A Narrative Study Of The Professional Development Of A Kindergarten Director

As the top leader of the kindergarten,the principal has an important influence on the establishment of the kindergarten’s educational philosophy,the improvement of teaching quality and the development of the teaching staff.In this study,a kindergarten principal was selected as the cooperative object.Through several progressive semi-structured interviews,supplemented by non-participatory observation,the narrative research method was used to restore the professional growth of principal W in a three-dimensional way,and to discuss the important events and key others in his professional development.The researcher sorted out the collected data,and divided principal W’s professional development process into five parts.The first part tells about principal W’s family background,which not only shaped her personality,but also had an important impact on her development in the field of preschool education.The second part is the story of principal W’s school days.She studied hard and pursued her dream,which made her gain a lot and laid a foundation for her to become an excellent teacher and principal.The third part is the story of principal W when she was a teacher.She kept learning and reflecting during the teacher’s period,which improved her professional quality and ability and helped her understand children to a higher level.The fourth part is the story of principal W when she was the deputy principal of the school.During this period,she carried out a series of explorations and attempts to improve teachers’ professional ability and strengthen home cooperation,which not only effectively improved the teaching level of the kindergarten,but also developed her own ability.The fifth part tells the story of director W when she was the principal of the kindergarten.Under her leadership,the kindergarten made a qualitative leap and she gradually grew into an excellent principal of the kindergarten.After reviewing director W’s professional development process,the researcher analyzed the influencing factors of his professional development from the two dimensions of internal factors and external factors.The internal factors that influence her professional development include personal character,personal awareness of professional development and continuouslearning and reflection.The external factors that influence her professional development include the help of key others,the influence of kindergarten environment,the role of post-service training and the influence of the development of preschool education in China.Through reviewing the development course of principal W,the researcher summarized the enlightenment of principal W’s development course to other teachers and principal W’s professional development.The first is to make a reasonable career plan and strengthen the awareness of personal professional development.Second is to learn to reflect,use reflection to promote their own growth;The third is to create a good education environment to promote the growth of teachers and children.This study takes the professional development course of a kindergarten principal as the research content.Although it lacks quantitative support,it is more in-depth and specific,hoping to enrich the relevant theories of the principal’s professional development and provide some reference for other teachers and principal’s professional development.