Career and Job Satisfaction of Pre-primary Teachers: Navigating Challenges Between Theory and Practice

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2025

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Career and Job Satisfaction of Pre-primary Teachers: Navigating Challenges Between Theory and Practice

Anka Jurčević Lozančić

ABSTRACT:

Research of pre-primary teachers job satisfaction can bring to light different benefits or problems pre-primary teachers face at work. Accordingly, two research questions were asked: the question about aspects of pre-primary teachers job satisfaction in their direct educational work with children and the question about aspects of pre-primary teachers job satisfaction in their relations with fellow teachers, expert staff, principals and parents. A total of 536 pre-primary teachers were included in the research.
Using the method of qualitative analysis, the results obtained for the first research question show that the main sources of job satisfaction are teachers’ direct work with children, children’s success and progress, children’s interest and desire to participate in activities, a positive emotional relationship with children, and a happy and satisfied child. The biggest sources of dissatisfaction, according to the research results, are inadequate working conditions related to having too many children in educational groups, which makes it difficult to approach each child individually and thus provide better professional assistance and support to more demanding children in educational terms, followed by the low status of teachers in society and the attitude of society (and superiors) towards the teaching profession.

Keywords: Pre-Primary Teachers, Professional Identity, Work Experiences, Theory and Practice