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Preschool Teachers’ Child-Centered Beliefs: Direct and Indirect Associations with Work Climate and Job-Related Wellbeing

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Abstract

Background

Early childhood teachers’ child-centered beliefs, defined as teachers’ attitudes about how children learn, have been associated with teachers’ developmentally appropriate practices and positive child outcomes. The predictors of teachers’ child-centered beliefs, however, are less frequently explored.

Objective

This study tested whether teachers’ perceived work climate in child-care programs is associated with their child-centered beliefs, mediated by their job-related well-being.

Methods

The sample consisted of 522 preschool teachers (16 % Head Start, and 25 % nationally accredited programs). Path analysis was conducted to test the direct and indirect associations between teachers’ perceived work climate (i.e., collegiality and influence), job-related well-being (i.e., satisfaction and stress), and child-centered beliefs.

Results

The results of the path analysis showed that teachers’ perceived collegiality and influence had positive associations with job-related satisfaction, which in turn was positively associated with child-centered beliefs. On the other hand, teachers’ influence in the program was negatively associated with job-related stress, which was in turn, positively associated with child-centered beliefs. Test of mediation using bootstrapping technique showed significant mediation effects.

Conclusions

Work climate in child-care programs has important implications for teachers’ child-centered beliefs through job-related well-being. Teachers may need more support from the program directors and policy to create high levels of collegiality and influence, which will eventually be related with more developmentally appropriate philosophy.

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Notes

  1. Current Status of QRIS in States, updated in February, 2015. http://www.qrisnetwork.org/

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Author notes

  1. Eunhye Hur

    Present address: Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University – Cascades, Bend, OR, USA

  2. Lieny Jeon

    Present address: School of Education, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

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  1. Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Eunhye Hur, Lieny Jeon & Cynthia K. Buettner

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  1. Eunhye Hur
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Hur, E., Jeon, L. & Buettner, C.K. Preschool Teachers’ Child-Centered Beliefs: Direct and Indirect Associations with Work Climate and Job-Related Wellbeing. Child Youth Care Forum 45, 451–465 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-015-9338-6

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