Abstract:

The concept of professional learning in this work is presented as a process of continuous and systemic work on investigation, familiarization, understanding and creation of kindergarten culture, i.e. kindergarten reality. As regards this process, kindergarten teachers and their roles become very significant while they take an active role and become the investigators of one's own practice. Moreover, they become reflective practitioners and also the initiators and authors of change which affects their own development as well as the development of the kindergarten culture as a whole.

Many authors articulate kindergarten culture as the key determinant of qualitative and deep change in practice and point out that only the change of the culture of an educational institution brings about the change of all the other determinations of the quality of institution.

Culture of the educational institution represents one of the key cornerstones of qualitative change in practice and in the implementation of the fundamental provisions of the Croation National Curriculum for Early and Preschool Education (2015), particularly in the understanding of importance of educators professional development. It is recognized by the mutual relations of the members of the institution and their common work, the style of management, the organizational and physical environment, and by the degree of focus on continuous learning and research of the educational practice.

The theoretical part of the work, therefore, relates to the complexity and dynamics of the culture of the institution through chapters that outline its dimensions more extensively and conclude in their interdependence in action, emphasizing the importance of professional development as a way of improving the quality of culture of the institution.

A thesis identifies that the real improvements can take place only if they come from 'the inside', i.e. from the employees themselves. They create the network of common values, beliefs, norms and relations which brings the responsibility for creating a cooperational and professional learning culture among kindegarten practitioners and expert assistants. While a change itself cannot take place, it is necessary to create the inside conditions aimed at the permanent common learning of both teachers and children, creating thus the model of collaborative and collegial interpersonal relations where the ideas are shared and the solutions for various practical challenges are searched for. By doing so, joint force creates a better and more human institution that is in accordance with human (children) nature and where everybody feels good about themselves.

The theoretical part of this work supports the relationship between kindergarten teacher professional learning and development and the development of kindergarten culture. The research part of the work gives the overview of the strategy of kindergarten teacher professional learning via an action research model that aims at creating the conditions where kindergarten teachers would have the opportunity to develop their own research and reflective skills as well as to investigate and question their own educational practice and also beliefs, i.e. 'one's own' theories. The research focus is being put on a visible dimension of culture, i.e. spatial-material kindergarten environment.

Keywords:

Action research, the concept of professional learning, the culture of educational institution, reflective practice.