Comparing beliefs and intentions about the importance of teacher–child interactions among Greek and Cypriot pre-service kindergarten teachers

Abstract

Though a host of research has explored the association between beliefs and practices, limited research has been undertaken exploring the association between beliefs and intentions. Considering the potentially important influence of teachers' beliefs on their practices, the present study aimed to examine what, if anything, Greek and Cypriot pre-service kindergarten teachers had in common in terms of self-reported beliefs and self-reported intentions concerning the importance of teacher–child interactions and the relationship between them. Pearson correlations and one-way ANOVA analyses were used to compare overall mean scores for beliefs with those of intentions. Research results indicated that nationality does not predict mean scores in the Beliefs and Intentions Scales. Statistically significant differences were revealed only on independent items, on both scales. Finally, correlation analysis revealed that pre-service students' beliefs predict their intentions.