Perception of Hospital Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education Students

Abstract

This research aims to determine the level of knowledge that future early childhood educators have about hospital pedagogy, as well as its strengths and limitations. The study was conducted through an exploratory approach with a population of 233 trainee teachers enrolled from the first to the fifth semester of the Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of Córdoba, and a sample of 87 subjects. Data collection techniques included a sociodemographic survey and a semistructured interview via a Google Forms link. Subsequently, data triangulation was performed, contrasting the theory with the obtained data. The most relevant results show that hospital pedagogy is a new topic in the department and that more experience in the area is still needed. Based on these data, it was concluded that, despite the lack of knowledge, the subjects have prior knowledge related to a course that addresses this topic within the curriculum. Additionally, it is noted that hospital pedagogy plays an important role within society. Finally, it was determined that the healthcare sector is very limited in opening these spaces due to biosecurity issues and agreements with educational institutions.