Abstract

The preparation of early childhood teachers requires systematic development of art performance skills to support effective art instruction in early learning contexts. This study aimed (1) to develop a learning model that promotes artistic efficacy among early childhood pre-service teachers, and (2) to examine the application of the developed learning model in enhancing their art performance. The study employed a research and development approach with a one-group pretest–posttest design. The participants included 50 early childhood pre-service teachers enrolled in a preschool education program at Guangxi Modern Vocational and Technical College, China. The research instruments consisted of learning modules for enhancing art performance, a needs analysis questionnaire, a learning module evaluation form, an art performance test, and qualitative feedback from teachers and kindergarten practitioners. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, efficiency analysis (E1/E2), and a paired-sample t-test, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that the developed learning modules were evaluated by experts as highly appropriate for early childhood teacher education. The learning modules achieved an efficiency value of 80.04/84.24, meeting the established criteria. The results of the paired-sample t-test indicated that students’ art performance after the intervention was significantly higher than before the intervention at the .01 level. Qualitative feedback further confirmed that the students’ artworks were pedagogically meaningful and applicable to real kindergarten teaching contexts. The findings suggest that systematically developed learning modules can effectively enhance art performance and artistic efficacy among early childhood pre-service teachers. This study provides practical implications for strengthening art education in teacher preparation programs through structured, practice-oriented instructional design.

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