The present study aimed to investigate elementary school principals’ self-reported causes of work-related stress, their coping strategies to deal with stress and the support they need for their leadership. Seventy-six principals filled in the questionnaire, which included open-ended questions. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The results showed that the main sources of stress were workload, interpersonal conflicts, a lack of resources and internal pressures. Moreover, principals used emotion-focused, problem-focused and social coping to deal with stress. Additionally, principals reported a need for problem-focused support and social support for their leadership. The results revealed the importance of social support and coping for principals’ occupational wellbeing. A more intimate approach to principals’ perceptions about the causes of occupational stress, their coping strategies and the support they need provides opportunities to consider diverse personal requirements, which may be fundamental in promoting principals’ occupational wellbeing.
The present study examines preschoolers' positive and negative beliefs concerning their transfer into primary education. Data from 1,386 Finnish preschoolers were obtained using interviews with parents at the end of the children's preschool year (age 6). Using qualitative content analysis, the data were analysed and interpreted. The analysis revealed a total of 11 core categories, which encompassed peer relationships, relationship with teacher, learning, formal schoolwork, informal activities, comfortable school entry and no concerns. The results indicated that children's beliefs concerning their prospective school entry centred on maintaining friendships and making new friends, and that children possessed both negative preconceptions and positive expectations about their relationship with their future teacher.Concerns about managing school life were expressed by both girls and boys; however, in general, worries about school entry were not very common as nearly one-third of the children did not express any concerns. Children anticipated new learning experiences and were eager to meet more challenging tasks. The anticipation of positive learning encounters emphasises the gradual, proactive construction of children's self-conceptions as learners. Finally, some differences were found between girls and boys, as well as the type of preschool context.
PurposeThis study aims to explore what causes stress to day care center directors and what their coping strategies are. In addition, the study examined the extent to which directors experience work-related stress and burnout, and the factors associated with their work-related stress, engagement and recovery from work.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method approach was used.FindingsThe results showed that the main sources of directors' stress were connected to leading oneself, leading others, managing change and lack of social support. Moreover, the main coping strategies with stress were leading oneself, social support and leading others. In addition, both pre- and in-service leadership training played a significant role in the experience of stress. The nature of factors causing stress and coping strategies with stress may imply that directors need further support in self-management and developing their internal competences.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study has limitations that need to be considered when making generalizations. First, a small sample size limits the generalization of the findings. Second, the study relied solely on one source of information, i.e. directors' self-reports. Third, data were collected only at one time point at the end of the year when stress levels might have accumulated. Finally, the study has been done in the Finnish educational context where day care center directors' job description varies depending on municipality.Practical implicationsThe findings provide important information about the causes of directors' work-related stress as well as their coping strategies and about factors that might be related to those.Social implicationsBecause directors' stress impact on children’s development and well-being through teachers' well-being, it is crucial to pay attention on directors' well-being and provide more support for them.Originality/valueThe current study is among the few ones focusing on the stress of directors at early childhood education (ECE) settings.
The Internet has become an important literacy environment, even for children. Therefore, building the foundations for their critical engagement with online information should start when they first enter school. One way to start is to help children build an understanding about the complexities of the Internet environment. The present study aimed at increasing our knowledge about children's understanding of the Internet as a technical and social environment. It also explored how children perceive the trustworthiness of online information. The participants included 30 children aged 7-9 years. The children were interviewed and the data was analysed using content analysis. We share the results from the following perspectives: 1) children's understanding of the Internet as a complex environment; 2) children's perceptions of the benefits and risks of the Internet; and 3) children's perceptions of the trustworthiness of online information. The implications of developing instruction to educate critical readers are discussed.
Research findings: The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which the quality of teacher-child interactions and teachers' self-reported curriculum emphases are related to children's reading skill development during their first school year. To accomplish this, the reading skills of 1,029 Finnish children (Mage = 85.77 months) were assessed twice during Grade 1, and the children's teachers (n = 91) completed questionnaires concerning their literacy-related curriculum emphases. Additionally, teacher-child interactions in terms of emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support were observed in 29 classrooms. The results of multilevel modeling showed that a high global quality of teacherchild interactions was positively associated with improved children's reading skills at the end of Grade 1. In addition, a teacher emphasis on comprehension and production skills was related to better reading skills via teacher-child interactions. Domain-specific analyses revealed that emotional support and classroom organization, in particular, were related to better reading skills. Practice or policy: The present study adds to previous research by showing that children had better reading skills at the end of their first school year in classrooms in which the teachers were warm, responsive, and sensitive to children's needs and provided well-planned activities, clear rules, and expectations for behavior.
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