Creating inclusive, literacy-embedded play centers in a children’s museum: Connecting theory to practice
Abstract
Preservice teachers enrolled in an early literacy or developmental preschool course collaborated in order to create inclusive, literacy-embedded play centers at a local children’ s museum. Using a grounded theory approach, theoretical questions were gen- erated after analyzing multiple data sources. The focus of this paper is how preservice teachers connected theory to practice in an authentic setting. The importance of connecting theory to practice, theplaceofplayinassessment,andtheviabilityofchildren’s museums as alternative field placements are discussed. Implications for preservice teacher education are presented.
Reference
Spybrook, J. & Walker, S. L. (2012). Creating inclusive, literacy-embedded play centers in a children's museum: Connecting theory to practice. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 33(4), 382-391.
Journal
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
- early childhood
- early childhood special education
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
33
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Document Analysis
- lesson plans
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Inside (studying their own practices)
Research Questions
(the authors argue that they are using grounded theory so they had no questions going in . . this is what they state "subcategories "Although three theoretical questions emerged from the data analysis, only one question is examined for this paper; specifically: How did the
preservice teachers connect theory and practice?"
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes