The occupational image of teaching according to teachers' opinions

The main aim of this research is to find out the occupational image of teaching based on teachers' opinions. In order to reach this aim, the image scale of teaching profession (ISTP) was developed, and the image level of the teaching profession based on the teachers' views was explored.The study was designed according to the mixed-methods sequential explanatory design since it included a scale development procedure. The population includes 8069 teachers working in Eskişehir province. In the qualitative data collection stage, the data were collected via four focus groups which were formed by criterion sampling technique (28 teachers in total). The quantitative data were collected in three phases from 1439 teachers (417 for Exploratory Factor Analysis, 328 for Confirmatory Factor Analysis, 694 for final implementation). The data collection tool for this study is the scale which was developled during this study (ISTP). The scale is composed of 28 items under five dimensions which are a) teachers' prefessional and personal characteristics, b) social perception of the profession, c) professional appeal, d) status, and e) media. In the analysis of the qualitative data of the study, descriptive and content analysis techniques were used. In the analysis of the quantitative data which were collected in the last step, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, indepentent samples t-test were implemented. The results showed that teachers' views on the image of the teaching profession is at moderate level. While teachers think that the image of the teaching profession in the dimensions of teachers' professional and personal chracteristics, status and the professional appeal is at good level; in social perception and media dimensions, it is at low level. Keywords: Image, Occupational image, Image of teaching profession, Scale development.