Abstract
The competency-based approach is currently introduced throughout the whole pre-school education system, and this process reveals the uncertainty, doubts, confusion, and unpreparedness of teachers for the implementation of this task. It also highlights the need to provide new guidance for the professional development of in-service teachers. The article presents the results of a survey on the professional needs of pre-school teachers for implementing a competency-based approach. The research data is obtained from focus group discussions, teacher surveys, and self-assessments from teachers’ professional development courses. The research data shows that the most topical professional development needs of pre-school teachers are linked to the need for an in-depth understanding of such components of competency-based approach as equity, meaningful assessment, personalized learning, transversal skills, and learning environments, allowing to identify the tasks for the professional development of teachers to promote a common understanding for implementing a competency-based approach in pre-school education.
 
 Keywords: competence; competency-based approach; professional development; professional needs; pre-school teachers
Highlights
Professional achievements and mastery are formed gradually, systematically, and regularly improving and perfecting one's actions following a person’s interests, needs, and labor market requirements (Clear, 2018)
The survey data were analysed based on defined categories and criteria exploring the range of professional needs of pre-school teachers
The coded results of the data obtained from the questionnaires, taking into account analysis of self-assessments and focus-group discussion, show that the professional development needs of teachers apply to all categories of competency-based education
Summary
Professional achievements and mastery are formed gradually, systematically, and regularly improving and perfecting one's actions following a person’s interests, needs, and labor market requirements (Clear, 2018). The perfection of a teacher’s professional development is defined as participation in formal and non-formal professional development activities, which may include, for example, a specific field of studies or a pedagogy-related education. The offer of professional development includes the acquisition of specific modules within the study programmes (European Commission, 2015; IZM, 2017). The European Commission Eurydice (2015) reports describing the professional development opportunities and needs of European teachers, revealing such topicalities as the application of information technologies in the learning process, acquisition of digital skills, implementation of transversal skills, education in a multicultural environment, career education, and topicalities in inclusive education. Research studies (Mikelsone & Grava, 2018; Mikelsone et al, 2017; Soini et al, 2016; Steeg, 2016; Doecke, 2015) emphasize the acquisition and development of reflection skills suggesting video analysis of pedagogical activities as one of the components of teachers’ professional development. Other professional needs of teachers are related to the implementation of a child-centered approach (Miķelsone & Grava, 2018), the essence of competencybased education (Protassova et al, 2020; Mikelsone & Grava, 2018), teacher cooperation and social learning, as well as professional awareness and job satisfaction (Hauge & Wan, 2019)
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