Strengthening teaching competencies in Early Childhood Education: a look at classroom activities

Introduction: the increase in the offer of places in Early Childhood Education (ECE) after the adoption of the new Education Law (LOMLOE, 2020) must entail a commitment to improve quality, and one of the pillars on which it is based is the teaching competence of its teachers. The study analyzes teaching performance in the development of learning activities in the first cycle of ECE, based on the type of most frequent activities observed in classrooms from 0 to 3 years. The results of the study do not make inferences about initial training received by the teachers who have participated, but without raising questions that contribute to the review and improvement of the training, especially in its practical aspect. Methodology: a systematic observation is carried out using the ITERS-3 (Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale, third edition) in an incidental sample of 31 classrooms from 21 ECE centres (0-3 years) in 4 Spanish Autonomous Communities, with a total of 340 students and 58 teachers. Results: The data show that the subscale "Activities" is the one that has received the lowest score, showing statistically significant differences from the other subscales (Space and Furnishings, Personal Care Routines, Language and Books, Interaction and Program Structure). Within this subscale, the minimum level of quality is not reached in 8 of the 10 items proposed by the scale: fine motor, art, music and movement, blocks, dramatic play, nature/science, math/number and promoting acceptance of diversity. In the items "Appropriate use of technology" and "Gross Motor" a minimum and good score is achieved respectively. Discussion: these results invite rethink the training of children's education teachers in Spain.