Representations of the psychological safety of educational space in future preschool teachers

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the need to clarify the ideas that future teachers have about the psychological safety of participants in the educational process and their professional role in ensuring it and develop a system of special training for future teachers of any educational level to ensure psychological safety in the educational environment. The results of an empirical study of the ideas about the psychological safety of educational space among future preschool teachers (n = 100) are presented. The structure of representations based on the analysis of free associations to phrases (“psychological safety”, “safety of a child in the educational space of a kindergarten”, “educator guarantee security”) using the method of P. Verges. The zones of ideas about the psychological safety of students' educational space are described. The core is made up of those associations that are most often found and mentioned in the first place: “psychological security” – a state of calm and confidence in a stable, reliable, comfortable environment; “Child safety in the educational space of the kindergarten” – rules, protection, administration, charter; “Teacher – the guarantor of security” – discipline, control, education. The potential zone of change is formed by the words “responsibility” and “health”. A content analysis of associations to the phrase “psychological safety” showed that respondents determine psychological safety through positive emotions and positive environmental characteristics; “Safety of the child in the educational space of the kindergarten” is associated with the subject that ensures safety and with the functions that the subject performs; “The teacher is the guarantor of security” showed that respondents identify the preschool teacher through the functions they perform and their characteristics. Four factors were identified in assessing the psychological safety of the educational space by students: responsiveness, calm, friendliness, and comfort. Studying the ideas about the psychological safety of future preschool teachers allows us to talk about their insufficient understanding of the teacher's actions to ensure a comfortable educational environment. The need for targeted training of future teachers to ensure psychological safety in future professional activities becomes obvious.