The Role of Teacher Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching in Preschool Classrooms: A Qualitative Inquiry

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Identity, Beliefs, and Perspectives: Learning, Participation, Inquiry, and Practice

Abstract

This comparative case study explored the relationship between teacher beliefs and practices in the context of preschool education. The sample included four preschool teachers selected purposefully based on their beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and their self- and general efficacy beliefs. The classroom observations illustrated that there were instances of ineffective teaching in the classrooms of the four teachers regardless their beliefs considering productivity, support for cognitive development, knowledge acquisition method, and teacher feedback. The teachers with a higher level of support for DAP and efficacy, however, had more positive relationships with children in their classrooms than the teachers with a lower level of support for DAP and efficacy.

Authors

• Rahime Cobanoglu, Sinop University

• Yesim Capa Aydin, Middle East Technical University

• Ali Yildirim, Middle East Technical University