Kindergarten Teachers’ Identity and Their Professional Identity Formation in the Central Region of Ghana

The study examined the professional identity level of kindergarten teachers and the challenges affecting their identity formation in the Central Region in Ghana. The concurrent mixed method design using identical samples for both quantitative and qualitative data was used. The study comprised all Kindergarten teachers in the municipality. The census sampling procedure was thus employed in selecting 182 kindergarten teachers for the study. A questionnaire with some open-ended items was used to gather data. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively while qualitative data were thematically analysed. The study revealed that kindergarten teachers’ professional identity level was high; kindergarten teachers faced challenges such as the description of themselves as little above babysitters and inadequate learning resources. The data also revealed that majority of the members of society perceived kindergarten teaching as work for less intelligent teachers who do not have the requisite skills and capabilities to teach at higher grades. It was recommended among other things that the district directorate of education policymakers embark on a communication drive to educate society on the significance of early childhood education; provide more professional development opportunities for teachers to upgrade and also provide adequate resources to make teaching at KG level effective.