Preschool teachers: job satisfaction and success

Straipsnyje analizuojama šiandieninių ikimokyklinio ugdymo pedagogų pasitenkinimo savo darbu ir sėkmės siekimo situacija viename iš šiaurės Lietuvos rajonų. Tiek užsienio, tiek Lietuvos mokslininkai teigia, kad šiuolaikinėje sudėtingoje konkurencinėje darbo rinkoje labai svarbus yra darbuotojų pasitenkinimas savo darbu, kuris garantuoja sėkmę ne tik pačiam darbuotojui, bet ir visai institucijai. Tyrimas parodė, kad didžioji dalis ikimokyklinio ugdymo pedagogų yra patenkinti savo darbu dėl gerų santykių tarp darbuotojų ir vadovo, teisingo darbo įvertinimo pinigine išraiška, o profesinė sėkmė ypač priklauso nuo pedagogo profesinių žinių, gebėjimų ir įgūdžių, galimybės glaudžiai bendrauti ir bendradarbiauti su kolegomis, įgyti žinių kursuose, seminaruose.Increasing competition, the global economy, technology development call forth innovative approaches to education. Changes in the social environment and educators’ needs should be taken into account. Organisational performance depends on staff qualification, motivation and job satisfaction. Preschool teachers are insufficiently motivated in Lithuania. Scientific literature review showed that the topic has not been sufficiently researched, preschool education receives insufficient attention. Preschool teachers work long hours, their work is stressful, they feel insecure in their jobs, undervalued. For these and other reasons they often develop a negative attitude to their job, and that negatively affects performance. In-depth research was carried out to identify preschool teachers’ satisfaction with their job, how they perceive success and the main factors that affect success. 63 preschool teachers from kindergartens, nurseries, schools, multifunctional service centres took part in the survey. It was found that the majority of the respondents were satisfied with their job and relations with the head of their institution, thought that success depends on their competence, close cooperation with colleagues, opportunities to improve competence in courses, seminars, workshops