Early Childhood Educators' Knowledge and Self-efficacy in Foundational Literacy Instruction
Year: 2019
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis is comprised of two studies. The first utilizes a mixed-method approach and explores early childhood educators’ early literacy knowledge and self-efficacy for early literacy instruction. Fifty-four ECEs participated in this research, of which 29 were pre-service ECEs and 25 were in-service ECEs. Participants were assessed on their early literacy knowledge and self-efficacy for early literacy instruction. They were also assessed on their early literacy-related experiences, including assessments of their literacy-related training and practicum experiences as well as assessments of their professional experiences. Study 1 revealed significant gaps in ECEs’ early literacy knowledge, and identified differences between pre-service and in-service ECEs in their early literacy knowledge and experiences. The findings of study 1 showed that despite their varied early literacy-related experiences and training, both pre-service and in-service ECEs lacked adequate knowledge and self-efficacy in phonemic awareness and oral language instruction, two essential components of early literacy education. The second study is a mixed methods study examining the impact of a targeted professional development intervention designed to improve knowledge and self-efficacy in phonemic awareness and oral language instruction. Study 2 found that the professional development intervention was effective in improving both knowledge and self-efficacy in phonemic awareness and oral language instruction. Qualitative findings provided further insight as to specific components of the intervention that were seen as beneficial in improving the knowledge and self-efficacy of ECEs, which included opportunities to apply theoretical learning through hands-on activities and video demonstrations. Overall, the findings of this thesis provide insight into the early literacy experiences, knowledge and self-efficacy for early literacy instruction of pre-service and in-service ECEs. Furthermore, the findings suggest that ECEs can make significant improvements in knowledge and self-efficacy through a targeted professional development intervention.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Julia Forgie
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2980726887