Page 74 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

A Paradigm Shift for Teachers’ Professional Development Structure in Turkey

classrooms. In Turkey, in-service training programmes for teachers are mostly organized by the Ministry
of National Education (MoNE), Directorate-General for Teacher Training, Department of Professional
Development and Monitoring. MoNE has organized in-service training activities since 1960 to raise
teachers’ efficiency in their teaching practices and prepare them for future assignments. The first example
of these activities was the two seminars held in 1960 with 85 participants. Since then, a total of 11,081
activities have been organised with the participation of 391,829 staff (Directorate-General for Teacher
Training and Development, 2014). The in-service training programmes organized by the MoNE can be
grouped, according to their objectives, as orientation training for newly appointed teachers, candidacy
training, preparatory training for higher appointments, training for expert educators, training for per-
sonal and professional development, and adaptation training for field-switching teachers. The stages
of organization and implementation of these in-service training programmes are summarized in the
following section.

Determining Educational Needs

Studies on teacher efficacy in Turkey have risen due to the constant changes in the responsibilities of teach-
ers, and the competencies that are required. In this context, MoNE has, to a certain extent, collaborated
with universities and specified ‘Teacher Competencies’ (MoNE, 2008). Although MoNE aims to take
into account these teacher adequacies when planning educational activities in order to respond to teach-
ers’ constantly evolving and changing needs, the national report cards and research studies show that the
proclaimed alignments are barely reflected in the professional development plans and implementations.
In addition, MoNE plans educational activities in the light of teachers’ demands, challenges in the
regulations, advances in science and technology, inspection reports by the administration, and similar
action plans. In recent years, the MoNE has determined teachers’ in-service training needs through
surveys on the teaching profession, information technologies, and personal development. For instance,
planning for central and provincial in-service training programmes in 2014 was undertaken according
to the results of a survey of 37,450 teachers; however, the participants were a fraction of the 800,000
plus teachers and administrators in Turkey.
Since teachers inevitably have different in-service training needs, it is important that programmes are
designed and implemented to meet these various needs (Gokdere & Cepni, 2004; Onen et al., 2009; Fok
et al,. 2005; Rubba, 1985; Klein, 2001). Studies suggest that teachers’ needs have not been taken fully
into account by MoNE in the planning process of the in-service training activities, and, consequently,
the activities fail to meet the needs of the teacher participants (Gultekin, Cubukcu, & Dal, 2010; Budak
& Demirel, 2003).

Planning Educational Activities

Every year, the in-service training programmes for teachers are planned and implemented by the Ministry
in the capital and by local education authorities in the remainder of the country. Unfortunately, studies
have drawn attention to the failure to assign qualified staff to plan and design needs-based content, and
also to the lack of implementing a sufficient number of these training events (Gultekin, Cubukcu & Dal,
2010; Onen et al., 2009; Gokdere & Cepni, 2004; Gokdere & Kucuk, 2003).

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