PRESCHOOL ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TO ETHICAL DILEMMAS

Abstract

Introduction. Both the level and the specific character of the organisational culture of preschool pedagogical staff influence the degree of psychological comfort of the environment in which younger children are brought up. The relevance of the research is related to the need to improve the quality of preschool education through the creation of emotionally favourable conditions for forming pupils’ individuality and preserving their health. In addition, it is important to acquaint the staff of nursery schools with the content of the new methodological requirements (the formation of interaction between a tutor, a child and parents) recorded in the Federal State Educational Standard.The aim of this research paper was to identify the specific features of teachers’ ethical choices when dealing with difficult professional situations according to the type of organisational (corporate) culture established in a pre-school educational institution.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, teachers were selected to participate in an anonymous online poll and a follow-up questionnaire. The authors developed a face-to-face feedback approach using the cases of difficult professional situations and parameters to build the corporate culture profile of the organisation. The obtained data were processed by qualitative and quantitative means through the approaches of content analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and intercrossing of confidence intervals calculated by a standard procedure in the R programming language. Results and scientific novelty. A model of differentiated types in the organisational culture of the system of education was designed. “Democratic”, “leaderfollowing”, “laissez-faire” and “bureaucratic” (these terms do not carry an evaluation characteristic) kinds of the corporate cultures of preschool educational institutions were identified and characterised. The concepts of “ethical dilemma” and “difficult situation requiring a direct professional action” were clarified. The first abovementioned concept refers to a contradiction between two equivalent values, while the second denotes a confrontation between new, progressive approaches to implementing professional duties with the stereotypes and traditions entrenched in the teaching process. The diagnostic tools allowed the authors to establish that different solutions to resolving problem situations or ethical dilemmas are often derived from the different values prevailing among preschool teachers as representatives of the various types of organisational cultures. Practical significance. The authors concluded that to ensure permanent improvement of preschool education (increase in the efficiency of participants’ interaction of the learning process) it is important to count not on members’ formal characteristics, but on basic characteristics which often can be seen as implicit representations. The diagnostic tools proposed by the authors and the joint interpretation of findings by all members of the teaching staff with participation of the invited experts and parents will help to identify formal and basic characteristics.