Examination of preschool teachers' opinions and experiences regarding professional development processes

In today's world where knowledge is constantly changing and developing, the teaching profession is also a part of this change. Professional development practices facilitate this change process. The aim of this study, which was conducted by using phenomenology, one of the qualitative research methods, is to examine the experiences and opinions of preschool teachers about professional development processes. The research was conducted with ten preschool teachers. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and professional development experience form. Deductive and inductive methods were used in the data analysis process. The results of the research were presented under the themes of content focus, active learning, coherence, collective participation, and duration. As a result of the research, it is among the findings that teachers benefit more from professional development practices that are prepared in line with their needs, are practice-based, involve colleague interaction and collective participation. The results of the research are discussed in line with the components that make professional development effective and related suggestions are presented.