Examining the professional development of hungarian teachers in Romania

Abstract

This study presents the partial results of a comprehensive research on the professional development of Hungarian teachers in Romania which were gained through adapting and complementing the questions related to the professional development of the 2018 OECD TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey). From 15 counties of Romania, 500 Hungarian primary and secondary school teachers completed the online questionnaire. The forms and topics of professional development were studied on a 5-year research period, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2017–2021). The results show that the most popular forms of professional development were attending training courses, reading professional literature, and visiting online professional social networking sites. Among the topics of professional development activities subject-specific knowledge and the development of competences necessary for the teaching of the subject were dominated. Teachers found those training courses the most efficient that were coherent and provided opportunities for the practical implementation of new ideas, for active learning and cooperation. In only a few cases were found differences between the opinions of primary and secondary school teachers, and between groups according to teaching experience.