The professional development of university teachers in the teaching competences frameworks

Authors

  • Sara Buils Universitat Jaume I
  • Patricia Arroyo-Ainsa Universitat Jaume I
  • Lucía Sánchez-Tarazaga Universitat Jaume I
  • Francesc M. Esteve-Mon Universitat Jaume I

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47553/rifop.v100iNE.102737

Abstract

For effective teaching performance and an improvement in higher education, it is essential to address the frameworks of teaching competence that define the key skills of university faculty and should be developed in their professional development, this being one of the main objectives in educational policy and university institutions. This qualitative and descriptive study examines the perspective of generic competency frameworks for university faculty in relation to professional development. Through a documentary and thematic content analysis, the study investigates the competency frameworks in Spanish higher education during the first two decades of the 21st century through a review of reviews. The results reveal that more than half of the frameworks associate teacher competencies with their professional development, although few provide a comprehensive and holistic definition. Therefore, further exploration of the interconnection between competency development, professional growth, and teacher identity is needed. The findings highlight the importance of teachers themselves managing and enhancing their professional development through competencies such as research, innovation, and reflective teaching, facilitated by continuous training tailored to their needs, fostering analysis, reflection, and instructional improvement.

Author Biographies

Sara Buils, Universitat Jaume I

Sara Buils (corresponding author, sbuils@uji.es) is researcher in training from the area of Didactics and School Organization (DOE, in its Spanish acronym) in the Department of Pedagogy and Didactics of Social Sciences, Language and Literature at the Universitat Jaume I, with the University Teacher Training contract of the Ministry of Universities. She belongs to the research groups  IDOCE (Innovation, Development and Competences in Education) and GREAT (Teaching, Learning and Technology Research Group). Her research interests are related to teacher professional development, teaching competencies and teaching digital competencies. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2322-5531

Patricia Arroyo-Ainsa, Universitat Jaume I

Patricia Arroyo-Ainsa (parroyo@uji.es)  is graduate in Primary Education from the University of Zaragoza (2019) and in the Master's Degree in Psychopedagogy from the Universitat Jaume I (2021). Currently, she is a research staff in training at the Universitat Jaume I through the predoctoral grant for the training of research staff at the same university in the Department of Pedagogy and Didactics of Social Sciences, Language and Literature. She belongs to the IDOCE group (Innovation, Development and Evaluation of Competences in Education). The lines of research are mainly focused on the development of academic activity within the university, with special emphasis on teaching within the university stage with the aim of improving it.

Lucía Sánchez-Tarazaga, Universitat Jaume I

Lucía Sánchez-Tarazaga (lvicente@uji.es) holds a PhD in Education and is currently a lecturer in the area of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education (MIDE, in its Spanish acronym) in the Department of Pedagogy and Didactics of Social Sciences, Language and Literature at the Universitat Jaume I. Her teaching is focused on initial teacher training, mainly in the degree of Early Childhood and Primary Education and the Master's Degree in Secondary Education in subjects of evaluation and educational innovation. She also has several years of experience as a teacher in an educational centre. She coordinates the IDOCE research group (Innovation, Development and Competences in Education) and and she is co-leading a project related to university faculty’s professional development and teaching competences. Her main lines of research are related to initial teacher training, competence learning and educational policy, within the framework of teachers' professional development. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0927-5548

Francesc M. Esteve-Mon, Universitat Jaume I

Francesc M. Esteve-Mon (festeve@uji.es) is a Senior Lecturer of Didactics and School Organisation area at the Department of Pedagogy and Didactics of Social Sciences, Language and Literature, Universitat Jaume I, Spain. He is also Rector’s Commissioner for Digital Transformation at the same university. Currently he is co-leading a project related to university faculty’s professional development. He leads the Teaching, Learning and Technology Research Group (GREAT), and his research interests include teacher professional development and digital competence.

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Published

2025-07-05

How to Cite

Buils, S., Arroyo-Ainsa, P. ., Sánchez-Tarazaga, L., & Esteve-Mon, F. M. (2025). The professional development of university teachers in the teaching competences frameworks. Revista Interuniversitaria De Formación Del Profesorado. Continuación De La Antigua Revista De Escuelas Normales, 100(NE), 89–109. https://doi.org/10.47553/rifop.v100iNE.102737

Issue

Vol. 100 No. NE (2025): Entre competencias y contextos: investigación en formación docente desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar

Section

Miscelánea

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