This paper exploresscience teachers’ experiences, views, and preferences of what constituteseffective teacher professional development. The research method utilised bothquantitative and qualitative analyses. The former was used with responses fromclosed-ended questions while responses to an open-ended question were analysedqualitatively. The questionnaire was administrated to science teachers in SaudiArabia of both genders with a variety of teaching experiences, sciencespecialisms and to those teaching in primary, middle and secondary stageschools. The findings indicate that teachers have concerns about continuingprofessional development (CPD) programmes offered to them. Teachers’description of CPD showed that they were passive recipients of a pre-packedprogramme paving the way to how they form their professional identity. Teachersreflected on the aspects that can lead to effective CPD. Drawing on thefindings, this paper presents a framework for effective CPD for science teacherswhere teachers are collaborative, proactive as leaders of reform and withpositive professional identities in a context of reform .