An Investigation of Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher Quality in Turkey

Abstract

Present study investigates the senior-level Turkish pre-service and in-service teachers’ perceptions of teacher quality with a descriptive survey method. Data for this study were gathered through Teacher Quality Survey (TQS) and open-ended questions from 210 pre-service teachers enrolled in four different universities in Turkey and 147 in-service teachers from different majors. Results of the study showed that both pre-service and in-service teachers think that teachers’ relationship with the students affect students’ success and teachers should take the individual differences into consideration. Moreover, according to the pre-service teachers, teachers should know how to teach and assess what they teach, and they need to know time management. On the other hand, in-service teachers consider that teachers should follow current developments, should have the researcher identity and should understand students’ needs and interests. Present study also suggested both academic and practical implications