Since English is widely positioned as an international language, many countries have introduced educational policies that require children to begin learning English as a foreign language (EFL) at an increasingly early age (e.g., Andúgar et al., 2018; Brumen et al., 2017). Following this global trend, the Taiwanese government has actively promoted English education and implemented bilingual teacher education initiatives across different stages of teacher preparation. In early childhood education, teachers who have received English instructional training and possess sufficient English proficiency are often considered particularly well suited to provide English learning opportunities, as they understand young children’s development and are capable of managing classroom behaviour (Hsieh, 2013). Therefore, during the teacher preparation stage, some senior students majoring in early childhood education enrolled in English teacher education programs. These programs aim to strengthen pre-service teachers’ English proficiency and instructional competence and prepare them to provide English learning opportunities for kindergarten children.

    However, current literature has largely focused on the benefits of early bilingualism (Brumen et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2022; Ramirez & Kuhl, 2017). Other studies have primarily described how English as a foreign language is introduced to kindergarteners (Dolean, 2015; Owodally, 2015). Nevertheless, research remains limited in explaining how to effectively prepare pre-service early childhood teachers for integrated English teaching in kindergartens, particularly with regard to how teacher education learning is transformed into classroom practices. In fact, an appropriate early childhood foreign language curriculum should comprehensively consider teacher qualifications, teacher training, the timing of language integration, teaching resources, curriculum and activity design, and children’s learning motivation in order to support meaningful learning experiences (Murphy & Evangelou, 2016; Scheffler & Domińska, 2018).

    Addressing this gap, this study focuses on Taiwanese pre-service early childhood teachers enrolled in an English teacher education program. It aims to investigate their learning experiences in the program and to trace how they implemented integrated English teaching in kindergarten contexts. Ultimately, the study intends to provide practical implications for teacher education institutions and for the design of integrated English activities in early childhood settings. The research questions are: (1) What are Taiwanese pre-service early childhood teachers’ perceived learning gains and suggestions regarding the English teacher education program? (2) How do they integrate English into kindergarten activities, and what challenges do they encounter during implementation?

    This study adopts integrated English instruction in early childhood as its conceptual framework. In early childhood settings, EFL learning opportunities are recommended to be embedded across daily routines and various activities rather than delivered as a separate subject. This approach aligns with young children’s developmental characteristics and emphasises that English should be integrated naturally and informally into children’s everyday experiences through meaningful interaction and play-based contexts (Alexiou, 2020; Mourão, 2019; Murphy et al., 2016). Moreover, integrated English instruction should reflect the principles of a spiral curriculum by building on children’s prior experiences and enabling them to revisit and reconstruct emerging concepts over time (Alexiou, 2020; Dolean, 2015).

    The preparation of pre-service early childhood teachers for integrated English instruction is closely connected to ongoing European discussions on early language learning and multilingual education. Across many European contexts, early foreign language education is often framed not only as linguistic training, but also as part of children’s holistic development within child-centred and play-based curricula. In this regard, the present study offers an empirical case from Taiwan that illustrates how pre-service teachers negotiate the implementation gap between teacher education coursework and classroom practice. The findings contribute to European scholarly conversations by providing comparative insights into how integrated early language learning can be sustainably supported through teacher education and professional preparation.

This study adopted a qualitative case study approach to explore Taiwanese pre-service early childhood teachers’ experiences in an English teacher education program at a public university. A total of 28 senior students majoring in early childhood education participated. They demonstrated relatively strong English proficiency, with their English entrance exam scores ranking above the 75th percentile nationwide. However, they had limited prior experience teaching English to young children. The program was delivered using English as the medium of instruction and consisted of two hours of weekly training over 16 weeks. Course content covered theories of teaching English as a foreign language, English teaching methods, and the design of integrated English activities. Instructional approaches included lectures, group discussions, and hands-on practice. In addition, the students worked in pairs and were assigned to one kindergarten classroom. Each pair collaboratively designed three integrated English activities and conducted three practicum teaching sessions, resulting in 42 lesson plans and 42 video-recorded teaching sessions. Each practicum session lasted at least three hours. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). All participants were informed of the research procedures and signed informed consent forms prior to formal data collection. Data sources included course observation notes, 42 written lesson plans, video recordings of 42 teaching activities, 28 reflection reports, and semi-structured interviews with eight voluntarily selected participants. All data were reviewed iteratively and analysed using inductive thematic analysis through open coding, category development, and theme refinement across data sources. Data triangulation and peer debriefing were employed to enhance credibility.

Regarding the participants’ experiences in the English teacher education program, they generally perceived the course to be well structured and logically organised. As this was their first exposure to integrated English teaching in early childhood settings, they valued the balance between theoretical input and guided practice, which helped them develop a clearer understanding of how English can be integrated into kindergarten routines and activities. However, they suggested that the program should provide more classroom-based video examples. They believed that observing authentic practices would help them better understand young children’s responses to English input and how teachers facilitate participation, particularly when children show little or no response due to limited comprehension. In their practicum teaching, participants most frequently selected themes such as colours, emotions, food, body parts and facial features, animals, and simple classroom language. Common activity formats included songs, picture books, play, and arts-based tasks. They used interactive strategies to embed target vocabulary and simple dialogues, for example, asking children to identify colours on their clothing, point to colours in picture books, or respond to questions such as “What colour do you use?” during colour-mixing activities. Visual prompts, gestures, and facial expressions were also used to support children’s understanding. Nevertheless, participants reported that lesson plans often required flexible adjustments based on children’s immediate responses. They emphasised the importance of exaggerated gestures, slower pacing, and gradual progression from a small set of words to extended vocabulary and simple sentences. They also highlighted the need to adapt language use to children’s comprehension rather than maintaining an English-only approach, suggesting that strategic Mandarin use may support learning. Overall, the findings indicate that early childhood English teacher education should integrate theory with practice and include concrete video exemplars demonstrating spiral and developmentally appropriate integrated instruction, as well as effective moments for English–Mandarin translanguaging.

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