The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers' beliefs and practices on developmentally appropriate practices. The study sites are a mix of public and private preschools that are located in Gondar City, Ethiopia. From these study sites, six participants were purposively selected. Date data were collected through in-depth…

A developmentally appropriate learning environment provides learning experiences that support whole child development as young children are provided with opportunities to engage in meaningful experiences that promote inquiry, exploration, problem solving, and discovery. The intent of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is shifting the K-12…

The purpose of this study was to describe to what extent four preschool teachers in Turkey have developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices related to two dimensions of classroom management. The participants of the study were four female teachers working in Ankara. The data of this study were collected through a demographic information…

This study investigated the perceived beliefs and reported practices of fourth-grade English teachers in primary (elementary) public schools in Turkey. Significantly, it aimed to examine the participating K-4 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' beliefs about the developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices, discover the…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether teachers' sense of efficacy influences their attitude towards the use of physical punishment in schools. There were two groups of participants in the study: pre-service and in-service early childhood teachers. The sample was made up of 78 in-service teachers from two different school districts and…

A hundred years ago, if people had asked a group of competent and talented educators whether any child--regardless of race, class, or gender--could one day learn to read Shakespeare, write scientific papers, or do algebraic math, all but the most visionary would have answered, "No." Only a small segment of the population was deemed capable of…

The researchers conducting this study investigated the relationship between early childhood teachers' educational levels and their beliefs about appropriate and inappropriate practices by examining the differences between lead teachers and teacher assistants in publicly funded prekindergarten classrooms. For this purpose, the researchers analyzed…

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…

This preliminary study aimed to develop measures that could be used to differentiate kindergartens employing developmentally appropriate and inappropriate instructional practices, and explore the relationship between appropriate and inappropriate practices and stress behaviors of 37 kindergarten children. Four instruments were used to gather data:…

Noting that the quality of early childhood education (ECE) programs offered in public schools is directly affected by the understanding of and value placed on such a program by the building principal, this qualitative study examined principals' understanding and beliefs about children's play and its place in K-2 early childhood programs. Phase 1…

Explored beliefs and practices of Head Start, kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade teachers. Found that belief measures were moderately correlated and observed practices supported what teachers reported as their beliefs and practices. Beliefs were significantly more appropriate than practice at every grade level. As grade level…

Examined Greek kindergarten teachers' beliefs and practices relative to the National Association of the Education of Young Children's position on developmentally appropriate and inappropriate practices. Administered questionnaire to 67 teachers, and used checklist as an observation measure to check validity of reported beliefs. Found various…

Viewpoints of 119 preservice teachers were examined at beginning or end of programs in early childhood (ECED) or elementary education (ELED). Compared to ELED students, ECED students favored primary education practices more consistent with constructivist nature of NAEYC guidelines in several areas. Student teachers favored more frequent use of…

The major objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a questionnaire based on the National Association for the Education of Young Children's 1986 guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education; and (2) use the questionnaire to obtain information regarding kindergarten teachers' beliefs and instructional…

This report describes the development of the Primary Teacher Questionnaire (PTQ), a self-report teacher beliefs scale based on the position statement on developmentally appropriate practice in the primary grades published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The development of the PTQ was conducted in three…