Development of a Quality Teaching Model for Preschool Teachers

A quality teaching model includes several important elements such as teaching knowledge, skills and attitudes. This study seeks to discover the level of teaching knowledge of preschool teachers. The methodology of the study is a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. The instruments used were questionnaires, structured interviews and document analysis. 50 preschool teachers encompassing both private and public preschools answered the questionnaire, and only two preschool teachers were interviewed. The respondents of the study were identified using purposive random sampling. The results of the study found that 56% of teachers emphasised on one method of teaching, while 44% of teachers adopted various methods of teaching to help the children understand the learning content. Besides that, the teachers also chose a teaching method that is suitable to fulfil the learning needs of the children (56%) and fulfil need to learn in groups (54%). An appropriate teaching method was used to capture and retain the children’ attention (56%) as well as improve their ranking and achievement (60%). The interview results found that teachers’ knowledge increased along with their years of experience in the field of early childhood education. From the document analysis on the teachers’ knowledge of planning for teaching and learning, it was found that the RPH of teachers were neat, interesting and simple. Overall, preschool teachers are aware that the method of teaching plays an important role in the teaching and learning process.