TITLE:
A Survey Study of the Effects of Preschool Teachers’ Beliefs and Self-Efficacy towards Mathematics Education and Their Demographic Features on 48 - 60-Month-Old Preschool Children’s Mathematic Skills
AUTHORS:
Perihan Tuğba Şeker, Fatma Alisinanoğlu
KEYWORDS:
Pre-School Education, Early Mathematics Education, Pre-School Teacher, Self-Efficacy, Belief, Demographic Features
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.6 No.3,
March
19,
2015
ABSTRACT: This research has been performed for examination of affect on belief and self efficacy of preschool teachers about mathematics education on the math skills of 48 - 60 months old children. Three separate data collection tools were used in the study. The study population is 48 - 60 months children who attend to an independent National Education Ministry nursery school of Ankara Province, Cankaya Town in 2012-2013 education year. The study aimed to reach all of the population. In the research, “The General Information Form”, “The Belief Survey”, “TEMA-3 Early Mathematics Ability Test” and “The Self-Efficacy of Scale Pre-School Teachers for Mathematics Education” were used in order to get information about children and their families. “Beliefs Survey”, was developed by Platas (2008) and adapted by Seker (2013), “TEMA 3 Test of Early Mathematics Ability”, developed by Ginsburg and Barody and adapted by Seker in 2013 and “Self-efficacy Scale of Preschool Teachers towards Mathematics Education” which developed by Seker (2013), were used in the study. It was determined that the level of the self-efficacy of the preschool teachers was high in both dimensions in the study. The total point of the teachers from the Beliefs Survey has a positive and high-level relationship with the appropriate age, occupational development and teacher sub-dimensions in mathematics education. However, the total point is in a negative and high-level relationship (–0.918) with teacher points in terms of focus of knowledge. After the analysis of math skills of 48 - 60 months children, it was determined that respectively the level of teachers’ beliefs were significantly predicted by age ranges of children, mothers’ education level, previously attend pre-school education institution status, gender, father’s education level, teachers’ level of education, teachers working period in the institution and mothers’ working status for the math skills of children.