IGCESH2014 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia 19-21 August 2014 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICS TEACHERS THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH Muhammad Djajadi* 1 and Mahani Mokhtar 2 1,2 Faculty of Education, UTM, Johor Bahru, MALAYSIA. (E-mail: jhay70@gmail.com, p-mahani@utm.my) ABSTRACT This paper aims to identify the implementation of action research by physics teachers in enhancing their professional development. The study was conducted in Makassar Indonesia using qualitative approach and case study as the research design. Thirty six physics teachers responded to the given open-ended questionnaire and there were 14 interview respondents. Several observations on the implementation of teacher professional development programs and documents in the form of action research reports became the source of data for this study. Results showed that the teachers still use similar method. Also, still need more effective exploration and depth, especially about the depth of the issues and problems in the practice of teaching and learning from one topic of teaching materials, the quality of the reference sources used, and the depth of analysis using mixed methods approaches. KEYWORDS: Teacher Professional Development; Action Research; Physics Teacher; Inquiry Model. INTRODUCTION Teaching and Learning is a very complex task because teachers are expected to understand the materials being taught, teaching strategies, character and abilities of students, etc. [1], [2], [3], [4]. This task will become more complex when the teachers are required to teach in a different way from what they have learned or experienced, following technological developments, changes in curriculum, student motivation, and student achievement [5]. One program that can be implemented to improve the teaching competence of teachers is to prepare a program of Teacher Professional Development (TPD). TPD program is supposed to be an instrument for reform and improvement of teachers' knowledge of teaching practices in the classroom [6], [7]. In Indonesia, the Law on Teachers and Lecturers in 2005 is aimed to enhance quality of TPD. Teachers are considered to fulfill professional standards when their academic background take a minimum of bachelor (S1/Diploma 4) and teachers must have teaching certificates [8]. To acquire teaching certificates, teachers must be capable of showing competence through a portfolio containing documents with ten items which are: (1) academic qualifications, (2) education and training, (3) teaching experiences indicated by duration of teaching, (4) planning and implementation of teaching indicated by a lesson plan, (5) evaluation by the principals and education supervisors, (6) academic achievement, (7) professional development work, (8) participation in scientific forums such as conferences, seminars, workshops, upgrading, (9) organizational experiences in the field of education and social services, and (10) appreciation in respect of education [8]. However, the implementation of portfolio policy is experiencing many challenges, among which are: social jealousies issues, sense of unfairly treated among teachers, low