Early childhood teachers: Roles and relationships

Staff roles and relationships were studied through interviewing 12 teachers in four New Zealand kindergartens over a period of 8 months before, during and after a new teacher joined the staff. In 2 of the 4 kindergartens serious problems with staff relationships emerged culminating in staff members resigning, while in the other 2 kindergartens harmonious relationships developed. The major themes emerging from the interviews were the importance of goal consensus and power sharing. Successful kindergartens involved all staff fora considerable time in developing philosophical agreement and clarifying roles but there were serious differences of viewpoint between staff in the unsuccessful kindergartens, often involving conflict about teacher roles and activities between experienced and inexperienced teachers. The successful kindergartens worked through consensus and negotiation while the unsuccessful kindergartens worked through the authority of the head teacher or by the majority view. It was concluded that more attention needs to be given to helping early childhood staff work together effectively and that staff roles and relationships are an important component of quality early childhood education.