Preschool Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Mathematics: A Multiple Holistic Case Study Approach

Teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching mathematics plays a significant role in students’ success in mathematics (Levine et al., 2010; MacDonald, 2020). Introducing high-quality mathematics instruction in preschool is crucial, as this practice impacts children’s future mathematics achievement (Claessens & Engel, 2013; Braak et al., 2021). Despite having this benefit, children at the preschool level get inadequate mathematics lessons due to the preschool teachers’ uneasiness or discomfort with teaching mathematics (Gerde et al., 2018; Bates et al., 2013). However, this discomfort or uneasiness may arise from teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching mathematics (Copley, 2004). This study investigated the perceived self-efficacy of preschool teachers in teaching mathematics, the factors shaping these perceptions and how this perceived self-efficacy influences their mathematics teaching strategies. Seven preschool teachers from five different preschools were purposefully recruited for this holistic multiple-case study research. Data were collected through two semi-structured interviews, three classroom observations, and collected artifacts such as lesson plans, curriculum, and math teaching journal entries. The findings suggest that preschool teachers, despite having negative feelings about mathematics, generally perceive themselves as having high self-efficacy in teaching mathematics, and the factors that shape these feelings are rooted in their past mathematics learning experiences. The findings further identify two distinct instructional patterns: high self-efficacy-high instructional approach and high self-efficacy-low instructional approach. These preliminary insights underscore the complex relationship between teachers’ perceived self-efficacy and instructional practices, offering significant implications for early childhood mathematics education.