The Design of Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs: Australian Employer Perspectives with International Program Comparisons

Oct 15, 2026

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Early childhood education and care (ECEC) quality depends on experienced early childhood teachers (ECTs), yet Australian ECT employers report that graduates are not always well prepared for ECEC settings. This study examines the design of early childhood initial teacher education (ECITE) programs across international contexts and gathers 19 Australian employer perspectives on ECITE design. Results show limited consensus and inconsistencies across and within countries, with employers citing gaps in graduate knowledge.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research focus and design

International ECITE program comparisons

Australian employer perspectives

Findings and implications

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 47 Issue 6 | Article 5 | | --- | --- | | 2022
The Design of Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs: Australian Employer Perspectives with International Program Comparisons
Wendy Boyd
Southern Cross University
Linda Mahony
University of Sunshine Coast
Jane Warren
University of Wollongong
Sandie Wong
Macquarie University
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Early Childhood Education Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, and the PreElementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons | | Recommended Citation Boyd, W., Mahony, L., Warren, J., & Wong, S. (2022) . The Design of Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs: Australian Employer Perspectives with International Program Comparisons. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(6) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n6.5](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n6.5) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss6/5](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss6/5) The Design of Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs: Australian Employer Perspectives with International Program Comparisons Wendy Boyd Southern Cross University, Linda Mahony University of Sunshine Coast, Jane Warren University of Wollongong, Sandie Wong Macquarie University. Abstract: Provision ofquality early childhood education and care (ECEC) supports children’s learning with strong agreement that early childhood teachers (ECTs) are central to quality provision. In many countries, it is mandatory that ECEC services employ ECTs. However, Australian ECT employers report that early childhood graduates are not always well-prepared to work in ECEC settings. This may be because what constitutes optimal early childhood initial teacher education programs (ECITE) is unclear. To investigate the design of ECITE programs this research reports on (i) design ofECITE programs across international contexts; and (ii) 19 Australian ECT employers ’perspectives on ECITE program design. Findings indicate little consensus on the design ofECITE programs, with inconsistencies across and within countries. Australian employers identified shortcomings in graduates knowledge. This research highlights recommendations to understand how programs prepare ECTs, by conducting research tracking preservice teachers from ECITE programs into ECEC teaching. Introduction It is well established that children’s early years are a time of significant development, with the quality of a child’s early experiences affecting their learning and development over the lifespan. For many children, participation in formal early childhood education and care (ECEC) services during these years is significant, with participation in high-quality ECEC services providing a strong foundation for lifelong learning (O'Connell, et al., 2016; Taggart et al., 2015). Correspondingly, participation in low-quality early childhood education can lead to poor outcomes for young children (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2021) . There is broad consensus among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers that the quality of ECEC services depends on experienced and skilled teachers (Education Services Australia, 2021; Sylva et al., 2010; Urban et al., 2012) . In particular, the quality of ECEC is directly related to degree qualified early childhood teachers’(ECTs’) practice and the effectiveness of their teaching (Manning et al., 2019; Torii, et al., 2017) . ECTs have been linked with better outcomes for children than staff with lower qualifications, as a result of higher quality pedagogical approaches (Manning et al., 2017; Sylva et al., 2010), interactions that support children’s langu

FAQs

What problem does this study address about early childhood teacher education?

Australian ECT employers report that early childhood graduates are not always well prepared for work in ECEC settings.

What does the research investigate about ECITE programs?

It examines ECITE program design across international contexts and collects perspectives from 19 Australian ECT employers.

What do the findings suggest about agreement on ECITE program design?

There is little consensus, with inconsistencies both between and within countries, alongside identified shortcomings in graduates’ knowledge.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Franzy