Abstract:

The purpose of this systematic research review is to determine: (1) the relationship between the preschool teachers’ perception of their competencies to provide parental counseling support, the parents' perception, and the role of professional associates and (2) the perception of competencies and importance of professional development in the context of early and preschool education. In order to gain an insight and a deeper understanding of this topic, a systematic review of the findings of empirical studies was applied. The specificity of this review lies in the fact that it includes all research of defended graduate theses (N = 21) from the elective course Counseling at the part-time graduate university study of Early and Preschool Education at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Rijeka, Republic of Croatia from 2012 to 2019. Research studies conducted within this course are shaped based on the expressed interest of student-preschool teachers for this topic.In accordance with the research objectives, data on the study design, preschool teachers’ competencies to provide parental counseling support, and the importance of professional development were extracted and processed with descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and qualitative analysis (participant statement). Among empirical studies, quantitative studies (n = 16) are the most frequent, conducted on a sample of preschool teachers (n = 11) and parents (n = 7). All studies explore teachers’ competencies for providing parental counseling support, whereby 8 studies examine general and 10 studies examie specific competencies in providing parental counseling support such as providing support to parents of children with disabilities, gifted children, children with mental health issues, and the use of bibliotherapy. Two thirds of studies deal with teachers' self-perception (n = 12) or professional associates' perception (n = 2) in providing parental counseling support, while one third of studies explore parents’ perception of support received from teachers and other preschool professionals (n = 7). In all research studies on the samples of professionals, professional development for parental counseling is represented. Parents expressed a higher level of satisfaction with preschool teachers' competencies for providing parental counseling support than did preschool teachers themselves. Furthermore, parents rely more on preschool teachers than on professional associates when in need of counseling support. In addition, preschool teachers find that continuing professional development and self-directed learning contribute more than initial education to the development of competencies needed for providing parental counseling support. The findings clearly indicate the need to analyze professional development programs for teachers aimed at providing parental counseling support, primarily programs of initial teacher education, as well as the level of preschool teachers' and professional associates' responsibility and competencies for providing better parental counseling support. The findings are significant for the practice, research, and educational policy makers, as they point to the importance of teachers' competencies providing parental counseling support and can be used to develop pre- and in-service programs.

Keywords:

Preschool teachers, counseling support, competencies, professional development, early and preschool education.