Teacher Support and Pre-Service Preschool Teachers’ Piano Skill: The Chain Mediation Effects of Music Self-Efficacy and Learning Engagement

Piano proficiency is essential for pre-service preschool educators; nevertheless, numerous candidates begin teacher education programs with little prior experience, exhibiting poor self-efficacy and limited musical competencies required for effective teaching. This study seeks to examine the mechanism of how teacher support affects proficiency in piano skills among pre-service preschool educators. Four hundred thirty pre-service preschool teachers from a preschool teacher education program at a public normal university in Shanghai, China, completed the Teacher Support Questionnaire (MOCSE-TSQ), Attitudes Toward Musical Activities and Performance, and the Classroom Engagement Inventory in Music (CEI-M). The findings revealed a substantial positive link between teacher support and the proficiency in piano skills among pre-service preschool educators. Teacher support positively predicted piano ability levels via the chain-mediated effects of musical self-efficacy and learning engagement among pre-service preschool educators. The "Support-Feedback-Reflection" (SFR) cyclical development model was employed as an approach for improving the musical abilities of pre-service preschool teachers. These findings provide empirical information to guide curriculum development and pedagogical enhancements for piano courses targeting pre-service preschool educators.