An examination of kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about creative pedagogy and their perceived implementation in teaching practices

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to uncover kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about creative pedagogy, their perceived implementation of creative pedagogy in teaching practices, and factors contributing to differences between teachers’ beliefs and practice in China. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 698 in-service kindergarten teachers in Shanghai, China. Results showed that teachers overall held positive attitudes towards the importance of four dimensions of creative pedagogy (namely possibility thinking, interpersonal exchange, self-initiated pursuit and teacher-oriented pursuit). Teachers also reported favorably about all these four dimensions in their practice. However, there is divergence between teachers’ beliefs and their reported practice. Teachers had neutral beliefs about teacher-oriented pursuit but implemented this more in their reported practice. They had strong beliefs about possibility thinking, interpersonal exchange and self-initiated pursuit but they focused less on these aspects in teaching. Teachers themselves, family, and teaching materials and environment may be the key contributing factors to the divergence of beliefs and practice. These findings have implications for kindergarten teacher professional development programs and the implementation of creativity reform in China.