Teachers’ beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

BackgroundThere has been a widespread interest in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) framework for Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). Since the release of DAP in 1987, the framework was quickly criticized with reference to DAP ignoring the importance of children's social and cultural backgrounds and a focus on development as a universal goal (Delpit 1988;Jipson 1991;Kessler 1991). Although Bredekamp (1993) stated that some of the criticism (e.g., Fowell and Lawton 1993) of DAP are based on misinterpretations of the statement, changes to the second and third position statements have been seen by many to address major issues concerning diversity and cultural background, second-language learners, and special needs children (Copple and Bredekamp 2009). More recently, variations in cultural practices have been shown to be consistent with DAP and researchers have explored how teachers respond to DAP when there are clear contrasts with their own beliefs and values. For example, Sanders et al. (2007) have explored African American teacher's perceptions of DAP in the 'hood; AbstractSince the first release of NAEYC's guidelines, DAP has received a lot of attention from childhood professionals in the United States. Internationally, many countries have also shown a growing interest regarding DAP, yet interest in DAP is new to the Saudi educators. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore preschool teachers' subjective beliefs toward NAEYC's guidelines of DAP in Saudi Arabia, one of the most conservative Middle Eastern countries. Q Methodology, as a mixed methods approach, was used to study 37 preschool teachers randomly selected from five preschools in Mecca city. The participants sorted 50 cards with examples of DAP and developmentally inappropriate practice (DIP) or "In Contrast" statements which represented perceived importance of the practice to the sorter. To analyze the data, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation indicated four main components regarding the beliefs of Saudi preschool teachers as they relate to DAP's guidelines. Each component represents a unique perspective (viewpoint) on how Saudi preschool teachers view DAP and contrasting items based on their subjective points of view. The four main perspectives that emerged from the analysis show a dominance consensus among perspectives that fit equitably within the DAP framework regarding the best practice of early childhood education. Findings from this study provide evidence that many aspects of developmentally appropriate practice can be appropriate in different cultures and countries. Open Access© The Author(s) 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creat iveco mmons .org/licen ses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if chan...

Preschool Teachers’ Role and Beliefs about Developmentally Appropriate Practice: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Preschool teachers who implement DAPs aid children in acquiring the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for success in both academic and non-academic domains (Mohamed & Al-Qaryouti, 2016). The conclusions of the study by Alghamdi and Ernest (2019) provide proof that several aspects of DAP can be suitable for diverse cultures and nations.…”

“…DAP is a research-driven framework that outlines practices in the early childhood environment that offer the best educational opportunities for young children's growth and development or 'best practices' (Chan & Okamoto, 2006). As the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2018), elaborated by Alghamdi and Ernest (2019), DeGennaro (2012), Helm and Katz (2011), and Sanders and Farago (2018), the concept of DAP is described as educational instruction that draws on established knowledge about young children's development and learning, effective early education practices, and individualised understanding of each child (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009;Sanders & Farago, 2018;Thompson & Stanković-Ramirez, 2021). It is meth-It is meth-It is methods that promote each child's optimal development and learning through ageappropriate, individual-appropriate, and culturally appropriate practices.…”

Investigating Sustainable Education and Positive Psychology Interventions in Schools Towards Achievement of Sustainable Happiness and Wellbeing for 21st Century Pedagogy and Curriculum

“…Learning about human and environmental implications of one's actions is quite essential because it drives one to take action in response (49). Students can learn how to limit their consumption through attending seminars and workshops on long-term happiness, which can serve as a transforming experience for them (50). For example, a student can plan a "Buy Nothing Day" in which he or she, on that day, would refrain from making any purchases.…”

Preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)

“…The distinction between developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices varies across countries (Alghamdi and Ernest, 2019). According to Schwartz (2014), the prevailing national cultural value orientations such as affective autonomy, intellectual autonomy, embeddedness, egalitarism, hierarchy, harmony and mastery often instruct young children how to think and how to behave, how to function effectively and how to deal with problems within their society.…”