Critical Incidents in the Initial Formation of Teacher's Professional Development

Abstract: Presented study is focused on the issue of creating an initial professional development of teacher in kindergarten. Our aim was to understand and interpret interfaces (compliances, differences) of development with an... [ view full abstract ]

Abstract: Presented study is focused on the issue of creating an initial professional development of teacher in kindergarten. Our aim was to understand and interpret interfaces (compliances, differences) of development with an emphasis on typology of critical incidents and considering the teacher’s awareness of professional reality shock. The focus of our scientific study is on those critical moments in teacher’s professional career that brought about change and how these changes improved their teaching practice. In a collaborative study report of 10 experienced teachers, who reflected on the critical moments of their teaching experiences in state kindergartens in Slovakia, we established a typology of these incidents and we induced those exact components that crystallize the professionalization, but also those which paralysis them. From their practice we can support the notion, that being a reflective practitioner is the crucial factor in the process of becoming an expert teacher. Using autobiographical narrative and ‘Life history method’ as a theoretical framework, these ten teachers presented a number of insights from their personal lives and allowed the researchers to explore an individual experiences within a socio-cultural framework. The research material was subjected to qualitative analysis and through constant comparison method we were able to create an identikit - identical portrait of research subject with an explicative character.

Keywords: professional development, critical incident, reality shock, preprimary education, kindergarten teacher