ERIC Number: EJ788410
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 23
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0300-4430
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Chinese and American Preschool Teachers' Beliefs about Early Childhood Curriculum
Wang, Jianhong; Elicker, James; McMullen, Mary; Mao, Shuyang
Early Child Development and Care, v178 n3 p227-249 2008
This study examined the consistency of Chinese preschool teachers' curriculum beliefs and self-reported practices, similarities and differences between American and Chinese teachers' beliefs, and associations between teachers' personal, professional and socio-cultural characteristics and curriculum beliefs. A total of 296 Chinese teachers and 146 American teachers completed the Teacher Beliefs Scale and the Teachers' Background Information Questionnaire. Chinese teachers also completed the Instructional Activities Scale. Also, 10 teachers in each country were interviewed in depth. Principal components analyses revealed three reliable factors with similar structures for both Chinese and American teacher beliefs. However, a discriminant analysis indicated significant cross-national differences in teachers' level of endorsement of specific beliefs. Moderate associations were found between Chinese teachers' curriculum beliefs and self-reported practices. Chinese teachers' general education, professional training, location of school, and class sizes were all significantly associated with their beliefs. For American teachers, only the general education level was related to curriculum beliefs. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: General Education, Teacher Education, Class Size, Measures (Individuals), Discriminant Analysis, Preschool Teachers, Cross Cultural Studies, Preschool Curriculum, Teacher Attitudes, Teaching Methods, Teacher Characteristics, Cultural Influences, Social Influences, Correlation, Geographic Location
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A