Theoretical backgrounds for the development of a university model of integrated teaching practicum (Teaching methodology of introducing children to the natural and social environment, and Methodology of teaching mathematical concepts formation) are learning about the holistic approach in the education of young children, as well as the pedagogical paradigm of an open preschool curricula and its co-construction. Through the analysis of data collected during this cycle within the framework of mix-method research, the paper is presented as a reflection of the implementation of the integrated teaching practicum. Quantitative data indicate a shift of students’ insights into their own teaching competences towards greater objectivity, and in a sense, restructuring of their theoretical knowledge. Qualitative analysis indicates a shift from the emotional components (particularly uncertainty and fear) which overwhelmed students at the beginning of the cycle, to a greater confidence in their relationships with young children. Integration contributes to a number of positive effects on the development of general and specific teaching competency as well as on the students’ self-confidence. On the other side, it raises new questions that need to be taken into account: primarily, it refers to the issue of the gap in “connecting” theory with/and practice, and equally, to the possibilities of students’ participation in decision-making within process in the next cycle of the action research.

At the time when there is growing importance of the participant-friendly research (Christensen & James, 2008) new dimensions are added to research in the early childhood: it is based on the rights of young children, it takes children’s perspective, requires careful listening, emphasizes active participation of children and researchers, combines techniques sensitive enough to allow children to speak their languages. The shift is particularly evident in the acceptance of the equality of young children’s points of view and understanding of the reality around them. That led to methodological “allowing” the research process to become contextualized in the children’s world, where play has a special place. Play is now accepted as one of the many languages with which children can express, interpret and construct their experiences and meanings. Therefore, play has become a research area within which children have the right to be different, compared to the adult research participants (Punch, 2002). There is controversy regarding the involvement of adults in children’s play, and “using” it for didactic and other purposes. However, findings show that adults do not necessarily disturb children’s play. It can become a space for sharing between children and playful adults, within which the balance of power and hierarchy is adjusted. The empirical basis of the paper is an analysis of ten play-based focus groups, which included over fifty children who were five and six years old, a doll researcher and an adult in the role of an “assistant researcher.”

Students, pre-service preschool teachers, need professional competences, which include the methodical, to become autonomous professionals, empowered in their significant social role of teachers of young children, to self-express and self-realize as practitioners. Bearing that in mind, the question of the competence development and quality is becoming a significant „desirable outcome“ of programs that educate future educators, including the corpus of faculty courses that make up the scientific field of Methodics of preschool education, other words, integrated methodics of early childhood education. Developing professional methodical competences of pre-service preschool teachers in higher education is not only an isolated process based on academic knowledge and teaching through lectures and academic exercises that are performed in a campus classroom environment. It is a process that is closely associate the abstract knowledge with the authentic and natural context, which, in this case, has its own continuity, soul and a lot of more things (preschool institution). It allows the meaningful construction and application of the abstract knowledge, also competence development based on experien-

AbstractAt the time when there is growing importance of the participant-friendly research (Christensen & James, 2008) new dimensions are added to research in the early childhood: it is based on the rights of young children, it takes children's perspective, requires careful listening, emphasizes active participation of children and researchers, combines techniques sensitive enough to allow children to speak their languages. The shift is particularly evident in the acceptance of the equality of young children's points of view and understanding of the reality around them. That led to methodological "allowing" the research process to become contextualized in the children's world, where play has a special place. Play is now accepted as one of the many languages with which children can express, interpret and construct their experiences and meanings. Therefore, play has become a research area within which children have the right to be different, compared to the adult research participants (Punch, 2002). There is controversy regarding the involvement of adults in children's play, and "using" it for didactic and other purposes. However, findings show that adults do not necessarily disturb children's play. It can become a space for sharing between children and playful adults, within which the balance of power and hierarchy is adjusted. The empirical basis of the paper is an analysis of ten play-based focus groups, which included over fifty children who were five and six years old, a doll researcher and an adult in the role of an "assistant researcher."Key words: children and adults' participation; play-based focus group; research in early childhood.---SažetakIstraživanja u ranom dјetinjstvu, u vrijeme pridavanja sve veće važnosti istraživanjima koja su prijateljski usmjerena prema sudionicima (Christensen & James, 2008), dobivaju nove dimenzije: oslonjena su na prava male djece, zauzimaju dječju perspektivu, zahtijevaju pažljivo slušanje, primat daju aktivnoj participaciji djece i istraživača, kombiniraju tehnike koje su dovoljno osjetljive da omogućuju djeci da govore svojim jezicima. Zaokret je posebno vidljiv u prihvaćanju ravnopravnosti dječjeg kuta promatranja i razumijevanja stvarnosti oko njih, što vodi metodološkom „dopuštanju" da se istraživački proces kontekstualizira dječjim svijetom, u kojem igra ima posebno mjesto. Igra je danas prihvaćena kao jedan od mnoštva jezika kojima se dijete izražava, interpretira i oblikuje svoja iskustva i značenja. Postaje istraživački prostor unutar kojeg se djeca imaju pravo razlikovati u odnosu na odrasle sudionike istraživanja (Punch, 2002). Postoje mnoge kontroverze s obzirom na uključivanje odraslih u igru i „upotrebu" igre u didaktičke i druge svrhe. Međutim, odrasli ne moraju nužno remetiti dječju igru. Igra može postati prostor dijeljenja djece i odraslih koji se igraju, između kojih se odnos moći i hijerarhije u igrovnom kontekstu poništava. Empirijsku osnova rada predstavlja analiza deset fokus grupa utemeljenih na igri, u kojima je sudjelovalo više od pedesetoro djece u dobi od pet i šest godina, lutka istraživač i odrasli u ulozi „pomoćnika istraživača".Ključne riječi: fokus grupa utemeljena na igri; istraživanje u ranom djetinjstvu; participacija odraslih i djece.