The commitment of kindergarten teachers to their workplace: Social climate plays a key role

• Main Authors: Isaksen, Rakel Ýr, Ástvaldsdóttir, Ingileif, Stefánsson, Kristján Ketill
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2023
• Subjects: kindergarten work environment; motivational factors; hygiene factors; commitment to the workplace; starfsumhverfi leikskóla; hvataþættir; hollustuþættir; skuldbinding til vinnustaðar; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3655

In Iceland, kindergarten is the first level of the school system and the beginning of the formal education of each child. Kindergarten teachers are specialized in teaching young children. A new act on the education, competency and recruitment of teachers and administrators of preschools, compulsory schools and upper secondary schools entered into force at the beginning of 2020. The act provides for the issuing of a single type of teaching license. The aim of a single teacher’s license is, among other things, to increase the flexibility and flow of teachers between adjacent school levels so their specialization can be used at more than one school level. In 2018–2019 the transfer of kindergarten teachers from kindergarten to other school levels in seemed irreversible. The shortage of kindergarten teachers in Icelandic kindergartens seems to be persistent and negative for the quality of education. The study aimed to analyze the relationship between hygiene factors and motivational factors among kindergarten teachers, and their commitment to the school. The purpose of the study was to improve the state of knowledge and to find evidence on how the competence and expertise of working kindergarten teachers can be preserved. The research method was quantitative, available data were examined and analyzed with descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis. The data consisted of answers from 1250 kindergarten teachers across Iceland. The answers were a part of a bi-annual internal quality evaluation of 91 kindergartens. The kindergartens used an information system for standardized surveys called Skólapúlsinn and gave open permission for anonymous post-analysis of the joint data for academic purposes. The surveys took place in March of 2020 and 2021. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) Kindergarten teachers who experience positive motivational factors (e.g., positive social climate) are likely to show commitment to their workplace; (2) Kindergarten teachers who experience negative hygiene factors (e.g., persistent ...