THE EFFECT OF THE ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE 2023 EDUCATION VISION DOCUMENT ON TEACHERS’ PROFESSIONAL IMAGE PERCEPTIONS

Abstract

This research aimed to present the effect of the activities conducted within the context of the 2023 Education Vision Document on the perceived teacher image by determining teachers’ perceptions in regards to the teacher image existing in today’s society. The qualitative research was conducted with the phenomenology design. The research group was composed of teachers (n=57) who completed a non-thesis master’s degree program in the field of Classroom Teaching at Amasya University, Institute of Social Sciences during 2016-2018 academic years. The research data were obtained from teachers’ written statements provided for the open-ended questions in the question form developed by the researcher. Content analysis method was used in the analysis of the collected data. While the participating teachers generally emphasized the sanctity of the teaching profession in their answers, they also stated that the perceived image of the teaching profession in today’s society was basically negative. The variables affecting the perception of the teaching profession in society were classified under the following themes: sociological changes, local practices, employee rights, policy makers, media, parents, students, teachers, teacher training and qualification of prospective teachers. Teachers’ suggestions to contribute to the image of the teaching profession were gathered under the themes of teacher motivation, teacher training, employee rights, media, innovative practices and training support for teachers. In the context of the obtained data, it can be argued that some of the actions have been put forward so far in regards to 2023 Education Vision Document, and the practices expected to be implemented in the near future will positively contribute to the perceived image of the teaching profession in society. Keywords: teacher image, teacher’ image perceptions, 2023 education vision document