Defended a master's thesis on the effective professional competence development of preschool teachers

On 28 November 2024, Inga Grigaļuna successfully defended her master's thesis, "Effective Professional Competence Development of Preschool Teachers in Inclusive Education", developed under the supervision of professor Dr. paed. Dita Nīmante within the framework of the State Research Programme "Education" project No. VPP-IZM-Izglītība-2023/4-0001, "Elaboration of evidence-based solutions for effective professional competence development of adults and assessment of the transfer of its results into practice in Latvia".

The master's thesis explored professional competence development of preschool teachers in inclusive education through the lens of scientific literature, describing the profile of a preschool teacher in inclusive education and identifying criteria for effective professional competence development. The empirical research employed both qualitative and quantitative methods to identify the needs and challenges faced by preschool teachers in the context of inclusive education. Surveys of preschool teachers and in-depth interviews with preschool management representatives were conducted to assess the effectiveness of professional competence development in inclusive education, taking into account the learning needs of preschool teachers.

The author concluded that effective professional competence development is grounded in the learning needs of preschool teachers in inclusive education, which vary both individually among teachers and between different preschools. The results indicated that preschool teachers do not prioritise developing professional competence to include highly talented children or those with hearing, mobility, or vision impairments. The study also revealed that the current professional competence development of preschool teachers in inclusive education cannot be characterised as effective. Criteria such as improvements in children's individual achievements as a result of professional competence development, sustained engagement in training programmes, opportunities to observe high-quality inclusive practices, provision of feedback from programme implementers, and collective learning were only sometimes or rarely met.

Our heartfelt congratulations to Inga Grigaļuna on earning her master's degree!
Many thanks to Inga and her scientific supervisor, Dita Nīmante, for achieving the project's performance indicator.

The SRP "Education" project team.