Browsing by Subject "palaverit"

The purpose of this research was to study early childhood education meetings from the perspective of leadership and group processes. The research also clarified what factors leaders combined together with good meeting. The subject of this research is valid and current because there is no previous research from this specific area. Groupwork forms an essential part of working in early childhood education. It is important to see how leaders can make use of the information about group processes. Organizational research have shown that for example using facilitation can accomplish good outcomes. The aim of this research is to give an information to early childhood leaders on how they can plan even better meetings and use the time best way possible. The research was carried out as a case study. The research sample was six early childhood education leaders from the same city in the Helsinki metropolitan area. They were chosen in random. The leaders were interviewed by using a half structured interview. Interviews took place in the summer 2021. The interview material was then transcripted. The research methodology used was theory-driven content analysis. According to this research the most important meaning of the meetings is pedagogical development. Meetings offer employees a chance to impact their work and share professional knowledge. Good meeting is a combination of inner and outer factors. Inner factors were communication, participation and autonomy. Atmosphere and structure were the outer factors which made communication and participation possible. Leaders planned topics of the meetings but not how those contents should be processed. Group work was guided by using some methods like small group discussions or by leading the conversation into specific direction. Leaders also utilized different roles and leading styles. Some of the results can be identified as facilitation. For example giving responsibility to the employees and encouraging them to come up with the answers by themselves. By utilizing group processes and ways to lead the group, leaders can make a solid ground for learning and self-oriented community in early childhood education. This could partially be the answer to the challenge that most of the leaders in this research mentioned; there is not enough time for the meetings and professional dialog in early childhood education.