Correlation between Kindergarten Teachers' Attitudes toward Teaching Science and Their Teaching Practices

Eman Gheith^1, and Aseel Al-Shawareb¹

¹Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Petra, PO box 961342, Amman, Jordan

Cite this paper:
Eman Gheith and Aseel Al-Shawareb. Correlation between Kindergarten Teachers' Attitudes toward Teaching Science and Their Teaching Practices. American Journal of Educational Research. 2016; 4(4):320-328. doi: 10.12691/education-4-4-5

Abstract

The aim of this study is four fold: (a) to reveal the attitudes of kindergarten teachers in Jordan toward teaching science; (b) to explore their teaching practices of science according to the developmentally appropriate practices approach; (c) to study the impact of their educational qualifications, years of experience, and the type of Kindergarten they work at (public/private), on their attitudes toward teaching science and their teaching practices; and (d) to explore the relationship between their attitudes toward teaching science and their teaching practices in accordance with the developmentally appropriate practices approach. The results of the study indicate that teachers' attitudes toward science were positive. Moreover, the findings indicate statistically significant differences among the mean values of the teachers' scores on the teaching practices scale in science according to the type of Kindergarten (public/private) and in favor of teachers who work in private kindergartens. The findings further indicate that teachers’ attitudes toward teaching science are considered to be a significant factor in predicting developmentally appropriate teaching practices in science.

Keywords:
kindergarten teachers attitudes toward teaching science teaching practices developmentally appropriate practices

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