Educational Research and Reviews

  • Abbreviation: Educ. Res. Rev.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1990-3839
  • DOI: 10.5897/ERR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 2014

Full Length Research Paper

Unpacking instructional strategies of early childhood teachers: Insights from teachers’ perspectives

Mumuni Thompson
  • Mumuni Thompson
  • Department of Basic Education, College of Education Studies, Faculty of Educational Foundations, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
  • Google Scholar


  •  Received: 06 September 2017
  •  Accepted: 13 November 2017
  •  Published: 23 December 2017

Abstract

Even though previous research points to the significance of early childhood teachers’ practices that take into consideration the nature of children and how they learn, there is limited research regarding how instructional strategies impact children’s development in diverse ways. To close this gap in literature, a qualitative multi-case study into the perceptions and classroom practices of four kindergarten teachers in two Ghanaian schools, Tata and Kariba, was carried out over a six-month period. One research question guided the study, namely, which instructional strategies do teachers use in a kindergarten classroom? Data used were semi-structured individual interviews and pair-based interviews and fieldnotes of classroom observations. Both within and across case interpretative analysis, as was used. The findings of this study revealed these teachers believed that instructional strategies impacted children’s development in different ways; they pointed to play-based instruction and integration as well as specific strategies such as picture-walk and think-pair-share that they believed promoted effective teaching and learnng in kindergarten classrooms which in turn, enhanced and promoted children’s multiple intelligencies in terms of socio-emotional, physical, cognitive and language development.

Key words: Childhood, qualitative, cognitive, play, integration, kindergarten, instruction, strategies.