On behalf of the Ministry of Education and Research, the Institute of Baltic Studies conducted the study “Teacher In-Service Training Needs.”
The aim of the study was to obtain feedback on the system of in-service teacher education in general education schools, to identify the need for in-service teacher education and to make proposals for the development of in-service teacher education system. It is a mapping study that provides a comprehensive overview of in-service training needs for teachers, provides guidance for developing the in-service training system, and provides relevant and up-to-date information on priority areas for training in the coming years.
The Teacher In-Service Training study is the first peer-reviewed analysis of the status and current status of in-service teacher education. The study was conducted in a step-by-step approach involving different target and stakeholder groups and applying different research methods. The first phase of the study looked at the country’s strategic priorities and action plans in the field of in-service teacher education and analyzed the research carried out so far.
A number of different methods were used to collect new data: interviews were with experts in the field of in-service teacher training, those responsible for the organization of in-service training and providers of in-service training; followed by a nationwide online survey of teachers and school leaders and six focus group interviews with school leaders and teachers in Tallinn, Tartu and Narva.
Participation in the online survey was very active: 200 of the school leaders and 901 of the teachers filled in the questionnaire. In the final phase of the study, a discussion workshop was conducted to present the initial findings of the study, to discuss the main findings with the participants and to formulate recommendations.