ERIC Number: EJ935653
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1027
EISSN: N/A
Creativity in the Early Childhood Classroom: Perspectives of Preservice Teachers
Eckhoff, Angela
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v32 n3 p240-255 2011
This study examined how preservice teachers view the nature and role of creativity in light of the complexities of contemporary early childhood classrooms. A multiple methods approach was utilized and data were collected with the Questionnaire Examining Student Teachers' Beliefs about Creativity (Diakidoy & Kanari, 1999) survey instrument and through a qualitative examination of a learning community whose members were preservice teachers engaged in their student-teaching semester. Findings from both the survey and qualitative measures indicate that the vast majority of preservice teachers valued creative thinking; however, they voiced concerns over their own unclear understandings of how to support children's creative endeavors in complex classroom environments. Additionally, this research strongly suggests that early childhood teacher educators take a supportive role in the development of preservice teachers' understandings of the interrelationships between content, pedagogy, and creativity in early childhood classrooms. (Contains 8 tables and 1 footnote.)
Descriptors: Creativity, Early Childhood Education, Creative Thinking, Teaching Methods, Preservice Teachers, Student Teacher Attitudes, Questionnaires, Beliefs, Creative Development, Creative Teaching, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Educational Practices, Creative Activities, Teacher Role, Performance Factors
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A