The Components of Effective Professional Development Activities in terms of Teachers’ Perspective

Teacher preparedness is linked to student achievement, yet regularly teachers are entering the profession unprepared. In-service training, or professional development activities, are increasingly being used to remedy this situation. There is little agreement regarding exactly what key components should be included in an effective professional development activity. This study seeks to provide the meaning of effective professional development activities and to offer a list of key components inherent in any effective professional development offering. Sixteen elementary school teachers (8 male, 8 female), from a large city in Turkey, were interviewed about their experiences with professional development activities offered over a 12-month period. They were asked to generate a list of the key components to be included in an effective professional development activity. Additionally, document analysis of result reports from Ministry of National Education trainings was performed. The findings indicate that any effective professional development activity should consist of the following components: 1) a match to existing teacher needs, 2) a match to existing school needs, 3) teacher involvement in the design/planning of professional development activities, 4) active participation opportunities, 5) long-term engagement, and 6) high-quality instructors. The researcher hopes that the Ministry of National Education will consider these findings and begin providing more effective professional development activities for teachers. With this means of on-going professional development Turkish teachers’ growth will be enhanced and students will be better prepared to compete in a 21st century global environment.