Preschool teachers’ language-related pedagogical beliefs and their relation to observed classroom quality

Abstract

This study examines the pedagogical beliefs of 205 German preschool teachers regarding language education and the correlation between these beliefs and observed classroom quality, including aspects of sustained shared thinking and the emotional climate in teacher-child interactions. Pedagogical beliefs are measured via teacher-reports using a self-developed scale which distinguishes between 2 main dimensions according to the differentiation of strategies of language support in preschools: teacher-directed beliefs supporting additional language programs, including a strong focus on a promotion of specific aspects of language development and specific subgroups of children, and child-centered beliefs supporting language education embedded into daily routines. Classroom quality was measured through direct observations via high-inference rating scales (SSTEW, and CIS) with a specific focus on the SSTEW-subscales “supporting and extending language and communication,” “supporting learning and critical thinking,” and the CIS indicator “sensitivity in interaction” (subscales “sensitivity” and “harshness” combined). Structural equation modeling indicates a marginally significant positive association between child-centered beliefs supporting language education embedded into daily routines and the quality of specific language stimulation processes in the sense of sustained shared thinking. Teacher-directed beliefs supporting additional language programs correlated with a poorer emotional climate in teacher-child interactions. Implications for preschool teacher training and professional development are discussed based on these findings.