Imagination is the ability of envisaging something that does not exist at the time being. Since 5-6-year-old children get through the pre-operational stage of Piaget's [2004. "Çocukta Zihinsel Gelisim" [Intellectual Development of Child] (2nd ed., H. Portakal, Trans.). Istanbul: Cem], they believe in empirical facts. Hence, Kujawski's…

Scholars [e.g., Carlsson-Paige, N., McLaughlin, G., & Almon, J. (2015). Reading instruction in kindergarten: Little to gain and much to lose. Retrieved December 11, 2015, from https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/cdi/media/pdf/ReadinginKindergartenreport.pdf] warn that outcome-oriented, kindergarten, literacy standards may encourage an overreliance…

Practitioners in play-based learning contexts face the challenge of developing developmentally appropriate practices while meeting rigorous academic curriculum standards. To date, play and academic learning have been predominantly conceptualized from an adult perspective. Considering that children are key agents in classroom play contexts, it is…

Preschool teachers are an important element of high-quality, developmentally and multiculturally appropriate early childhood programmes. 7.5% of the total 160,000 children enrolled in Hong Kong kindergartens are ethnic-minority students and they are neglected in the Hong Kong education system until 2008. This study investigated the perceptions of…

Kindergarten has become increasingly academic in nature. One of the primary dilemmas arising from this shift is the tension between the use of developmentally appropriate practices and the obligation to teach academic standards. To gain a deeper understanding of how kindergarten is enacted in the evolving curricular landscape, we look beyond these…

The continuum of beliefs reported by Greek pre-service kindergarten teachers and how those beliefs relate to classroom practices are explored in this article. Considering the potentially important influence of teachers' beliefs on their practices, the level of early childhood teachers' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices (DAPs) and…

Considering the potentially important influence of teachers' beliefs on their practices, the purpose of the present study was to examine what, if anything, pre-service kindergarten teachers from Greece and Cyprus had in common in terms of self-reported beliefs and self-reported practices related to the National Association for the Education of…

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 this study, we showed that it is feasible to employ observational methods in description of social status; thereby allowing inclusion of children with insufficient cognitive ability to make valid judgement of social role, and evading the validity issues concerning teacher and parent report. We observed presence on social arenas and social…

The study assessed kindergarten teachers' beliefs, stated practices and actual practices regarding developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in India. Forty kindergarten teachers from the urban city of Mumbai (India) participated in the study. Overall, the results indicated that teachers' beliefs were more developmentally appropriate than their…

This study examined the psychometric properties of a revised measurement, the "Teacher Beliefs and Practices Survey" (TBPS), devised for teachers of three- to five-year-old children. This measure was designed to reflect the concepts of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) as presented in the revised 1997 National Association for…

Examines the concept of kindergarten enrichment programs, highlighting questions about the relationship between the "basic" kindergarten curriculum and the "enrichment" component. Concludes that, although such enrichment programs are an unlikely place for child-centered curriculum practices, a child-centered enrichment program may be a useful way…

This study investigated perceptions of teaching and learning among Hong Kong kindergarten teachers. Findings indicated that traditional instruction emphasizing planning, preparation, and external judgment, was perceived as an important indicator for good teaching. Teachers tended to focus on their own actions as teachers rather than their pupils'…

This article reports findings from a qualitative interview study that examined the provision of integrated kindergarten education for children with disabilities from the perspectives of general education teachers implementing integrated kindergarten programs. Analysis of interviews with eight informants led to the identification of two broad…

Examined beliefs and practices of Korean early childhood teachers. Found that public kindergarten teachers had more academic preparation and teaching experience and reported implementing more appropriate and fewer inappropriate teaching practices than other teachers. Child caregivers used more inappropriate teaching strategies than public or…