Quality leadership in the institution of early education (Example of good practice: Kindergarten 'Dječja igra')

Rad cjelovito prikazuje fenomen vodstva u obrazovanju – teorijskim postavkama menadžmenta i vođenja u obrazovanju, prikazom onoga što se smatra kvalitetnim vođenjem odgojno-obrazovne ustanove te primjerom jednog takvog vodstva koje se odvija u stvarnom kontekstu. Cilj empirijskog dijela rada jest produbljivanje razumijevanja fenomena vodstva u ustanovama ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja, pružanjem uvida u individualne značajke i specifičnosti konkretnog primjera vodstva. Osim toga, cilj je bio realizirati istraživanja ovakve tematike i predmeta u odgojno-obrazovnom kontekstu u kojem se ova tema još uvijek malo istražuje, te na taj način obogatiti literaturu. Provedeno je, stoga, kvalitativno etnografsko istraživanje koje pripada paradigmi interpretativnih istraživanja. Vodstvu se kao fenomenu i društvenoj pojavi koja se istražuje pristupalo nominalistički, vjerujući kako ono ovisi o osobi koja ga interpretira, provodi, uspoređuje i/ili istražuje. U planiranju istraživanja njegovao se idiografski pristup u metodologiji, kojom se u konačnici nastojalo ostvariti prikaz stvarnosti (vodstva u jednoj ustanovi). Naglasak je stavljen na interpretaciju onoga što je jedinstveno i posebno za konkretnu pedagošku pojavu, a ne na stvaranje općevažećih normi. Istraživačkim pitanjima nastojalo se obuhvatiti fenomen vodstva u svoj njegovoj složenosti, obuhvaćajući elemente cjelokupne situacije u kojoj vodstvo kao fenomen egzistira (kontekst ustanove ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja). S obzirom na to da se vodstvo općenito smatra složenom društvenom i pedagoškom pojavom koja se ne može svesti na reducirane zaključke, tumačenje rezultata predstavlja gusti narativni opis konkretne proučavane pojave, odnosno izlaganje smisla i značenja koje taj proces ima za pojedince koji u njemu sudjeluju. U tom tumačenju, odnosno interpretativnoj analizi, i istraživač i sudionici dodjeljivali su značenja istraživanoj pojavi. Doneseni su brojni zaključci o kvaliteti najznačajnijih dimenzija konkretne ustanove, o povezanosti tih dimenzija i vođenja ustanove, ali i o vrsti, modelu i kvaliteti samog vođenja u ustanovi.This thesis comprehensively shows the leadership phenomena in education – the theoretical settings of management and leadership in education, the presentation of what is considered as a quality management of an educational institution and the example of such a leadership that takes place in a real context. The purpose of the empirical part of the thesis is to deepen the understanding of leadership phenomena in preschool institutions by providing a detailed insight into a concrete example of leadership. In addition, another purpose was to enrich the literature and carry out the research on such issues and subjects in the educational context in which this topic is still under exploration. Therefore, qualitative ethnographic research was carried out which belongs to the paradigm of interpretative research. Leadership, as a social phenomenon in research, is being approached nominalist, believing that it depends on the person who interprets it, performs, compares and/or investigates. In the planning of the research, an idiographic approach to the methodology was used, which ultimately endeavored to realize the reality (of leadership in one institution). The emphasis is placed on the interpretation of what is unique, especially for a concrete pedagogical situation rather than the creation of universal norms. Research questions were aimed at encompassing the phenomenon of leadership in its complexity, including elements of the overall situation in which leadership as a phenomenon exists (context of institution of early childhood and pre-school education). Given that leadership is generally considered to be a complex social and pedagogical phenomenon, which can not be reduced to short conclusions, the interpretation of the results represents a dense narrative description of the particular studied phenomenon, in the expression of the meaning that this process has for the individuals involved in it. In this interpretative analysis, both the researcher and the participants gave their views to the examined phenomenon. Numerous conclusions have been made on the quality of the most important dimensions of a particular institution, the relationship between these dimensions and the leadership of the institution, as well as the type, model and quality of leadership in the institution