Title: Kindergarten teachers' perceptions of the factors that negatively impact their professional competence in administrative work

Authors: Vasiliki Brinia; Konstantina Antonopoulou; Alexandros Dimos; Maria Moutrika

Addresses: Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece ' Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece ' Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece ' Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the points of view of the heads of low-stakes Greek public kindergartens, regarding the factors that frustrate them in their position of responsibility and what their suggestions are for improving their job satisfaction. The qualitative, phenomenological research based on thematic axes was chosen as the appropriate research approach, while purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews with a guide of pre-constructed, open-ended questions and thematic analysis were chosen as methodological tools. The sample consisted of twelve kindergarten principals while the data were collected in February and March 2022. The results of the research show that supervisors perceive job satisfaction with emotional type definitions. The innovation of the research lies in the fact that a first attempt was made to investigate, qualitatively, internal and external factors that negatively affect the professional satisfaction of the heads of small kindergartens in an island region during the pandemic.

Keywords: preschool leadership; job dissatisfaction; Greek kindergarten; administration; effectiveness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2024.139477

International Journal of Management in Education, 2024 Vol.18 No.4, pp.277 - 293

Received: 07 Dec 2022
Accepted: 09 Dec 2023
Published online: 02 Jul 2024 *

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