INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL STUDIES, vol.9, no.2, pp.308-331, 2022 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Well-defined teacher competencies can serve as a reference resource for te acher candidates and a road map for teachers who need to equip themselves with new competencies to meet the rapidly changing demands of children and society. This study, which grounded on mixed methods research, aimed to deve lop a measurable and observable generic teacher competency framework. The study was conducted in thre e phases. The initial phase was comprised of the lite rature review on teacher competencies, interviews with teacher candidates, teacher trainers, and education experts on the current teacher competency framework developed by the Turkish Ministry of Education in 2017. The analyses revealed the need for a new framework since the current competency framework does not allow self-evaluation and cannot be used as a road map for teachers and teacher candidates due to the way it is structured. Based on the initial findings, the researchers prepared a draft competencyframework, which was evaluated by 397 teachers through information forms and 52 te acher trainers representing all disciplines of educational sciences at a workshop organized by the researchers. The analyses resulted in a framework consisting of six competency domains, 31 sub-competencies and their performance indicators at four competency levels. The core competencies developed seem to be congruent with international frameworks; however, it is also a unique framework with its content, structure and approach. The generic teacher competency framework developed as a result of this study can be utilized for professional development of teachers and teacher candidates as a reference guide and be utilized for evaluation purposes with its measurable and observable performance indicators specified under sub-competencies. It can also be used for the assessment and accreditation of teacher education programmes.