Exploring Predictors for New Kindergarten Teachers’ (NKTs’) Integration in the Workplace

Kindergarten Teachers’ (KTs’) work is different from that of school teachers’ because they juggle the role of being caregivers for young children and tending to their physical, emotional and educational needs, with the task of being ‘managers’ or ‘leaders’ of their kindergarten units (Guo et al. in Teach Teach Educ 27(5):961–968, 2011a; Aizenberg and Oplatka in Teach Teach 25(8):994–1013, 2019). This study examines factors that predict the integration of New Kindergarten Teachers (NKTs) in the workplace in Israel with regard to both the single kindergarten unit and the larger professional space. Data was collected via a self-report questionnaire for NKTs developed as part of the Erasmus International Proteach Project (2016–2019): Promoting Teachers' Success in their Induction Period. The sampling included interns and NKTs, who were graduates of different colleges countrywide. The participants (N = 230) ranked their agreement on a Likert-like scale ranging from 1 (don't agree) to 5 (agree to a very large extent) in response to questions related to motivation and burnout, self-efficacy, professional support, and integration in the workplace. Data analysis included descriptive statistics procedures, Dependent t-tests and Pearson’s correlations. A multivariate analysis (linear regression) was used to estimate the effect of the explanatory (independent) variables on NKTs’ integration within single kindergarten units and their integration within the larger professional space (dependent variables). Findings reveal that the key predictors for integration within the single kindergarten unit are: Professional support from mentors, self-efficacy for working in the kindergarten, high motivation, and low level of burnout. The key predictors found for integration in the larger professional space are: Extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy for constructing collaborations, and participation in Multiplayer Induction Team workshops (MITs) specific for KTs. Implications for early childhood preparation programs, induction into teaching and professional development are discussed.