Readiness of Early Childhood Professionals in Singapore to Take on a Leadership Role

Readiness of Early Childhood Professionals in Singapore to Take on a Leadership Role

This paper presents the findings of a small scale research study in Singapore which investigated leadership. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from a sample of 54 teachers who responded to an online survey, and a focus group of another 10 teachers. The findings showed that 34 (63%) respondents were willing to take on leadership roles. One of the reasons for this willingness to take on leadership roles included the belief that as a result of working as a teacher for many years, they were now ready to impart their knowledge to early childhood educators in the industry. Factors identified which hindered respondents from willingness to take on leadership roles included lack of leadership opportunities in their centres, lack of clear job scope for leadership positions, new ideas were not accepted or valued and school cultures where principals and senior teachers were not willing to share status.