Singaporean Early Childhood Teachers' beliefs about Literacy Development in a Multilingual Context

‘I Believe, Therefore I Practice’: Teachers’ Beliefs on Literacy Acquisition and Their Classroom Practices

“…Parents perceived this type of curriculum with a 'high academic focus' that included a ritual of repeated tasks and drilling as a necessary and highly desirable practice in order to prepare their children for entry into primary school. What was shared by Ivy's principal seemed to be in contrast to the fi ndings from Lim and Torr's ( 2007 ) study which found that Singapore teacher beliefs were infl uenced by professional training and experience instead of parents' expectations. Perhaps to some extent, teachers' practices are infl uenced by parents' expectations.…”

“…However, in a survey of 79 Singapore preschool teachers, Lim and Torr ( 2007 ) found that the major determinants of teachers' beliefs include their professional training and experiences as a teacher and, to a lesser extent, parents' expectations. Teachers were asked to rank factors that infl uenced their beliefs about literacy.…”

Investigating teachers' educational beliefs in Chinese primary schools: socioeconomic and geographical perspectives

“…The geographical teaching area (rural/urban) where teachers teach has been reported to be an important influencing factor on teachers' beliefs. The institutional context in which teachers work has an effect on the educational beliefs of teachers (Lim & Torr, 2007). For instance, Martin and Yin (1999) examined differences in classroom management beliefs and found that rural teachers adopted a teacher-induced interventionist instructional approach to a significantly higher extent compared with urban teachers, who adopted a significantly more student-based interventionist approach.…”

How Do Children Learn? Beliefs and Practices Reported by Kindergarten Teachers in Singapore

“…Two separate surveys of teachers' beliefs in English literacy instruction within Singapore's multi-cultural and multi-lingual context found that kindergarten teachers either subscribed to a child-centered approach (Lim & Torr, 2008) or an eclectic mix of child-centered and teacher-centered approaches (Lim & Torr, 2007). These findings suggest that it is not evident that the espoused beliefs of Singaporean kindergarten teachers were in conflict with Western notions of ECE approach.…”