Initial teaching training of early childhood education professionals in England, France and Spain

Abstract

International agencies consider that achieving an optimal professionalization in Early Childhood Education teachers is significantly important in order to guarantee a high quality education. The objective of this research study is to analyze the initial training of different professionals that work within the Early Childhood Educational stage in England, France and Spain in order to detect similarities and differences between diverse aspects such as qualification level, educational access requisites and educational modalities, among others. By using a comparative methodology, we detected homogeneity by the way of requiring a lower qualification level for professionals who work in the second cycle. Additionally, we witnessed significant differences in the demanded requirements to pursue the teaching training. We conclude that, despite the efforts being made in recent years to implement Early Educational systems integrated in one stage, this model is not at all being generalized even when the entire stage is being regulated by the same Ministry.