The Relationship between the Factors and Conditions of the Autonomy of Preschool Teachers and Fostering the Autonomy of Preschool Children in Kindergarten - read online free

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper investigates how preschool teachers’ professional autonomy relates to, and influences, fostering autonomy in preschool children within kindergarten. It examines how teachers evaluate factors and conditions that they believe support children’s autonomy, and whether these evaluations correspond to actual stimulation of children’s autonomy. The study is grounded in the idea that children’s participation—choice, play, learning, and handling materials—enables autonomy development. Results from N=524 teachers indicate a beneficial but not crucial effect, with the teacher as a person and children’s participation as the most important factors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research aim and interdependence of autonomy

Autonomy concept and role in kindergarten

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.712 The Relationship between the Factors and Conditions of the Autonomy of Preschool Teachers and Fostering the Autonomy of Preschool Children in Kindergarten Tatjana Devjak*1, Irena Janžekovič Žmauc2 and Jože Benčina3 • In the paper, we argue that fostering the autonomy of children in kindergarten contributes to the positive effects of the individual’s autonomy later in life. Various sources substantiate the assumption that there is a relationship between the child’s autonomy and the autonomy of educators. In the paper, we identify and investigate how preschool teachers evaluate the factors of their own professional autonomy, we determine the factors and conditions that, in their opinion, foster the autonomy of preschool children, and we verify whether the assessment of both factors and conditions affects the actual state of the stimulation of the autonomy of children in kindergarten. With regard to fostering the autonomy of children, we have in mind the participation of children, enabling them to play and learn and to manipulate materials and teaching aids in their own way, so that preschool teachers can offer them a choice, take into account their feelings and perspectives, and provide them with rational feedback. The results of the research show that an evaluation of the factors and conditions for fostering the autonomy of children by preschool teachers (N = 524) has a beneficial effect on fostering the autonomy of the children, but it is not crucial. The most important factors in fostering the autonomy of children are the preschool teacher as a person and the participation of children. Keywords: preschool teacher, preschool children, autonomy, factors of autonomy, fostering the autonomy of children 1 *Corresponding author. Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; [tatjana.devjak@pef.uni-lj.si](tatjana.devjak@pef.uni-lj.si). 2 Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency, Slovenia. 3 Faculty of Administration, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. 68 the relationship between the factors and conditions of the autonomy of Razmerje med dejavniki in pogoji avtonomije vzgojiteljev in spodbujanje avtonomije predšolskihotrok v vrtcu Tatjana Devjak, Irena Janžekovič Žmauc in Jože Benčina • Avtorji v prispevku zagovarjajo tezo, da spodbujanje avtonomije otrokv vrtcu prispeva k pozitivnim učinkom avtonomije posameznika v poznejšem obdobju. Različni viri utemeljujejo predpostavko, da obstajarazmerje med avtonomijo otrok in avtonomijo vzgojiteljev. V prispevku so avtorji ugotavljali in raziskovali, kako vzgojiteljice in vzgojitelji vrednotijo dejavnike lastne strokovne avtonomije, dejavnike in pogoje, ki po njihovem mnenju spodbujajo avtonomijo predšolskih otrok, ter aliocena obojih dejavnikov in pogojev vpliva na dejansko stanje spodbujanja avtonomije otrok v vrtcu. Ko govorimo o spodbujanju avtonomijeotrok, imamo v mislih participacijo otrok, omogočanje možnosti otrokom, da se igrajo in učijo ter manipulirajo z materiali, učnimi pripomočki na svoj način, da vzgojitelji in vzgojiteljice nudijo otrokom možnost izbire, upoštevajo njihova čustva in perspektivo otrok ter jim dajejo racionalne povratne informacije. Izsledki raziskave kažejo, da vrednotenjevzgojiteljic in vzgojiteljev (N = 524) dejavnikov in pogojev spodbujanja avtonomije otrok ugodno vpliva na spodbujanja avtonomije pri otrocih, ni pa ključnega pomena. Najpomembnejša dejavnika spodbujanja avtonomije otrok sta vzgojitelj kot oseba in participacija otrok. Ključne besede: vzgojitelji, predšolski otrok, avtonomija, dejavniki avtonomije vzgojiteljev, dejavniki spodbujanja avtonomije otrok Introduction In modern democratic societies, autonomy is one of the most important organisational principles of the public education system. The importance of the autonomy of professionals in education is connected to monitoring and quality assurance in the field of education. Increasing the autonomy of schools and kindergartens is one of the

FAQs

What is the paper’s central thesis about preschool children’s autonomy?

Fostering autonomy in kindergarten contributes to positive effects of an individual’s autonomy later in life. The paper also argues that children’s autonomy is related to educators’ autonomy.

How does the study evaluate factors and conditions affecting children’s autonomy?

It examines how preschool teachers assess factors of their professional autonomy, factors and conditions they think foster children’s autonomy, and whether these assessments affect the actual stimulation of children’s autonomy.

What did the research find about the importance of teachers’ evaluations?

An evaluation by preschool teachers of factors and conditions for fostering children’s autonomy has a beneficial effect, but it is not crucial. The most important factors are the preschool teacher as a person and children’s participation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore