A comparison of early childhood and elementary education students’ beliefs about primary classroom teaching practices

• Published in: Early childhood research quarterly Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 126 - 137
• Main Authors: File, Nancy, Gullo, Dominic F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.01.2002
• Subjects: Beliefs; College Students; Comparative Analysis; Developmentally appropriate practice; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Early Childhood Education; Educational Practices; Elementary Education; Preservice Teachers; Primary classroom practice; Primary Education; Student Attitudes; Student Teacher Attitudes; Student Teachers; Teaching beliefs; Primary classroom practice; Developmentally appropriate practice; Teaching beliefs
• DOI: 10.1016/S0885-2006(02)00130-8
• ISSN: 0885-2006

Two professional preparation paths lead to teaching positions in the lower primary grades; their different histories and emphasis result in potentially conflicting paradigms. We examined the viewpoints of 119 pre-service teachers who were either at the beginning or near the end of their programs in early childhood (ECED) or elementary education (ELED). They completed a survey of their beliefs about primary classroom practices. ECED students, compared to ELED students, favored practices more consistent with the constructivist nature of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) guidelines in several areas, including teaching strategies, expectations of the children, assessment strategies, and teacher- and child-directed activities. One significant difference was found between beginning students and student teachers, with student teachers favoring more frequent use of less developmentally appropriate behavior management strategies.