Teacher-child interaction quality in early childhood education: the impact of teacher beliefs

This study examines the status of teacher-child interaction quality, the nature of teacher beliefs, and their relationship in the context of preschool classrooms in a metropolitan city in Turkey via a mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected from 47 preschool teachers through teacher survey and structured classroom observation methods using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). In the qualitative dimension, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four preschool teachers, purposefully selected based on their CLASS scores. The results revealed that the overall quality of teacher-child interaction was ‘average’ in the classrooms. Preschool teachers were generally positive about their capabilities to teach and tended to espouse developmentally appropriate practice to a great extent, but these beliefs did not consistently align with the teacher-child interaction quality observed in their classrooms. The study highlights the critical need to bridge the gap between teachers’ beliefs and practices to improve the quality of early childhood education.