INSET CONTENT TOWARDS TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY: GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Abstract

The present paper discusses whether INSET content includes new thematic fields in line with the European and supranational directions as a result of the global advancements towards teachers’ efficient training and professional development in the 21st century. To this end, a review of the scholarly literature focusing on the official papers of supranational institutions has been carried out, along with an empirical study which investigates the extent to which INSET content has been updated to contribute to teachers’ professional development. As regards the empirical study, the quantitative research method was selected to gather data via an online questionnaire answered by 290 in-service state-school primary teachers. The research questions examine whether INSET content (a) includes topics related to 21st-century socio-educational challenges, (b) addresses modern state-school issues, (c) responds to teachers’ actual training needs, (d) satisfies teachers and/or needs revision. According to the research findings, INSET content seems to be out-of-date since modern educational topics deemed to be of crucial importance in the 21st-century education, such as global citizenship, human rights education, intercultural education and school bullying issues are included in teachers’ in-service training only to a minimum extent. Quantitative data also reveal deficient investigation of teachers’ training needs which results in a severe gap between INSET content and their actual training needs. Last but not least, findings raise implications for INSET content reform and update in order to focus on modern thematic fields as a prerequisite for teachers’ professional development in the 21st century via the systematic investigation of both teachers’ and schools’ needs.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0727/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>