Policy regulating Swedish preschool practice stresses preschool teachers’ responsibility to take a leading position towards childcare workers when teaching. Practicum places are sites in which development of students’ professional practical skills and experiences of leading childcare workers are expected to take place. However, research has shown resistance among preschool teachers toward taking the leadership making such skills and experiences hard for student teachers’ to achieve during practicum periods. The research aim is to shed some light on what possible combination of theoretical and practical skills about leadership student teachers experience during their preschool teacher education. Guiding questions are: What were their hopes and visions concerning leadership during their preschool teacher education? How are they, as beginners with a few months' employment as preschool teachers, able to practice their skills in the here and now? What gaps are there to mind? We use the theoretical framework of teacher agency (TA) (Priestley et al, 2015). TA is achieved through an interplay between the context and the individual. Experiences from the past (preschool teacher education), the cultural, structural and material aspects in the here and now (in the preschool settings), as well as visions for the future, affects the student teachers’/beginners’ achievement of abilities to practice their leadership skills. Data consist of a total amount of 70 sound-recorded seminars with 15 student teachers. These students were involved in a longitudinal research study during 7 semesters, continuously meeting with a group of researchers, discussing issues related to the preschool teacher profession. In this study, we conducted follow-up interviews with seven of them as beginner teachers a few months after graduating as preschool teachers. Preliminary findings indicate the student teachers’ experiences concerning leadership in preschool as limited, shaping a gap to mind when they as beginners are supposed to enact their visions. As students, they consider leadership to be an important topic to learn. They talk about theoretical skills achieved at campus but fear they will not be able to develop these skills during practicum periods. The study is of Relevance to Nordic educational research as the topic of theoretical and practical skills during teacher education are at hand in all Nordic countries. 

Priestley, M., Biesta, G., & Robinson, S. (2015). Teacher agency: An ecological approach. Bloombury Academic.