The good teacher form children’s perspective

The research explores the characteristics that define a good teacher from the children's perspectives. It employs the Mosaic Approach (MA) and involves all five-year-old children in a preschool setting, using drawings, photographs and semi-structured conversations prompted by guiding questions. In recent years, the MA has been used to explore children’s views on early childhood education (Koçyiğit, 2014). Notably, some studies have investigated children’s quality standpoints about their teachers (Harcourt and Mazzoni, 2012) and how preschool educators’ gender shapes their roles (Rentzou, 2023). The research is informed by the Reggio Emilia Approach (Edwards et al., 1993) and the MA (Clark and Moss, 2014). Central to this framework is the value placed on documentation and children’s active, participatory role in the learning process. The research adopts an interpretative paradigm and follows a qualitative methodology (Cohen et al., 2011). Photographs, drawings, and excerpts from interviews/discussions were coded, with a codebook guiding the overall data analysis. Inspired by Rentzou (2023), a participatory consent form was developed to address ethical concerns regarding children's right to freely express their views (UNCRC, 1989, Article 12). The form presents the four elements of the MA and allows children to choose how they wish to participate. As previously identified by Harcourt and Mazzoni (2012) teacher quality is linked to respectful relationships. Similarly, this research shows that children value kind teachers who do not scold and who are caring. These insights can inform everyday teaching practices. Discussions with educators and comparisons with university programs will be undertaken to promote meaningful changes.