National Board Certification and Developmentally Appropriate Practices: Perceptions of Impact

Y

13

Developmentally Appropriate Practices; Early Childhood Education; Educational Practices; Educational Strategies; Teacher Certification; Teaching Methods; Teaching Styles; Educational Change; National Standards; Teacher Surveys; Professional Associations; Teacher Characteristics; Comparative Analysis; Preschool Teachers; Elementary School Teachers; Teacher Competencies; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Child Development

10.1080/02568543.2013.766661

0256-8543

The study investigated a relationship between National Board certification and perceived use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). A self-developed survey, the Early-childhood Teacher Inventory of Practices, was e-mailed to participants. Participants included 246 non-National Board-certified (non-NBCT) and 135 National Board-certified (NBCT) early childhood teachers. Descriptives were reported for age, years of teaching experience, grade level currently teaching, ethnicity, degree type, certification type, and degree level. Inferential statistics were used to understand the differences between perceived use of DAP. NBCTs scored significantly higher than non-NBCTs in three of the four target areas and on the total of the scale. Pearson product-moment corelations were used to determine a relationship between years of experience or level of education and NBCTs' perceived use of DAP. Years of experience were significantly related, but level of education was not. The findings indicate that NBCT teachers perceive they incorporate more developmentally appropriate practices into their teaching than do non-NBCT teachers. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

As Provided

34

2014

EJ1011563