Professional development needs of teachers at schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas

The professional development of teachers is identified as a key element for supporting lower-performing students. The decision, about which professional development activities teachers attend, depends not only on the availability of the professional development activities but also on individual factors such as teachers' interest and their professional development needs. In order to create the best possible fit between teachers' professional development needs and professional development programs, it is important to gain knowledge about teachers' professional development needs. Against this background, the study investigates the professional development needs of in-service teachers who work at schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, since this group of teachers faces particular challenges in their daily work. Based on a sample of 2923 teachers from 196 schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, this study investigates in which interdisciplinary competence areas teachers indicate a need for professional development activities. Furthermore, the study examines which socio-demographic and motivational-emotional characteristics of teachers predict these needs. The results of latent structural equation modelling show that teachers perceive their professional development needs mostly in the area of learning support as well as digital media use. Moreover, the findings from open-ended questions show that teachers express professional development needs in the area of dealing with special educational needs of students and handling heterogeneity. Furthermore, the analyses show that both socio-demographic characteristics (gender, professional experience, and alternatively certifications of teachers) as well as motivational-emotional teacher characteristics (subjective competency assessments, emotional exhaustion, and attributions of student achievement) are relevant predictors of specific, interdisciplinary professional development needs. The article discusses possible consequences for the provision of professional development activities.