Protecting Professional Selves Through Student-Centred Supervised Professional Practice Placement Preparation: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic

Haals Brosnan, Maja, Hayes, Noirin, Oke, Meera and Barr, Anna (2025) Protecting Professional Selves Through Student-Centred Supervised Professional Practice Placement Preparation: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Early Childhood. ISSN 00207187

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Abstract

In March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to extended closures of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in Ireland, significantly disrupting the supervised professional practice placement (SPPP) component of HEIs delivering ECEC initial educator programmes. Five years later, the Irish ECEC sector is experiencing staffing and sustainability challenges affecting both the implementation of quality practice and the experience of student educators on placement. In this article, we interrogate what we have learned about SPPP in Irish HEIs delivering ECEC initial educator programmes since Covid-19. The article explores the pedagogical adaptations made during and after the pandemic, particularly the shift to digitally supported, student-centred, and reflective placement practices, and examines their potential long-term value. Drawing on emerging research and institutional responses, we argue that these innovations offer important insights into how higher education institutions can better prepare students for practice, support their students develop strong professional identities and strengthen placement experiences in a post-pandemic landscape. The research identifies a paradigm shift toward more student-centred, digitally enhanced approaches to placement preparation, supervision, and assessment. The study highlights how pandemic-related disruptions brought student wellbeing to the fore and prompted institutions to reconsider their support strategies, leading to a greater emphasis on reflective practice, professional confidence, and emotional preparedness. Technology played a pivotal role in maintaining connectivity among students, supervisors, and lecturers, while also facilitating innovative pedagogical practices such as micro-teaching using video snippets. These findings point to new possibilities for sustaining pedagogical innovation in SPPP and contribute to the underexplored post-pandemic literature on ECEC professional placement in higher education.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Digital enhancement; Student professional practice placements; Student-centred decision making; Supervision; Tripartite connectivity
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > Teaching Personnel L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > Early childhood education L Education > LC Special aspects / Types of education > Vocational Education
Divisions:	School of Business and Social Sciences > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	23 Dec 2025 11:33
Last Modified:	23 Dec 2025 11:33
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9062

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