The impact of collegial cooperation of pre-school teachers on the professional development of individuals and organization

The master thesis discusses the impact of collegial cooperation of pre-school teachers as a factor influencing professional development of individuals and the entire organization. The theoretical part of the thesis explains the professional development of pre-school teachers through different models and stages of development. It defines factors that influence the development. It particularly emphasizes the concept of kindergarten as a learning organization, which is affected by the climate and culture of the institution. The last section of the theoretical part focuses on the pre-school teacher as an active individual with specific skills. Those skills are strongly influenced by the processes of collegial cooperation and learning at different levels. In the empirical part of the thesis, we present the results of the research combining qualitative and quantitative research. The research was carried out on a sample of pre-school teachers and their assistants working in the departments of public kindergartens in Slovenia. The results are presented through three main sets of research questions. The first set is based on collegial cooperation of pre-school teachers within the kindergartens, where they work. The second set is based on collegial cooperation of pre-school teachers between kindergartens in Slovenia, and the last one is based on international collegial cooperation of pre-school teachers