From a Fragmented Curriculum to Integrative Curricular Training: Strengthening Inclusive Pedagogical Practices in Initial Early Childhood Teacher Education

Abstract

This study analyzes the constraints that limit the development of inclusive pedagogical practices in initial early childhood teacher education and identifies the components of an integrative curricular training model. A qualitative, descriptive-interpretive study with an action-research orientation was conducted in the Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education program at Universidad Santo Tomás, Colombia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with faculty members and pre-service teachers, a student focus group, reflective practicum journals, the researcher's field diary, and documentary analysis of curricular and institutional materials. Data were organized using ATLAS.ti 9 and examined through thematic analysis supported by open, axial, and selective coding. Twelve analytical categories were triangulated across the five data sources. The findings show that the main problem is not the absence of inclusion-related content but its fragmented integration into teacher education experiences: theory and practice remain weakly connected, inclusive teaching competencies develop mainly during the final practicum, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is often applied reactively rather than used as an anticipatory design framework. Seven interrelated components define the proposed integrative curricular training model: curricular strengthening, UDL implementation, UDL principles, inclusive pedagogical strategies, attention to diversity, inclusive education, and institutional transformation. The emergent model positions diversity as an organizing principle of teacher education and frames inclusive practice as the result of coordinated curricular, pedagogical, and institutional change.