‘We Were All Green and Brand New’ - Mentoring in Theories of Child Development for Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

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Three Australian Government commissioned reports from 2011–2017 highlight a persistent theory–practice gap in early childhood education and the challenge of aligning child development theory with classroom practice. This study examines what shapes mentors’ discussions of child development theories with early career preschool teachers using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Themes include the early childhood teacher’s wide role, variation in initial training, developing teacher identity, emotional connections, and consolidating university learning. A Freirean lens frames oppression, marginalisation, and liberation, suggesting the gap is a necessary journey for beginning teachers and offers implications for policy, practice, and future comparative research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Child Development Theories in Early Childhood Education

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 48 Issue 3 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 2023
‘We Were All Green and Brand New’: Mentoring in Theories of Child Development for Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers
Emma Ellis
Monash University
Andrea Reupert Monash University
Marie Hammer Monash 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, Educational Psychology Commons, and the Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons | | Recommended Citation Ellis, E., Reupert, A., & Hammer, M. (2023) .‘We Were All Green and Brand New’: Mentoring in Theories of Child Development for Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 48(3) . [https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.5875](https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.5875) [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/vol48/iss3/1](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol48/iss3/1) ‘We Were All Green and Brand New’: Mentoring in Theories of Child Development for Australian Early Career Preschool Teachers Emma Ellis Andrea Reupert Marie Hammer Monash University Abstract: Three Australian Government commissioned reports from 2011-2017 convey a longstanding child development theory-practice gap in early childhood education. This study explores what informs mentors’ discussions of theories ofchild development with early career preschool teachers. Grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, themes relate to the wide role of the early childhood teacher, variation in initial teacher education, developing teacher identity, emotional connections, and consolidation and extension of university learning of child development theories. Critical discussion of themes from a Freirean perspective illustrates how mentors conveyed experiences ofoppression, marginalisation, and liberation. We offer that though the child development theory-practice gap is historically presented as problematic, those interviewed suggest it is a natural and necessary part of the journey for beginning teachers. Although implications for Australian initial teacher education policy and practice arepresented, this study serves as a case example for future comparative international research in this field. Introduction The need for early childhood teachers (ECTs) to have a sound understanding of theories of child development is broadly acknowledged (see for example, Fleer, 2018; Torii, Fox, & Cloney, 2017) . Hence, it is concerning that multiple Australian Government commissioned reports claim that child development content in ECT initial teacher education (ITE) programs is insufficient (Rowley et al., 2011; Ingvarson et al., 2014; Pascoe & Brennan, 2017) . This alleged, ongoing ‘theory-practice gap’ is troubling in view of the demands of Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (‘the EYLF’) (Australian Government Department of Education (AGDE), 2022); the document that frames the work of ECTs in preschool settings. In our study, ‘preschool’means settings providing teacher lead educational programs to children in the year prior to compulsory schooling. The EYLF requires practice to be based upon strong theoretical foundations. Consequently, this raises the question of how early career ECTs fulfil this requirement if, according to Government reports, they lack sufficient child development knowledge upon graduation. Under the current Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), all teachers completing an accredited ITE program enter the workforce at ‘Graduate’ level (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2018) . Not all Australian States/Territories require ECTs working in non-school settings

FAQs

What theory–practice gap does the study focus on?

The study focuses on a longstanding gap between child development theory and how it is applied in early childhood education, as described in Australian Government commissioned reports.

How does the study analyze mentors’ perspectives?

Mentors’ experiences are explored using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, which supports identification of recurring themes across participants.

What themes emerge from mentors’ discussions of child development theories?

Themes include the broad role of early childhood teachers, variation in initial teacher education, developing teacher identity, emotional connections, and consolidating and extending university learning of theories.

Oct 15, 2026

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