Preschool educators’ self-efficacy beliefs about teaching probabilistic concepts and their change in the course of participating an inquiry-based training program

Abstract

Which are the self-efficacy beliefs that teachers hold when they are asked to teach concepts on probabilities in preschool education? Is it possible to improve negative self-efficacy beliefs through a training program? Thirty-two preschool educators participated in our study and attended a mathematical training program on probabilities, which were lately introduced in the revised preschool curriculum. The structure of the training program centered on the “inquiry-based” pedagogical approach. The results showed that the mathematical inquiry-based training program could improve participants’ initial negative self-efficacy beliefs on teaching probabilities in preschool students and consequently may have positive effects on their educational abilities.