Continuing professional development of teachers: Interplay of the school management, school climate, motivation and incentives

This study is aimed to explore interconnections of incentives and motivation that instigate and affect teachers to participate in programs for continuing professional development of teachers (CPDT) with organizational characteristics (effective school management and supportive school climate) that support teachers' participation in the CPDT programs, and their satisfaction with these programs. The sample of teachers from 92 primary schools in Serbia (N=1162) were included. The data were collected by three instruments that consisted of 93 items in total, that had to measure perception of: supportiveness of the school management, the school climate, and the different incentives and motives. The collected data were subjected to a few common (frequencies, std. deviation, means, etc.) and more complex statistical proceedings (exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation model analysis). The results indicate complex interplay of motivation and incentives with perceived school management and perceived school climate, with emphasis on requirement for detailed planning, development and distribution of CPDT programs that are useful for everyday activities of teachers, for their self-realization and for improvement of their performance, while in this process special attention should be given to development of effective school management and school climate conductive for teacher's continuing professional development.