Adaptation and validation of the teacher professional development questionnaire (PDQT) in the Serbian educational context

The improvement of the educational system requires the continuous professional development of teachers. In order to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of professional development programs, a study was conducted with the aim of performing a factor analysis of an instrument designed to assess teachers’ professional development on a sample of 884 primary and secondary school teachers. The theoretical framework is grounded in the constructivist paradigm and the concept of lifelong learning, both of which emphasize reflection, collaboration, and ongoing professional growth. The findings indicate that the original eight-dimensional structure of the instrument was not confirmed; instead, it was reduced to five dimensions: learning environment, lesson planning, teaching research and evaluation, educational technology, and collaboration. The analysis further confirmed statistically significant correlations among the dimensions, while the internal consistency of the instrument proved to be exceptionally high. Based on these results, professional development programs can be designed to better align with the needs of teachers within the Serbian educational system and contribute to the enhancement of their teaching practice.