KOMPETENCIJE BUDUĆIH ODGAJATELJA IZ PODRUČJA PRIJELAZA I PRILAGODBE: ANALIZA STUDIJSKIH PROGRAMA I IMPLIKACIJE ZA PROMJENE
THE ANALYSIS OF FUTURE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS' COMPETENCES IN THE FIELD OF TRANSITION AND ADAPTATION: THE ANALYSIS OF STUDY PROGRAMS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CHANGES

Author(s): Sanja Tatalović-Vorkapić, Vesna Katić
Subject(s): Preschool education
Published by: UNIVERZITET U SARAJEVU – PEDAGOŠKI FAKULTET
Keywords: competencies; early childhood educators; transition and adaptation; study program;
Summary/Abstract: The transitional periods and adaptations that follow them in the early and preschool age represent a great challenge for the child in view of its overall psychological development andwell-being. According to contemporary theoretical models of understanding of transitionand adaptation, the child and its intrapersonal characteristics are at the center of the changesthat occur and represent one of the significant determinant so fits over all psychologicalfunctioning with long-term effects. Aspects that are not in the focus, but to a significantextent determine the quality of transition and adaptation, are different interpersonal factors: primary care givers, family dynamics, educators as significant others, work organization inkindergarten, local community, culture and social values in which the child lives and theirmutual interactions. Educators as significant others have an important role, both in relation to the quality of transition and adaptation of the child and in cooperation with the parents, so itis important during the initial education of the educators to ensure the acquisition of thenecessary competences in this challengin glife period of the child. In this regard, the aim ofthis study was to carry out a qualitative analysis of existing study programs in Croatia inorder to gain an objective understanding of the possibilities to acquire the necessarycompetences for working with children and parents during the transition period andadaptation in the kindergarten. As it was also assumed, the conducted analysis, that includeduniversity study program so fanearly and pre-school education of the publicly availableHigher Education Information System in the Republic of Croatia, showed that there are no explicitand directly related courses to ensure the acquisition of competences for working withchildren and parents during transition and adaptation. Given that, there are a very smallnumber of courses that handle this topic minimally. Therefore, the questionarises regardingthe adequacy of the required competences during transition and adaptation to work withchildren and parents. The paper discusses the possibilities of changing the existing universitycurriculum in the field of teaching and the proposals for the introduction of lifelong learningprograms, which would enable students to acquire the necessary competences.

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