![Sample our Education journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5932/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Education.jpg"})
Abstract
This study explored preschool teachers' beliefs about the appropriateness of early literacy and mathematics education. In all, 60 teachers of 4-year-olds, half working with low-socioeconomic status (SES) children at publicly funded preschools and the other half with middle-SES children at private preschools, were randomly assigned to read either the mathematics or the literacy versions of written vignettes describing issues related to teaching these subjects. Teachers were interviewed individually concerning the vignettes. Analyses showed that teachers of middle-SES children tended to support literacy and mathematics education that respects individual children and their preferences and to oppose classroom use of computers; overall they emphasized nonacademic areas. Teachers of low-SES children tended to focus on literacy and mathematics to prepare children for kindergarten and to support computer use; they showed concern about their students' underdeveloped readiness to learn, particularly literacy. Analyses comparing subject matter showed that for literacy, teachers preferred to gear a curriculum toward children's interests and to allow children to follow their interests in a literacy-rich classroom to promote social competence and positive dispositions toward literacy. For mathematics, teachers preferred to embed mathematics into everyday routines to promote the learning of key knowledge and skills throughout the day. These findings have significant implications for professional development.
Notes
***p < .001.
**p < .01.
***p < .001.
**p < .01.
*p < .05.
**p < .01.
***p < .001.
1As explained in the section “Data Analysis,” for each dimension, the factor score, which was produced by principal components analysis in the process of identifying each dimension, was used. The distributions of each of these factor scores had a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.
*p < .05.
**p < .01.
***p < .001.
2The dimension No Computer consisted of five codes, two of which (classroom computer and concrete computer) were negatively correlated to the dimension. The teachers of low-SES children who frequently mentioned these two codes, therefore, scored lower on this dimension.
*p < .05.
***p < .001.
3The dimension At-Risk Children consisted of three codes; two codes, unready/immature and impoverished home environment, were positively loaded, whereas one code, enriched home environment, was negatively loaded. Therefore, the teachers of low-SES children who scored high on this dimension frequently mentioned the two codes unready/immature and impoverished home environment, and the teachers of middle-SES children who scored low on this dimension frequently mentioned the code enriched home environment.
