Management of preschool education
Authors: Γακόπουλος Θωμάς 
Published: March 2022

The dissertation is developed in an introduction, three chapters, conclusions and recommendations, conclusion, list of references in Greek and English and appendices.The dissertation contains 188 pages of main text, of which 161 represent the real part of the work. The text includes 4 tables and 49 diagrams and 5 figures. The bibliography contains 158 titles by English and Greek authors.The dissertation is proposed for discussion and guidance for defense in the Department of Preschool and Media Pedagogy at the Faculty of Science, Education and Arts of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski”.CONTENTSChapter 1. Management of preschool education - current trends based on past experience - theoretical review and analysis1.Preschool education - historical review and analysis2.Management of preschool education 2.1 Planning as part of preschool education management 2.2 The organization as part of the management of preschool education 2.3 Supervision as part of the management of preschool education 2.4 Control as part of the management of preschool education3.Preschool education in Greece - an overview 3.1 Structure and organization of preschool education in Greece 3.2 Management of preschool education in Greece4.Economic effects as a result of effective management of preschool education5.Educational effects as a result of effective management of preschool educationChapter 2. Organization of the research2.1. Aim and tasks of the research2.2. Research hypotheses2.3. Methodology and research methods2.4. Participants in the studyChapter 3. Analysis of the results - qualitative and quantitative analysis3.1. Analysis of the opinion of the directors of preschool institutions3.2. Analysis of the opinion of teachers in preschool institutions3.3. Comparison of the views of principals and teachersConclusionsConclusionYieldsPublicationsLiteratureChapter 1Management of preschool education - theoretical review and analysisThe management of pre-school education - its structures, the human resources involved in the processes, the children themselves who are direct users of pre-school care, their parents, teaching staff, support staff and all those involved in general - is a very dynamic issue and deserves to be studied in detail. This is exactly our experience in this direction and with the development of this dissertation we are trying to reach more research areas in this field. There are many issues in Greece that are directly or indirectly related to him, so our interest is not accidental and stems from our sincere desire to reach and explore the roots of many important topics that are currently being discussed in this professional field.Kindergartens in Greece are free and optional (Preschool education in Greece, 2017). According to the source, children can start this stage of their education at the age of 4 and stay until they are old enough to join the first stage of primary school. There are two types of kindergartens - half-day with hours from 08:30 to 12:15. and all-day kindergartens (Oloimero Nipiagogeio), open from 07:45 until 16:00.According to the same source, morning kindergartens hire one teacher. This teacher has between 7 and 30 children between the ages of 4 and 5.5. The children are together in the same group, but the activities are differentiated in terms of pace and level of difficulty according to each child's abilities.According to the source mentioned above, the basic principle of the curriculum is to ensure the active participation of every child in achieving all-round development by engaging in situations that encourage their critical thinking. The child is encouraged to anticipate, explore, experiment, compare, discover relationships, classify and mature mentally, while developing the mechanisms needed to acquire new knowledge, skills and habits and to reinforce old ones.The daily activities that the kindergarten teacher plans are organized according to the above criteria and include:• Engaging children in activities aimed at achieving pre-selected goals by the teacher, or on those that "result" from spontaneous or planned activities. In this case, the kindergarten teachers follow the procedure below:• Choose one or more goals from one or more areas of development, based on their evolutionary position in the curriculum and the level of development of the children.• Select and organize activities related to common goals. The content of these activities can be derived from the same or different "areas of experience and knowledge".• They support and encourage children to get involved in activities.• Evaluate the results of the educational effort (Preschool education in Greece, 2017).Below are some of the findings made as a result of our review of the theory of Greek preschool education.1.1. Preschool education - historical review and analysisAccording to a report by Elsie Doliopoulou (Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 1), the institution of pre-school education has been developing slowly in Greece since the early 1930s due to a number of interacting factors, including political and ethnic instability in the region. due to frequent wars leading to constant migration of refugees, delayed industrialization of the country, lack of information regarding research on the importance of preschool education (Doliopoulou, 2000). However, thanks to the efforts of several foreign missionaries, pre-school education was launched early enough in this part of Europe.2.Management of preschool educationThe management of pre-school education is a reliable and delicate profession that requires many qualities on the part of management. According to the Study of the education and management system (2011) the various elements of the administration, ie. planning, organization and coordination must be checked to ensure that they are in order and functioning. Control is needed in all areas of the educational process - setting goals and objectives, developing procedures and techniques, providing equipment, finance, public relations, etc., to achieve the goals. When we say that the educational administrator must keep the staff in good shape in order to ensure cooperation in the many functions of the institution, this does not mean that he must allow a policy of non-interference. Control is exercised through the specific technique: evaluation. Legal and social sanctions give us control, and techniques help us with this exercise, and evaluation keeps us alert. The control techniques are policies, budget, audit, schedule, curriculum, staff documentation, periodic reports, etc., and they serve to keep everyone interested on the right track. Educational control includes mainly human elements. A good administrator, in cases where he finds mistakes or irregularities, does it in a way that looks like a proposal, not an order. Management is an activity and an evaluation: it is a very important part of the administrative process. The main goal of the control is to achieve improvements both qualitatively and quantitatively and to contribute to the realization of the objectives (Study of the education and management system 2011).In this sense, educational supervision includes all responsibilities and functions necessary for the management of the institution. The trends of modern supervision in education in Greece are visible in the theory and practice of modern supervision in the United States, for example. Greater attention is paid to the good interpersonal relations between the administrator and the head, the supervisor and the teachers, the teachers and the students, as well as the inter-institutional relations between the institution and the controlling university, institution and community, group dynamics and others. In our country, all these ideas have been accepted in theory, but in practice they have not yet been implemented well enough. In practice, educational supervision remains, as it is today, as traditional as it was a few decades ago. Even in our country there are no provisions for training and orientation of educational administrators. When educational administrators work, they are employed in these staff without special professional training. How can they be expected to have a better idea of ​​the administration? Many strategies and methods for teaching and learning in the field of education have been developed, which can be used by educational administrators to develop the potential of teachers (Study of the education and management system 2011).1.2.1. Planning as part of preschool education managementAccording to the text described in the book Principles of Management (2014), planning is a function of management, which includes setting goals and defining an action plan to achieve these goals. Planning requires managers to be aware of the environmental conditions facing their organization and to predict future conditions. It also requires managers to be good at making management decisions. Planning is a process consisting of several steps. The process begins with environmental monitoring, which means that planners need to be aware of the critical circumstances facing their organization in terms of economic conditions, their competitors and their customers. Planners should then try to predict future conditions. These forecasts form the basis for planning. Planners need to set goals that are statements about what needs to be achieved and when. Planners then need to identify alternative courses of action to achieve the goals. After evaluating the various alternatives, planners need to decide on the best course of action to achieve the goals. As a next phase, they must formulate the necessary steps and ensure the effective implementation of the plans. Finally, planners must constantly evaluate the success of their plans and take corrective action when necessary.As the text follows in the same source, there are many different types of plans and planning (Principles of Management 2014):Strategic planningIt involves analyzing the competitive opportunities and threats as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and then determining how to position the organization to compete effectively in their environment. Strategic planning has a long period of time, often three or more years. Strategic planning usually involves the entire organization and involves formulating goals. Strategic planning is often based on the organization's mission, which is its main reason for existence. The top management of the organization most often performs strategic planning.Tactical planningMedium-range planning (one to three years) aims to develop relatively specific and concrete means to implement the strategic plan. Middle-level managers are often involved in tactical planning.Operational planningIn principle, it assumes the existence of goals of the whole organization or subunit and determines the ways to achieve them. Operational planning is short-range planning (less than a year) that is designed to develop concrete action steps that support strategic and tactical plans (Principles of Management 2014).Educational planning places greater emphasis on qualitative improvements in education, while continuing programs to expand, increase wages and expenditures, while promoting decentralization in planning. The local community must be involved in the planning process at the institutional, district and state levels, as globalization requires a greater need for education at all levels. In this regard, the government is formulating some measures to increase adult literacy and continuing education. According to analysts, the main problems in planning education are high dropout rates, low levels of academic achievement, inadequate school infrastructure, the large number of teacher absences, many vacancies, insufficient teaching materials, differences in literacy levels for special groups of citizens. and differences in literacy levels between students from different areas in the country. Therefore, planners need to place more emphasis on overcoming difficulties in these areas (Educational Management: Meaning, Nature and Scope 2017).1.2.2. The organization as part of the management of preschool educationWith regard to the pre-school education organization, institutions visualize their goals in the success variables, such as student achievement and growth rates. They focus on changing human variables to achieve their goals. Kindergartens, schools, colleges, universities and educational establishments can be considered as social organizations. The development of students' knowledge and skills takes place in a system of complexity, which includes the interaction between several variables. It has its roots in the institutional variables described as organizational styles. The director or the head of the institution works in an organizational environment, from the authoritative base, in a specific way, in order to change the attitudes or behavior of the staff and in order to increase some dimensions of the effectiveness of teaching. If they are to function effectively, they must also identify and pursue goals, respond to stress, support themselves, ensure survival, eliminate insecurity, and grow in size, strength, and experience. Institutions can be considered as living organisms that have a composition of characteristics and people with different personality traits. Many human activities in these institutions are motivated by an administrative response to the needs of the organization. The research of the organizations aroused new interest in the study of schools and educational institutions as organizational societies. The application of organizational theory and analysis is much less noticeable in the field of education, whether in school or other educational institutions. Until recently, there was no systematic model or profile to support organizational analysis (Study of the education and management system 2011).In addition, leadership, or leadership, is important in the management of preschool education. According to Principles of Management (2014), leadership includes social and informal sources of influence that are used to initiate actions taken by others. If managers are effective leaders, their subordinates would be happy to make efforts to achieve organizational goals. Behavioral sciences have contributed much to the understanding of this function of management. Personality surveys and job attitudes surveys provide important information on how managers can most effectively manage their subordinates. 1.2.3. Supervision as part of the management of preschool educationAn important part of the management in pre-school education is the educational supervision. Below we present its elements in more detail:Purpose of educational supervisionSupervision is an aspect of the education administration that is concerned with helping to develop a better teaching and learning situation. It offers guidance to teachers so that they can become competent in self-analysis, self-criticism, self-improvement and, ultimately, self-actualization. One of the functions of supervision is to ensure that educational policies and laws are properly implemented in order to improve student performance and develop education for young people. Therefore, educational supervision is mandatory in order to achieve and maintain satisfactory academic standards in educational institutions. The purpose of supervision is according to "Educational Management: Meaning, Nature and Scope" (2017):• To help improve the quality of educational institutions and student achievement;• To monitor the quality of the staff and the educational institution and the national educational goals;• To ensure the essence of the establishment of educational institutions worthy of producing well-educated citizens to work effectively in all sectors of the economy where their services are needed;• To directly influence the behavior of teachers and the teaching process to promote student learning.• Ensure that each individual teacher in the school system fulfills the duties for which he or she has been appointed• To identify some of the most urgent needs of the school.• To know the effectiveness of classroom management by teachers / lecturers;• To assess the vitality of the school and to identify some of its most urgent needs;• To provide guidance for staff development;• To provide the Ministry of Education with the fullest possible picture of the institutions;• Ensure that public funds for education are spent wisely in schools;• To fulfill the requirement for registration of an educational institution for public expertise;• To check the keeping of documentation in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations in the field of education;• To create a favorable climate for effective teaching and learning (Educational Management: Meaning, Nature and Scope2017).1.2.4. Control as part of the management of preschool educationThe control in the management of the preschool and educational administration is defined as a process of effective supervision, including control, organization and direction of both human and material resources in the educational institution. This term is also used to describe the study of these processes. It is a discipline within the study of education that examines the administrative theory and practice of education in general and educational institutions in particular and the professionals who work in them. The emphasis is on integrating children out of school through a variety of strategies and on providing eight years of school education for all children aged 6-14. It is aimed at overcoming gender and social disparities and keeping all children in school. As part of this activity, the education system is expected to become appropriate so that children and parents find the education system useful and responsive to their natural and social environment. Emphasis is also placed on the inclusion and participation of children from minority groups, disadvantaged children in cities, children from other disadvantaged groups and children with special educational needs in the educational process (Educational Management: Meaning, Nature and Scope 2017).According to the Principles of Management (2014), control includes ensuring that performance does not deviate from standards. Control consists of three steps, which include:(1) setting performance standards,(2) comparing actual performance against standards, and(3) take corrective action when necessary. Performance standards are often defined in monetary terms as revenue, expenses or profits, but may also be stated in other circumstances, such as units produced, number of defective products or levels of quality or customer service.Effective control requires the existence of plans, as planning provides the necessary standards or objectives for implementation. Control also requires a clear understanding of where it is and whose responsibility it is for any deviations from the standards. Two traditional control techniques are budget and performance audits. The audit includes verification and verification of documents and supporting documents. The budget audit provides information on where the organization is in relation to what is planned or budgeted, while the performance audit may try to determine whether the values ​​presented reflect actual performance. Although control is often seen as a financial criterion, managers must control both production and operational processes, service delivery procedures, compliance with company policies and many other activities in the organization (Principles of Management 2014).1.3. Preschool education in Greece - an overviewThe purpose of education in kindergartens in Greece, according to current legislation, is to promote the physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of children, in accordance with the objectives of the broader framework of primary and secondary education. In the immediate vicinity of the family environment, which is the first decisive factor for the child's development, the purpose of the kindergarten is not only to introduce children to the school system, but also to encourage relationships with peers in a supportive and stimulating environment. future successful implementation and involvement in the dynamics of Greek and international society (Pedagogical Institute (PI)) (PI-ΥΠΕΠΘ, 2002b; Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 3).1.3.1. Structure and organization of preschool education in GreeceMany educational reforms have been introduced in Greece in recent years, changing the structure of education and proposing new curricula. The two aforementioned reforms of kindergartens took place in 1980 and 1989, respectively; the second defines the goal of kindergarten education as facilitating the balanced and holistic development of preschool children in the psychomotor, cognitive, affective, social and moral spheres, in an atmosphere of freedom, security and inspiration (τιτσαράς, 2004; Doliopoulo, 2006). 7).The subsequent reform of 2002 changed the face of Greek education and shaped a new reality. The MNERA Institute presented a new curriculum - the single CTCF (PI-MNERA, 2002a), which was created to cover emerging social and scientific needs. This is an internal reform project based on pedagogical principles and methods aimed at significantly improving the education provided (λόλιου, 2002).The CTCF is based on two axes: preserving the independence of autonomous and independent subjects, on the one hand, and striving for a fundamental unification of all knowledge on the other; in other words, to emphasize the connections between autonomous objects (στσαράς, 2004). The CTCF covers the inter-thematic approach to knowledge, project development, teaching based on co-learning, promoting a form of learning based on research and critical thinking, raising collective awareness as far as the social and organizational context of the school is concerned, strengthening autonomy of pedagogues and the autonomy of the school unit, remodeling the dominant school culture and connecting to the immediate social environment. Flexibility of choice is a key word at all levels: topics, methodology, media, resources, roles of teachers and children / students, participation of municipal organizations and services, presentation of results and more. (PI-MNERA, 2002b; Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 7).Pre-school education, according to the CTCF, should make as many interdisciplinary links as possible, emphasizing the general basis of the subject, activities and goals that are expected in the realization of knowledge. Kindergarten becomes an integral part of primary education and its planning. In terms of content, the CTCF promotes the following subjects to be taught:(a) Language (reading and writing),b) Mathematics,(c) Ecological studies (on the natural and anthropogenic environment),(d) free expression and creativity (art, drama, music, physical education); ande) Computer science. For each science or subject, specific target skills are mentioned and some exemplary thematic activities are offered to make interdisciplinary links for pre-school children. Of course, the educator can plan his own activities based on the interests of the children and derive even better results from this combination (Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 7).The first attempt to implement the CTCF took place in the 2001-2002 school year. 2003-2004 was initially set as the academic year for its official introduction in all kindergartens in the country, which did not happen due to the change of government in March 2004. So its implementation was left to the discretion of kindergarten teachers, while in In 2005-2006, MNERA issued a document defining a combination of the 1989 kindergarten and the CTCF as the official curriculum (Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 7).1.3.2. Management of preschool education in GreecePre-school education in Greece, for children aged three to six, is provided in:(a) public and private kindergartens that are part of the first level of the national education system, ie(b) public (municipal) and private day care centers that provide care and education for the children of working parents (Zaharenákis, 1996).Participation in all public kindergartens, as well as in some municipal day care centers (depending on the municipality) is officially free, but it is well known that some significant financial burdens - mainly in terms of operating costs - are often imposed informally on parents. As for other public day care centers, fees are set in proportion to the parents' income, while private kindergartens charge for their services on the basis of fixed scales, which are constantly revised (Doliopoulou, 2006, p. 2). According to the same source, kindergartens in the Ministry of National Education and Religious Affairs (MNERA) accept children from four to six years of age in municipal day care centers for:(i) infants and(ii) young children accept children of all ages(i) three months to six years, and(ii) two and a half to six, respectively; finally, private day care centers(iii) infants and(iv) young children accept children aged (iii) from 40 days to 6 years and (iv) respectively two and a half to six years.According to the data published in the Management Staff for Early Childhood and School Education - Greece (2018), the body of the administration for children's education and care in kindergartens and children's centers is the board of directors of each center. The Board of Directors consists of municipal councilors, citizens or residents with relevant professional and social experience or specific expertise, as well as representatives of the children's parents and staff. The board of directors is chaired by the mayor or another elected member. One of the members of the Board of Directors is elected Deputy Chairman. The administrative bodies of the schools in primary and secondary education are the director of the school, the deputy director of the school and the teachers' council. Laboratory Centers (EC) are school units with an autonomous organizational structure. The administrative bodies of the EC are:a) the school principal,b) the deputy director of the school,(c) teachers responsible for the EC sectors; and(d) teachers responsible for referral laboratories. There is a teachers' council in each EC. Although the administration of school units is carried out in the same way in both primary and secondary education, the following options are observed (Management Staff for Early Childhood and School Education 2018):• Primary education - pre-school educationThe only administrative body in preschool schools is the head of the school or the head of the school.• Primary education - primary schoolsA school principal is appointed in primary schools with at least four teachers. In primary schools with one, two or three teachers, one of these teachers is the head teacher. In primary schools with at least ten teachers, a deputy principal is also appointed.• Secondary education - junior high schools, high schools, vocational high schools (EPAL), laboratory centers (EK)(a) The Deputy Director of a school shall be appointed in secondary schools with at least nine (9) grades. In schools with more than twelve (12) grades, a second deputy principal is appointed.b) A Deputy Director of a school is appointed in each EC with more than 250 students serving 2 (two) EPALs who work day and afternoon or evening (Management Staff for Early Childhood and School Education 2018).At the regional level, the management of education is carried out by the respective regional directorates for primary and secondary education. The regional directorates are headed by the regional directors of education, who monitor, coordinate, supervise and control the work of the directors in the field of education. At the central level, the management of education is carried out by consulting and scientific services and councils working in the Ministry of Education (Management Staff for Early Childhood and School Education 2018).1.4. Economic effects as a result of effective management of preschool educationThe fact is that the more educated a person is, the more opportunities he has as an adult and the higher quality of life he would be able to realize in adulthood. The fact is that the basis of quality education is laid in the childhood of the individual - it all starts with the age covered by kindergarten as an educational institution, continues through secondary education, goes through higher education and continues as lifelong learning. How can all this affect the economy of an entire country? As there are well-educated and responsible citizens who live in it. We have already presented the situation in Greece. We now continue the discussion with a different perspective - how all these efforts, both personal and professional, lead to the improvement of the country as a whole and in particular in economic terms.According to Sawhill et al. (2006), economists have long believed that investing in education or in the so-called "Human capital" is an important source of economic growth. Over the last 40 years, production has increased by about 3.5% per year. Growth in labor productivity, which is the main driver of rising wages and living standards, is estimated at about 2.4% per year. The contribution of education to the growth of labor productivity is estimated in various studies between 13 and 30 percent of the total increase. Whatever the contribution of education to past growth, investment in human capital may increase relative to investment in other forms of capital when moving to a post-industrial knowledge-based economy. Why can a more highly educated workforce increase economic growth? A more educated workforce is more mobile and adaptable, can more easily learn new tasks and skills, use a wider range of technologies and advanced equipment (including emerging ones) and is more creative on ways to improve management in their professional field. All these facts not only make a more skilled worker more productive than a less skilled one, but also allow employers to organize their jobs differently and better adapt to the changes imposed by competition through technical progress or from changes in consumer demand (Sawhill et al. 2006).Just as a company with better educated workers can perform better in these dimensions, so can an economy with a better educated workforce. Skills create more skills and new ways of doing business, workers learn from each other and companies adapt their technologies and capital use to the skills of the available workforce. The benefits of having a more educated workforce are reaping for everyone, not just the organization where these people happen. In addition, this type of indirect (or overflowing) effect on the company or the economy as a whole can be particularly important in an increasingly competitive global market. Imagine an economy that is lacking in people who can use a sophisticated copier or computer or understand the prevailing norms of behavior. Even if an organization in this economy has been able to find or import such skills, other organizations would not be able to invest in certain types of equipment or certain types of enterprises with any guarantee that it could make the investment profitable. In addition, a more educated workforce can create a healthier environment with better functioning civic institutions and all the benefits that affect the business sector in that environment (Sawhill et al. 2006).1.5. Educational effects as a result of effective management of preschool education"Education is the key to a brighter future for Greece and investment in education and training must be given priority, with an emphasis on improving the quality of teaching and educational leadership, with a greater emphasis on education and care. in early childhood and directing resources to the most needy educational institutions. In the context of the economic crisis and immediate urgent difficulties, the delegation of formal legislative, financial and human resources to local actors must be gradual and must be linked to ongoing efforts to develop the capacity to exercise new responsibilities. A preliminary assessment is provided with a set of policy options to address some of the challenges of the Greek education system presented below. The future work of the OECD for Greece will be based on this assessment (Education Policy in Greece 2017).Formal education is the main source of education in the modern world of civilization. There are still countries around the world that are still struggling to reach levels of quality education. Greece is making some progress in the field of education, but there are still steps that need to be taken when it comes to achieving maximum opportunities for early childhood education.According to Education Policy in Greece (2017), in a highly interconnected world where technological progress exceeds our expectations and puts strong pressure on education systems, OECD countries must continue to improve their educational outcomes. Greece is no exception, and although the results of the OECD International Student Assessment Program (PISA, which measures the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, math and science) are close to the OECD average, it lags behind many countries and does not show improvement in recent years. In addition, the basic skills of adults in Greece are lower than the average, as measured by the Adult Skills Survey, a product of the OECD International Adult Competence Assessment Program (PIAAC). These challenges come at a time when Greek educational spending is declining in the current very difficult economic context; now is the time to start evaluating how to improve the education system and strengthen school performance.According to the same source, a number of policy options are being proposed to help the Greek government address these challenges to the current state of the education system. Among other things - and in line with international best practice - the report focuses on the current organization of the education system and proposes measures so that schools have the capacity and support to provide high quality education by advancing decentralization and professional autonomy; development of school management; providing and developing evaluation capacity; providing high quality education for all trainees. It also addresses the need to ensure a smooth transition between schools and further opportunities for learning or inclusion in the labor market (Education Policy in Greece 2017).Chapter 2.Organization of the research2.1. Aim and tasks of the researchWith this dissertation we aim to: To check whether the effective management of preschool education has a positive impact on the economic and educational situation of the country and vice versa through the opinion of specialists involved in the education of preschool children.Some of the tasks that need to be performed in order to achieve the goal of our study are:- To define and research theoretically the issues related to the topic of our dissertation thesis;- To draw conclusions based on theoretical research;-To make full use of theoretical findings as a basis for our empirical research;- To plan the experimental part of our development - to develop two questionnaires for our target groups - directors of kindergartens and teachers in kindergartens;- To conduct the research - including first to make personal contact with the participants, to present to them the concept of the study, to explain the objectives of the study and to send a personal invitation to them to participate anonymously;- To analyze the results of the study;- To form the conclusions and the conclusion on the basis of the conducted research and the summary from it.2.2. Research hypothesesAt the beginning of our study we have two leading hypotheses.Hypothesis 1 - We assume that the more experienced and qualified the managers involved in preschool education, the better their effects will be in the short and long term.Hypothesis 2 - We assume that if the specialists in the management of pre-school education are highly qualified and have many years of experience in this field, the positive economic effect of their efforts will be reflected in the short and long term.2.3. Methodology and research methodsWe used different methods - both research and statistical - to achieve validity and representativeness of our results.In the study we mainly relied on the questionnaire as a method (see Appendices 1 and 2 in the text of the dissertation). To statistically process all collected data, we applied SPSS, the latest available version, t-test, Chi-square, ONEWAY ANOVA and other auxiliary statistical methods.Regarding the details in the development and preparation of the questionnaire, we applied some of the following markers:- We have included an equal number of issues related to the educational effect of preschool education management compared to the number of issues related to its economic impact. The questions are randomized in all questionnaires for both principals and teachers.- There are an equal number of questions about the short-term and long-term effects of education in Greece. Again, these questions are random in the whole questionnaire for both principals and teachers.- There are an equal number of questions about the short-term and long-term effects on the Greek economy. Again, these questions are random in the whole questionnaire for both principals and teachers.- We applied similar questions to the two target groups so that we could compare the answers of the principals in preschool education and the teachers in preschool age.- We provided "Explanatory Notes" and "Address to the Participants" from both target groups. I also included my personal contacts so that participants could contact me at any time in case they were hesitant about a question or a question arose in the process of completing the questionnaire that they wanted to clarify (see Annex 1 and Annex 1). 2 in the text of the dissertation).We conducted our theoretical and empirical research in the following research phases:First phase: Preparatory phaseTheoretical review and creation of the foundations of our two questionnaires. In addition, we used our own experience and practice in organizing the questionnaires and formulating the questions in them. Combining both theoretical research and findings and our personal knowledge and experience, we were able to collect and create a successful tool for researching the topic of our dissertation.Period of implementation of the first phase: May 2016 - April 2017Phase two: Research phaseIn this research phase we did the research itself: we contacted the participants and met them, explained the objectives of the research and invited them to participate anonymously in our research. It was a very intense period with many contacts both personally and virtually. I was able to get a lot of support, both moral and emotional, from my colleagues involved in the management of pre-school education, and I was able to conduct my research according to my initial plans. My intentions have been fully realized and there are many valuable findings in this research analysis that would stimulate the Greek preschool system to develop in a positive direction if they are taken into account by professionals directly involved in the management of preschool education in Greece.This phase also includes the time spent collecting and preparing the draft analyzes of all the questionnaires, together with the comments, recommendations and notes that the participants ask me to distribute, which are important at the moment in Greece.Period of implementation of the second phase: May 2017 - June 2018Third phase: Analytical and final phaseIn this research phase, I was able to focus on more aspects of our research analysis. Time allowed me to consult with statisticians, mathematicians and other specialists who helped me analyze this huge quality and quantity of data that I received after the successful implementation of the second phase.At this stage I analyzed the results, managed to make conclusions and summaries based on the results of the study.Period of implementation of the third phase: July 2018 - March 20192.4. Participants in the studyThe current study is conducted with preschool professionals, including kindergarten principals and kindergarten teachers. We need to analyze their personal and professional point of view on this issue in the scope of this dissertation. Our respondents are experts who are directly involved in preschool education, which we find the most competent and familiar with the subject we studied for the purposes of our research. We would like to expand this study in our future work to gain a broader view of Greek opinion on this important topic for all of us. These initiatives remain in our future plans. We are now focusing on the current research sample, the results and data of which we rely on in our research and analysis.Our study involved 47 principals in the field of preschool education and 104 preschool teachers. Table 1 presents the participants in our study.Chapter 3Analysis of the results - qualitative and quantitative analysisBelow are some of the most important results we were able to derive from our study. We intended to include more information, but it turned out to be limited by the volume of the dissertation pages. For this reason, we have summarized some of the most important findings from our study.We present data obtained from preschool principals, followed by data from preschool teachers, and finally conclude with a comparison between these two main groups to see the differences and similarities in their views on the topic of this study.3.1. Analysis of the opinion of the directors of preschool institutionsIn these paragraphs we present a summary of the analysis - both qualitative and quantitative - of the opinion of principals in the field of preschool age.3.3. Comparison of the views of principals and teachersIn this last paragraph of the analysis, we present a comparison between the results we received from the principals and the teachers in the hope of obtaining a more objective picture and analysis of the current situation in the management of pre-school education in Greece.ConclusionsWe managed to realize the pre-set tasks and this logically led us to achieve our main research goal, which is to verify whether the effective management of preschool education has a positive impact on the economic and educational state of the country and vice versa, according to experts involved in preschool children.The achieved tasks are:We have defined and researched theoretically the issues related to the topic of our dissertation;We drew conclusions for theoretical research;We used theoretical findings as a basis for our empirical research;We successfully developed the experimental part of our development - we prepared the two questionnaires for our target groups - directors of kindergartens and teachers in kindergartens;Then we conducted the research - including initial contact with the participants, acquaintance with them, explained the objectives of the study and invited them to participate anonymously in it;Finally, we analyzed the results of it, forming conclusions and summaries of the findings of the study, which allowed me to announce the results of this study in the dissertation.The analysis performed is valid and representative.The two leading hypotheses were confirmed by the results of our study, namely:Hypothesis 1: The more experienced and qualified the managers involved in preschool education, the better the effects of short-term and long-term educational effects.Hypothesis 2: When the specialists involved in the management of pre-school education are highly qualified and have experience in this field for a longer period of time, the economic effect of their efforts is reflected in the short and long term.In the future, there is much to be done in this area in order to achieve the best opportunities that Greek children and future citizens of Greece can achieve.ConclusionAfter the efforts invested in this study have paid off many times over with the achievement of these valuable data, we can draw some important conclusions on the topic of the study, namely:1. The management of pre-school education is a very fragile topic because it is directly related to our children and their future. All the professionals involved are aware of this and try to achieve the best so that children can get the best opportunities for their future development.2. It is important to seek the opinion of professionals who are directly involved in the field and are familiar with all the laws and practices at the time of the study - as we did in the study presented in this dissertation.3. The principals are deeply connected with the administrative and legal side of the management of pre-school education.4. The economic effects of the management of pre-school education are due to various causes and consequences of current practices.5. The educational effects of the management of pre-school education are due to various causes and consequences of current practices.Some of the recommendations based on the results of our study are:1. Legislators, legislators and politicians must listen carefully to the opinions and experiences of pre-school education practitioners, such as principals and teachers. In the daily realization of the products of the former (legislators), the latter (practitioners) are in a position to provide the most appropriate guidance and feedback to politicians on further improvements and recommendations for changes and incentives for the continuation or not of a preschool policy. education.2. Principals involved in the management of pre-school education play a key role in the pre-school education process.3. Teachers of pre-school children are important factors who act professionally on a practical level in the field of pre-school education. This makes their position on the research topic crucial.It would be interesting for researchers with the same or similar questions to ask Greek citizens, to ask them the same or similar questions to those discussed in this dissertation, but addressed to specialists in preschool education. We would like to expand this study in our future work to gain a broader view of the Greek opinion on this important topic for all of us.YieldsTheoretical contributions:As a result of the present dissertation the following theoretical contributions can be distinguished:1. Inclusion of analysis of a large number of literature sources related to the research topic.2. Preparation of in-depth analyzes based on the research on the topic of the dissertation.3. Outlining the most important points of view on this issue, including our analysis and personal point of view and thus enriched the modern theoretical concept on the topic of the dissertation.Practical contributions:1. We have created a research toolkit for discovering and extracting information on the management of preschool education in modern Greece.2. We created unique questionnaires specifically for the purposes of this study.3. We contacted a large number of professionals involved in preschool education.4. We have analyzed the opinions and suggestions of the specialists in order to be able to prepare a summary and recommendations of the current dissertation. We find this to be an extremely valuable source of information on the current state of preschool education management in the Hellenic Republic.PublicationsGakopulos, Thomas. (2016) High-quality preschool education services: perspectives and future benefits. Autumn Doctoral Readings Conference, 2016, FNPP, Sofia, 2016Gakopoulos, Thomas. (2016) Governmental policy in encouraging pre-school education services - its role for future economic benefits. Autumn Doctoral Readings Conference, 2016, FNPP, Sofia, 2016