Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support
Inclusion of children needing special support presents challenges for preschool educators. Understanding factors that enhance their well-being can improve their ability to meet all children’s needs. This cross-sectional study investigated 90 preschool educators perceived job demands and resources r...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Early Childhood Education Association Finland
2025-01-01
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Series: | Journal of Early Childhood Education Research |
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Online Access: | https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/137959 |
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author | Veronica Semelius Granevald Monika Vinterek Lotta Strömsten |
author_facet | Veronica Semelius Granevald Monika Vinterek Lotta Strömsten |
author_sort | Veronica Semelius Granevald |
collection | DOAJ |
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Inclusion of children needing special support presents challenges for preschool educators. Understanding factors that enhance their well-being can improve their ability to meet all children’s needs. This cross-sectional study investigated 90 preschool educators perceived job demands and resources related to working with children in need of special support, and work-related sense of coherence (comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness). Analyses of group differences between preschool teachers and child carers revealed no significant differences in the experience of job demands and resources but preschool teachers reported a higher degree of meaningfulness at work compared to child carers. Correlation analyses showed that job resources were all intercorrelated and either inversely correlated or uncorrelated with job demands. Job demands were also inversely correlated to sense of coherence. Linear regression results indicated that a higher work-related sense of coherence and self-perceived control predicted lower self-perceived job demands, even after controlling for social support, growth/development, child group size and insufficient reflection time. This study
underscores the need to integrate a sense of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness at work to improve well-being and to cope with the emotional, cognitive, and organisational demands of working with children needing special support.
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format | Article |
id | doaj-art-b305bcc4fa904ce3b27a44f8ecbf2bf4 |
institution | Kabale University |
issn | 2323-7414 |
language | English |
publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
publisher | Early Childhood Education Association Finland |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Early Childhood Education Research |
spelling | doaj-art-b305bcc4fa904ce3b27a44f8ecbf2bf42025-01-29T04:52:47ZengEarly Childhood Education Association FinlandJournal of Early Childhood Education Research2323-74142025-01-0113310.58955/jecer.137959Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special supportVeronica Semelius Granevald0Monika Vinterek1Lotta Strömsten2Dalarna UniversityDalarna UniversityUmeå University Inclusion of children needing special support presents challenges for preschool educators. Understanding factors that enhance their well-being can improve their ability to meet all children’s needs. This cross-sectional study investigated 90 preschool educators perceived job demands and resources related to working with children in need of special support, and work-related sense of coherence (comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness). Analyses of group differences between preschool teachers and child carers revealed no significant differences in the experience of job demands and resources but preschool teachers reported a higher degree of meaningfulness at work compared to child carers. Correlation analyses showed that job resources were all intercorrelated and either inversely correlated or uncorrelated with job demands. Job demands were also inversely correlated to sense of coherence. Linear regression results indicated that a higher work-related sense of coherence and self-perceived control predicted lower self-perceived job demands, even after controlling for social support, growth/development, child group size and insufficient reflection time. This study underscores the need to integrate a sense of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness at work to improve well-being and to cope with the emotional, cognitive, and organisational demands of working with children needing special support. https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/137959work-related sense of coherencepreschool educatorschildren in need of special supportjob demandsjob resources |
spellingShingle | Veronica Semelius Granevald Monika Vinterek Lotta Strömsten Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support Journal of Early Childhood Education Research work-related sense of coherence preschool educators children in need of special support job demands job resources |
title | Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
title_full | Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
title_fullStr | Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
title_short | Exploring the job demands and resources and work-related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
title_sort | exploring the job demands and resources and work related sense of coherence of preschool educators working with children in need of special support |
topic | work-related sense of coherence preschool educators children in need of special support job demands job resources |
url | https://journal.fi/jecer/article/view/137959 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT veronicasemeliusgranevald exploringthejobdemandsandresourcesandworkrelatedsenseofcoherenceofpreschooleducatorsworkingwithchildreninneedofspecialsupport AT monikavinterek exploringthejobdemandsandresourcesandworkrelatedsenseofcoherenceofpreschooleducatorsworkingwithchildreninneedofspecialsupport AT lottastromsten exploringthejobdemandsandresourcesandworkrelatedsenseofcoherenceofpreschooleducatorsworkingwithchildreninneedofspecialsupport |