The effect of in-service training on the teacher development: The evaluation of the teacher professional development program

Abstract

The teacher has very important roles and responsibilities in reaching the aims of education, which is an important organ in the development of societies. Therefore, it is very important to train teachers who will introduce the desired knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to individuals in the society and to provide them with the content knowledge, professional formation, and general culture they need. Providing the pre-service and in-service development of teachers is a very important issue. Subjects such as the need-based nature of in-service training, the suitability of the training time for employees, the functionality of the methods and techniques used in teaching, and the teaching period are the key elements that determine the effectiveness of this training, although its importance in the professional development is acknowledged by everybody. The aim of this study is to evaluate the secondary school teachers’ perceptions of a professional development program. In this study, an evaluation of the in-service training program consisting of 8 modules of 3 hours for secondary school teachers was performed. The study group of the research, in which the qualitative method was used, consisted of 67 teachers participating in the in-service training. An interview form consisting of 11 questions was used as the assessment tool. As a result of the study, the teachers stated that the in-service training they received contributed to their professional development. Furthermore, the teachers expressed that they had difficulty with the problems related to the time of the in-service training and the room in which the training was provided. The teachers believe that the practical professional training integrating the theory with practice will be more beneficial. Teachers need in-service training in subjects such as the behavioural management, creativity, and problemsolving, educational technologies, and material development. Therefore, it may be more functional to provide the need-based in-service training to small groups rather than providing in-service training to very large and crowded groups. It is beneficial to develop continuous in-service training programs that will provide the participation of all teachers, although they contribute more to teachers who participate in the in-service training voluntarily. © The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology