Browsing by Author "Aarnisalo, Carina"

The aim of this thesis is to find out how early childhood teachers experience well-being in the working community in the field of early childhood education and care, and how well-being can be promoted. This thesis helps to increase understanding of what early childhood teachers experience as a healthy working community. In addition, the thesis contributes to knowledge about how well-being can be promoted within a work team. The background to this thesis is changes in society, the new legislation that implies changes in daily activities of early childhood education and care, which bring new challenges to early childhood teachers. In this thesis, the following research questions are central: How would early childhood teachers define a well-functioning work community in early childhood education? In what ways can well-being be promoted? The theoretical point of departure in this study is psychosocial work environment, work culture and leadership. The methodology used in this thesis is qualitative research methods with a phenomenological approach to describe four respondents’ perceptions of well-being in the working community, in two different day-care centres. This, to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon this study focuses on and to gain an idea of how early childhood teachers perceive their everyday work life. The result of this study shows that communication has a central role in a healthy working community. Other important factors are social support, cooperation, evenly allocated work, sufficient human resources and leadership.