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Articles by tag "profession":
This article analyzes the attitude of respondents to the profession of Early Childhood Education Teacher. Respondents were preschool teachers (n = 203) and parents of preschoolers (n = 706). The basis for the empirical study was the Kazan Center for Social and Humanitarian Education, which is being implemented within the framework of the experimental site of FEDI RANEPA. The study was conducted over September and October 2018. A questionnaire method was used to collect information. The research has shown that to be recognized as a professional, significant for the progressive development of society, the early childhood education teacher fulfills his/her social order, but is assessed by public opinion as a person who does not have the opportunity to rise to a high level in the social hierarchy. Despite the fact that the respondents, i.e. the teachers of early childhood educational institutions belong to the low-income strata of the Russian society and the absence of a high socio-economic status, their ideas about their profession are generally positive. The authors suggest that the positive interpretation of the external assessment of their profession by the respondents is a mechanism for conscious increase of professionalism. An early childhood education teacher is a creative profession and a positive self-esteem of the prestige of the work in the field of early childhood education work can be linked to the processes of self-actualization and self-realization. On the other hand, overestimated perceptions of the prestige of the profession help early childhood education teachers to form their symbolic capital.
Responding parents demonstrate trust in public early childhood educational institutions, which is defined by paternalistic orientation of parents in relations with teachers and administration of preschool educational institution and is interpreted by the authors as loyalty of respondents to government. The authors note that the prestige of the profession of an early childhood education teacher has different meanings for its bearers, for those who use educational services, and for society as a whole.
The article is devoted to the study of creativity of a teacher of preschool education. The aim of the research was to study the influence of motivating factors on the professional creativity of teachers. The developing subject-spatial environment was considered as the main indicator of the manifestation of creativity in the work of the teacher. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the transformation of the subject space
of the group on the creative development and change in the attitude of the teacher to professional activities. The developing subject-spatial environment of the kindergarten is viewed from several sides: as a product of the teacher’s creativity, as a place of interaction between the teacher and children, as an application area of the teacher’s creative abilities.
The article was prepared on the basis of experimental research using questionnaires for teachers and monitoring their work. The study was conducted on the basis of two preschool institutions in the city of Ivanovo, Ivanovo Region. 16 teachers took part in the study. As a toolkit, scales for assessing the conditions of creative activity of children in independent activities and art classes were used. To study the changes in the sources of professional motivation of teachers, a questionnaire developed by D. Barbuto and R. Skoll was used. The study consisted of two stages, at each of which a new motivating factor was introduced. After each stage, the sources of teachers’ professional motivation were measured, the state of the group’s developing environment was assessed, and the interaction in the art class was chosen as the most creative type of educational activity. As motivating factors, a professional competition and the involvement of teachers in the work on the dissemination of experience were used.
The results of our study showed that the use of the mentioned motivating factors contributed to the launch of the creative cycle among teachers, which resulted in creative changes in the organization of the subject space of groups, improving the interaction of the teacher and children in the arts classes. Creative manifestations in the subject space and interaction with children were reflected in the motivational sphere of teachers.
The article is devoted to the results of a pilot study of the relationship between the quality of the educational environment in preschool groups and the level of development of creative thinking of preschool children and the study of the development of creative thinking of teachers in solving pedagogical problems.
The study is based on the idea of the quality of education inherent in the Federal State Educational Standard of Preschool Education, the cultural and historical concept of L.S. Vygotsky’s and structural-dialectical approach, describing dialectical thinking as the ability to creatively transform objects and situations. The study was aimed at studying the possible relationships between the quality of the educational environment in preschool groups and the level of development of the dialectical thinking of children, as well as the ability of adults (teachers) to use creative thinking tools to solve professional problems: designing an educational action and developing dialogue with a child.
The study was conducted on a random sample of preschool departments of educational complexes in Moscow (a total of 103 children from 5 to 6.5 years old and 35 teachers). To assess the quality of the educational environment, we used the ECERS scale and the pilot version of the scale “Stimulating dialectical thinking”. To assess the creative thinking of preschoolers, a block of techniques was used to measure the level of dialectical thinking, and for adults, a methodology was developed and tested for studying mental strategies in solving professional pedagogical problems.
Introduction. The article presents the results of a theoretical and practical study of the history of the museum collection of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy, Herzen State Pedagogical University. Particular attention is paid to the creation of motivation for students to master the pedagogical profession and to realize its value in society.
The purpose of the study is to describe the history of the creation of the unique museum collection of authentic materials by F. Froebel and M. Montessori, the rationale for using the potential of collections in the education of a modern teacher.
The result of the study was a description of the museum’s potential for organizing the research work of teachers, students, undergraduates and post-graduates of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy Department, Herzen State Pedagogical University. The possibilities of the museum collection for acquaintance with the history of the formation of the profession “kindergarten teacher” are described. Analysis of the legacy of M. Montessori and F. Frobel leads to a conclusion about the modernity and relevance of the ideas of the educators and their reinvention into the practice of the kindergarten of the XXI century.
Conclusion. The presented description of the authentic museum collections of materials by F. Frobel and M. Montessori of the Department of Preschool Pedagogy, the explanation of the potential possibilities of their use in the educational process of the pedagogical university reveals one of the ways to solve the urgent problem of higher professional education in creating motivation for students to master the pedagogical profession. An excursion into history allows young and experienced teachers to rethink the modern theory and practice of preschool education.
The article describes the findings of the historic-theoretical study of research methods utilized by preschool teachers in terms of analysis of understandings about their specificity in the national psychological and pedagogical science. The aim of this study is to uncover the strategies for studying children through observations and comparison forms of the documentations of results conducted by the preschool teachers. The analysis was performed beginning from the preschool teacher’s diary designated by research team under the guidance of
O. Dyachenko to the maps of development for the modern curriculums of preschool education (“Beginnings”, “From the Birth to School”, “World of Explorations” etc.). The main method of the study is a problem analyses, that allowed defining the goals and tasks of the use of the diaries and development maps as tools of documentation and analyses of results through observation; rules and choice of developmental milestones in children for the diaries and maps; methods of filling them up, analyzing and interpreting data. Directions for the improvement of design, implementation and analysis of the diaries and development maps children are identified. The conditions for effective interaction between preschool teacher, psychologist and other specialists through implementing of strategies for exploration of children are discussed. The objectives for the development of professional competences in preschool teachers in the area of pedagogical diagnostic are given.
This paper reports on an interview study with directors of Head Start and child care programs who are collaborating with local education authorities to provide publicly funded preschool in New Jersey, USA. A standardized interview protocol was utilized with 98 directors chosen to represent a range of center types from across the three main regions of the state. Interviews were conducted over the phone. The study examined the kinds of preparation that these directors received for their work as program leaders, the areas that these directors identified as strengths and weaknesses, and the kinds of professional development that they perceived as necessary to perform their jobs well. Results indicate that given the wide range of qualifications and work experiences among directors in this mixed service delivery system, targeted professional development focusing on both administration and early childhood content is needed. These findings suggest that policy makers and administrators of preschool programs should conduct needs assessments of their preschool directors and school leaders to ensure that professional development opportunities address different levels of experience and expertise appropriate for leaders working in these systems. Because of the complexity of leading programs with mixed sources of funding and policy mandates, it is also suggested that competencies be articulated for preschool leaders and that institutions of higher education develop early childhood leadership preparation programs.
This paper reports on an interview study with directors of Head Start and child care programs who are collaborating with local education authorities to provide publicly funded preschool in New Jersey, USA. A standardized interview protocol was utilized with 98 directors chosen to represent a range of center types from across the three main regions of the state. Interviews were conducted over the phone. The study examined the kinds of preparation that these directors received for their work as program leaders, the areas that these directors identified as strengths and weaknesses, and the kinds of professional development that they perceived as necessary to perform their jobs well. Results indicate that given the wide range of qualifications and work experiences among directors in this mixed service delivery system, targeted professional development focusing on both administration and early childhood content is needed. These findings suggest that policy makers and administrators of preschool programs should conduct needs assessments of their preschool directors and school leaders to ensure that professional development opportunities address different levels of experience and expertise appropriate for leaders working in these systems. Because of the complexity of leading programs with mixed sources of funding and policy mandates, it is also suggested that competencies be articulated for preschool leaders and that institutions of higher education develop early childhood leadership preparation programs.
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.
Background. Modern parents form the public opinion about a preschool educational organization and about each preschool teacher. However, very often the influence of parents on the reputation of a kindergarten is underestimated, which leads to unfavorable consequences for the kindergarten. In this regard, it is extremely important to know how preschool teachers look like to parents, the requirements and requests of parents in order to maintain the competitiveness of the kindergarten.
Objectives. The aim of the study is to identify current problems in the interaction between parents and preschool teachers, to analyze the attitude of modern parents towards preschool teachers, and to develop recommendations for optimizing cooperation between participants in the educational process.
Sample. The study involved 210 respondents — parents of different ages and genders from different regions of Russia, whose children attend preschool educational institutions aged from 2 months to 7 years.
Methods. The following methods are used in the study: a scientific and theoretical analysis of publications on the research problem, a questionnaire conducted with the help of an outsourcing company, generalization and systematization of the obtained data, content analysis of the content of parents’ statements about the professional activities of preschool teachers.
Results. 177 statements by parents about the professional activities of kindergarten teachers were analyzed according to the following parameters: attitude towards parents, attitude towards children, attitude towards professional development. Based on the parents’ opinions the current problems in the interaction between parents and preschool teachers were identified: lack or insufficient information for parents, lack or insufficient number of joint events for children-adult communities, inability of preschool teachers to interact with different categories of families. 144 statements of modern parents about their own attitude towards preschool teachers were also analyzed in the study. It was found that parents often have a biased attitude towards preschool teachers and make unreasonably high demands on preschool teachers.
Conclusions. The study allowed to identify the main problems in the interaction of parents and preschool teachers, positive trends in modern preschool education, and also to record the unfriendly attitude of modern parents to preschool teachers. The results obtained indicate the need for careful preparation of prospective preschool teachers for cooperation with parents.
Background. The study of the problem of methodological support for preschool teachers in the design of the educational program of a preschool organization is actualized by the need to improve the quality of education and the effectiveness of pedagogical work in the context of changing requirements of regulatory documents. In preschool education, this is the introduction of the Federal Educational Program of Preschool Education. The quality of the educational program design depends on the level of readiness of teachers for design activities, their competence, knowledge and skills, which determines the need to identify professional deficits and provide methodological support to fill them in a preschool organization.
Objective. Determining the possibilities of various forms of methodological work to fill the professional deficits of educators in design activities identified during diagnostics.
Sample. The study involved 420 educators of preschool educational organizations of the Chelyabinsk region in 2023 and 2024 (2023 - 270 people, 2024 - 150 people). Of these, 92 have the highest category, 178 have the first category, and 150 have no category.
Methods. The following methods were used: theoretical analysis of regulatory and methodological documents of the federal and regional levels, which are the basis for designing and implementing methodological work as a means of supporting teachers in designing the educational program of a preschool organization; comparative analysis of data from a diagnostic study of the level of development of design activities; diagnostic maps that allow identifying the degree of severity of teachers’ theoretical ideas about pedagogical design, its stages, project implementation indicators, as well as the degree of formation of design activity methods.
Results. A description of the forms of methodological work (reproductive, reproductive-heuristic, heuristic, heuristic-productive, productive) is given, which are correlated with a specific content of educators’ activities to fill professional deficits in design activities. Based on the analysis of the data of the diagnostic study of the level of formation of the design activities of educators, the main professional deficits are identified, leading to typical difficulties in designing the variable part of the educational program.
Conclusions. Taking into account the features of the forms (reproductive, reproductive-heuristic, heuristic, heuristic-productive, productive) of methodological work when replenishing the professional deficits of educators is a means of supporting educators in designing the variable part of the educational program of a preschool educational organization, contributes to improving the quality of preschool education.