Greek pre-service kindergarten teachers’ beliefs and intensions about the importance of teacher–child interactions

Teacher-Caregivers' Perceptions of Toddlers' Adaptation to a Childcare Center

“…For example, perceiving that the adaptation program itself is enough for toddlers to adjust to the new environment, some teacher-caregivers focused only on providing the program in their practice for successful adaptation. The influence of perceptions on teachers' practices has also been suggested by other researchers (Hedge & Cassidy, 2009;Richardson, 1996;Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012). These researchers suggest that perceptions and beliefs "have strong implications for the way educators teach as well as the decisions they make with regard to classroom practice" (Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012, p. 413).…”

Do they practice what they preach? An ecocultural, multidimensional, group-based examination of the relationship between beliefs and behaviours among child care providers

“…Such caution is supported by research: developmentally appropriate beliefs and self-reported practices were so prevalent that they were less useful predictors of observed teaching practices than the more varied developmentally inappropriate beliefs and self-reported practices (Heisner & Lederberg, 2011;Rentzou & Sakellariou, 2011;Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012a, 2012bWen et al, 2011). Second, her account supports a group-based approach because the silencing and exclusion she described had social and group-based qualities.…”

“…For example, practices in which teachers direct students are still common among providers otherwise endorsing progressive beliefs (Heisner & Lederberg, 2011;Wen et al, 2011). Motivated by worries that developmentally inappropriate practices were being 'pushed down' from older grades to the earliest grades in school (Charlesworth et al, 1993;McMullen, 1999;Stipek & Byler, 1997) or whether the guidelines of the NAEYC have been widely adopted, much research has focused on teachers in preschool or kindergarten (Charlesworth et al, 1993;Hegde & Cassidy, 2009;Heisner & Lederberg, 2011;Rentzou & Sakellariou, 2011;Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012a, 2012bWang, Elicker, McMullen, & Mao, 2008;Wen et al, 2011;however, see also WilcoxHertzog, 2002;Katz, 2004). Most have used scales that Charlesworth et al (1993) have developed.…”

“…Other studies found that developmentally inappropriate beliefs were more varied or better predicted practices than developmentally appropriate ones (Rentzou & Sakellariou, 2011;Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012a, 2012bWen et al, 2011). In one study of beliefs and self-reported practices, teachers higher in developmentally appropriate beliefs were also higher in corresponding practices, but no lower in developmentally inappropriate beliefs; whereas, providers reporting developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices were lower on a composite of inappropriate beliefs and practices (Rentzou & Sakellariou, 2011;Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2012a, 2012b. Wen et al (2011) also found within-group variability: beliefs and behaviour corresponded more among teachers with more training and more experience.…”

Pakistani Teachers’ Perceptions of Kindergarten Children’s Learning: An Exploration of Understanding and Practice

“…Early childhood teachers' beliefs have been consistently found to provide an understanding of their teaching practice (Lara-Cinisomo, Fuligni, Daugherty, Howes, & Karoly, 2009;Vartuli, 1999), including in relation to literacy (Foote, Smith & Ellis, 2004;McLachlan-Smith & St. George, 2000;Miller & Paige-Smith, 2004); numeracy (Lee & Ginsburg, 2007); play (Howard, 2010;Logue & Harvey, 2009); developmentally appropriate practice (Hedge & Cassidy, 2009); teacher-child interactions (Sakellariou & Rentzou, 2011); children's social competence (Han, 2009); and developmental skills and abilities (Kowalski, Pretti-Frontczak, & Johnson, 2009). Early childhood teachers' perceptions about how children learn, irrespective of whether they are derived from child development theorists or personal experience, influence how they work with young children.…”