Opinions of school administrators and teachers on the teaching career stages exam and its application

The aim of this study is to reveal and analyze the opinions of teachers and school administrators regarding the Teaching Career Steps Exam and its application. The study group was selected using a purposive sampling method and consisted of 10 teachers and 10 school administrators working in Kırşehir province during the 2024-2025 academic year. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used as the data collection tool. To enhance the validity and reliability of the interview form, an extensive literature review was conducted, expert opinions were obtained, and necessary adjustments were made accordingly. Content analysis was used to analyze the data; to ensure reliability, the agreement between the codes and themes created by the researchers and two independent experts was calculated using Miles and Huberman's (1994) percent agreement formula. The agreement rate between the coders was found to be .91. The research findings indicate that for the career ladder system to directly contribute to educational quality, it must move beyond being a distinction based solely on title. It is recommended that the system be transformed into a structure that develops teachers' pedagogical skills, enhances their professional motivation, strengthens the school climate, and reinforces a sense of justice.