Klaipėdos universitetas

Scientific literature, LR legal acts and analysis of research conducted in Lithuania shows that the process of teachers’ qualification development is related to adult education and organization of teaching / learning, is relevant as a source of improvement of teachers’ pedagogical as well as andragogical activity and acquisition of new competences. But this process is complicated and consists of professional activity’s self-assessment / assessment, planning, self-improvement / improvement, practical application, reflection and as an aspect of quality assurance it is a repeated cycle of actions to improve quality. Knowing that andragogue organiser’s professionalism is one of the most important conditions for this process to be successfully and qualitatively implemented, the issue raised in this article is: what is the role of andragogue organiser’s professionalism in striving for effectiveness of teachers’ qualification development? The conducted quantitative research confirmed the importance of andragogue organiser’s professionalism for the effectiveness of this process. It is found that the main objective of teachers’ qualification development, that is, the quality of their professional activities and the acquisition of new competences will be achieved if the andragogue organiser will professionally implement the teachers’ qualification development process beginning with analysis of learning needs and ending with practical application of acquired competences. In the practical approach empirical data presented in this article can be significant in: 1) seeking to reveal the effectiveness of activity of Klaipeda District Education Centre that provides teachers’ qualification development services; 2) improving and ensuring the quality of this process; 3) achieving andragogue organiser’s professionalism (internal professionalism – improvement of professional competences by examining the analysis of research results, external professionalism – justification of andragogue organiser’s role of professionalism in the effectiveness of teachers’ qualification development).

The importance of constant improvement of teachers and andragogue organiser’s professionalism is revealed, advantages and issues of the link between teachers’ qualification development and andragogue organiser’s activity is highlighted to analyse and justify the andragogue organiser’s role in the sphere of teachers’ qualification development. The first part of the article discusses the conception of teachers’ qualification development based on the aspects of professionalism, reveals diversity of andragogue organiser’s activities and multi-functionality in the sphere of teachers’ qualification development. The second part of the article analyses educational documents that regulate teachers’ development activity and andragogues’ professional activity, reviews the state of teachers’ qualification development, carried out research and recognition of andragogue’s professional activity in Lithuania. Justified conception of teachers’ qualification development, revealed diversity and multi-functionality of andragogue’s activities and proven importance of andragogue organiser’s professionalism to ensure the quality of teachers’ qualification reveals theoretical novelty and significance of this article.