Teacher-child interactions in early childhood education in Cambodia: an initial validation of the Teachers' Beliefs and Intentions Scale
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Abstract
Teachers hold numerous beliefs that influence their everyday teaching practices in classroom settings. Despite the growing body of literature, there is a lack of context-specific evidence on teachers’ beliefs and intentions regarding teacher-child interactions, specifically in developing countries. This study aimed to explore Cambodian early childhood education teachers’ beliefs and intentions regarding teacher-child interactions, validate the psychometric properties of the Teachers’ Beliefs and Intentions Scale in the Cambodian context, and examine relationships between beliefs, intentions, and their sub-dimensions. A total of 409 teachers (90.2% women) aged between 18 and 68 years took part in the study. Data were collected using the Teachers’ Beliefs and Intentions Scale. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlation analysis were conducted to achieve the research aims. Results indicate that the research participants hold child-centric beliefs and intentions and highlight a direct link between their beliefs and intentions in teacher-child interactions. Confirmatory factor analysis results revealed significant factor loadings for first-order factors and a meaningful covariance between the second-order factors of beliefs and intentions. Correlation analyses highlighted moderate interrelations among the second-order factors and their respective first-order factors, emphasizing the interconnectedness of beliefs and intentions. This study adds support to the validity of the Teachers’ Beliefs and Intentions Scale, offering valuable insights into the relationship between early childhood education teachers’ beliefs and intentions regarding teacher-child interactions in the Cambodian context. Implications for research and professional development of teachers are discussed.
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