Browsing by Author "Muttonen, Kati"

Abstract Aims: This study attempts to investigate some of the central themes of pedagogical leadership and interaction. The relationship between pedagogical leadership and interaction will be seen from teacher´s perspective. Study´s aim is to compare these two phenomena. Fonsén (2014, 2018) has highlighted the pit falls and multifacetedness of leadership in her research on pedagogical leadership. It has been demonstrated that the presence of pedagogical leadership is a prerequisite for high quality early childhood education (Karvi, 2018). The importance of interaction should not be downplayed, since it affects the overall functionality of early childhood education in various situations. The study also attempted to offer the interviewed staff the opportunity to reflect on their profession. Method: A survey was conducted in two Kindergarten in Southern Finland during autumn and winter 2020, and was taken by ten qualified early childhood educators. The study was conducted according to the principles of phenomenological philosophy, which enabled deep reflection of the interviewees’ personal experiences. Thematic analysis was utilised whilst analysing the data. The interviewees described the topics of the survey freely and they had the opportunity to answer open-ended questions if they wished. The researcher’s freedom of interpretation is acknowledged, since according to phenomenological study, the experience of knowledge is strongly linked to research analysis. Findings and conclusions: Over half of the interviewees had over a decade of experience in their careers. These people were more likely to answer open-ended questions than those with less experience in the field. In regards to interaction, most answers highlighted the need for openness, respect, trust, being heard, empathy, and sensitivity. External leadership, clashing morals and differences in temperament were seen as detrimental to the quality of interaction. In regards to pedagogical leadership, shared pedagogical responsibility, clearly defined workplace roles, planning ahead, what’s best for the children, the role of the team, and change leadership, emerged as the central themes. The interviewees rated the quality of pedagogical leadership on a scale from very good to very bad, whereas interaction was mostly rated variable