Preschool Teachers' Perspectives on Early Mathematics Education

Abstract

First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest gratitude for the continual guidance, inspiration, and trust from Professor Anna Shusterman, without whom this project and my passion for education would not exist. My life direction has changed ever since she brought me to preschools in my sophomore year. Many thanks to the preschool teachers who participated in this project. I am grateful for their honesty, courage, and willingness to share. Without their insight, this project would not have been possible. Thanks to the PSYC206 students for their feedback and their help with interviews and transcripts. To my thesis companion, Andy, thank you for being my biggest support (and distraction) in times of need. Special thanks to Alison for helping me with every step of data analysis, and to Jess, who read all of my drafts and gave me lots of valuable comments. I would not have finished writing without the three of them. I have been fortunate to be constantly surrounded by laughter, food, and support in the Blue Lab. Many thanks to Paul, who stood by my side even when I was stressed and irritable, and to my thesis buddy, Aileen, who was always with me in my ups and downs. Thanks to my friends for the home-cooked meals and encouragement that kept me motivated. In the past four years, I have been blessed by the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman, without whom I would not be at Wesleyan.

Kindergarten Teacher’s Pedagogical Knowledge and Its Relationship with Teaching Experience

“…The literature review reveals that an excellent pedagogical knowledge has a significant correlation with effective teaching and learning in the classroom (Zamri & Fadhil, 2014;Jamil, 2012;Lo, 2014;Sulatan, Masnan, Rohaizad & Salleh, 2016). Teachers need the knowledge to develop the skills and to design quality learning activities that provide children adequate support in their learning activities (Anders & Rossbach, 2015;Bruns, Eichen & Gasteiger, 2017;Nganga, 2020;).…”

The Development and Evaluation of the Wesleyan Preschool-Math Curriculum

“…Secondly, the research based curricula provided for preschool teachers is often not put into use. A study conducted in 2014 found that preschool teachers rarely use a math curriculum, and when they do, they pick and choose pieces of the full curriculum (Lo, 2014). The Kindergarten Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices require that kindergartners fully understand cardinality, yet the time that is spent on math is often filled with reciting the count list and recognizing the Arabic numerals.…”

“…One of the most important goals for the Wesleyan Preschool-Math Project is that teachers will find it realistic and easy to implement in their classroom. Research focused on teachers' opinions about current curricula determined what teachers weren't getting from preschool math curricula (Lo, 2014). Lo reported that most teachers don't follow criteria in the instructed order or time frame, as these criteria are often unrealistic in a preschool setting.…”

“…Lo reported that most teachers don't follow criteria in the instructed order or time frame, as these criteria are often unrealistic in a preschool setting. Generally, many teachers use a "mix and match approach" (Lo, 2014) that uses the materials provided by the curricula, but not in the suggested order or manner, as following a strict daily lesson plan is unrealistic when working with preschool age children. Instead, picking any applicable or favored activity allows for the flexibility that is needed for an unpredictable environment.…”

“…Instead, picking any applicable or favored activity allows for the flexibility that is needed for an unpredictable environment. Furthermore, Lo found that many teachers prioritized literacy over numeracy (Lo, 2014). This preference may occur for several reasons, but the rigidity of the available math curricula is a possible contributor.…”