Abstract

Observation competency is an important component of professional quality for preschool teachers，preschool teachers need to observe，record and analyze children’s behaviors with appropriate methods and techniques under the guidance of the theory of children’s learning and development in daily activities. Nowadays，observation competency has become more and more important，it is fundamental for teachers to research and support children’s learning and development. Although the importance of kindergarten teachers’ observation ability has been repeatedly emphasized，the improvement of kindergarten teachers’ observation competency has encountered the following bottlenecks：First，a systematic understanding of the essential structure of kindergarten teachers’ observation competency has not been formed，and there is no consensus on what teachers’ observation competency is and what elements it contains；Second，there is a lack of systematic research on the evaluation criteria of preschool teachers’ observation competency，and there is a lack of diagnostic basis on how to evaluate and promote the development status of teachers’ observation.This research carries on a comparatively deep research on the structure model and evaluation criterion of the observation competency of preschool teachers.

This research is separated into four parts. Part one is mainly about the statement of question and research design. The research takes the Self-directed Learning Theory，Goal Setting Theory，and Differentiated Evaluation Theory as the main theoretical perspective. The development of teachers’ observation competency is the process of teachers’ self-directed learning in which the teachers need to set a specific learning target and carry on the study evaluation in phases，that is the logic starting point of this research. By constructing the structure model，the ideal expectations and goals are set for the development of teachers’ observation competency；By constructing the evaluation criterion，standards differentiation and advanced guide are set for the development of teachers’ observation competency，and the two parts are connected organically and constituted the main content framework of this research.

Part two is the research on the structure model，which refers to the ideal target and “conditions ought to be” that should be achieved by the teachers. The construction process includes several main sections：First is the theoretical research，which form the theoretical framework of the teachers’ observation competency structure. In empirical research，on the basis of international comparative study of five steps of the documents of related policies like preschool teachers’ professional standards in the major countries and regions of the world，gradually construct the items of dimension and core competency for the teachers’ observation competency on the theoretical level. After that，through the focus group interview with 20 outstanding principals and teachers，construct the items of dimension on the level of practice. Finally，carry on the inter attestation with multiple elements formed from the theoretical research and the data from the empirical research to construct the structure model，and the validity analysis is carried on at last.

Part three is the research on the evaluation criterion，which is the objective measures on how much degree the teachers have achieved the “target ought to be”. It includes the following major sections：first is the theoretical research，next is to carry on the empirical research，the detailed steps include：determine the dimension and indicators on the basis of the structure model；determine the evaluation symbol through experts brainstorming；three is to carry on the focus group interview with the outstanding teachers for the collection of description for the four levels under each indicator；four is to select experts for the review of the evaluation criterion and modify for optimization as a further step；finally，teachers use Self Evaluation Table to carry on self-evaluation to check the reasonableness of the evaluation criterion，the result shows that the internal consistency and structure validity is comparatively reasonable. On the basis of that，teachers use the Self Evaluation Table，the result indicates that the general level of the teachers’ observation competency and their performance on the five dimensions is between level two and three. Teachers with different teaching age，education and technical title has differences with different degrees on the level of their observation competency，the main factors of the teachers，the working environment of the preschool and the element of the social culture and policies are the important elements that affect the observation capabilities of the teachers.

For the part of general discussion，firstly，it carries on the discussion on the structure model of the preschool teachers’ observation competency；Secondly，it carries on the discussion on the evaluation criterion，the grading level is the most important part in the construction of evaluation criterion. The evaluation criterion provides the tool for the teachers to carry on the self valuation and self-directed learning；Thirdly，it proposes a self-directed model for teachers’ observation competency development. Finally，it has a discussion for the innovative point and insufficiency of this research.

The significance of this research are：Firstly，the structure model sets specific and challenging goal for teachers’ observation competency development；Secondly，evaluation criterion provides tool for teachers to carry on the self evaluation and introspection，it also provides the accordance for the education administrative department and teacher training agency etc. to get to know the teachers’ observation level and design the targeted training for teachers；Thirdly，the “three in one” model has a certain progress on technology which is advantageous to supplement and optimize the current theory and practice of teachers’ professional development.

Key Words：Preschool teachers’ observation competency；Teachers’ professional development；Structure model；Evaluation criterion