Self-assessed Readiness for Pedagogical Leadership among Kindergarten Teachers

Abstract

Pedagogical leadership is being increasingly promoted as a participative form of leadership that represents a departure from the traditional understanding that there is only one leader in an institution. In the case of a kindergarten, in addition to the headteacher, teachers should also practice pedagogical leadership at the level of a particular kindergarten group. In order to be ready to apply various aspects of pedagogical leadership in everyday practice, teachers’ need knowledge and skills to effectively solve various professional challenges, but also a responsible approach, i.e. awareness of the importance of pedagogical leadership competences.
Research was conducted with the aim of exploring teachers’ readiness to use pedagogical leadership in kindergarten groups, measured by self-assessment of the developed competences and the assessment of the importance of particular competences for pedagogical leadership. In addition, the significance of group differences in the mentioned (self) assessment was also looked into. The results show that teachers perceive themselves best prepared to respect diversity and multiculturalism and to build trust and collaborative relationships with children, while they are least prepared to apply new technologies in their work, invest in professional development, and involve parents in their work. Certain statistically significant differences were found among teachers with regard to their initial education, work experience and working conditions (developed competences) and working conditions (importance of competences for pedagogical leadership).