Internship and Mentorship for Developing the Pedagogical Competence of Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers: A Systematic Literature Review
Keywords:
pedagogical competence; pre-service teachers; early childhood education; internship; mentorship; teacher education; practicum; experiential learning; reflective practice; systematic literature review.Abstract
The pedagogical competence of pre-service early childhood teachers develops not only through university coursework but also through guided participation in authentic settings. Yet internship and mentorship experiences remain uneven because of persistent theory-practice disconnections, inconsistent mentoring, and insufficiently coherent practicum structures. This systematic literature review synthesised 37 peer-reviewed articles published from 2020 to 2025 and indexed in CNKI, Web of Science, and ERIC. Using a structured coding framework and thematic synthesis, the review examined study characteristics, theoretical orientations, processes of competence development, and the contextual conditions shaping those processes. Across the literature, pedagogical competence emerged as a multidimensional and situated capacity developed through classroom participation, mentoring, peer collaboration, and critical reflection. The effectiveness of these processes depended on institutional coordination, access to resources, mentor preparation and availability, academic support, manageable workloads, and a supportive school culture. Mentorship was especially important because it helped pre-service teachers interpret children's responses, connect theory with developmentally appropriate practice, and form a professional identity. The review therefore supports internship models that deliberately connect sustained classroom responsibility with prepared mentors, collaborative inquiry, and structured reflection. It also identifies design principles relevant to the further development and empirical evaluation of the Hengxing Internship Model. These findings offer a conceptual basis for teacher educators, institutions, and policymakers seeking context-responsive approaches to preparing reflective and adaptive early childhood teachers.
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.8.30
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