Preschool teachers’ role and beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice : a systematic literature review

Taye, Misahun Shumetu (author), Kana, Fituma Yadasa (author), Jekil, Tesema Regassa (author)

This systematic literature review has examined the various functions assumed by preschool educators in promoting developmentally appropriate practice, the differing beliefs held by preschool teachers concerning it, and the factors that influence the beliefs and perceptions of preschool teachers about it. To carry out this review, a comprehensive search strategy was employed across different databases to identify relevant studies published between 2010 and 2023. The inclusion criteria comprised studies that focused on the role and beliefs of preschool teachers in promoting developmentally appropriate practice. The review includes a total of 14 studies. The results indicate that preschool teachers play different roles in promoting developmentally appropriate practice, such as creating a safe and supportive learning environment, providing diverse learning experiences customised to the specific needs and interests of each child, working in collaboration with families to ensure that children receive the necessary support at home, and advocating for the needs of young children and their families. The beliefs of preschool teachers regarding developmentally appropriate practice are attributed to various factors, including their personal experiences as learners, their training and professional development, the culture of the preschool or school where they work, and the availability of resources and support to implement developmentally appropriate practice. The findings highlight the importance of preschool teachers having a strong comprehension of developmentally appropriate practice and being able to implement it effectively in their classrooms. Moreover, it is crucial to provide preschool teachers with professional development opportunities that can enhance their beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice and help them learn how to implement it effectively.

• Language: English
• Keywords: developmentally appropriate practice, early childhood education, preschool teachers, teachers’ beliefs, teachers’ role
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 145–166
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 3 (varia issue)
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179467
• UDC: 37.011.3-051
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1693
• COBISS.SI-ID: 184140035

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC-BY 4.0 je naveden na spletni strani revije (https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/about). (Datum opombe 14. 2. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 14.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vloga in prepričanja predšolskih učiteljev o razvojno primerni praksi : sistematični pregled literature

Abstract

V tem sistematičnem pregledu literature so bili obravnavani: različne naloge, ki jih imajo vzgojitelji pri spodbujanju razvojno primerne prakse, različna prepričanja vzgojiteljev o njej ter dejavniki, ki vplivajo na prepričanja in zaznave vzgojiteljev o njej. Za izvedbo tega pregleda je bila uporabljena obsežna iskalna strategija v različnih podatkovnih zbirkah, da bi našli ustrezne študije, objavljene med letoma 2010 in 2023. Merila za vključitev so zajemala študije, ki so se osredinjale na vlogo in prepričanja vzgojiteljev pri spodbujanju razvojno primerne prakse. V pregled je bilo vključenih skupno 14 študij. Izsledki kažejo, da imajo vzgojitelji pri spodbujanju razvojno primerne prakse različne vloge, kot so: ustvarjanje varnega in spodbudnega učnega okolja, zagotavljanje raznolikih učnih izkušenj, prilagojenih specifičnim potrebam in interesom vsakega otroka, sodelovanje z družinami, da bi otrokom zagotovili potrebno podporo doma, ter zagovarjanje potreb majhnih otrok in njihovih družin. Prepričanja vzgojiteljev o razvojno primerni praksi pripisujemo različnim dejavnikom, vključno z njihovimi osebnimi izkušnjami kot učenci, njihovim usposabljanjem in s strokovnim razvojem, kulturo vrtca ali šole, v kateri delajo, ter z razpoložljivostjo virov in podpore za izvajanje razvojno primerne prakse. Ugotovitve poudarjajo, da je pomembno, da vzgojitelji dobro razumejo razvojno ustrezno prakso in jo lahko učinkovito izvajajo v svojih razredih. Poleg tega je ključnega pomena, da se vzgojiteljem zagotovijo možnosti strokovnega razvoja, ki lahko okrepijo njihova prepričanja o razvojno ustrezni praksi in jim pomagajo, da se naučijo, kako jo učinkovito izvajati.

• Keywords: razvojno ustrezna praksa, predšolska vzgoja, vzgojitelji, prepričanja učiteljev, vloga učiteljev, predšolska vzgoja