Kindergarten Principals’ Professional Observations and Professional Development of Preschool Teachers

In the theoretical part the authors define the professional development of preschool teachers and assistant preschool teachers, their pedagogical work, the role of observations in kindergarten, and especially the principal's professional observations. In their research, they were interested in how professional observations affect the professional development of preschool teachers and assistant preschool teachers. Using a questionnaire, they determined how often professional observations are conducted, how the principal's observations contribute to professional development according to the respondents, and how preschool teachers and assistant preschool teachers perceive professional observations and the subsequent discussions. The obtained data were processed using the SPSS program, and the results were interpreted. It was found that assistant preschool teachers more often perceive these professional observations as an additional psychological, physical, and time burden. However, preschool teachers more often perceive them as a way to transfer good practices, but also as something uncomfortable and stressful.