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EduPort 2024, 8(1) | DOI: 10.21062/edp.2024.001

THE PROFESSION OF PRESCHOOL TEACHER – OPINIONS, BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHING FIELD

Ondřej Koželuh1, Eva Koželuhová1, Milan Podpera

Ondřej Koželuh1, Eva Koželuhová1, Milan Podpera

Objectives

The paper deals with the opinions, beliefs and expectations of students of the full-time study of Kindergarten Teaching at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen regarding the profession of a kindergarten teacher and the students' readiness for the profession. Undergraduate preparation is a key stage in the life of every kindergarten teacher in modern preschool education. It creates all concepts for the successful future performance of this profession, the demands of which are constantly increasing. It is therefore necessary to pay closer attention to this stage and to examine it empirically. Three research questions were set for the research:

1) What opinions and beliefs do students have about their future profession as kindergarten teachers?

2) What influences the opinions, beliefs and expectations of students regarding the profession of a kindergarten teacher?

3) How do students evaluate their readiness for the profession of kindergarten teacher?

Methodology

A self-constructed questionnaire was chosen as the research design, which combined a quantitative and qualitative approach. Respondents expressed their degree of agreement with the presented statements on four-point scales and subsequently explained their answer in freely expressed answers. Data collection always took place in September to November in the years 2021 to 2023, so it is a longitudinal research. Both the changes of one specific year of studies over time (first year of studies of 2021 = second year of studies of 2022 = third year of studies of 2023) and differences between individual years of studies in one year (e.g. first x second x third year of studies of 2022) were monitored, but at the same time changes over the years of individual years of studies (e.g. first year of studies in 2021 x 2022 x 2023).

The research sample was full-time students of the bachelor's degree in Teaching for Kindergarten at WBU in Pilsen (2021 (n = 103); 2022 (n = 94); 2023 (n = 61)). Distance study students, the vast majority of whom are already in practice, were excluded from this research. Their experience with the profession would undoubtedly alter the results.

The results

It follows from the answers to the first research question that during the course of study, the students' view of children's free play changes significantly in the sense of its growing importance. During the study, the role of the teacher in preschool education also moves significantly away from the position of a dominant person and a kind of guarantor of truth and correctness towards the role of a guide. Respondents also stated that the profession of a kindergarten teacher would certainly be demanding, while others were of the opinion that it would be demanding in a manner appropriate to its nature.

The answers to the second research question showed that the students' ideas about the teaching profession are formed mainly through their experience of meeting teachers from practice. Most often, it was family members or close people. Thanks to the increasing time spent studying, meeting with university teachers and with teachers in kindergartens, the positive influence of the pedagogical model grows. We perceive this fact as one of the most important outputs of the entire investigation, because it shows that the university environment significantly cultivates the personality of students and gives them good examples and role models for further pedagogical activity. Therefore, the teacher is not only a role model in terms of the relationship with the children, but also in the relationship with the students.

The answers to the third research question showed that students do not doubt their prerequisites to be a good teacher. The majority of respondents assessed the high quality of the studies, although some respondents would have liked more practice. At the same time, they also stated that studying alone is not enough, because everyday reality will bring the experience needed to gain professional security. It thus turns out that they think about their future work in a broader context and perceive its demands. All findings were confirmed both by quantitative statistical methods and by the qualitative statements of the respondents.

Keywords: Preschool education, pregradual preparation, students, teaching

Published: May 1, 2024  Show citation