An Instruction to Enhance and Cultivate Professional Identity and Design Thinking for Preschool Education Major Students based on Collaborative Learning and Outcome-based Education

Abstract

With the continuous reform of preschool education and the increasing demand for high-quality preschool teachers, the cultivation of professional identity and design thinking has become an essential task in the training of preschool education major students. This study constructed and implemented an instructional model based on collaborative learning and outcome-based education (OBE) to enhance students' professional cognition, professional commitment, and innovative activity design capability. A mixed-methods design was adopted. The study involved 80 preschool education major students from a university in southern China, including 40 students in the experimental group and 40 students in the control group. The experimental group received the collaborative learning and OBE-based instructional intervention, whereas the control group received traditional instruction. Data were collected through literature analysis, questionnaire surveys, teaching practice, professional identity measurement, design thinking evaluation, and classroom observation. The results showed that the experimental group achieved substantial improvement in professional identity and design thinking ability after one semester of teaching practice. The findings indicate that the integration of collaborative learning and OBE can strengthen students' professional understanding, promote the connection between theoretical knowledge and practical application, and support curriculum reform in preschool education programs.