Who Should Teach Pre-K Children and Kindergarteners When Grade Levels for Certifications Are Overlapped: Perception of Teacher Candidates from B-K and P-5 Programs
Location
Room 210
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
The problem with current grade levels for the certifications in Georgia is that principals in public schools might prefer to hire teacher candidates with the p-5 degree rather than ones with the B-K degree to teach their pre-K and K classrooms because, compared to the latter ones, the former ones can teach wider range of grades as well as pre-K and K grades. Teacher candidates from a B-K program and a p-5 certification program in one of the largest state universities responded to a survey asking their perceptions of the appropriate credential holders that should teach pre-K and K levels, preferred grades that they would like to teach, preparedness of teaching pre-K and K levels, and appropriateness of grade levels set by the GA certifications. Total of 149 teacher candidates, 32 candidates from the B-K program and 117 candidates from the p-5 program, responded to the survey. Differences in perceptions between two groups of teacher candidates were investigated using chi-square (χ2) analysis. Statistically significant differences between two groups were observed from all of the variables studied.
Keywords
Perception of teacher candidates, Teaching certification, B-K program, P-5 program
Recommended Citation
Kim, Yanghee, "Who Should Teach Pre-K Children and Kindergarteners When Grade Levels for Certifications Are Overlapped: Perception of Teacher Candidates from B-K and P-5 Programs" (2014). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 67.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2014/2014/67
Proposal
Who Should Teach Pre-K Children and Kindergarteners When Grade Levels for Certifications Are Overlapped: Perception of Teacher Candidates from B-K and P-5 Programs
Room 210
The problem with current grade levels for the certifications in Georgia is that principals in public schools might prefer to hire teacher candidates with the p-5 degree rather than ones with the B-K degree to teach their pre-K and K classrooms because, compared to the latter ones, the former ones can teach wider range of grades as well as pre-K and K grades. Teacher candidates from a B-K program and a p-5 certification program in one of the largest state universities responded to a survey asking their perceptions of the appropriate credential holders that should teach pre-K and K levels, preferred grades that they would like to teach, preparedness of teaching pre-K and K levels, and appropriateness of grade levels set by the GA certifications. Total of 149 teacher candidates, 32 candidates from the B-K program and 117 candidates from the p-5 program, responded to the survey. Differences in perceptions between two groups of teacher candidates were investigated using chi-square (χ2) analysis. Statistically significant differences between two groups were observed from all of the variables studied.
