Abstract

The criteria for teachers’ climbing the career steps have been determined with the Law No. 5204, which was enacted in 2004 after long debates about making a career in the teaching profession. In the preamble of the law, it is stated that “teachers’ professional and personal development should be ensured on the basis of their seniority, education, and job performance” since “a special importance should be attached to the betterment of teachers’ qualifications and status.” With the “Teachers’ Climbing Up Career Steps Regulation” career steps were defined, and the number of these steps and the conditions of appointment were determined. The purpose of the study is to determine the views of the teachers and administrators on the implementation of career steps. A questionnaire developed for this purpose was conducted on 600 teachers and administrators from 12 schools selected randomly in Ankara Province. The study carried on showed that teachers and administrators do not support the practice in general and that they regard the level of goal realization of the practice and the results of the process unsuccessful.

Key words: teaching profession, teacher career stages, teachers’ professional promotion