ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL EDUCATION and the Arts Statement (MCETYA and Cultural Ministers' Council, 2007), all children should have access to high-quality arts experiences, especially within early childhood. The delivery of arts education in classrooms is dependent on early childhood teachers' beliefs (known as self-efficacy) about their own capability. This study explores the self-efficacy of beginning teachers as they engaged with the arts during practical experience in early childhood classrooms. Using Bandura's model of self-regulated learning, the study addresses issues of self-efficacy as a base for considering sources of an early childhood teacher's sense of agency related to teaching the arts. It starts to explain reasons for beginning early childhood teachers in another recent study reporting lower teacher self-efficacy for the arts (Garvis & Pendergast, 2010). Findings suggest that practical experience in an early childhood classroom influenced the beginning teachers' beliefs towards teaching arts education. The findings highlight the need for training in the arts for beginning and supervising teachers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AndrewsB. W. (2004). Curriculum renewal through policy development in arts education. Research Studies in Music Education, 23, 76–93.
2.
AshtonP. T., & WebbR. B. (1986). Making a difference: Teachers' sense of efficacy and student achievement.New York: Longman.
BanduraA. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
5.
BanduraA. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control.New York: Freeman.
6.
BartelL. R., & CameronL. M. (2002). Self-efficacy in teachers teaching music. Proceedings of the Americal Educational Research Association Annual Conference, New Orleans.
7.
BartelL., CameronL., WigginsJ., & WigginsR. (2004). Implications of generalist teachers' self-efficacy related to music. In ShandP. M. (Ed), Music education entering the 21st century (pp. 85–90). Nedlands, AU: International Society for Music Education.
8.
BorkoH., & PutnamR. T. (1995). Expanding a teacher's knowledge base: A cognitive psychological perspective on professional development. In GuskeyT. R. & HubermanM. (Eds). Professional development in education: new paradigms and practices (pp. 35–65). New York: Teachers College Press.
9.
Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) (2005). National review of school music education: Augmenting the diminished.Perth: DEST & Centre for Learning, Change and Development, Murdoch University.
10.
GarvisS. (2010). An investigation of beginning teacher self-efficacy for the arts in the middle years of schooling (Years 4–9). PhD Thesis. School of Music: University of Queensland.
11.
GarvisS., & PendergastD. (2010). Supporting novice teachers of the arts. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 11(8). Retrieved 11 February, 2011, from http://www.ijea.org/v11n8.
12.
Ministerial Council on Education, Training and Youth Affairs (MCETYA) (Federal) and Cultural Ministers' Council (2007). National statement on education and the arts.Canberra: Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts.
13.
KrippendorffK. (2004). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (2nd edn). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
14.
MuijsD., & ReynoldsD. (2001). Teachers' beliefs and behaviours: What really matters. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 37, 3–15.
15.
Pramling SamuelssonI., Aspland CarlssonM., OlssonB., PramlingN., & WallerstedtC. (2009). The art of teaching children the arts: music, dance and poetry with children aged 2–8 years old. International Journal of Early Years Education, 17(2), 119–135.
16.
RichardsR. (2007). Outdated relics on hallowed ground: Unearthing attitudes and beliefs about young children's art. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 32(4). 22–30.
17.
TemmermanN. (1997). An investigation of undergraduate music education curriculum content in primary teacher education programmes in Australia. International Journal of Music Education, 30, 26–34.
18.
TosunT. (2000). The beliefs of pre-service elementary teachers toward science and science teaching. School Science and Mathematics, 100, 374–379.
19.
Tschannen-MoranM., & Woolfolk HoyA.W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783–805.
