Examining the opinions of specialist teachers on the application of the teaching career step in the framework of the general competencies of the teaching profession

The purpose of this research is to examine the application of the teaching career stage within the framework of the General Competencies for the Teaching Profession, in line with the opinions of specialist teachers in terms of the quality of the training received before the exam, the characteristics measured by the exam and its contribution to professional development. In the research, a convergent (parallel) design, one of the mixed methods designs, was used and the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of the study were conducted simultaneously. In the quantitative dimension of the research, a relational-descriptive survey design was used and three different scales were developed and applied by the researcher. While the population of the research consists of 6095 specialist teachers working in public schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the Selçuklu district of Konya province, the quantitative sample consists of 550 teachers who were selected by criterion sampling method, participated in the specialist teacher training program and gained this status by taking the specialist teaching career stage exam. The data of the research were obtained with the Specialist Teaching Career Ladder Education Evaluation Scale, Specialist Teaching Career Ladder Exam Evaluation Scale and Specialist Teacher Title Evaluation Scale developed by the researcher. The analysis of the data obtained was made using the SPSS 25 program. In this context, in order to determine teachers' opinions on the career ladder application, difference analyzes were carried out to determine whether there was a significant difference between education, exam and title evaluation scores, gender and branch variables, and whether there was a significant relationship with exam scores. In the qualitative dimension of the research, the case study method was used. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants using a semi-structured interview form. The qualitative sample consists of 30 teachers who were determined by the purposeful sampling method, one of the non-random sampling approaches, and who were qualified to become specialist teachers by taking the specialist teaching career stage exam. The opinions of these 30 specialist teachers were subjected to content analysis with the Nvivo12 Plus package program. According to the findings obtained as a result of the analysis: Specialist teachers' experiences and opinions regarding the teaching career stage application were evaluated with their positive and negative aspects. Among the positive opinions, it has been understood that the career ladder application offers personal development, increased professional skills and innovative learning opportunities, and increases teachers' motivation and professional prestige. Negative opinions were shaped around issues such as the unnecessariness of the exam, the inadequacy of the content and structure of the exam, financial concerns and incompatibility with the nature of the teaching profession. It has been observed that the practice creates inequality and stress among teachers, creates financial inequalities and negatively affects professional solidarity. Teachers stated that the education received before the career stage exam contributed to the knowledge of the legislation moderately and to other professional competencies at a low level. While male teachers found the training more useful in terms of gender, no significant effect of branch differences was observed. No significant relationship was found between exam scores and education. Teachers stated that the educational materials were generally not useful, but they were positively affected by digital competence, environmental education and social interaction. However, video lessons were generally found to be monotonous and insufficient. Teachers think that the career stage exam is insufficient in measuring professional competencies and does not contribute to their professional development. The content and difficulty level of the exam were found to be insufficient, and most teachers saw the exam as unnecessary. It was concluded that while gender differences affected the exam perception, the branch variable had no effect. It has been observed that the title of specialist teacher does not provide the expected contribution to professional competencies. While male teachers evaluated the contribution of this title more positively than female teachers, no significant difference was found between branches. It has been noticed that there is no relationship between exam scores and the contribution of the title to professional qualifications. Teachers expressed different opinions about the contribution of the title to professional knowledge, skills and attitudes; While some indicate positive contributions, others think that it has no contribution. These findings show that the title of specialist teacher should be re-evaluated and made more suitable to the needs of teachers. Teachers suggest alternative evaluation methods based on performance and state that the current examination system should be reconsidered. As a result, it is understood that the teaching career ladder application should be reviewed and the exam-centered structure should be transformed into a more fair system, taking into account experience and professional seniority. Key Words: Teaching career stages, specialist teaching career stage training, specialist teaching career stage exam, specialist teaching, general qualifications for the teaching profession