Is Confidence in Mathematics Pedagogy Enough? Exploring Early Childhood Teachers’ Mathematics Beliefs and Confidence

Abstract

A multicentre cross-sectional study of early childhood teachers (ECTs) from one large Australian not-for-profit early childhood organisation in preschool (3–5 years) classrooms, was conducted. This study was part of a quasi-experimental online Mathematics Professional Learning Program intervention aimed at developing ECTs’ mathematical pedagogical content knowledge; we report on ECTs’ (n = 325) pre-program survey scores, investigating their beliefs and confidence around mathematical pedagogy and their beliefs of preschoolers’ mathematical abilities. Scores were high, especially for confidence in pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical ability in helping children learn mathematics, and several survey constructs were significantly inter-related. However, more than half of the ECTs did not agree that most children enter preschool with some mathematics abilities, and confidence in their own mathematical abilities in areas of numeracy and spatial awareness varied. Mathematics focussed Environmental Rating Scale, Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale—Extension (ECERS-E) and Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Wellbeing (SSTEW) scale, item scores were evaluated for a representative subgroup of ECTs (n = 102) and overall showed minimal (3 out of 7) quality learning environments. Mathematical beliefs and confidence had a weak association with mathematics focused ECERS-E scores and no association with SSTEW scores. The results show that while beliefs and confidence were high, they did not predict the quality of the preschool learning environment. ECTs may be unaware of the specific mathematical content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge required to effectively teach mathematics to preschool children and develop children’s complex mathematical thinking. Implications for professional learning are discussed.