Preschool teachers’ self-efficacy and principals’ pedagogical competencies

Samoučinkovitost je uvjerenje pojedinca o vlastitim sposobnostima organiziranja i izvršavanja određenih akcija potrebnih za ostvarenje željenih ishoda. Ne odnosi se na objektivne sposobnosti za obavljanje konkretnoga zadatka, nego na subjektivne procjene o tome može li ga se uspješno izvršiti. Samoučinkovitost je ključni faktor ljudskoga djelovanja, on determinira i prediktor je razine postignuća koje će osoba na kraju dostići. Na njega veliki utjecaj ima kvalitetno vođenje u radnoj okolini, a preduvjet su kvalitetna vođenja ravnatelja optimalno razvijene pedagoške kompetencije. Cilj je na temelju teorijskih postavki i empirijskoga istraživanja ispitati kako odgojiteljice procjenjuju svoju samoučinkovitost, a kako pedagoške kompetencije ravnatelja predškolskih ustanova te jesu li procjene samoučinkovitosti odgojitelja povezane s procjenama pedagoških kompetencija ravnatelja. Rezultati istraživanja provedena nad uzorkom od 75 odgojiteljica dječjih vrtića Vukovarsko-srijemske županije pokazali su da odgojiteljice svoju samoučinkovitost procjenjuju visokom, kao i pedagoške kompetencije ravnatelja, te je pronađena statistički važna pozitivna povezanost procjena samoučinkovitosti odgojiteljica i njihovih procjena pedagoških kompetencija ravnatelja. U radu se objašnjavaju razlozi važnosti samoučinkovitosti u radu odgojiteljica te ključne uloge pedagoških kompetencija ravnatelja i njegova kvalitetnog vođenja odgojno-obrazovne ustanove.Self-efficacy is the belief in one\u27s ability to organize and perform specific actions which are necessary to accomplish desired goals. It does not refer to objective abilities to carry out a specific action, but to subjective estimate if the action can be performed successfully. Self-efficacy is the key factor of human functioning, it is a determinant and a predictor of the degree of success that will eventually be achieved. Self-efficacy is largely affected by qualitative leadership in work environment. The precondition of qualitative principal’s leadership are his optimally developed pedagogical competencies. On the basis of theoretical hypotheses and empirical research this paper seeks to examine the way preschool teachers evaluate their self-efficacy and their principals\u27 pedagogical competencies. The relationship between preschool teachers’ evaluation of self-efficacy and their evaluation of principals’ pedagogical competencies is also studied in the paper. The study included 75 preschool teachers in Vukovar-Srijem County. The results have shown that the teachers highly evaluate their self-efficacy as well as the principals’ pedagogical competencies. The statistically significant positive relationship between preschool teachers\u27 evaluation of self-efficacy and their evaluation of principals\u27 pedagogical competencies is found. The paper elaborates reasons of importance of self-efficacy in preschool teachers’ work as well as the key roles of principals’ pedagogical competencies and their quality management of the educational institution