Preschool Teachers’ Perception of the Effect between the Principal’s Support, Quality of Interpersonal Relationships and Loyalty of Employees in Preschool Institutions

Abstract

Principal’s support is an unquestionable component of preschool institutions, especially in the development of interpersonal relationships, which have to be the foundation for building cooperative culture, learning communities and caring environments where the youngest generations grow and learn. Numerous researchers have examined the issue of the principal’s support in attaining the success of preschool institutions, satisfaction of employees and the growth of professional communities. However, there is little research into the significance of the principal’s support for quality interpersonal relationships in preschool institutions, especially in Croatia. Therefore, this research focused on the correlation between the support from principals and the quality of interpersonal relationships and employees’ loyalty. The aim of the research was to examine the effect between the principal's support, the quality of interpersonal relationships and the loyalty of employees through the perception of pre-school educators in Croatia. The research was conducted on a sample of 332 preschool educators in the Republic of Croatia. The following scales were used: The principal Support Scale, School Loyalty Scale and Faculty Survey, which were modified for this study. Using SEM, a partial mediation model (no recursive model) was confirmed. The effect of the mediation variable loyalty to the institution in the relationship between the principal's support and the quality of interpersonal relationships was proven. The partial mediation model in SEM indicates that the principal's support through employees' loyalty to the kindergarten has a positive effect on the quality of interpersonal relationships.