The consistency of teamwork skills perception between team members in kindergarten

Effective teamwork between preschool and early childhood educators- the teacher's assistant is one of the principal factors for ensuring a quality educational work in the kindergarten department. According to the literature, the teamwork should be based on mutual trust and respect kindergarten professionals, positive interdependence and mutual cooperation; and supplementing. With teamwork approach kindergarten educators constantly develop and upgrade their own teamwork skills, which helps to increase team performance and efficiency. They also provide a stimulating, dynamic and creative educational environment that helps ensure quality educational process and the overall holistic development of children. In the empirical part of my diploma, based on the analysis of the obtained data, I determined how team members in kindergarten self-perceive teamwork skills and teamwork skills of their teammates and how these skills differ between preschool teachers and preschool teacher’s assistants. I was wondering how preschool educators evaluate the effectiveness of their team in the kindergarten department and what is the consistency between the self-perception of teamwork skills and the perception of a colleague in the team. The research sample included 80 teams of female preschool educators from different Slovenian kindergartens. Preschool educators completed a survey questionnaire that included 20 team skills works. They evaluated the frequency of practising their own teamwork and colleague skills within the same team. In the statistical analysis of the obtained data I found out that most of them evaluate the performance of their own team as mostly effective or very efficient. At self-perception there are statistically significant differences in the self-perception of teamwork skills in the case of four out of twenty teamwork skills. There are statistically significant differences between preschool teachers and preschool teachers’ assistants. Likewise, statistically significant differences appear between one's own perceiving the skills of teamwork and the perception of a colleague in the same team. In doing so, female preschool educators evaluate themselves teamwork skills on average as less developed than their own teammates. In the case of most teamwork skills, statistically significant correlations are identified between their own perceptions and teammates’ perceptions of teamwork skills. Non-statistical significant correlations between teamwork skills within the team can be one of the cause of possible discrepancies between team members and can lead to conflicts. On average, female preschool educators showed frequently practiced teamwork skills indicates a highly developed teamwork skills