Pixel International Conferences

Early childhood education (ECE) stands as a priority for most international educative organizations and institutions that advocate for curriculums of excellence in the 21st century school (Delors, 1996 [1]; European Commission, 2019 [2]; UNESCO, n.d. [3]). It is an educational stage marked by two key peculiarities: teachers must have a high specialization in the area, and their training must include quality teaching practices. With this background, the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's Degree (EMJMD) 'Play, Education, Toys and Languages' (PETaL) was designed and approved by the EC in 2018. Its main aim is to strengthen the professional development of educators who can approach ECE from its basic precepts, while incorporating the most innovative trends into the curriculum of this Master of excellence. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the academic and professional profile of the 2 cohorts of applicants to PETaL EMJMD. We carry out an exhaustive quantitative scrutiny of data according to the academic and professional profile of the candidates by using Jamovi, (v. 1.2.5.) [4]. These variables are correlated with gender, age and nationality, which allow us to reflect and draw conclusions on the impact that PETaL EMJMD has and presumably will continue having at international university level regarding the international seek for quality ECE teacher training. 

Keywords: Early Childhood Education (ECE), Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD), Applicants, Quantitative Analysis, Quality Education

References:

• Delors, J. (1996). La educación encierra un tesoro. UNESCO. Retrieved from 
  https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000109590_spa">https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000109590_spa.
• European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2019). Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved from 
  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5816a817-b72a-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-102611557">https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5816a817-b72a-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-102611557.
• UNESCO. (n.d.). Early childhood care and education. Retrieved from
  <https://en.unesco.org/themes/early-childhood-care-and-education">https://en.unesco.org/themes/early-childhood-care-and-education.
• Jamovi. (2020). The Jamovi Project (Version 1.2.5.). Retrieved from 
  https://www.jamovi.org/">https://www.jamovi.org.