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Do Teachers Who Endorse DAP Believe They Can and Should Intervene in Children’s Social Relations?

Wed, April 7, 10:15 to 11:15am EDT (10:15 to 11:15am EDT), Virtual

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the associations between teachers’ beliefs about Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) and beliefs about children’s social hierarchy in the 1st grade classroom. According to DAP guidelines by NAEYC, while teachers should encourage social competence in primary-aged children, they state “this is not to say that teachers can or should control all aspects” of children’s social interactions (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009, p. 271). These guidelines are unclear on what the teacher’s role in social interactions is in the primary classroom. Research about teacher beliefs and the impact of negative social interactions have mainly focused on bullying, inclusion, and conflict (Chen & Smith, 2002; Larrivee, 1982; Oldenburg et al, 2014). Early childhood strategies used to support social competence and how acceptable and feasible these strategies are have also been studied (Kim & Han, 2015). However, teachers may not believe they can influence their students’ social experiences or even believe it is their responsibility to do so (Farmer, 2011). Given that DAP is intended to facilitate flourishing of the whole child, it is of interest to determine whether teachers who endorse DAP also acknowledge their role in the social experiences of children in their classes.

HYPOTHESES
• Teachers’ endorsement of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) will be significantly, positively related to their endorsement of beliefs about Teacher’s Active Role in Impacting Classroom Social Interactions (“Should Impact” beliefs).
• Teachers’ endorsement of DAP will be significantly, positively related to their reported Teacher Efficacy for Impacting Classroom Social Interactions (“Can Impact” beliefs).

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Do teachers’ report of Worry about Classroom Social Interactions relate to their Should Impact and Can Impact beliefs?
• Do teachers’ report of Reasons for Social Exclusion relate to their Should Impact and Can Impact beliefs?

METHOD: First grade teachers’ beliefs were assessed via questionnaire distributed at their schools (n = 74). Items were taken from (a) Burts’ (1991) scale (DAP items) and (b) Teacher Socialization Beliefs (TSB; 4 subscales). The TSB was created by our research team to assess beliefs about why children are excluded (TSB-Reason) and level of worry about the classroom social environment (TSB-Worry), as well as beliefs about their own ability (TSB-Can) and responsibility (TSB-Should) regarding the social experiences in the classroom. Table 1 reports scale reliabilities.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Support for both hypotheses was found. Correlations between DAP and TSB-Can and -Should subscales were significant (see Tables 2). Teachers who endorsed DAP believed that they could and should impact the classroom social environment. Also, teachers who believed they can and should impact the social environment worried more about their students and understood a diversity of reasons for social exclusion. The idea of a whole-child approach to teaching that includes support in social development of children appears to be endorsed by teachers who also endorse DAP, even without specific guidelines from NAEYC. Teachers who do not support DAP may not be focusing on the social interactions within their classroom. Future directions include exploring how these teacher beliefs impact teacher practices and students’ lived experiences in the classroom.

Authors