Teachers' professional development takes place throughout whole life. In today's world the teacher´s role is changing because of different things (eg the promotion of information and communication technology, working with children with special needs, etc.). Precisely because of the constantly world´s changing is important that also teacher is constantly improving and developing. In creating a comfortable context for encouraging teacher´s development, different principles of teacher´s professional development are important. Knowledge of the models and factors of the teacher's professional development is also important. Different factors influence on teachers' professional development. The factors are both internal (teacher´s subjective theories, etc.) and external (school´s climate and culture, innovation, leadership and colleagues´ support etc.).
In the theoretical part of the master's thesis, we defined the concepts of profession, professionalism, professional in the context of the teaching profession, teacher´s professional development, models and principles of professional development, and factors that influence on teacher´s professional development. Furthermore we highlighted the importance of colleagues and leadership for an individual's professional development and explained the concepts of lesson and school´s quality.
The empirical research was conducted in two parts. The first part was implemented in accordance with the quantitative and the second with the qualitative research paradigm. The survey included 179 classroom teachers who taught in public schools in Central Slovenia in the 2018/19 school year. The questionnaire was completed by 169 teachers and 10 classroom teachers were interviewed. The study examined how classroom teachers evaluate their own professional learning and professional development, and whether statistically significant differences occur between teachers with different working age, how teachers evaluate the support of the leadership and colleagues at school they teach, and whether there are statistically significant differences between teachers with different working age, how they evaluate the quality of Slovenian education, or are there statistically significant differences between teachers with different working age, and whether there are statistically significant differences to their assessment of the leadership and colleagues´ support at school. We also determined what, according to the teachers, should be done in order to retain and maintain the quality of Slovenian education at the level of individual teacher, individual school, at the level of the state and the system of school politics, and in the process of teachers´ education.
We have found out that most teachers are rated at higher levels of professional development according to the items formulated on the basis of research on phase models of professional development. Quantitative research data showed that there are no statistically significant differences between teachers with different working age.
Based on the findings, we can also summarize that the classroom teachers evaluate, according to the set items, the support of the leadership and colleagues at school they teach, as good. The interviewed teachers similarly evaluate the leadership support. Quantitative research data showed that there are no statistically significant differences between teachers with different working age in assessing the leadership and colleagues´ support.
Most of the teachers who participated in the survey rated Slovenian education as medium quality. Quantitative research data showed that there are no statistically significant differences between teachers with different working age in terms of assessment of Slovenian education. It was also shown that teachers with different assessment of the leadership and colleagues’ support at school statistically significant discriminate in the assessment of the quality of Slovenian education.
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