Chen Shiyi, Sermeno Rebecca, Hodge Kathryn Nikki, Geesa Rachel Louise, Song Hyuksoon S, Izci Burcu, Froh Zoe, Murphy Sydney
Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States.
Department of Educational Leadership, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, United States.
Front Psychol. 2025 Apr 16;16:1580018. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1580018. eCollection 2025.
Science teaching belief-practice alignment is critical for ensuring high-quality, effective instruction that supports young children's learning and engagement in science. The goal of this study is to examine the alignment between preschool and kindergarten teachers' self-reported science teaching beliefs and observed practices before and after a science teaching professional development (PD) program and to explore whether the alignment is associated with children's science learning outcomes. The research questions are: (1) Whether and to what extent do science teaching beliefs and practices align before and after the PD program? (2) Whether and to what extent are science teaching beliefs associated with children's inquiry skills before and after the PD program?
A total of 22 preschool and kindergarten teachers and 159 children ( = 47.78 months) from a Northwest state in the U.S. participated in a science teaching PD program. Teachers' self-reported science teaching efficacy and observed teaching practices and children's directly assessed science inquiry skills were measured before and after a one-year science PD program.
Multilevel regression results revealed that science teaching beliefs were not correlated with practice before the PD but were significantly aligned following its completion. Further, while teachers' science teaching beliefs were not associated with children's inquiry skills before the PD, a positive correlation emerged after the PD.
Our findings suggest the potential of targeted PD programs in fostering early childhood teachers' science teaching belief-practice alignment. The results also indicate that teachers' science teaching beliefs may not be a robust predictor of children's science learning outcomes unless they are aligned with teaching practices.
科学教学信念与实践的一致性对于确保高质量、有效的教学至关重要，这种教学能够支持幼儿的科学学习和参与。本研究的目的是考察学前和幼儿园教师自我报告的科学教学信念与在科学教学专业发展（PD）项目前后观察到的实践之间的一致性，并探讨这种一致性是否与儿童的科学学习成果相关。研究问题如下：（1）在PD项目前后，科学教学信念与实践在何种程度上保持一致？（2）在PD项目前后，科学教学信念在何种程度上与儿童的探究技能相关？
来自美国西北部一个州的22名学前和幼儿园教师以及159名儿童（平均年龄=47.78个月）参与了一个科学教学PD项目。在为期一年的科学PD项目前后，测量了教师自我报告的科学教学效能、观察到的教学实践以及儿童直接评估的科学探究技能。
多层次回归结果显示，在PD项目之前，科学教学信念与实践不相关，但在项目结束后显著一致。此外，虽然在PD项目之前教师的科学教学信念与儿童的探究技能不相关，但在项目之后出现了正相关。
我们的研究结果表明，有针对性的PD项目在促进幼儿教师科学教学信念与实践的一致性方面具有潜力。结果还表明，除非教师的科学教学信念与教学实践保持一致，否则它们可能不是儿童科学学习成果的有力预测指标。
