European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1011868 Volume 3 │Issue 10 │2017 THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER Mehmet Fatih Karacabeyi Harran University, Turkey Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify problems such as administration, program and parental issues that pre-school teachers encounter. The other purpose is to investigate whether the teacher perceptions on problems that pre-school teachers encounter differ statistically significantly depending on the presence of a helper in the class, school building type and the economic status of the neighborhood in which the school located. This is a survey study, and the Problems of Pre-School Teachers Scale was developed as the data collection tool of the study. The population of this study is composed of 329 teachers who work in the center of Şanlıurfa, Turkey during 2012-2013 fall semesters. The study is conducted with the participation of 220 teachers selected via simple random sampling method. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, t test and one-way analysis of variance methods were used. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in the perceptions of pre-school teachers related to administration, program and parents. These were discussed along with literature support and recommendations to school administrators were generated. Keywords: pre-school teacher, administration, parent, program 1. Introduction Pre-school education refers to the education process that children- from birth to the beginning of primary school- are provided appropriate to their individual characteristics and developmental level in a rich stimulating environment with opportunities to help them develop in accordance with the community's cultural values and properties (Poyraz & Dere, 2003, p. 21). Early childhood education is a critical Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 310 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER period for the development of the brain. Studies show that the most important part of brain development occurs in the first six years. 3-6 years is the period in which the connections between neurons occur at the highest level. When an infant reaches the age of three, the physical growth of the brain is 90% completed. Childhood experiences determine which brain cells are used in brain’s working circuits. It has been proved that life and environmental conditions of the childhood affect brain function in a positive or negative way, and the brain development of the children who don’t play games or were touched very few is 20-30% less than their peers (Nash, 1997). For this reason, providing children with opportunities for complex detection and physical experience affects the development of learning skills in a positive way for years to come. Even the provision of such facilities can compensate for the lack of early nutritional deficiencies or at least may resolve to some extent (Bekman, 1999). The importance of early childhood education on educational process, adult life, the development of family and community is appreciated better than in the past by everyone (Yapıcı & Ulu, 2010). Therefore, early childhood education has become a priority in the agenda of nations as well as international organizations. Many international organizations such as World Bank, UNICEF, the United Nations, the World Health Organization produce policies regarding early childhood education, provide financial resources and work on the implementation of them. International organizations dealing with early childhood education, while adopting institutional and home-based models, support the models that are more flexible and cost efficient especially for children and families in poor areas who need more educational support. The teacher is the central element of the learning process (Akgün, Yarar & Dinçer, 2011). There is a significant relationship between the quality of the educators and the school itself (Uşun & Cömert, 2003). For the sake of the quality and affectivity of an education system, teachers should be encouraged to continually renew and enrich their knowledge. Teachers are expected to adopt new roles and become friends who play, sings, shares joy and sorrow of their students. During pre-school period, the inborn features of the child’s, shaped by the influence of his environment, makes up his personality and It is generally accepted that children in their process of the formation of their personalities, constantly need a model to copy the behaviors and personal features and identify themselves with. Therefore, as a role model for the children, teachers need to pay attention to their appearance, behaviors and thoughts and accept the children as an individual (Aral, Kandır, Yaşar, 2002). This model for children in pre-school education is the teacher (Öztürk & Deniz, 2008). The pre-school teacher who is in interaction with the child all day long makes a personality model for the child. Therefore, the qualifications of a preschool teacher are very important for the child European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 311 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER (Üstünoğlu, 1993). However, the preschool teacher's job is complex and demanding (Alison & Berthelsen, 1995). Considering above-mentioned and expected qualifications of pre-school teachers, it is clear how great and how difficult their jobs are. Also, because of the social change and other stressors such as school administration, workload, parental pressure and etc., teachers come face to face with increased paternal and community expectations for the outcomes and standards of education (Alison & Berthelsen, 1995). Preschool teachers are crucial for teaching moral and other values (Prochner, Cleghorn, Kirova & Massing, 2014) but as stated above their professional life could be filled with plenty of stressors. The stressors for teachers in the preschool environment could be time pressures, children's needs, non-teaching tasks, maintaining early childhood philosophy and practice, personal needs, issues with parents of the children, interpersonal relationships, attitudes and perceptions about early childhood programs (Alison & Berthelsen, 1995). They are also responsible for the health, safety, education and the development of the children in his group as well as the child’s attending school happily. In addition to all these, a pre-school teacher is to respond to the needs and expectations of the parents of children; to establish an effective communication between school administration and other staff; to prepare and follow proper training programs with all details; and to attend in-service training for self-improvement. They are believed to play a critical role in promoting socially accepted behaviors and reducing unwanted behaviors in their students (Anderson, 2013). Thus, it is a must to provide a pre-school teacher with all the support and conditions in work place as well as understating, psychological support (Budunç, 2007, p. 4). It is generally agreed that the wellbeing of preschool teachers is important for promoting a positive academic and psycho-social development of the children (Allenworth & Kolbe, 1987). Well educated preschool teachers are essential to provide high quality early childhood education in preschools (OECD, 2012). The quality of the education that a pre-school teacher offers to a child is also considered to be strictly connected with the experience of teacher, the working environment and living conditions (Gömleksiz & Serhatlıoğlu, 2013). The quality of the education may be affected by working environment in a positive or negative way depending upon satisfaction or stress at workplace. Especially, various needs of the children and families, challenges of the work, lack of time to take care of each child individually are some of the important factors affecting the quality of work done by the preschool teachers (Helsing, 2007; Sheridan 2007). Besides, preschool teachers are both classroom instructors and in-home child care providers. Such a status may make them more sensible to the problems of the children under the teacher’s care (Jeon, Buettner & Snyder, 2014). Furthermore, spending more time in low quality classrooms leads to European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 312 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER increased behavioral problems among children in preschools (McCartney et al., 2010; Zhai, Raver & Li-Grining, 2011). Apart from the issues related to technical core in the kindergarten social system, there is another difference which makes kindergarten has a unique nature. It is the organizational structure of kindergarten which is very simple and loosely coupled when compared to the higher level of educational institutions. Simple and loosely coupled organizations are expected to have cozy interactions among personnel, and open climate. Hence, the characteristics of the work environment of the kindergarten may provide different opportunities or create different problems for teachers. Concerning the different organizational structure of kindergarten, the teacher’s interaction with the parents and school administration may work differently. And this may create different problems in kindergarten when compared to the higher level of educational institutions. Thus, it can be determined what factors in the working environment may affect the education that the pre-school teacher gives to the children. In literature, there seems to be enough study regarding the pre-school applications, this study will focus on the administrative, program and parental problems that a preschool teacher may encounter. In Turkey, preschool education is considered to have many problems. Previous research investigated these problems like classroom management (Akgün, Yarar & Dinçer, 2011), work environment (Budunç, 2007), self-efficacy beliefs (Gömleksiz & Serhatlıoğlu, 2013), work satisfaction and burnout (Öztürk & Deniz, 2008), professional development (Uşun & Cömert, 2003) and quality (Üstünoğlu, 1993). However, problems regarding to administration, program and parental issues had never been investigated. Therefore, the characteristics of the work environment must be determined. Thus, it can be determined what factors in the working environment may affect the education that the pre-school teacher gives to the children. Besides, the teacher’s interaction with the parents and school administration may affect the performance of the teacher. In literature, there seems to be enough study regarding the pre-school applications, this study will focus on the administrative, program and parental problems that a preschool teacher may encounter. The purpose of this study is to identify the problems that preschool teachers working in Şanlıurfa city center encounter in terms of administration, program and parental issues. The outcomes of this study would be helpful in modifying school administration and program and in making recommendation to education of parents. This study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the levels of the problems regarding administration, program and the parents that pre-school teachers face? European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 313 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER 2. Do the problems that pre-school teachers face differ significantly depending on the type of school, the presence of a helper, socio-economic level of the location? 2. Method 2.1. Research Design This study was designed as a survey research. This research is based on collecting data from large samples, so generalization of the findings can be meaningful (Fraenkel, Wallen & Hyun, 2012). 2.2. Participants The population of this study is the pre-school teachers who work in the center of Şanlıurfa, Turkey during 2012-2013 fall semesters. There were 329 teachers in the population of this study. In the study, due to lack of time, the sampling from the population was employed. A sample of maximum 217 (%5 confidence interval and level of 5% error tolerance) from the population that consists of a total 329 people has been found to representative (Balci, 1997, p. 112). However, researcher, taking the problems that may be encountered while administrating the questionnaires and possible losses in collection into account, takes the sampling size as 71% and determines about 220. For the collection of research data questionnaire was administered to 240 pre-school teachers and 220 analyses was conducted because 20 of them were considered invalid. Sampling model as "simple random sampling" approach has been adopted (Büyüköztürk et al., 2010, p. 84). 2.3. Instrument For this study, a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine the problems regarding administration, program and the parents that pre-school teachers may face was developed (See appendix). The measurement tool consists of two parts and the first part involves personal data relating to pre-school teachers while second part involves problem statements related to management, program and the parents. For the content validity, a questionnaire consisting of 34 items was prepared. During the development of the questionnaire, domestic and foreign literature were examined, with the help of the information obtained, the questionnaire was designed as to include the problems regarding to management, program and parent that the pre-school teachers have. Expert opinion to determine the validity of the measurement tool has been applied. Before the exploratory factor analysis Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy value was calculated as .89. The value should be closer to 1 so that the relationship between variables and factor analysis can be said to provide reliable results European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 314 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER (Field, 2000). Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant meaning that data were suitable for factor analysis (p<.05). After the exploratory factor analysis, 9 items were removed and 25 items remained in the final questionnaire under 3 sub factors explaining 52% of total variance (see appendix). Sub factors had Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients ranging from α=.77 to α=.90 (Table 1). The resulting scale was named as the problems of pre-school teachers scale. Table 1: Exploratory factor analysis results Factors Items Factor Loadings Alpha Variance % Management 12 .45-.79 .84 21.3 Parents 10 .55-.85 .90 22.3 Program 3 .72-.78 .77 8.5 Total 25 .45-.85 .90 52.1 To confirm the factor structure revealed by the exploratory factor analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted using Lisrel 8.8 packet software. To decide whether the factor structure is consistent with different factor analysis methods, model fit indexes were used as criteria. These indexes along with their acceptable value ranges are presented in the Table 2 below. Table 2: Confirmatory factor analysis results Fit Indexes Excellent Fit Criteria Acceptable Fit Criteria Actual Values Result X2/df(CMIN/DF) 0 ≤ X2/df ≤ 2 2 ≤ X2/df ≤ 3 1.91 Excellent Fit GFI .95 ≤ GFI ≤ 1.00 .80 ≤ GFI ≤ 95 0.83 Acceptable Fit CFI .95 ≤ CFI ≤ 1.00 .90 ≤ CFI ≤ .95 0.96 Excellent Fit NNFI .95 ≤ TLI ≤ 1.00 .90 ≤ TLI ≤ .95 0.96 Excellent Fit IFI .95 ≤ IFI ≤ 1.00 .90 ≤ IFI ≤ .95 0.96 Excellent Fit RMSEA .00 ≤ RMSEA ≤ .05 .05≤ RMSEA ≤.08 0.07 Acceptable Fit SRMR .00 ≤ SRMR ≤ .05 .05 ≤ SRMR ≤ .10 0.06 Acceptable Fit Resource: (Çokluk, Şekercioğlu & Büyüköztürk, 2014; Hu & Bentler, 1999). 2.4. Data Analysis For the analysis and evaluation of research findings, SPSS and AMOS statistical software were used. For analysis, p = .05 level is taken as a basis. Since the data were distributed normally (n=220, Kolmogorov-Smirnov Statistic=.045, p>.05), parametric statistics were used. The exploratory factor analysis was done to reveal the factor structure of the developed instrument. Then the confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the revealed factor structure. Finally, independent groups t test and one-way European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 315 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER analysis of variance were used to reveal statistically significant differences according to type of school, the presence of a helper and socio-economic level of the location. 3. Results Below are the findings from the t-test analysis of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to management, program and parents sub factors in the cases of having an independent building and existing within the elementary school building. Table 3: Results from the t-test analysis of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the management sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df t p Independent Preschool 108 3.52 .76 School Building 203 8.22 .000* Within Element. School 97 2.69 .68 *p<.001 According to Table 3, a difference existed between teachers’ school level with a significance found at the p < .001 level. Preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the management sub factor differentiated between the school levels (t = 8.22 p<.001). 203 Independent preschool teachers appreciate school management more positively (X= 3.52) than their colleagues (X=2.69) working within elementary schools. Table 4: Results from the t-test analysis of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the program sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df t p Independent Preschool 108 4.04 .72 School Building 203 2.52 .012* Within Element. School 97 3.76 .56 *p<.05 According to Table 4, preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the program sub factor differentiated between the school levels (t = 2.52 p<.005). Independent preschool 203 teachers appreciate program more positively (X = 4.04) than their colleagues (X =3.76) working within elementary schools. Table 5: Findings from the t-test analysis of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the parents sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df t p Independent Preschool 108 2.82 .78 School Building 203 2.12 .035* Within Element. School 97 2.58 .86 *p<.05 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 316 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER According to Table 5, preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the parents sub factor differentiated between the school levels (t = 2.12 p<.005). Independent preschool 203 teachers appreciate parents more positively (X = 2.82) than their colleagues (X =2.58) working within elementary schools. Below are the findings from the ANOVA of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the management sub factor in the cases of classroom assistant type and social economic status (SES) of the school community. Tukey HSD test findings for differentiated groups are also presented. Preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the management sub factor differentiated among the assistant types [F3,204=18.091; p<.001] and among the community SES [F2,204=37.218; p<.05]. To identify differences between groups Tukey test is conducted and results suggest that differences are between 1 and 4, 2 and 4, 3 and 4 for the assistant type level. Therefore, mean of the ideas of those who had assistant sisters is significantly higher (X= 3.22) than those of who had none (X= 2.62). Also, mean of the ideas of those who had interns is significantly higher (X= 3.08) than those of who had none (X= 2.62). Finally, mean of the ideas of those who had both type of assistants is significantly higher (X= 3.70) than those of who had none (X= 2.62). Table 6: Results from the ANOVA of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the management sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df F p Tukey HSD 1.Assistant Sister 66 3.22 .74 2.Intern 37 3.08 .67 Assistant Type 3.204 18.091 .000* 1-4, 2-4, 3-4 3.Both 44 3.70 .75 4.None 58 2.62 .79 1.High Level 63 3.67 .66 Community SES 2.Medium Level 64 3.22 .77 2.204 37.218 .000** 1-3,2-3 3.Low Level 78 3.13 .72 *p<.05 Tukey test for the community SES level suggest that differences are between 1 and 3, 2 and 3. Therefore mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in high SES communities is significantly higher (X= 3.67) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 3.13). Also, mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in medium SES communities is significantly higher (X= 3.22) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 3.13). European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 317 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER Table 7: Results from the ANOVA of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the program sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df F p Tukey HSD 1.Assistant Sister 66 4.046 .820 2.Intern 37 4.072 .667 Assistant Type 3.204 8.421 .000* 1-4, 2-4, 3-4 3.Both 44 4.121 .667 4.None 58 3.489 .795 1.High Level 63 4.011 .752 Community SES 2.Medium Level 64 3.901 .702 2.204 .866 .030* 1-3,2-3 3.Low Level 78 3.833 .899 *p<.05 Preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the program sub factor differentiated among the assistant types [F =8.421; p<.05] and among the community SES [F =.866; p<.05]. To 3,204 2,204 identify differences between groups Tukey test is conducted and results suggest that differences are between 1 and 4, 2 and 4, 3 and 4 for the assistant type level. Therefore, mean of the ideas of those who had assistant sisters is significantly higher (X= 4.046) than those of who had none (X= 3.489). Also, mean of the ideas of those who had interns is significantly higher (X= 4.072) than those of who had none (X= 3.489). Finally, mean of the ideas of those who had both type of assistants is significantly higher (X= 4.121) than those of who had none (X= 3.489). Tukey test for the community SES level suggest that differences are between 1 and 3, 2 and 3. Therefore mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in high SES communities is significantly higher (X= 4.011) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 3.833). Also, mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in medium SES communities is significantly higher (X= 3.901) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 3.833). Table 8: Results from the ANOVA of preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the parents sub factor Variable Level n X Sd df F P Tukey HSD 1.Assistant Sister 66 2.818 .879 2.Intern 37 2.651 .657 Assistant Type 3.204 8.816 .000* 1-4, 2-4, 3-4 3.Both 44 3.204 .725 4.None 58 2.400 .835 1.High Level 63 3.170 .804 Community SES 2.Medium Level 64 2.911 .780 2.204 25.86 .000** 1-3,2-3 3.Low Level 78 2.286 .694 *p<.05 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 318 Mehmet Fatih Karacabey THE PROBLEMS THAT PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ ENCOUNTER Preschool teachers’ ideas regarding to the parents sub factor differentiated among the assistant types [F =8.816; p<.05] and among the community SES [F =25.86; p<.05]. 3,204 2,204 To identify differences between groups Tukey test is conducted and results suggest that differences are between 1 and 4, 2 and 4, 3 and 4 for the assistant type level. Therefore, mean of the ideas of those who had assistant sisters is significantly higher (X= 2.818) than those of who had none (X= 2.400). Also, mean of the ideas of those who had interns is significantly higher (X= 2.651) than those of who had none (X= 2.400). Finally, mean of the ideas of those who had both type of assistants is significantly higher (X= 3.204) than those of who had none (X= 2.400). Tukey test for the community SES level suggest that differences are between 1 and 3, 2 and 3. Therefore, mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in high SES communities is significantly higher (X= 3.170) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 2.286). Also, mean of the ideas of those whose schools are in medium SES communities is significantly higher (X= 2.911) than those of whose schools are in low SES communities (X= 2.286). Table 9: Levels of the factors Factors X Std. Deviation Program 3.90 .79 Total 3.26 .64 Management 3.12 .83 Parents 2.75 .84 Levels of the problems regarding to management, program and parents that pre-school teachers face are presented above in Table 9. Findings indicate that since the program factor has the highest mean scores, the least problems existed in the program factor (X =3.90) at a few levels. Total scores of the whole scale (X= 3.26) imply that teachers face pre-school education problems at a medium level. Also, problems related to the management factor (X= 3.12) are experienced at a medium level too. The most problematic area for teachers is the parents’ factor. Mean scores of the parents factor (X = 2.75) indicate that problems are experienced at a medium level but more frequently than other factors. 4. Discussion & Conclusion The teachers who are working at independent kindergarten assess the school management more positively when compared to their colleagues who are working at state primary schools. This could be because when the nursery school is independent; that the number of students, teachers and staff is little and the focus is just on one European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 10 │ 2017 319