‘Between intuition and institutionalization’: A gender perspective on the pedagogical practices of early childhood education teacher educators

Abstract

This study explores how teacher educators in Chilean universities integrate a gender perspective into early childhood education, focusing on strategies, challenges and institutional conditions. Using a qualitative design, 24 teacher educators from public and private institutions participated in semi-structured interviews and completed a self-assessment checklist. The analysis identified five themes: (1) intuitive practices and a lack of institutional frameworks; (2) reactive and fragmented planning; (3) reflective and dialogic strategies with localized impact; (4) updating materials and resources with equity criteria; and (5) inclusive language as a strategy and tension point. The meta-theme ‘between intuition and institutionalization’ captures the gap between isolated innovations and the need for systemic adoption, revealing that the integration of a gender perspective into teacher education curricula remains informal, episodic and reliant on individual initiative. Achieving sustainable change in teacher education requires comprehensive institutionalized approaches that embed gender equity across curricula, assessment, resources and faculty development.