In-service training

In- service professional development activities seem to be of much significance to teachers who face challenges in teaching or teaching related issues such assessment and curriculum development. Despite the rich literature review of teachers' professional development, in-service professional development needs of EFL teachers have not been assessed yet. The present study aimed at developing and validating an in-service professional development needs scale for EFL teachers. In doing so, a mixed research method was used. In the qualitative phase, the professional development needs were explored through interviewing with 20 EFL teachers who were selected through purposive sampling. In the quantitative phase, the professional development scale was submitted to 220 teachers. Data were analyzed through running exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Results showed that extracted professional development needs were reduced to four main areas: a) teaching, communication skills and assessment, b) educational psychology and technology, c) material development, and d) language and meta-language skills. The findings can be used by language schools and educational centers to provide EFL teachers with the most urgent professional development needs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design and validate a model for improving in-service training of medical university staff. Methodology: This research is an applied type of qualitative-quantitative research. The study population consisted of 15 elites who were selected through purposive sampling and in the quantitative section of 380 persons by stratified random sampling with proportional allocation among staff of Khuzestan University of Medical Sciences. The data were collected through structured interviews and a researcher-made questionnaire that was implemented in qualitative and quantitative sections, respectively. The findings showed that organizational development, role of instructor, assigned tasks, professional skill, training facilities, content, attitude to training, trust building, knowledge of elites and experts were among the influential components in in-service training. Findings: Findings related to Structural Equation Technique using pls software also showed that all the above-mentioned components were significantly higher than the value of 1.96 at the significant level of 0.95. In other words, these components are highly influential in evaluating in-service education from the perspective of course learners. Conclusion: The findings also showed that the improvement of in-service training evaluation system plays an important role in the effectiveness of the workforce as well as the proper training of human resources in the direction of achieving the goals of the system of managers in the Medical Sciences University.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare teacher’s empowerment systems based on in-service trainings. Methodology: The present study was practical in terms of purpose and qualitative research in terms of data collection using a four-stage approach introduced by George. Z. Brady and John Stuart Mill’s method of agreement .The statistical population included countries (Canada, South Korea, Japan, Finland, and Australia, due to the absence of African countries in the ranking, Malaysia due to its close cultural and political context) according to the ranking in Legatum Success Index (2019) and the characteristics of pre-service and in-service teacher training (Arthur Donald chaker and Richard Hines, 1997) that was selected based on purposive sampling .The information needed to answer the questions of this research has been collected through library documents, research reports, encyclopedias and university statutes, and site searches. Findings: Research findings show that teacher’s professional development should be considered as a process system and their professional development should be systematically designed, supported, budgeted and reviewed. This system should promote and make teachers effective. Conclusion: Each country’s principals and officials considering regional requirements along with upstream documents implement different measures and programs to improve the quality of teacher’s empowerment programs

INTRODUCTION: The most basic problems in the field of in-service training for employees of the Red Crescent Society (RCS) can be seen in cases such as training efficiency, improving the performance of employees through training, planning training courses and not matching the content of the courses with the training needs of employees. The aim of this research is to present an effective training model for the RCS staff of Zanjan province. METHODS: In this mixed methods research, the statistical population in the qualitative section was 12 experts and managers of the RCS of Zanjan province who were selected by available sampling method and studied through semi-structured interviews. In the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed and distributed among the RCS staff of Zanjan province (132 ones) using a simple random sampling method after extracting components and indicators of interviews. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis through SPSS-24 and Lisreal-8.8 software. FINDINGS: The findings indicated that 6 dimensions, 22 components and 140 indicators were extracted. CONCLUSION: According to the results, avoiding job alienation, cradle sleep in organizations, lack of sense of duty and lack of meaningful feeling in the courses of in-service training are the problems that cause the loss of emotional connection, and the RCS should achieve this by improving the level of awareness and behavioral class of its staff.

Purpose: Teachers are one of the most important pillars of the education system and play a crucial role within it. Therefore, the present study aimed to design a model for policy-making on empowerment and professional advancement of teachers, focusing on in-service training. Methodology: This study was applied in terms of objective and mixed in terms of implementation method, i.e., qualitative and quantitative. In the qualitative section, the research population consisted of experts familiar with the research field, 10 of whom were selected using purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation and subjected to semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, in the quantitative section, the research population was teachers in the city of Neyshabur, 384 of whom were selected using random sampling according to the Krejcie and Morgan table and responded to a researcher-made questionnaire. In this study, qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis based on grounded theory in MAXQDA software, and quantitative data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: Qualitative findings indicated that causal conditions included three themes: social needs, changes in educational needs, and the creation of individual needs in teachers; the central phenomenon included three themes: value creation, problem solving, and scientific and practical training; contextual conditions included five themes: proper course implementation, course content richness, a suitable environment, proper planning, and teachers' mindset; intervening conditions included six themes: uncommitted and inexpert managers, improper performance evaluation, improper needs assessment, lack of teaching quality in courses, unconventional teaching methods, and a weak motivational system; strategies included ten themes: successful modeling, course content improvement, region-focused planning, accurate and scientific needs assessment of courses, removing teachers' individual barriers, changes in educational systems, improvement of physical conditions, employing experienced and expert instructors, providing motivational frameworks, and a suitable evaluation system; and outcomes included four themes: social outcomes, improvement in teachers' educational performance, job well-being of teachers, and psychological outcomes of teachers. Quantitative findings showed that the factor loading of all themes (except for 6 themes) was above 0.60, and the Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability of all of them were above 0.70. Additionally, the model for policy-making on empowerment and professional advancement of teachers, with emphasis on in-service training, had a suitable fit, and the effect of causal conditions on the central phenomenon, the effect of the central phenomenon, contextual conditions, and intervening conditions on strategies, and the effect of strategies on outcomes were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The designed model for policy-making on empowerment and professional advancement of teachers, focusing on in-service training, can assist planners in the education system to empower and advance teachers professionally through in-service training.