Preschool teachers’ enjoyment of, and ability and confidence in,

This section profiles preschool teachers’ perceptions of their teaching in all areas of the curriculum and specifically in Visual Arts. Respondents’ perceptions of confidence, ability, and enjoyment across curriculum areas are presented in Tables 4.4.1, 4.4.2 and 4.4.3 while Table 4.4.4 profiles disparities between high/very high levels of confidence, perceived ability and enjoyment across learning areas.

Table 4.4.1 shows participants’ levels of confidence in teaching across preschool learning areas.

Stage One Survey Results Table 4.4.1 Levels of confidence in preschool teaching across learning areas

LEARNING AREA Not at all confident % Somewhat confident % Moderately confident % Confident % Very confident % Literacy 19.23 42.30 38.46 Numeracy 3.85 15.38 50.00 30.76 Sustainability/S cience/ Environmental education 3.85 34.61 38.46 23.07 Visual Arts 11.53 30.76 19.23 23.07 7.69 Music 19.23 23.07 23.07 26.92 7.69 Drama 23.07 34.61 15.38 23.07 3.85 Dance 19.23 34.61 26.92 11.53 3.85 Physical health and well-being 11.53 30.76 38.46 15.38

There would appear to be discrepant levels of confidence between teaching Literacy/Numeracy (80 per cent of responses ‘confident’ and ‘very confident’) and the Arts (30 per cent or less ‘confident’ and ‘very confident’). Across all four Arts categories 12 per cent to 25 per cent indicate that they are ‘Not at all confident’ while 30 per cent to 35 per cent are only ‘Somewhat confident’. The only areas in which some respondents were ‘Not at all confident’ were Visual Arts, Music, Drama and Dance. For this sample of ACT preschool teachers, confidence levels in teaching Visual Arts mirror those reported in the NRVE for generalist primary teachers and support other findings in Australia (e.g., Hudson, 2006 and Dinham, 2007), New Zealand (e.g., Bowell, 2009), the UK (e.g., Wilson et al, 2008), Ireland (e.g., INTO, 2010), Canada (e.g., Kindler, 2010) and the USA (e.g., Danko- McGhee, 2009).

Table 4.4.2 shows participants’ perceptions of their ability to teach across learning areas.

72 Literacy 38.46 38.46 23.07 99.99 Numeracy 3.85 34.61 50.00 11.53 99.99 Sustainability/ Science/ Environ- mental education 3.85 53.84 34.61 7.69 99.99 Visual Arts 7.69 30.76 46.15 11.53 3.85 99.98 Music 11.53 42.30 34.61 11.53 99.97 Drama 7.69 34.61 42.30 15.38 99.98 Dance 19.23 34.61 34.61 11.53 99.98 Physical health and well-being 19.23 38.46 34.61 7.69 99.99

In only one area, Literacy, did more than 20 per cent of respondents perceive their teaching ability to be ‘Very high’. Perceptions of ability were typically low to moderate despite all but one reporting at least two years preschool teaching experience and some as many as 30 years. Responses indicating ‘Little or no ability’, ‘Some ability’ and ‘Moderate ability’ totalled 85 per cent for the teaching of Visual Arts. Only four per cent rated themselves as having ‘Very high ability’ in the teaching Visual Arts category. A comparison with Table 4.4.1 shows higher perceptions of confidence, rather than ability, in teaching the Arts which raises the question as to whether it is possible to be confident in teaching an area about which one knows little. A similar but much larger study in relation to maths in the preschool (Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow, 2014) found that

Teachers reported greater overall confidence in their ability to teach pre-schoolers math than they did in their knowledge of teaching it.

(Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow, 2014:371) They acknowledge that

Stage One Survey Results

Survey studies are based on self-report data. They are subjective and reflect each individual’s understanding of the survey questions and willingness to be truthful. (Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow, 2014:371) As a result they allow for the possibility

… that in-service teachers, surveyed in the workplace, might feel pressure to report more ‘socially acceptable’ beliefs, greater confidence, and more positive math attitudes than they actually possess [and] attempt to reduce this pressure [by informing teachers] of the purpose of the survey; namely, to help administrators plan early math PD that better meets their needs. [They argue that] understanding that survey results were to be used in planning their math PD may have elicited more candid responses, potentially moderating the limitations of self report data. (Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow, 2014:371)

The fact that the current study used a similar strategy in that the first two stages were designed to foreground the programme in Stage Three may have had a similar effect. However, Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow’s (2014) argument in relation to teachers’ confidence in and ability to teach Maths sounds a pertinent warning:

The survey results showed that teachers’ confidence in their ability to teach pre-schoolers math is greater than their confidence in their own math ability. This discrepancy between professional and personal mathematics suggests that preschool teachers may not feel they are good at math, but believe they can teach early math fairly well. Of concern regarding this finding is the possibility that teachers think early math is simple, easy, and requires little mathematical knowledge to teach …. The challenge resides in the misconception that teaching early mathematics is easy since it about the most basic math. Early math is basic but not simple; rather it is abstract, complex, and foundational (McCray and Chen, 2011; NRC, 2009). (Chen, McCray, Adams and Leow, 2014:373 - 4)

A very similar, and equally compelling, argument could be advanced in relation to the teaching of Visual Arts, especially in this age of the ever more visually complex world of technological display and communication.

74 % % % % Literacy 19.23 42.30 38.46 99.99 Numeracy 30.76 50.00 19.23 99.99 Sustainability/ Science/ Environmental education 3.85 38.46 42.30 15.38 99.99 Visual Arts 7.69 23.07 38.46 30.76 99.98 Music 26.92 23.07 26.92 23.07 99.98 Drama 3.85 26.92 26.92 30.76 11.53 99.98 Dance 7.69 19.23 34.61 19.23 15.38 99.99 Physical health and well-being 7.69 26.92 34.61 26.92 99.99

Almost 40 per cent of teachers indicated a very high level of enjoyment in teaching Literacy followed by Visual Arts at 31 per cent. In fact, comparatively high levels of enjoyment are reported for Visual Arts teaching with 70 per cent of responses indicating ‘High enjoyment’ or ‘Very high enjoyment’. These levels are higher than the 56 per cent enjoyment reported by Russell-Bowie (2008) but this may be because she was reporting confidence and enjoyment. At the other end of the scale, no respondent indicated ‘Little or no enjoyment’ and only eight per cent indicated ‘Some enjoyment’ suggesting that neither a lack of confidence nor a perception of low or moderate ability militates against teachers’ enjoyment of working with children in the Visual Arts.

Table 4.4.4 shows preschool teachers’ levels of confidence, ability and enjoyment across learning areas.

Stage One Survey Results Table 4.4.4 Preschool teachers’ perceived levels of confidence, ability and

enjoyment across learning areas LEARNING

AREA

Level of confidence

Perceived ability Enjoyment

Confident/ Very Confident % High/Very High % High/Very High % Literacy 80.76 61.53 80.76 Numeracy 80.76 61.53 69.23 Sustainability/ Science/ Environmental education 61.53 42.30 57.68 Visual Arts 30.76 15.38 69.22 Music 34.61 11.53 49.99 Drama 26.92 15.38 42.29 Dance 15.38 11.53 34.61

Physical health and well-being

53.84 42.30 61.53

There is a clear mismatch between participants’ perceptions of their ability and their levels of confidence and enjoyment in teaching. Literacy and Numeracy share a confidence level of 80 per cent (Confident/ Very confident) and a perceived ability level of 62 per cent (High/Very high ability) with the enjoyment level for Literacy (80%) exceeding that for Numeracy by 10 per cent. Across the Arts, however, enjoyment is higher in all areas than either confidence or perceived ability to teach the relevant discipline. For all the Arts, perceived ability ranges between 11 and 15 per cent, the level of confidence being highest for music, albeit only at 35 per cent, while enjoyment is highest for Visual Arts. Across the Arts enjoyment dominates confidence while ability falls behind both.