Today's society is rapidly changing (economically, technologically, culturally), requiring both
individuals and organizations to adapt as roles and tasks within organizations evolve. This is
also reflected in the field of education. Changes are part of the daily lives of educational
workers. Their knowledge and evaluation of pedagogical work and the introduction of changes,
e.g. new pedagogical practices, represent an important factor of quality work and professional
development of the individual and the institution. Within the process of implementing changes,
individuals are influenced by both internal factors (e.g., personal interests, professional
motivation, need for personal development) and external factors (e.g., career advancement,
working conditions, salary). It is important for educational workers to perceive changes
correctly and interpret them as a process consisting of ups and downs, and not as a one-time
event. Proper understanding and evaluation of changes requires an in-depth reflection by
educational workers about their own role, quality learning and professional development.
In the theoretical part of the Master's work, we defined pedagogical changes and innovations,
their implementation, models of introducing changes, and obstacles encountered in the
introduction of changes. We also presented the role of the headmaster or administrator in
introducing changes. In the second part of the theoretical work, we defined the professional
development of educational workers and the factors and principles of professional development,
and we described models of professional development.
The second part of the master's thesis is an empirical study conducted in two parts. The first
part followed a quantitative research approach involving 137 preschool teachers who completed
an online questionnaire. The second part utilized a qualitative research paradigm, involving 6
preschool teachers who participated in interviews. The study aimed to examine how preschool
teachers perceive quality pedagogical work and the importance they attribute to changing their
own pedagogical work. We were interested in how often preschool teachers introduce changes
in their work, why they introduce them, and how they understand quality change. We
investigated which factors support preschool teachers in implementing changes in their
pedagogical work and which they perceive as obstacles. We also explored the extent and
manner in which leadership influences the implementation of changes according to preschool
teachers, as well as how children and their parents influence the implementation of changes.
We examined the connection between the phases of professional development and an
individual's readiness to implement changes in pedagogical work.
We found that preschool teachers primarily perceive quality pedagogical work as work with
children for their well-being. Such pedagogical work also includes continuous education,
keeping up with innovations, fostering good relationships with all involved in the pedagogical
process, as well as professional and skilled pedagogical work. Preschool teachers attach great
importance to implementing changes or changing their own pedagogical work. They typically
introduce changes due to the encouragement of children or their needs or because they
themselves desire change. They mostly understand quality pedagogical change as a change that
brings visible progress or positive results.
The results of the study showed that the strongest motivation for preschool teachers in
implementing changes is the desire for higher quality performance of professional tasks or the
well-being of children. The most significant obstacle perceived is the excessive number of
children in the classroom and job overload. The research indicates that leadership significantly
promotes the implementation of changes, encouraging educational workers to pursue education,
providing support, and trusting them. According to the participants in the study, children accept
the implementation of changes and even help with it, expressing their desires for changes.
Parents of children, according to the participants in the study, do not hinder the implementation
of changes, although their influence and involvement could be greater.
The obtained results of the correlation analysis showed that the relationship between the
importance of implementing changes and different phases of professional development is
positive and moderately strong. Therefore, preschool teachers who attach greater importance to
professional development are more willing to implement changes and attribute greater
importance to them.
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