Preschool teachers' beliefs about their own professional development and kindergarten culture

Kontinuirani profesionalni razvoj odgajatelja te pozitivna, učinkovita i dinamična kultura preduvjet su kvalitetnih promjena u radnom okruženju. Iako je važnost profesionalnog razvoja i unaprjeđenje kvalitete kulture vrtića neupitna za kvalitativne promjene u praksi, nedovoljno se zna o tome kako sami odgajatelji konceptualiziraju, razumijevaju i nastoje podržati svoj profesionalni razvoj, koje prakse podupiru, koji čimbenici utječu na njihova uvjerenja te na koje načine doprinose razvoju kulture ustanove. Cilj ovog rada je pregled znanstvenih radova s tematikom profesionalnog razvoja i kulture vrtića u kontekstu poticanja pozitivnih promjena u radnom okruženju i doprinosa razvoju kvalitete kulture vrtića. Pregled je usmjeren na teorijske i empirijske radove u bazama WOS i Scopus od 2017. do 2022. godine. Razmatrane su sadržajne i metodološke značajke studija koje su ušle u konačnu analizu (N=13). Temeljem pregleda radova treba se istaknuti potreba za osnaživanjem odgajatelja za kontinuirani profesionalni razvoj te vođenje odgojno-obrazovnih usta-nova u smjeru pružanja potrebnih uvjeta za poticanje pozitivne kulture vrtića, okruženja za učenje i razvoj. Evidentan je manjak istraživanja tematike uvjerenja odgajatelja o profesionalnom razvoju i kulturi ustanove u području ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja te je nužno intenziviranje njihova provođenja. Razumijevanje odgajateljskih uvjerenja na radnom mjestu o odgojno-obrazovnim i drugim pita-njima povezanima s njihovim radom, može pomoći u osuvremenjivanju njihovoga inicijalnog obrazovanja i stručnog usavršavanju tijekom rada.Continuous professional development of a preschool educator and also positive, effective and dynamic culture are all preconditions of good quality changes in working enviroment. Although importance of professional development and improvement of quality of culture of preschool institutions is non-negotiable for qualitative changes in practice, there is unsufficient knowledge about how preschool teachers by themselves conceptualize, understand and try to support their professional development, which practices they support, which factors affect their beliefs and how they contribute developing culture of institution. The goal of this paper is to review scientific papers with subject of professional development and culture of preschool institutions in context of encouraging positive changes in working enviroment and contribution to quality of preschool institutions culture in bases of WOS and Scopus from year 2017. to 2022. Substantive and methodological features of studies which entered final analises (N=13) are being considered. Research included scope of early and preeschool upbringing and education, professional development and professionalism of preschool educators, beliefs of preschool educators, the culture of institution and leadership. Based on the review, the need to empower preschool educators in continuous professional development and leadership in upbringing-educational institutions in direction of providing conditions needed to encourage positive culture of kindergarten, learning environment and development, should be pointed out. The lack of research on beliefs of preschool educators about professional development and culture of institution in area of early and preschool upbringing and education is evident. Because of that, intensifying their implementation is necessary. Understanding preschool educator's beliefs in workplace in upbringing-educational and other questions related with their work can be of help in modernization of their initial education and professsional development during work