Early Childhood Education - the pre-primary education phase - is an essential part of European education policy, as the first years lay the foundation for successful lifelong learning (Eurydice, 2018; Eurydice, 2019). Studies on early childhood teacher education have shown that providing pre-service teachers with opportunities to engage in authentic, real-world teaching experiences, such as teaching in a kindergarten setting, can improve their preparedness for the classroom (Ben-Harush & Orland-Barak, 2019; Hollins, & Warner, 2021).  The current study compares three models of training early childhood student teachers and seeks to learn about their contribution to the pre-service teachers' integration into the kindergarten and their readiness for professional autonomy.

In the last decade, the teaching profession is in a process of professionalization that strengthens the formal training of teachers and educators through higher academic studies in the teaching disciplines and the sciences of education and pedagogy alongside practical experience which is designed to link the institution and the field. In other words, the training for teaching consists of imparting academic knowledge to teaching students through various courses and is supported by practical experience that demonstrates what is learned in the academic courses.

However, it seems that pre-service teachers have difficulty bridging the gap between academia and the field and applying the knowledge acquired in teacher training in educational settings. Many of the novice teachers report a sharp transition from the college to the school or kindergarten where they serve as teachers (Sagi and Regev, 2002).

This reality requires alternative structures for teacher education which enhances the partnership and collaboration between the teaching institutions and the schools or kindergartens that provide opportunities for application of theory to practice during which pre-service teachers could voice, explore, and critically examine their beliefs in relation to philosophies and teaching approaches (Di Santo, Timmons & Lenis).  

One alternative model is a relatively new program of Academia–Kindergarten (AK) implemented by the Ministry of Education in Israel. The program promotes extending practice in the third year of training in kindergartens and developing a triadic mentoring support system (Ben-Harush & Orland-Barak, 2019). Making the practical experience a central core of this program, enables strong collaboration between the academic mentor (the teacher education college pedagogical instructor), the mentee (the pre-service teacher) and the kindergarten trained teacher throughout the teaching process. By spending more time in the kindergarten as part of the AK program the pre-service teachers are seen as part of the kindergarten teaching staff and are integrated into the day-to-day activities of the kindergarten.

Over the years, the AK basic program evolved, and a new model was developed the "Academia Kindergarten Community" (AKC). This model can be characterized by a learning community that includes both the pre-service teachers who participate in the program, and the kindergarten teachers who are guided by the pedagogical instructor. The AKC model allows pre-service teachers to be exposed to diverse points of view, dilemmas, difficulties, and challenges that arise from the field that are seen as relevant to all members of the community (Moft, 2021). The model encourages joint learning sessions for teachers and students. From this, the current study combines quantitative and qualitative findings

seeks to learn about the contribution of the two experiential models AK and AKC to pre-service teachers and to compare between them and the traditional experiential model in aspects of integration into the kindergarten and the readiness for professional autonomy. In addition, the study seeks to learn about the satisfaction of the teaching staff from their participation in the three models of practical experience: traditional experience, AK and AKC.

The current study combines quantitative and qualitative methods. In accordance with the research goals, the following research questions were formulated according to two target populations: pre-service teachers and the teacher education staff the pedagogical instructors and the kindergarten trained teachers. The research questions intended for the pre-service teachers were: A) To what extent do you perceive the contribution of the practical experience in the following aspects: - A sense of belonging - A feeling of being able to work independently in a kindergarten - A sense of preparedness and professional autonomy - Is there a difference in the perception of the contribution of the practical experience in the aspects presented between the three experience models: traditional model, AK model and AKC model? The questions for the pedagogical instructors were: 2. To what extent do the teaching staff from the two experiential models, AK and the AKC perceive the professional staff's contribution to their training? Is there a difference in the perceptions of the teachers from the two models? How do the pedagogical instructors and kindergarten teachers maximize the contribution of the AK and the AKC models to the teaching staff who participate in them? 2. How do pedagogical instructors and qualified kindergarten teachers evaluate the relationship developed between them and the teaching staff and how does this relationship contribute to their training? Quantitative research method: Third year early childhood education students who undergo their training at leading teacher education college in Israel Research tool A self-report questionnaire study was constructed. The questionnaire was built in accordance with the theoretical concepts in professional literature, and based on previous questionnaires... The qualitative research method: participants Pre-service, pedagogical instructors and kindergarten teachers who take part in the traditional experience programs, AK and AKC. Research tool Semi-structured interviews with five pedagogical instructors, with six kindergarten teachers (two from each group participating in the AK program and the AKC model) and with six students (two from each group participating in the AK and AKC models). The Questionnaires and the transcripts of the conversations and in-depth interviews were analyzed using an interpretative framework.

The qualitative and the quantitative findings will be presented at the conference presentation as they are being analyzed at the moment

Di Santo, A., Timmons, K. & Lenis, A. (2017). Preservice early childhood educators’ pedagogical beliefs, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 38:3, 223-241, DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2017.1347588 Ben-Harush, A. and Orland-Barak, L. (2019), "Triadic mentoring in early childhood teacher education: the role of relational agency", International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 182-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-10-2018-0055 Hollins, E. R., & Warner, C. K. (2021). Evaluating the clinical component of teacher preparation programs (report). National Academy of Education Committee on Evaluating and Improving Teacher Preparation Programs. Clipa, Otilia & Mâţă, Liliana. (2021). European Educational Policies on Teacher Training for Early Childhood Education. DOI: 10.18662/978-1-910129-28-9.ch001 Ronen, I. K., Danial-Saad, A., & Holsblat, R. (2022). Collaborative and Traditional Practice-models as Perceived by Preservice Teachers: The Potential Impact of Culture. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(7). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n7.4