Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales en Educación Infantil: expectativas curriculares y formación docente

Teachers of Early Childhood Education must learn to teach Social Sciences even if they are considered general teachers. From our experience as teachers of Social Science Didactics, we would like to highlight a series of deficiencies and limitations detected in the students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Degree at two Spanish universities. Reorienting the conceptions acquired about the teaching practice becomes one of the purposes of initial training. Making university students see the limitations that hinder a critical review of the beliefs and the value systems that unconsciously crystallize in the pre-university phase is an outstanding step in this initial training process. For this reason, we carried out a case study at the University of Valencia and the University of Almería with students from the 2020-2021 academic year. The aim of this study was to analyze the perception, expectations and perspectives that these Education students had as regards the Teaching of Social Sciences. The instruments used were a questionnaire and group interviews. The results showed that the specific training provided in the subject of Didactics of Social Sciences in the Degree of Early Childhood Education allowed students to analyze the social representations of their future profession, thus dignifying it through an increase in future teachers’ self-perception. For this reason, we have carried out a case study at the University of Valencia and the University of Almería with students from the 2020-2021 academic year. The techniques used were the questionnaire and group interviews. The indications of this research show that the specific training in the Infant Education Degree through the subject of Didactics of Social Sciences allows students to analyze the social representations of their future profession and thus be able to contribute to dignify it by overcoming the stereotypes of nursery school assigned to teachers of this educational stage. Las maestras y maestros de Educación Infantil deben aprender a enseñar Ciencias Sociales aunque lleven la etiqueta de docentes generalistas. Desde nuestra experiencia como docentes de didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales queremos evidenciar una serie de carencias y limitaciones detectadas en el alumnado que cursa el Grado de Educación Infantil y que venimos corroborando año tras año en la formación inicial en dos contextos diferentes del magisterio universitario español. Reorientar las concepciones adquiridas sobre la práctic