A Smile Is Not Enough, Part I: Developing an Intervention for Continuous Positive Feedback, 2013

We have limited evidence of quality work within kindergartens aiming to reduce sickness absence and increase individual and collective performances. In this study we develop an intervention with the overall aim of increasing employee coping, quality work, and reducing sickness absence in kindergartens. This is done by exploring kindergarten employee's understanding of quality work, what motivates them in their work, and, necessary feedback within the work environment for increased motivation.

The starting point for our intervention is that employees in kindergartens experience a lack of positive feedback on their work effort. The kindergarten staff has a wide range of work tasks; direct children-orientated work, practical tasks, and parental follow up. Feedback on an individual's competence and competence development in providing quality care through these tasks is unsystematic. Feedback could be the smile from a child, the attention of the management, or feedback from a parent. We believe that this type of unsystematic feedback is not sufficient.

We used the extended focus group methodology in the data collection with employees (Berg 2009). We also developed an interview guide with an additional pre-questionnaire. We sent an information letter, an informed consent form for potential interviewees and information regarding the research to each leader via e-mail. The kindergarten leaders selected participants for the interviews. Six to eight participants are appropriate for such interviews. Data were gathered from six participants in one kindergarten and from eight in each of the remaining three kindergartens (total n=30). Approximately a week before the interviews, the participants received the pre-questionnaire. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. In a second meeting with the interviewees, we introduced the analyses of the collected data to ensure that the intervention development built on valid information. Summaries of the dialogues with kindergarten leaders were transcribed and used as additional information in development of the intervention, as were PWC summaries.