Teaching Competencies from the Perspective of a Group of Educational Activists: Commonalities and Differences

Since teachers are a key agent in the success of any educational system, those involved in teacher training need to have a clear description of teaching competencies, reflection upon which could be useful in organizational leadership and administration, teacher training curriculum, and creation of a compatible organizational culture. To have as broad of a spectrum of competencies as possible, a group of 49 educational activists consisting of higher education administrators, teachers, experts, and students were interviewed extensively and in a semi-structured format. Data analyses revealed six constructs with 15 constituents and 62 elements. These constructs are theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, aesthetical and Unitarian perspective, and personal and professional beliefs. Further perusal of the data showed that the administrators, teachers, and experts of the group shared view on all six constructs whereas university professors and students differed only in terms of the personal competencies.