Relationships between Primary Teacher Beliefs and Practice in the Primary Classrooms of a Small Urban School in East Tennessee.

• Main Author: Moore, Lindsay Collins
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2008
• Subjects: Constructivism; Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Traditional Teaching; Teacher Beliefs; Primary Grades; Public Schools; Educational Sociology; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Sociology
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1926; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3278&context=etd

The purpose of the study was to determine if a relationship existed between primary teacher beliefs, traditional or developmentally appropriate; and primary teacher practice, traditional or constructivist. A multi-case study design was employed for this qualitative research study. Eight teachers completed the Primary Teacher Questionnaire (PTQ) to determine the study group. Based on their responses to the teacher beliefs questionnaire, 3 teachers were chosen to further participate in the study. Three main research questions were analyzed with individual and cross-case analysis. Triangulation of data included observations, Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms (APEEC) scores determined from observation data, and individual teacher interviews. The 3 teachers' initial data from the questionnaire were also used. The teacher with traditional beliefs demonstrated traditional practices. The teacher with developmentally appropriate beliefs demonstrated constructivist practices. The teacher whose beliefs fell in the middle demonstrated practices that were more constructivist than traditional.