Learning to teach in early childhood: mapping relevant situations in the initial practicum of the early childhood education degree

Abstract

This study analyzes the content of 111 end-of-practicum reports from Practicum I in the Early Childhood Education Degree, with the aim of identifying which dimensions of the school experience students consider relevant in their first professional immersion. Using a mixed approach combining thematic analysis and quantification, a categorical system of ten dimensions (A-J) was designed, covering didactic-methodological, organizational, socio-emotional, inclusive, and community aspects. The results reveal that the practicum is mainly interpreted as a professional learning process focused on classroom methodology and management, mediated by institutional support and marked by an emotional journey that evolves from initial insecurity to self-efficacy and vocational reaffirmation. The analysis shows that students develop a comprehensive view of early childhood teaching that integrates technical, organizational, and relational dimensions, although with less consistency in aspects such as explicit theory-practice reflection and the relationship with families. The categories applied allow the practicum to be characterized as a space for the construction of professional identity where educating and caring appear as inseparable functions. However, the study has sampling limitations derived from the imbalance between gender subgroups and training itineraries, as well as from the variability in the length and reflective quality of the reports analyzed.