DEVELOPİNG PROFESSİONAL COMPETENCİES OF CHEMİSTRY TEACHERS THROUGH CONSTRUCTİVE THİNKİNG-ORİENTED INSTRUCTİON: A SHORT EMPİRİCAL STUDY

Abstract

The growing emphasis on competency-based education has significantly reshaped expectations toward teachers’ professional practice across different educational systems. In science education, particularly in chemistry teaching, professional effectiveness increasingly depends not only on subject knowledge but also on teachers’ ability to analyze instructional situations, adapt pedagogical decisions, and critically reflect on their own practice. Chemistry teachers regularly face complex instructional challenges related to abstract concepts, experimental uncertainty, laboratory safety, and diverse student misconceptions. These challenges require a high level of cognitive flexibility and reflective judgment. This study examines a constructive thinking-oriented instructional approach aimed at developing chemistry teachers’ professional competencies. Using a qualitative-analytic methodology complemented by an empirical diagnostic component, a conceptual instructional model was developed and examined. Data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire designed to assess teachers’ constructive thinking in instructional and laboratory contexts. The study involved in-service chemistry teachers participating in professional development activities. Descriptive analysis indicates that higher levels of constructive thinking are associated with stronger methodological planning, adaptive instructional behavior, and reflective practice. Although the study does not establish causal relationships, the findings suggest that constructive thinking-oriented instruction may serve as an effective framework for supporting sustainable professional development of chemistry teachers. The study contributes to teacher education research by offering an empirically informed, practice-oriented model suitable for in-service training programs in chemistry education.