The Effects of an Action Learning-Based Class on Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers’Problem-Solving Ability, Self-Directed Learning Ability, and Self-Efficacy

This study empirically analyzed the effects of an Introduction to Education course, incorporating action learning, on pre-service early childhood teachers’ problem-solving ability, self-directed learning ability, and self-efficacy. The participants were 61 first-year students majoring in early childhood education at a university in the Seoul metropolitan area. The 15-week course was designed as a project-based class grounded in action learning principles. A paired-sample t-test was conducted to examine changes in students’ competencies before and after the course. The results revealed statistically significant improvements in all three competencies (p < .001). Problem-solving ability increased from a pre-test mean of M = 3.45 (SD = 0.48) to a post-test mean of M = 3.84 (SD = 0.45), with all nine subcomponents showing significant enhancement. Self-directed learning ability improved from M = 3.60 (SD = 0.38) to M = 3.77 (SD = 0.40), with significant gains in diagnosing learning needs, goal setting, identifying resources, maintaining learning efforts, and self-reflection. Self-efficacy increased from M = 3.55 (SD = 0.57) to M = 3.88 (SD = 0.57), with both academic self-efficacy and self-regulated self-efficacy showing significant improvement. These findings suggest that action learning strengthens learners’ practical thinking, autonomous participation, and experiences centered on collaboration and reflection, making it an effective instructional strategy for fostering pre-service early childhood teachers’ competencies. The study is particularly meaningful in providing empirical evidence that action learning can be effectively applied even in theory-based courses.