Facing Forward: Obstacles and Implications for Kindergarten Teachers' Professional Development

Abstract

In line with the new trend toward reforming the education system in the 21st century, teachers are more willing to accept changes in order to improve performance and achieve success in the educational process. Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Saudi Arabia recently witnessed a huge revolution. Teacher Professional Development (PD) is one of the most influential elements in achieving quality education. The present study focuses on revealing the Professional Development Programs (PDPs) obstacles of kindergarten teachers from their perspectives, as well as their implications for overcoming these obstacles. These obstacles are divided into three main parts include administrative, personal, and digital. The current investigation adopted the exploratory approach, where a total of (n=102) kindergarten teachers in the city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, participated in this study by filling out a self-administered questionnaire. Results showed that all kindergarten teachers admitted that they faced several obstacles in their professional practices, which hindered the quality of their practices. Most kindergarten teachers reported a lack of motivation and adequate training opportunities, influencing their reluctance to participate in PDPs. However, they revealed their positive attitudes and willingness to implement a variety of strategies and practices that contribute to their own PD. It recommends that decision-makers and government agencies consider the needs and capabilities of kindergarten teachers during training and involve them in the professional planning and development process to ensure that the training outputs are more effective in their professional practice.Keywords;Administrative, digital obstacles, children, implications, kindergarten teachers, training program.