Identifying the factors affecting the professional development of teachers in teacher education centers (Farhangian University)

One of the important processes of human resource management in educational organizations is the development of teachers' professions. Professional development can help university professors achieve the goals and effectiveness of the teaching and learning process. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the factors affecting the professional development of teachers in teacher education centers (Farhangian University) has addressed this important issue. In this research, a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative) with a sequential exploratory approach was used. The research population in the qualitative section was all experts, professors and experts in the field of human resources in Farhangian University, which was interviewed using 18 experts using targeted snowball sampling. The statistical population consisted of all professors and lecturers of Farhangian University who were selected as a sample using cluster sampling method of 251 people. The research tool was a semi-structured interview in the qualitative stage and a researcher-made questionnaire in the quantitative stage. Participant feedback method was used for trustworthiness of qualitative data and retest and agreement coefficient were used for data credibility. In quantitative part, face validity and Cronbach's alpha were used for validity and reliability of the questionnaire. To analyze the information in the qualitative part, open and axial coding methods were used and in the quantitative part, the methods of descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and structural equation analysis (second-order confirmatory factor analysis) were used. The results showed that the effective factors on the professional development of teachers in teacher training centers (Farhangian University) are: Educational strategies and programs, development of creativity and innovation, strategies for improving human resources, career development, development of knowledge management, research orientation and networking. In the quantitative part, the results of the second-order confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation model analysis with the partial least squares approach confirmed the validity of the model.