Association between teacher's beliefs about make-believe play and quality of interactions observed in kindergarten


Communication

Contributeurs:

État de publication: publié

Type de présentation: Poster symposium set II/45

Nom de la rencontre: 27e congrès de la European Early Childhood Education Research Association [EECERA]

Lieu: Bologne, Italie

URL: https://archipel.uqam.ca/11859/

Résumé: To promote educational success of kindergarteners, it's suggested to focus on symbolic play in the classroom. Teacher who understands the educational value of play is more likely to favour it in the classroom, to engage and interact with children (Ashiba, 2007), which leads to promote the quality of classroom interactions, in return favours children's educational success (Sabol et al., 2013). Knowing that teacher's beliefs influence their pedagogical practices (Duval et al., 2016), it seems important to identify those associated with symbolic play and the link with the quality of classroom interactions.This study is based on the Vygotsky's theory (1978) who discussed the contributions of play in children's development. Sample consists of 17 teachers from Quebec, Canada. The Teachers' Play Beliefs Survey (Dako-Gyeke, 2008) identified participants' beliefs, while Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Pianta et al., 2008) measured the quality of interactions.Data on teachers’ beliefs reveal a strong emphasis on adult support in symbolic play, and a smaller importance attributed to academic focus. Moreover, results about quality of interactions show a medium-high quality level in emotional support, while a low level is associated with learning support. Data are discussed in relation to the adult's support in symbolic play, in order to understand the link between the beliefs and the quality of practices in the classroom. This study establishes a foundation for future research on pedagogical practices in kindergarten, in order to promote the quality of classroom interactions.