Identification of Dimensions of Professional Development for Elementary Teachers in Kurdistan Province

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions of professional development for elementary school teachers in Kurdistan Province. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach. Data were collected through interviews. The study population consisted of experts and professionals in the field of education and educational sciences, as well as experienced teachers, with no predefined limit on the number of participants. A total of 20 individuals were selected until theoretical saturation was reached. The sampling method was snowball sampling, whereby interviewees were asked to introduce other knowledgeable individuals related to the research topic for subsequent interviews. The initial data were collected through interviews. In accordance with the methodological process, data were analyzed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, using MaxQDA software. First, among the large volume of initial data, codes related to the subject were identified. Then, through the method of constant comparison, concepts were derived from multiple codes, and other codes were similarly transformed into concepts. Consequently, six main categories were extracted from a total of 104 open codes identified in the interviews. Four categories—“curriculum,” “mission orientation,” “occupational factors,” and “response to needs”—were considered as causal conditions. Furthermore, among the other categories, three—“knowledge development,” “personal development,” and “effective training”—were considered as the core category of professional development. Additionally, among the other categories, four—“integration of the individual with the profession,” “comprehensive utilization of individuals’ capabilities,” “knowledge enhancement,” and “educational resources”—were considered as contextual categories. Moreover, two categories—“organizational learning” and “school autonomy”—were considered as strategic categories. Additionally, three categories—“validation and evaluation,” “knowledge management,” and “teachers’ personality traits”—were considered as intervening conditions. Finally, two categories—“organizational outcomes” and “individual outcomes”—were considered as consequence categories.