Investigation of the Relationships Between Beliefs About Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Competencies in Inclusive Practices and Self-Efficacy Perceptions in Early Childhood Education Teacher Candidates

OpenAlex İngilizce

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine early childhood education teacher candidates' beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices, their perceptions of self‐efficacy and their levels of teacher self‐efficacy in relation to inclusive education. Five hundred seventy‐one university students participated in the study. According to the results, there were significant positive relationships between teachers' perceptions of self‐efficacy and the belief scale for developmentally appropriate practices ( r = 0.294). There were moderate positive relationships between teachers' perceptions of self‐efficacy and teachers' self‐efficacy towards inclusive education ( r = 0.601), and low positive relationships between the belief scale for developmentally appropriate practices and teachers' self‐efficacy towards inclusive education ( r = 0.263). The mediation effect analysis showed that teachers' perception of self‐efficacy can explain 42.86% of the effect of belief in developmentally appropriate practices on teacher self‐efficacy towards inclusive education. These findings highlight that teachers' beliefs and self‐efficacy perceptions play an important role in improving the quality of educational practices.