Arab Educational Information Network

The current study aimed at identifying the theoretical foundations of teachers' professional development and its relationship to the requirements of the knowledge based society. The study also aimed at clarifying the reality of teachers' professional development programs in Saudi public schools from the perspective of school teachers, and whether or not there were significant differences among the participants’ perceptions due to variables of the study. In order to achieve the study aims, the descriptive research method was used as well as a questionnaire of (42) items to collect data. The study sample consisted of (486) teachers randomly selected from Jazan public schools. The results of the study indicated that participants’ agreement regarding the necessity of teachers' professional development was very high, whereas, it was high regarding the boosts and the obstacles of teachers' professional development. The results also showed that there weren’t statistically significant differences among participants’ responses due to the study variables. In conclusion, the study suggested a proposed vision to develop teachers' professional development to meet the requirements of the knowledge-based society. (Published abstract)