Topic Information: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional member organization dedicated to encouraging high-quality learning techniques for each unique and individual child. One of their most significant contributions is encouraging more educators to embrace developmentally appropriate practices. NAEYC defines developmentally appropriate practice "as methods that promote each child's optimal development and learning through strengths-based, play-based approach to joyful, engaged learning" (NAEYC, 2020, pg. 5). In other words, the implementation of age-appropriate practices caters to each student and builds on the children’s strengths. Although Developmentally Appropriate Practices were first published in 1987, the guidelines for DAP were revised in 1997 (Kim & Buchanan, 2009, pg. 1113). NAEYC completed the revisions to reach more children in terms of cultural and language differences. Most recently revised NAEYC document discarded the term “best” in conceptualizing developmentally appropriate practices to avoid cultural biases which favor white, educated, and middle-class group (NAEYC, 2020). The guideline was revised based on the assumption that there is no best practice that works for young children, but it depends on diversity of children, their families and culture (NAEYC, 2020; Mengstie, 2023). However, distinctions between “Developmentally Appropriate Belief and Practice” and “Developmentally Inappropriate Belief and Practice” are still drawn within the field through culture specific and cross-cultural studies (Hegde & Cassidy, 2009; Hegde & Cassidy, 2009; Rentzou & Sakellariou, 2011; Mengstie, 2023). Most of these studies have utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to examine this topic of study, and participants have been preschool, kindergarten or elementary/primary teachers. 

Theory: Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems perspective is extremely relevant in the study of teacher beliefs and practices and understanding the contextual factors that affect those beliefs and practices. The basic idea of the ecological systems perspective is that individual development is a function of interplay between people and contexts, an idea, which is explained by the person-process-context -time (PPCT) model (Bronfenbrenner, 1989; Bronfenbrenner,1999). The concept of the “person” within the PPCT model refers to the individual who is developing, an individual who is actively involved in his or her own development. However, how the person experiences the environment, or is affected by different contexts, is contingent on his or her own personal characteristics. These personal characteristics are also known as instigative characteristics. Though the classroom environment (microsystem) is certainly influential to developing beliefs, the individual teacher brings to the situation her own existing characteristics, including her belief structure that has been influenced by a plethora of earlier experiences. Relevant examples for the present study include years of experience in the field of early childhood, and a teacher’s personal teaching and educational efficacy beliefs. “Process” is a pivotal part of the proximal processes. These include teachers’ interaction with children which is impacted by teacher beliefs and the congruence of those beliefs with their practices. Further, the “context” and different factors in the environment can constrain teacher’s beliefs regarding developmental appropriateness. One of the environmental constraints we will examine within this study is classroom group size and ratios.

Following research questions guided the research study:

1)      What do teacher and classroom characteristics look like across the kindergarten classrooms of Mumbai, India?

2)      Are kindergarten teachers stated beliefs and stated practices correlated with each other?

3)      Are kindergarten teachers stated beliefs and stated practices correlated with their actual observed practices (CPI)?

4)      Do teacher beliefs and practices differ based on teacher education or experience levels?

5)      Do classrooms group size or ratios matter?

1. Are teacher stated beliefs and practices (TBS) correlated with classroom group size or ratios?
2. Are teacher observed practices (CPI) correlated with classroom group sizes or ratios?

This was predominantly a quantitative study that was conducted utilizing standardized teacher surveys and an observational instrument. Participants: The present study was conducted in the urban city of Mumbai, located in the state of Maharashtra and the western region of India. Mumbai is a predominantly cosmopolitan city of India. Only schools that were identified as middle income to higher middle-income schools were included within the sample. Additionally, only English medium schools, wherein the mode of instruction and curriculum was English and teachers who could communicate (read, write and speak) in English were included in the study. Middle to high income schools with differing boards were part of the study. Thus, 7 English medium schools from the different regions of Mumbai with differing boards of education became a part of the study. Twenty upper kindergarten (5-year-old children) and 20 lower kindergarten (4 year old children) classrooms were observed while a total of 42 teachers completed the surveys. Quantitative Measures: The original “Teacher Questionnaire” (Charlesworth et al, 1991) which was slightly adapted by Hegde & Cassidy (2009) was utilized to assess kindergarten teacher’s beliefs and practices about developmental appropriateness. In the first part of the survey, teachers are asked to provide background information. The other two subscales are: The Teacher Beliefs Scale (TBS) and the Instructional Activities Scale (IAS). TBS consists of 36 items which teachers’ rate on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Not important at all) to 5 (Extremely Important). It contains questions such as, “As an evaluation technique in the preschool program, teacher observation is __. Instructional Activities Scale (IAS) consists of 34 items which teacher’s rate on a 5-point Likert scale, which ranges from never to very often. Each item on the scale is either developmentally appropriate (e.g., building blocks) or inappropriate (e.g., rote learning), trying to capture teachers stated practices. Observational Measures Classroom Practice Inventory (CPI). CPI (Hyson, Hirsh-Pasek, & Rescorla, 1990) is an observational scale that was used to measure actual classroom practices. This measure contains 26 items with a 1 to 5 rating scale; one being almost never and 5 being very often. This observational tool contains both a curriculum and an emotional climate subscale. A sample question in the curriculum section is, “children use workbooks, ditto sheets, flashcards, and other two-dimensional learning materials.”

The findings of this study take the conversation regarding Teacher Beliefs and Practices on developmental appropriateness a little further. Over the last decade India has changed rapidly. The National Education Policy on Education (2020), has now recognized that foundational years (ages 3 to 6 years) are very important. The policy affirms the thought that early childhood education should be seeped into developmentally appropriate practices and teachers need to be trained for the same. This quantitative study investigates this discourse further through an empirical study. The findings of this study have huge implication for teacher training and development.

Hegde, A. V., & Cassidy, D.J. (2009). Kindergarten teachers’ perspectives on developmentally appropriate practices (DAP): A study conducted in Mumbai (India). Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 23(3), 367-381, DOI: 10.1080/02568540909594667 Hegde, A. V., & Cassidy, D. J. (2009). Teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding developmentally appropriate practices: A study conducted in India. Early Child Development and Care, 179(7), 837-947, DOI: 10.1080/03004430701536491. Mengstie, M, M., (2023). Preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices of developmentally. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 21(2), 121-132. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221145464 NAEYC. (2020). Position statement on developmentally appropriate practice in programs for 4- and 5-Year olds. Young Children 41(6): 20–29. Available at: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/dap/ contents Rentzou, K., & Sakellariou, M. (2011) Greek pre-service kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about and practices of developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood education, Early Child Development and Care, 181(8), 1047-1061, DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2010.509796