This study investigates preschool teachers’ perceptions and application of the Whole Language Approach (WLA) frameworks within early literacy development in Indonesia. It focuses on the six essential components of the WLA concepts: expectation, responsibility, immersion, demonstration, approximation, and feedback. The research utilizes survey data from 1.453 preschool educators across diverse geographical regions. The study examines the correlation between variations in teachers' classroom practices concerning the WLA and their professional and demographic characteristics, including gender, years of teaching experience, educational qualifications, and geographic location, utilizing multiple linear regression analysis. The findings indicate that preschool teachers are more inclined to utilize teacher-directed strategies such as immersion, demonstration, and feedback, rather than approaches like expectation, responsibility, and approximation that promote the autonomy and risk-taking of preschool children. The regression results indicate that educational level and residence are significant predictors across various dimensions, particularly in approximation, immersion, and responsibility behaviors. These findings illustrate the persistent structural and contextual disparities that affect literacy teaching in both urban and rural settings. This study underscores the importance of offering preschool teachers continuous, contextually relevant professional development alongside equitable access to resources. Advocating for pedagogical methods that are adaptive, developmentally suitable, and empowering for preschool teachers is essential for enhancing early literacy results, especially in disadvantaged communities. The study ultimately endorses the Whole Language Approach's capacity for transformation, contingent upon the implementation of inclusive policies and reflective teaching practices to facilitate its use.

Keywords: early literacy; teacher perspective; whole language approach; early childhood education.