This paper theoretically and empirically deals with the relationship between the concepts of social status and professional development of early childhood and preschool teachers' profession, while discussing the possibility of complementing two dominantly sociological and pedagogical traditions from which they derived. Low social status of early childhood and preschool teacher profession has not been significantly improved, neither in the context of continuous emerging of new professions in the late modernity, neither in the context of flourishing of different approaches to professional development. For this reason, we were interested in determining the attitudes of early childhood and preschool teachers about the position and relevance of their profession in our society, as well as whether there is a connection between the mentioned attitudes and early childhood and preschool teachers' attitudes to professional development. We conducted a survey in December 2013 on the sample of N=270 early childhood and preschool teachers in the area of Zagreb and Rijeka. The results showed that early childhood and preschool teachers believe they perform an extremely responsible job which is professionally and materially undermined in our society. However, the results also showed that there is a certain connection between positive cultures of educational institutions, professional development of early childhood and preschool teachers and their positive perception of the social status of early childhood and preschool teacher profession. This connection should be explored further since it opens a space for

dosadašnjim istraživanjima bila zanemarena -djece rane i predškolske dobi. Bourdieuova teza o trima oblicima kulturnog kapitala operacionalizirana je u području glazbe. Kao indikatori institucionaliziranoga glazbenog kulturnog kapitala roditelja korišteni su opće i glazbeno obrazovanje, utjelovljenoga glazbeni angažman roditelja i djece i roditeljske glazbene odgojne prakse, a objektiviranoga materijalni glazbeni resursi koje obitelj posjeduje i kojim se koriste u procesu glazbene socijalizacije. Istraživanje je provedeno 2013. godine metodom ankete na uzorku roditelja čija djeca pohađaju vrtić na području grada Rijeke (N = 342). Kod većine obitelji učestalo je prakticiranje glazbenih aktivnosti s djecom, posjedovanje glazbenih resursa koji te aktivnosti omogućuju, ali i vrlo ograničeno uključivanje djece u izvanvrtićke glazbene aktivnosti. Pronađene su razmjerno slabe veze roditeljskoga općeg i glazbenog obrazovanja s oblicima glazbenih odgojnih praksi i posjedovanja glazbenih materijalnih resursa. Na transmisiju glazbenog kapitala snažnije, ali još uvijek relativno slabo, utječu glazbeno obrazovanje roditelja i prošli ili sadašnji roditeljski glazbeni angažman od njihova općeg obrazovanja. Zaključno, glazbena socijalizacija djece te dobi nema, u burdijeovskom smislu, distinktivnu funkciju transmisije kulturnog kapitala, nego se zbiva u sklopu rodnog obrasca roditeljske brige za dijete rane i predškolske dobi, prema kojem je majka u svim dimenzijama (glazbene) socijalizacije angažiranija od oca. Ključne

The paper tries to connect two theoretical concepts: ?child as a project? and gender division of household work involving childcare. Although these concepts are tightly interrelated and intertwined and it might seem that it is not possible to talk about the one without the other, the impression is that in research where they are trying to be connected, the modern concept of ?child as a project? appears in theoretical-interpretative function of research, but the operationalization is stopped in determining those activities which belong in more traditional construction of childhood, now already classically expressed by dichotomy of childcare in opposition to play and fun with child. This paper tends to broaden such dichotomous model by practices that would represent parental investment in child and verify if and how much these practices are gendered. For this purpose, we conducted survey in 2013. with parents (N=261) whose children attend kindergartens in the area of city of Rijeka. Since our research involved parents of children of early and preschool age, the third dimension of our theoretical model was directed into educational activities of parents typical of that child age as a backbone of ?project? approach to childhood. An instrument of Likert type was constructed containing 15 items by which we covered all three dimensions. Factor analysis under the component model extracted four factors. Analysis showed that the activities of childcare are still dominantly maternal activities, while play and fun with child, as well as activities directed into setting the good educational foundation, are the domain of both parents. It seems, at least according to our sample, that the parental investment in child is more of a common practice of both parents, but that some traditional divisions still maintain.

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“Learning by doing” within and together with a “community that learns” ought to become the fundamental method of learning – not only for children, but also for their teachers and other participants in the educational process. To what extent are students of early and preschool education involved in such work methods, and what have their experiences been like?An example of a research-based, reflective approach to practice grounded in action research and the co-construction of knowledge with students shall be presented as an example of quality practice at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Rijeka. Such a form of practice creates knowledge through the action itself and through contemplation of one’s actions and the actions of others, all with the purpose of strengthening the practical competencies of future teachers. Our conclusion is that mutual learning, as propounded by the social constructivist approach to education, within the context of the mutual discussions between students and teachers that we organized directly contributed to the development of (self-)reflectioncompetencies among future teachers, while also immersing all participants in an environment conducive to deliberation and the (re)definition of oneself and one’s own pedagogical work.