Practical Examples of Micro-teaching in Veteran Childcare Workers’ Training

Examination of the Effectiveness Through On-the-job Training by Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of microteaching. A veteran kindergarten teacher with 13 years of experience played the role of a childcare worker in job training, and three kindergarten teachers played the role of infants. We used a mixed research method consisting of behavioral observations and a questionnaire survey. The behavioral evaluation confirmed improvements in the veteran teacher’s instructional skills. Moreover, self-assessment of the training efficacy indicated improvements in all four participants’ childcare skills. Furthermore, the four participants recognized their learning conditions, identified problems, and improved their understanding of infants. Also, the free descriptions of the participants suggested that feedback in the role of a childcare worker, role-playing, and observational learning in the role of an infant can improve the recognition of learning conditions, learning motivation, and understanding of infants. In particular, changes in the seating arrangement indicated that the veteran teacher tended to be overwhelmed by improvements in instruction inertia. These results confirmed the efficacy of microteaching training for veterans.