Towards Acquiring Teachers’ Professional Qualification Based on Professional Standards: Perceptions, Expectations and Needs on the Application Process

This paper presents the findings of a study into the application process of the professional standards (PS) qualification in Estonia, which is a standard used to identify the level of professionalism of a teacher. The study collected the views of active teachers who have applied for the PS and those of the assessors to understand the shortcomings in the application and the expectations for the application process. The main challenges identified are that teachers lack respective skills to adequately comprehend qualification requirements (unambiguous interpretation of PS) and the lack of evidence-based performance indicators (difficult to prove) and weak self-analysis skills; hence, the teacher needs assistance. The research found that teachers need collaborative support, motivation and constructive feedback on their professional development (PD), both from colleagues and at school and national levels. Based on this research, it can be said that teachers who have gone through the application process have gained greater self-confidence, value themselves as teachers and continue their in-service training.