Saber & Educar (Oct 2021)

Current Needs of Preschool Teachers for Professional Development in Greece: A Focus Group Study

  • Anastasia Vatou,
  • Katerina Krousorati,
  • Vasilios Oikonomides,
  • George Manolitsis,
  • Maria Kypriotaki,
  • Maria Evangelou-Tsitiridou,
  • Vasilis Grammatikopoulos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17346/se.vol30.435
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 0, no. 30

Abstract

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This paper presents a brief overview of the literature regarding preschool teachers’ careers and professional development. The main purpose of the part of the study presented here was to conduct a needs-assessment exercise to identify the specific needs for professional development of early childhood teachers’ in Greece. Data were collected through a focus group. Results highlighted the challenges of moving forward in a teaching career and the need for increasing professional development opportunities that match teachers’ needs and interests. Professionals indicated that the absence of teacher-parents’ collaboration and structured practices for dealing with children’s discipline issues are their basic concerns. Implications of the study’s results are also discussed.

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