Understanding Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Experiences with Simulated Teaching to Support Play

This study investigated preservice early childhood teachers’ experiences with simulated teaching to support play through an in-depth analysis of interviews and self-reflection papers from 22 second-year early childhood education majors at a university in the Chungcheong region of South Korea. The findings showed that, first, instead of preparations for activity-based simulated teaching, where preservice early childhood teachers focused on memorizing scripts, practicing, and creating teaching materials, they planned for play-supportive simulated teaching by anticipating children’s needs and possible extensions and organizing play materials and resources. Second, when conduct ing activity-based simulated teaching, these teachers followed a scripted performance, but in play-supportive simulated teaching, they encountered unpredictable, authentic play and expressed concerns regarding teacher intervention. Third, although these teachers felt comfortable in activ ity-based simulated teaching, they identified boredom as one of its limitations; meanwhile, despite being unfamiliar with play-supportive simulated teaching, they found it enjoyable and believed it could foster their ability to cope with unexpected situations. Those who struggled with improvisa tion preferred activity-based simulated teaching whereas those with strong adaptability skills favored play-supportive simulated teaching. These findings suggest that teacher educators must reflect on and reconsider methods of teaching preservice early childhood teachers.