Key Competences That Allow Excellence in Teaching Practice

Abstract

The Europe 2020 Education Principles emphasize the improvement of educational processes at all levels, aiming to enhance educational standards through the integration of personal and professional competences with teaching skills. This study focuses on the validation of a new tool for assessing teaching competences, which aims to support excellence in teaching practice. Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), the study provides evidence for the multidimensional nature of teacher self-efficacy, supporting a four-factor model consisting of reciprocal leadership, creative potential with institutional support, didactic technical domain and active personality with metacognitive didactic capacity. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach´s Alpha, and the estimation method employed was Weighted Least Squares Means and Variance Adjusted (WLSMV), following recommendations of Hu & Bentler (1999), such as a GFI and TLI value of at least .90 and RMSEA of .08 or less. The study demonstrated good psychometric properties, supporting the use of this tool to evaluate teaching competences in real world contexts. These findings contribute to the field by linking teaching competences to the notion of complementarity and coexistence, fostering sustainable education and aligning with the principles of democratic teaching.