Enhancing Career Happiness of Preschool and Daycare Teachers

The purpose of the study is to suggest policy plans that can increase the level of career happiness. Toperform these tasks, the study first conducted a preliminary investigation with 300 preschool and daycare teachers. ... [ view full abstract ]

The purpose of the study is to suggest policy plans that can increase the level of career happiness. Toperform these tasks, the study first conducted a preliminary investigation with 300 preschool and daycare teachers.

Preschool teachers and daycare teachers from toddler and kindergarten class reported relatively highscores in their relationship with their colleagues and young children. Daycare teachers from toddler class reported the highest average scores in the following 4 domains(Workign environment, Relationship, Career Awareness, Feeling). In general the average score of each question in 'Working environment domain' was lower than the total average score in 'Relationship domain'. The average score for the questions from 'Career Awareness domain' whichasked about the teachers’ opinions on their job was 3.8 and was quite high. When looking at 'teacher’s feelings' about their jobs for the past 2weeks, we found that the average score of positive feelings was 3.5 and the average score of negative feelings was 2.7.

Some ways are suggested to enhance career happiness of preschool and daycare teachers. Firstly, it is significant to figure out the ways to develop leadership programs for colleagues and the director and special consulting or therapy programs for teachers. Secondly, it is significant to redetermine teacher’s working hours, and to define the physical space standards not only for young children but also for teachers. Thirdly, it is necessary to offer teachers with different work experiences more opportunities to developemotional competence, and to allow a sufficient break for teachers to regulate their negative emotions. Lastly, it is necessary to implement and expand asystem of sabbatical leave for teachers.