Determining in-service teacher training standards and a standard based model proposal

This study aimed to determine the standards for in-service teacher training activities and to develop a standard-based in-service training model proposal that can be used in the preparation of in-service teacher training programs by the Ministry of National Education. In this context, answers were sought to the questions of what are the standard areas should be included in in-service teacher training activities and what are the standard indicators of these areas, and how a standard-based in-service training model can be used in the preparation of in-service teacher training programs should be proposed. The descriptive research was conducted with the Delphi technique. Delphi panel experts consisted of academicians and teachers determined by the criterion sampling method. In the Delphi study, conducted in three rounds, 46 panelists took part in the first round, 41 in the second round and 37 in the third round, and the study was completed with 37 panelists. In the 1st Delphi Session of the research, the Delphi Session 1 questionnaire, which asked the question, "What do you think are the standards that in-service teacher training activities should have?" was sent to 46 participants who responded positively to the Delphi invitation. By analyzing the data collected through the survey, 8 sections, each representing the standard areas, and a total of 28 standard items and 111 standard indicators under these sections were obtained. The second and third Delphi rounds aimed to determine the level of consensus on the standard items and indicators presented to the participants in the form of a questionnaire. At the end of the third round, it was seen that no consensus could be reached on only 1 item among the survey items evaluated according to the criteria determined as the sum of the frequency distribution of the responses of highly appropriate (4) and completely appropriate (5) as consensus criteria, with a median value of at least 70%, a median value of at least 4 and a difference between quartiles of at most 1, while consensus was reached for 3 items added to the questionnaire in the previous rounds in line with the participant suggestions. The item on which no consensus could be reached was removed from the standard items. At the end of all these studies, a text of standards consisting of 8 standard areas and a total of 28 standard items and 114 standard indicators belonging to these areas was obtained. A model for in-service teacher training programs has been developed under the guidance of the obtained standards text. The model primarily aims to bring quality standards to in-service teacher training programs and to combine the centralized structure of the Turkish in-service teacher training system with the functional aspects of the current understanding of in-service training in the world, which is evolving towards local and school-based vocational training activities. In the model, suggestions that require radical changes in the organizational structure of the Turkish in-service teacher training system were avoided, and the model was designed by expanding the existing system with additional structures. The model consists of two dimensions as "institutional structure" and "in-service training process and operation". The institutional structure dimension includes the organizational structure of the model and its elements and tasks. In terms of the in-service training process and operation, the features of in-service training activities have been presented through the preparation-planning, implementation and monitoring-evaluation stages based on the program development stages within the framework of the determined quality standards. It is thought that the model will provide criteria for organizing teacher in-service training studies and will provide solutions to the problems of teacher in-service training in the relevant literature.