Abstract
In 2015 an urban school district reported that 84.6% of third graders did not demonstrate proficiency on the Math Standardized Test, which challenges students to solve problems and justify solutions. Since 2006 there has been a negative trend of proficiency levels on the New York State (NYS) Math Exam in third grade. I propose that students may be more academically successful if these skills needed for the NYS math exam begin in kindergarten and the teachers had high self-efficacy when teaching lessons that focus on justifying solutions. The purpose of this study was to explore kindergarten teachers’ level of self-efficacy in their instruction in mathematics that challenges students to justify solutions. Further, kindergarten teachers’ instructional strategies related to problem solving and justifying solutions were explored. The analysis of the data revealed a connection between self-efficacy and instructional strategies. The results of this study may be valuable for scholars and practitioners with interests in the instruction of mathematical principles in the early childhood educational environment.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ashton, P. (1984). Teacher efficacy: A motivational paradigm for effective teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 35(5), 28–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/002248718403500507.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy. The exercise of control. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company.
Bates, A., Latham, N., & Kim, J. (2013). Do I have to teach math? Early childhood pre-service teachers’ fears of teaching mathematics. IUMPST: The Journal, 5, 1–10.
Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (2007). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theories and methods (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Bouchard, C., Bigras, N., Cantin, G., Coutu, S., Blain-Briere, B., Eryasa, J., et al. (2010). Early childhood educators’ use of language-support practices with 4-year-old children in childcare centers. Early Childhood Education, 37(5), 371–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0355-7.
Case, R. (2005). Bringing critical thinking to the main stage. Education Canada, 45(2), 45–49.
Chen, J. Q., & McCray, J. (2013). A survey study of early childhood teachers’ beliefs and confidence about teaching early math. Early Math Collaborative Working Paper No. 2013-2. Retrieved from https://earlymath.erikson.edu.
Clements, H., Baroody, A., & Sarama, J. (2013a). Background research on early mathematics. Washington, DC: National Governors Association. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n8.5.
Creswell, J. (2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design. Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (Laureate custom ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Gresham, G. (2008). Mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy in elementary pre-service teachers. Teaching Education, 19, 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210802250133.
Haciomeroglu, G. (2013). Mathematics anxiety and mathematical beliefs: What is the relationship in elementary pre-service teachers? Issues in the Undergraduate Mathematics Preparation of School Teachers: The Journal, 5, 1–9.
Incikabi, L. (2013). Teacher candidates’ efficacy beliefs in mathematics: Play-generated curriculum instruction. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 9(2), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2012.741198.
Johnson, B., & VanderSandt, S. (2011). “Math makes me sweat”. The impact of pre-service courses on mathematics anxiety. Issues in the Undergraduate Preparation of School Teachers: The Journal, 5, 1–8.
Lai, E. (2011). Critical thinking: A literature review. Pearson Research Reports, 6, 40–41.
Merriam, S. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.
Mongeau, L. (2014). EdSource. Common core standards bring dramatic changes to elementary school math. Retrieved from https://edsource.org/2014/common-core-standards-bring-dramatic-changes-to-elementary-school-math-2/63665#.VVAJ12C-oRk.
Moore, B., & Stanley, T. (2010). Critical thinking and formative assessments: Increasing the rigor in your classroom. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education Inc.
NAEYC. (2010a). Early childhood mathematics: Promoting good beginnings. Position statement. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (NAEYC). (2010b). NAEYC standards for initial & advanced early childhood professional preparation programs. Washington, DC: NAEYC Standards.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.
NCTM. (2011). High expectations. NCTM position statement. Retrieved from https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-Statements/High-Expectations/.
NCTM. (2013). Mathematics in early childhood learning. NCTM Position statement. Retrieved from https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-Statements/Mathematics-in-Early-Childhood-Learning/.
NCTM & NAEYC. (2010). Early childhood mathematics: Promoting good beginnings. Retrieved from https://oldweb.naeyc.org/about/positions/psmath.asp.
New York State Education Department. (2010). Common Core background. Retrieved from www.p12.nysed.gov.
New York State Education Department. (2014). English language arts (ELA) and mathematic assessment results. Retrieved from https://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/ela-math/Archive.html.
Partnership for the 21st Century. (2014). Costa: Thinking critically about critical thinking. Retrieved from https://www.p21.org/news-events/p21blog/1409-costa-thinking-critically-about-critical-thinking.
Patton, M. (2014). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Soodak, L. C., & Podell, D. M. (1996). Teaching efficacy: Toward the understanding of a multi-faceted construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 12, 401–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(95)00047-N.
Torre, A., Doctors, J., Hussain, M., Mulkey, M., Wat, A., & Young, M. (2011). Transforming public education: Pathway to a Pre-K-12 future. The Pew Center of the States. Retrieved from https://www.pewstates.org.
Tsamir, P., & Tirosh, D. (2009). Affect, subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge: The case of a kindergarten teacher. Beliefs and Attitudes in Mathematics Education, 19–32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix 1: Sample of Interview Questions
Appendix 1: Sample of Interview Questions
Experience and Behavior.
-
1.
Tell me about a typical math lesson that you implement during your math instruction block.
-
2.
Tell me about a time when you taught problem solving.
-
3.
What teaching strategies do you use to teach math that challenges students to problem solve and justify their solutions?
Opinion and Value.
-
1.
How would you define critical thinking?
-
2.
In early childhood education what does developing critical thinking skills mean to you?
-
3.
How would you describe your self-confidence (self-efficacy) in regard to your math instructional practices?
-
4.
How would you describe your confidence (self-efficacy) in teaching mathematics with a focus on problem solving and justifying solutions?
-
5.
What mathematical instructional strategies are you most confident and least confident in using to engage students in challenging students in problem solving and justify solutions? Why?
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schillinger, T. Self-efficacy of Kindergarten Teachers’ Mathematical Instruction. Early Childhood Educ J 49, 623–632 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01101-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01101-0