Abstract

Recognizing children and adolescents as critical assets for the current and future development of the country, in this research we focus on the sensitive early years that are accompanied by a rapid pace of brain growth and ease of learning. Because most parents need to work, and therefore a considerable number of younger children require supervision, researchers believe that the competency of educators directly influences the development of soft skills in children. Studies have shown that gaps in softer skills precisely cause the lack of effectiveness of early childhood educators in fostering appropriate development of children in these centers. As a result, in this mixed-methods study we explore the phenomenon of soft skill acquisition among early childhood educators in three stages: first qualitative, then quantitative exploratory, followed by confirmatory factor analyses. Participants include 12 childcare workers and 420 qualified educators. We perform the quantitative data collection through a combination of interviews and scripted questionnaires, after which we conduct data analysis using Jamovi. Ethical protocols of the study include issuing and upholding guarantees for consent and anonymity. The sample is a single-gender group with a mean age of 38.80 years (standard deviation = 11.9). Over half, 56%, have attained a bachelor’s degree, whereas 34.6% hold an associate’s degree. In the analysis we identify three core components of soft skills: 1) creative thinking skillset (factors include providing appropriate answers and innovation), 2) communication skillset (which contains active listening and empathy), and 3) patience skillset (which contains resilience and motivation). The emphasis on these underspecified soft skills is due to a lack of systematic training incorporated into professional development, which is essential, given the interpersonal nature of the work, in early childhood education. In this study we aim to address the gap by integrating the three components—creative thinking skills, communication skills, and patience skills—into training and evaluation frameworks based on the fundamentals of educator effectiveness.

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