The Effect of Teacher-Infant Interaction and the Multiple Mediation of Classroom Environment on the Effect of Infant Teacher Expertise, Teaching Creativity, and Play Beliefs on Play Teaching Efficacy

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between teacher variables that improve the efficacy of the play teaching of infants and toddlers following a play-oriented curriculum. The participants were 287 infant teachers. The results were as follows. First, the independent variables had a significant effect on the efficacy of play teaching, teacher-infant interaction, and classroom environment. Second, the mediating effects of teacher-infant interaction and classroom environment on the effect of independent variables on the efficacy of play teaching were as follows. The interaction mediating effect between professionalism and play belief was significant, but teaching creativity was found to be significant. In the mediating effect of the classroom environment, expertise, play belief, and teaching creativity were found to be significant. Third, both teacher-infant interaction and the multimedia effect of the classroom environment were statistically significant in mediating the effect of independent variables on the efficacy of play teaching. These results provide basic data on the necessity for teacher education to explore ways to improve teachers' sense of efficacy in teaching play and their teaching skills.