Exploring the experience of a capstone design class that applied PBL (problem-based learning) for early childhood education student

The purpose of this study is to investigate the classroom experience of early childhood education students through capstone design classes that apply PBL in universities. The research participants were 16 third-year college students from the Department of Early Childhood Education, G University, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and explored their experiences of a capstone design class that applied PBL for a total of 15 weeks from September 1 to December 12, 2023. Interviews, interviews, journals, and reports of research participants were collected and analyzed using the inductive category analysis method. As a result of analyzing the experience of pre-service early childhood teachers in capstone design classes that applied PBL, it was derived into a total of three categories: 'Classes that discover problems and solve them on their own', 'Team cohesion built through conflict', and 'Professors are also team members'. This study is expected to provide meaningful implications as basic data for the design and operation of capstone design courses in the early childhood education department of universities in the future.