Expectations and Effectiveness of Preschool Teacher Training Program: A Case Study of Teacher Training Course for the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children

Abstract

This study examines the expectations and effectiveness of a teacher training program for early childhood music education, specifically focusing on the Holistic Music Educational Approach for Young Children (HMEAYC) and its integration with local cultural frameworks. Participants ( n = 30) from a private university’s Department of Early Childhood Development and Education, aged between 22 and 25 years old, were about to obtain their early childhood education teaching qualification. The 36-week training, consisting of 3 hr per week, employed collaborative teaching methods and collective reflection to gather pre- and post-training data. The results indicate a 90.91% pass rate for participants who successfully obtained the HMEAYC teacher qualification. While overall expectations regarding course identity, musical skills, and pedagogical competence did not exhibit significant changes, participants with better training outcomes experienced significant positive changes in psychological cognition of musical skills and curriculum identity, with no significant difference in pedagogical competence cognition. Furthermore, Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis revealed positive correlations between cognitive changes in musical skills, course identity, and pedagogical competence after training. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between cognitive changes in musical skills and both course identity and pedagogical competence before training, suggesting a strong association between changes in music skills and other variables.