Critical values education in the early years: Alignment of teachers’ personal epistemologies and practices for active citizenship

To date, little research has explored teaching values education for active citizenship in which young children are supported to express their own ideas and opinions and take moral responsibility for their actions. Using personal epistemology as the conceptual framework, this study investigated the nature of, and alignment between, teachers’ personal epistemologies and practices for promoting critical values education in elementary education. The study drew on interview and observational data from 29 teachers in Australia. Findings showed that four patterns could be discerned, showing complex relationships between teaching practices and beliefs. Implications for preservice and inservice professional learning experiences are discussed