CampusDownWiki CampusDown ↗
English

Katz's Stages of Preschool Teacher Development

📚 Education By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: Katz's model says preschool teachers grow through survival, consolidation, renewal and maturity, each needing different kinds of support.
Contents
  1. 1. The four stages
  2. 2. Implications
  3. 3. References

The four stages

  • Stage 1 Survival (first year): "Can I get through the day?" The gap between expectations and reality causes anxiety. Teachers need on-site encouragement and concrete skills.
  • Stage 2 Consolidation (years 2-3): confident about surviving, teachers focus on individual children and problem behaviour. Advice from colleagues and specialists helps.
  • Stage 3 Renewal (years 3-4): routine feels stale and teachers seek new ideas through conferences, workshops and visits.
  • Stage 4 Maturity (year 5 on): deeper questions about the purpose and philosophy of education, supported by graduate study, seminars and writing.

Implications

Katz (1972) stressed that timing varies and that teacher education should match each stage, which supports mentoring for novices and self-directed study for veterans. The model is often compared with Fuller's stages of teacher concern (self, task, impact).

References

  1. Katz, L. G. (1972). Developmental stages of preschool teachers. The Elementary School Journal, 73(1), 50-54.
  2. Fuller, F. F. (1969). Concerns of teachers: A developmental conceptualization. American Educational Research Journal, 6(2), 207-226.
  3. Katz, L. G. (1995). Talks with Teachers of Young Children. Ablex.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

There are no materials dedicated to this theory yet, but you can search related reports in the CampusDown library (Korean).

Find more reports · Search '카츠의 교사 발달단계' on CampusDown →
Formal and Informal LearningFormal, non-formal and informal learning compared: Coombs and Ahmed's typology, UNESCO ISCED definitions, Marsick and Watkins on informal and incidental learning, the 70:20:10 debate and implications for adult and lifelong learning.📚 EducationPiaget's Theory of Cognitive DevelopmentPiaget's theory of cognitive development explained: schema, assimilation, accommodation, equilibration, the four stages, comparison with Vygotsky, criticisms, and report examples.📚 EducationBandura's Social Learning TheoryBandura's social learning theory explained: observational learning, vicarious reinforcement, reciprocal determinism, self-efficacy, the Bobo doll experiment, criticisms, and report examples.📚 EducationSkinner's Operant ConditioningSkinner's operant conditioning explained: reinforcement and punishment, schedules of reinforcement, shaping and extinction, the law of effect, criticisms, and report examples.📚 Education

You may also like

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)Brown v. Board of Education (1954) summary: the case, Chief Justice Warren's unanimous ruling, why 'separate but equal' fell, and what happened after.⚖️ LawIntestate SuccessionWho inherits when someone dies without a will: how U.S. intestacy statutes rank spouses, children and other relatives, how per stirpes works, and how Korea's Civil Act sets heirs, shares and representation.⚖️ LawThe Rule of LawWhat is the rule of law? Its meaning and history from Magna Carta to United States v. Nixon, Dicey and Fuller's principles, and how it differs from rule by law.⚖️ LawCommon Law vs. Civil LawCommon law vs. civil law: how the two legal families differ on sources of law, precedent, trials and judges, and where Korea's mixed system fits between them.⚖️ Law

This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.