The demand for degreed teachers for positions teaching children even younger than preschool age is increasing across the United States. Teacher qualifications vary from state to state, and there is increased emphasis on teacher credentials and education. The current study extends the current literature by examining variables that effect the development of teacher efficacy and aims to determine a relationship between trainability of characteristics of beliefs about learner-centered beliefs/developmentally appropriate practices and teacher efficacy. Participants were 175 teachers working in the state of Arkansas in early childhood programs teaching children birth to 5 years of age. A significant relationship was confirmed between total teacher efficacy and teacher learnered-centeredness with regard to discipline and classroom management, teaching practices, and beliefs about children. However, significant differences in teacher efficacy scores of teachers holding a degree in early childhood education (P-4 licensure) from those without a bachelor’s degree were not found. Interestingly, teachers with bachelor’s degrees in child development did have significantly higher efficacy scores than did those who held the P-4 license in Arkansas. Results are discussed with the hope that teacher-training programs specific to birth through Kindergarten can target specific trainable variables to improve teacher confidence in their training which will result in higher efficacy and developmentally appropriate teaching practices.
","abstract_html":"<p>The demand for degreed teachers for positions teaching children even younger than preschool age is increasing across the United States. Teacher qualifications vary from state to state, and there is increased emphasis on teacher credentials and education. The current study extends the current literature by examining variables that effect the development of teacher efficacy and aims to determine a relationship between trainability of characteristics of beliefs about learner-centered beliefs/developmentally appropriate practices and teacher efficacy. Participants were 175 teachers working in the state of Arkansas in early childhood programs teaching children birth to 5 years of age. A significant relationship was confirmed between total teacher efficacy and teacher learnered-centeredness with regard to discipline and classroom management, teaching practices, and beliefs about children. However, significant differences in teacher efficacy scores of teachers holding a degree in early childhood education (P-4 licensure) from those without a bachelor’s degree were not found. Interestingly, teachers with bachelor’s degrees in child development did have significantly higher efficacy scores than did those who held the P-4 license in Arkansas. Results are discussed with the hope that teacher-training programs specific to birth through Kindergarten can target specific trainable variables to improve teacher confidence in their training which will result in higher efficacy and developmentally appropriate teaching practices.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Line, Mary"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Human Environmental Science (MS)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Henk, Jennifer K.","Biggs, Bobbie T."],"advisors":["Crandall, Mardel A."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:58:53Z","subjects":["Education","Arkansas","Caring","Childhood","Creating","Exploration","Learner-centeredness","Professionals","Qualified","Teacher","Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1490","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Henk, Jennifer K.","Biggs, Bobbie T."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Crandall, Mardel A."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Line, Mary"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2016"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-09-29T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Human Environmental Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Education","Arkansas","Caring","Childhood","Creating","Exploration","Learner-centeredness","Professionals","Qualified","Teacher","Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1490"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The demand for degreed teachers for positions teaching children even younger than preschool age is increasing across the United States. Teacher qualifications vary from state to state, and there is increased emphasis on teacher credentials and education. The current study extends the current literature by examining variables that effect the development of teacher efficacy and aims to determine a relationship between trainability of characteristics of beliefs about learner-centered beliefs/developmentally appropriate practices and teacher efficacy. Participants were 175 teachers working in the state of Arkansas in early childhood programs teaching children birth to 5 years of age. A significant relationship was confirmed between total teacher efficacy and teacher learnered-centeredness with regard to discipline and classroom management, teaching practices, and beliefs about children. However, significant differences in teacher efficacy scores of teachers holding a degree in early childhood education (P-4 licensure) from those without a bachelor’s degree were not found. Interestingly, teachers with bachelor’s degrees in child development did have significantly higher efficacy scores than did those who held the P-4 license in Arkansas. Results are discussed with the hope that teacher-training programs specific to birth through Kindergarten can target specific trainable variables to improve teacher confidence in their training which will result in higher efficacy and developmentally appropriate teaching practices.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Creating Caring Qualified Early Childhood Teachers: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Teacher Efficacy and Learner-Centeredness Among Early Childhood Professionals in Arkansas"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Henk, Jennifer K.","Biggs, Bobbie T."],"dc:contributor.advisor":["Crandall, Mardel A."],"dc:creator":["Line, Mary"],"dc:date":["2016"],"dc:date.available":["2017-09-29T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The demand for degreed teachers for positions teaching children even younger than preschool age is increasing across the United States. Teacher qualifications vary from state to state, and there is increased emphasis on teacher credentials and education. The current study extends the current literature by examining variables that effect the development of teacher efficacy and aims to determine a relationship between trainability of characteristics of beliefs about learner-centered beliefs/developmentally appropriate practices and teacher efficacy. Participants were 175 teachers working in the state of Arkansas in early childhood programs teaching children birth to 5 years of age. A significant relationship was confirmed between total teacher efficacy and teacher learnered-centeredness with regard to discipline and classroom management, teaching practices, and beliefs about children. However, significant differences in teacher efficacy scores of teachers holding a degree in early childhood education (P-4 licensure) from those without a bachelor’s degree were not found. Interestingly, teachers with bachelor’s degrees in child development did have significantly higher efficacy scores than did those who held the P-4 license in Arkansas. Results are discussed with the hope that teacher-training programs specific to birth through Kindergarten can target specific trainable variables to improve teacher confidence in their training which will result in higher efficacy and developmentally appropriate teaching practices.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1490"],"dc:subject":["Education","Arkansas","Caring","Childhood","Creating","Exploration","Learner-centeredness","Professionals","Qualified","Teacher","Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education"],"dc:title":["Creating Caring Qualified Early Childhood Teachers: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Teacher Efficacy and Learner-Centeredness Among Early Childhood Professionals in Arkansas"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Human Environmental Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:58:53Z"}