Background. In the context of a shortage of teaching staff in preschool education, the importance of studying the specifics of a teacher’s professional identity is increasing as a condition for developing management mechanisms to increase the prestige of the profession and the quality of teacher training.
Objectives. In the course of the research, the specifics of the professional identity of a preschool teacher are revealed as his personal attitude to the moment of reality associated with a sense of professional success.
Sample. The study involved 119 respondents aged 25 to 65 years, teachers and specialists of preschool educational organizations in the Ivanovo region.
Methods. The research is based on a discursive design using high-quality content analysis of pedagogical essays on the topic “Pedagogical insight or the moment when I felt that I was a good teacher.” The analysis of the essay content was carried out on the basis of a three-component structure of professional identity, including cognitive, emotional and behavioral components.
Results. It is revealed that teachers identify their profession and its importance with conducting classes and direct interaction with preschoolers. A tendency has been revealed to shift the focus of the cognitive component from the realization of professional activity to choosing a profession, solving personal problems and self-improvement. The behavioral component manifested itself in the teachers’ increased concern for the mood of children, the desire to entertain and please them, which determines the choice of methods and means of work. The emotional component is a contradiction between the pleasure of communicating with children when working in preschool education and doubts about the importance of the chosen profession and the correctness of their actions.
Conclusions. The value of a child’s vivid emotions is a factor that regulates the teacher’s choice of methods and means of work in favor of entertainment formats and orientation towards the external expression of positive emotions by children as a result of interaction with the teacher. The improvement of professional training and work with teaching staff can be carried out through the training of monitoring the development of children and pedagogical reflection. Further research requires identifying the nature of the influence of the ratio of the levels of development of the components of professional identity on the style and quality of the teacher’s work.