Zooming on Mental States: Developing the Mentalization and Interaction Skills of Early Childhood Education Student Teachers

Early childhood education (ECE) professionals’ reflections on mental states have been associated with staff–child interaction quality and child development. However, experimental evidence from mentalization training in ECE teacher education is limited. Fifteen Finnish student teachers with a caregiver background, enrolled in a higher education program, participated in a Video Enhanced Reflective Practice (VERP) intervention. The training was integrated in two blended learning study modules, where the focus was to support children’s language, cognitive, and social–emotional development. The student teachers’ observed mental state talk increased during trainer-guided peer discussions as well as student-guided discussions with two children during picture book reading interactions. The student teachers’ self-reported general interaction skills also improved. In the pilot study, growth was observed in mentalization and interaction skills, following a higher education program that combined VERP with evidence-based content. The preliminary data suggest that future interventions should focus on the transfer of training and on improving ECE student teachers’ talk about emotional states during interactions with children.