School administrators’ opinions related to the values that should be gained to classroom teachers through in-service training

Abstract

Purpose: Social changes and developments in educational policies bring along changes in the values of the teaching profession. The changing values increase the in-service training needs of the teachers. Although it is aimed to gain prospective teachers the values of the teaching profession in the pre-service period, it is seen that the target is not sufficiently achieved. The present research aims to investigate administrators’ opinions regarding the values that should be gained among classroom teachers through in-service training. Research Methods: This study was designed in a qualitative, case study pattern. The study group was 24 school administrators working in primary schools. The participants were determined using a criterion sampling method. The data were collected by a semi-structured grid form developed by the researchers. Findings: The values to be gained during in-service training among classroom teachers were (i) personal values: openness to innovation, diligence, patience, awareness, honesty, politeness, empathy, consistency and reliability, (ii) professional values: communication, leadership, creativity, collaboration, solidarity and vision, (iii) universal values: love, justice, tolerance and humanism and (iv) cultural values: patriotism, self-devotion and work selflessly. The personal values were in the first priority order of the values that should be gained class teachers through in-service training. Implications for Research and Practice: The findings reveal that classroom teachers should be trained with personal, professional, universal and cultural values in the in-service training process. The personal values should include the values, such as openness to innovation, diligence, patience, awareness, honesty, politeness, empathy; professional values should include the values, such as communication, leadership, creativity, collaboration, solidarity and vision.