Abstract
Introduction: Science teaching belief-practice alignment is critical for ensuring
high-quality, effective instruction that supports young children’s learning and
engagement in science. The goal of this study is to examine the alignment
between preschool and kindergarten teachers’ self-reported science teaching
beliefs and observed practices before and after a science teaching professional
development (PD) program and to explore whether the alignment is associated
with children’s science learning outcomes. The research questions are: (1)
Whether and to what extent do science teaching beliefs and practices align
before and after the PD program? (2) Whether and to what extent are science
teaching beliefs associated with children’s inquiry skills before and after the PD
program?
Methods: A total of 22 preschool and kindergarten teachers and 159 children
(Mage = 47.78 months) from a Northwest state in the U.S. participated in a science
teaching PD program. Teachers’ self-reported science teaching efficacy and
observed teaching practices and children’s directly assessed science inquiry
skills were measured before and after a one-year science PD program.
Results: Multilevel regression results revealed that science teaching beliefs
were not correlated with practice before the PD but were significantly aligned
following its completion. Further, while teachers’ science teaching beliefs were
not associated with children’s inquiry skills before the PD, a positive correlation
emerged after the PD.
Discussion: Our findings suggest the potential of targeted PD programs in
fostering early childhood teachers’ science teaching belief-practice alignment.
The results also indicate that teachers’ science teaching beliefs may not be a
robust predictor of children’s science learning outcomes unless they are aligned
with teaching practices.