Professional development of kindergarten teachers in Croatia - a personal choice or an obligation

The quality of educational processes with children of preschool age and long-term educational outcomes are largely related to the work quality of teachers. Lifelong learning and professional development, as predictors of quality, need to be regarded as an ongoing task for kindergarten teachers. Findings of an empirical study of Croatian kindergarten teachers' views (N=388) on professional development point to a link between teachers' intrinsic motivation and their professional development. Motivation explains 46.87% of the variance Personal commitment to professional development. A slight positive correlation was found between the level of formal education and the frequency of professional development (r=.216, p<.01). Although the level of education of kindergarten teachers is not a good independent predictor, it affects readiness to self-fund professional development (p<.01). As for the significance of conferences as a form of professional development, participants of the study identified them as an effective opportunity (M=4.68, SD=.52), promoting both quality practices (M=4.69, SD=.54) and exchange of experiences (M=4.68, SD=.56). The length of participants' professional work experience affects their assessment of the significance of practitioners' networking as a way of improving the quality of everyday practices (F=1.43, p<.05).