Assessing the Competence of Early Childhood Education Students at Teacher Education Universities in Vietnam in Terms of Implementing STEAM Education

Abstract

The article explores the competence of students majoring in early childhood education at teacher education universities in Vietnam in terms of implementing STEAM education based on self-assessment. The results of a survey of early childhood education students in their third and fourth (final) years at three universities in different provinces/cities of Vietnam show that students rated themselves as meeting all or most of the requirements of STEAM education for children. The students did not rate themselves as unsatisfactory or slightly satisfactory in any aspect. In terms of the specific aspects of competence, the students rated themselves as meeting all of the requirements for content related to the “professional qualities and ethics expressed in the organization of STEAM education” and rated themselves as meeting the majority of the requirements for items related to “knowledge and skills for organizing STEAM education for children,” which had the lowest mean scores. Therefore, universities and other stakeholders need to promote the effectiveness of the training they provide to enable such students to further develop their competence in STEAM education for preschool children, especially in terms of knowledge and skills in organizing STEAM educational activities for children. Differences in the competence levels of students from different universities also require further attention.