As one of the crucial elements of education system, teachers' professional development is important to equip them with the education to compensate the needs of modern life. The major aim of this research is to determine the views of school principals and science teachers on the concept of professional development, and identify factors which affect science teachers' professional development. Both qualitative (semi-structured interview) and quantitative (survey) research methods were used in the research. The sample consisted of school principals and science teachers who were working in Nevşehir province and its districts. 6 school principals and 6 science teachers were interviewed in-depthly. In addition, data from 109 science teachers were also collected through questionnaires. The data obtained through interviews were analyzed by descriptive analysis. Simple correlation technique and percentage distributions were used to analyze the questionnaires. The research findings show that in general, the teaching profession is being perceived as a profession which starts with pre-service training and continues with in-service training; therefore, it is an ongoing process. It has also been discovered that in this process, "personal and external factors" affect science teachers' professional development. Thus, teachers' professional development should be supported in line with these factors.

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Microteaching is widely used in many countries to prepare trainees for the complexity of the actual classroom environment but has limited use in Turkey. The main objective of this action research was to evaluate and increase in the effectiveness of microteaching, and determine the contribution of microteaching to trainees from their own perspectives through their reflections on their own experiences. Semi-structured focus group interview was carried out with 10 trainees out of 55 trainees who attended microteaching practices. The results ensured that against all the odds of microteaching, it is worthy to use microteaching practices to integrate theory and practice and train qualified teachers. Instead of just concentrating on its visible limitations, it would be better to concentrate on its advantages.

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