Investigation of the professional competencies of teachears working as expert trainers in special education and rehabilitation centers in terms of various variables

The aim of the research is to examine the professional competencies of those working in special education and regular specialist training according to various variables. The research was organized according to the survey research model, one of the quantitative research methods. In the 2023-2024 academic year, 206 teachers working as expert instructors in special education and rehabilitation centers participated in the study. The research data were collected using the "Special Education Professional Competence Scale" (SPVES) developed by Öğülmüş (2014). The data obtained were transferred to the computer environment by the researcher and the data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 statistical package program. Pearson Correlation Coefficient (Simple Correlation), Paired Samples T-Test, One Dimensional Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that teachers' leadership and professional development levels were high, while their communication, professional ethics, field knowledge and professional competencies were very high. The professional competence, content knowledge and professional ethics levels of the teachers participating in the study differ according to their gender. Female teachers have higher levels of professional competence, content knowledge and professional ethics than male teachers. According to the results of the research, teachers' professional competence, content knowledge, professional ethics, professional development, leadership and communication scores differ according to the faculties they graduated from. Accordingly, it was concluded that the professional competence, field knowledge, professional ethics, and communication levels of the teachers who graduated from the department of child development were higher than the graduates of other faculties, and the professional development and leadership scores of the graduates of classroom teaching were higher than the graduates of other faculties. Among the teachers who participated in the study, those who received in-service training different from the 240-hour expert instructor certificate program had higher levels of professional competence, content knowledge, professional development, and leadership than teachers who did not receive in-service training. Except for the 240-hour expert instructor certificate program, it was determined that the certificates held did not create a significant difference between special education professional competencies and sub-dimensions. It was concluded that the levels of professional competence, content knowledge, professional ethics, professional ethics, professional development, leadership and communication increased as the age of the teachers participating in the study increased.