International Journal of Education and Social Science (IJESS)

Teachers' professional development processes aim to improve the professional abilities of teachers working in schools. The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated the pedagogical changes in schools due to the requirement to teach/learn remotely, use technological tools while teaching, and emphasize the student's emotional and social needs. The present study examines what teachers expect from present and future professional development processes and the teacher educators leading them. A questionnaire was administered to 264 teachers and student teachers in the final stages of their studies. The findings reveal that guidance skills – the ability to manage student learning (supervision, guidance, training, discipline), Psychological resilience skills - the ability to adapt to challenging situations, and the ability to lead and manage learning groups received high scores as required future skills. The respondents prefer their future training provided by experienced teachers and school principals, short-term courses, and autonomous learning. In light of current professional development practices, these findings could significantly impact how professional development is conducted - in terms of the nature of the training, the content studied, and the identity of future teacher educators.