ABSTRACT

Numerous studies have long confirmed the importance of the director in a kinder- garten. However, the role of the director has always been ambiguous in affiliated kindergartens of public elementary schools in Taiwan. The objectives of this study were:1. To investigate the roles a novice director plays in her first-year administrative work.2. To explore the challenges faced by this novice director. Data were collected from interviews with the director, former director, co-teacher, and principal of the elementary school, as well as documentation, including minutes of school administrative meetings and calendars. Observations and videotaping also were conducted. The research found that the novice director played multiple roles, such as decision maker, consultant, curriculum designer, communicator, and administrative leader. The challenges faced by her included an imbalance between administrative work and teaching responsibilities, interpersonal relationship with the staff, and administrative management. The most difficult challenge was the imbalance between administrative work and teaching responsibilities.

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