kindergartens should establish a scientific self-evaluation system. Meanwhile, teachers’ engagement of self-evaluation should be enhanced to construct teachers’ professional learning community and promote the professional development of teachers.