Cypriot pre-service kindergarten teachers' beliefs about and practices of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education

Abstract

Beliefs are said to affect the pedagogical practice one employs. Considering the potentially important influence of teachers' beliefs on their practices, the level of early childhood teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and the relationship between their beliefs and practices are regarded as important topics of study in early childhood education (ECE). This study was designed in order to examine Cypriot pre-service kindergarten teachers' self-reported beliefs and practices related to the National Association for the Education of Young Children's (NAEYC) policy statement for DAPs. DAP is widely endorsed by early childhood education and care professionals in the USA and is assumed to have far-reaching impact on curricular beliefs and practices throughout the world. Research results indicated that Cypriot students endorse DAPs more in their philosophy than in their classroom practices. Further substantiating previous research results, the present data suggest that students' beliefs predict their practices.

Keywords:

• beliefs
• practices
• developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)
• developmentally inappropriate practice (DIP)
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• teacher beliefs and practices survey: three–five-year-olds