Motivation of Early Childhood Education Teachers in the Pursuit of Pedagogical Mastery

Abstract

The article concerns the role of motivation among early education teachers in striving for pedagogical mastery. The aim of the exploratory research was to outline the motives of early childhood education teachers in their pursuit of pedagogical mastery. The main challenge was to determine what factors motivate a teacher to strive for excellence and what methods are used to achieve it. This question was answered by collecting empirical evidence from January to May 2019. The research conducted by the author was of a mixed nature (quantitative and qualitative).
 The findings suggest that there are many motives for Polish teachers of early childhood education to achieve pedagogical mastery, but chief among them is financial gratification. In Poland, the amount of remuneration depends on one’s professional degree. A professional career and its further advancement is balanced with the journey to achieve pedagogical mastery.