Enhancing Preschool Educators' Self-Efficacy in Designing Subject-Development Environments: Evaluating a Structured Training Program

Abstract

Subject-development environments play a crucial role in early childhood education by fostering cognitive, social, and emotional growth. This study investigates the effectiveness of a structured training program in enhancing preschool educators' self-efficacy in designing such environments. A quasi-experimental design was employed, incorporating both a control group and an intervention group. The study involved 160 participants from Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University who engaged in a targeted structured training program combining theoretical instruction with hands-on activities. Findings indicate that the structured training program significantly improved educators' self-efficacy, with experimental group participants demonstrating significantly higher post-test scores across all measured areas compared to the control group. Based on these results, integrating the structured training program into preschool teacher preparation and existing curricula is recommended to enhance early childhood education practices.