The components and determinants of preschool teacher organisational citizenship behaviour

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the components and determinants of preschool teacher organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB), i.e. role behaviours that are discretionary, unrewarded and beyond formal‐role expectations.Design/methodology/approachA total of 12 Israeli kindergarten teachers and four supervisors participated in semi‐structured interviews during 2008‐2009.FindingsIt was found that preschool teacher OCB appears in professional (e.g. instructional innovations, diverse teaching methods, helping colleagues) and in inter‐personal (e.g. the children, the parents, the local community) arenas. Likewise, both personal and organisational determinants may account for the occurrence of this behaviour in preschool teaching.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recommended that education districts and superintendents facilitate preschool teacher OCB by promoting greater job autonomy for kindergarten teachers and forms of participative leadership among their supervisors.Originality/valueUnderstanding preschool teacher OCB may fill in gaps in the theoretical knowledge about the nature of OCB among a group of employees that tends to work at small educational settings and has a limited scope of interactions with co‐workers and superiors.