Teacher competencies and their role in promoting pre-service teachers’ professional growth

Authors

  • Hamiddin Hamiddin Universitas Islam Malang
  • Febti Ismiatun Universitas Islam Malang
  • Yuli Ismi Nahdiyati Ilmi Universitas Islam Malang
  • Helmi Wicaksono Universitas Islam Malang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v7i1.24314

Keywords:

pre-service teachers, professional development, teacher competence, teacher support

Abstract

This study examined how teacher support, through mentorship, instructional guidance, and relational encouragement, shapes the professional development of pre-service teachers in Indonesian teacher education programs, particularly in influencing their perceptions, readiness, and development of core teaching competencies. A descriptive quantitative design was employed, involving 85 participants who completed a structured questionnaire measuring four key domains of teacher competence: personality, pedagogical, social, and professional. Data were analysed using SPSS, incorporating reliability testing, classical assumption tests, and path analysis to examine the hypothesized directional relationships among these competencies, where personality, pedagogical, and social competencies were modeled as predictors of professional competence. The results indicated that personality, pedagogical, and social competencies significantly and directly influenced professional competence as the outcome variable representing pre-service teachers’ preparedness for teaching. Among these, personality competence had the strongest individual impact. These findings highlighted the multifaceted nature of the relationship between teacher educators and pre-service teachers, both formal and informal, which played a critical role in fostering professional identity and instructional confidence by strengthening foundational competencies. By focusing on pre-service teachers’ perspectives, this study addressed an essential gap in the literature concerning how competency domains interact to form overall professional competence and provided evidence-based insights for enhancing teacher education programs. Ultimately, the study underscored the need for holistic and responsive teacher training models that integrated interpersonal, ethical, and instructional dimensions aligned with the competency pathways identified in this study to better equip future educators.

References

Akhyar, Y. (2023). Teachers’ pre-service programs curriculum to prepare professional teachers at education faculties. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Education Management, 6(2), 72–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.24014/ijiem.v6i2.25044

Cañabate, D., Nogué, L., Serra, T., & Colomer, J. (2019). Supportive peer feedback in tertiary education: Analysis of pre-service teachers’ perceptions. Education Sciences, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9040280

Dreer-Goethe, B. (2023). Well-being and mentoring in pre-service teacher education: An integrative literature review. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 12(4), 336–349. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-09-2022-0073

Dreer-Goethe, B. (2025). The impact of mentor support and high-quality connections on student teachers’ psychological safety and engagement during practicum. Frontiers in Education, 10 (March). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1499749

Ekiz-Kiran, B., Boz, Y., & Oztay, E. S. (2021). Development of pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge through a PCK-based school experience course. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 22(2), 415–430. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0rp00225a

Hang, N. T. T. (2021). Vietnamese upper-high school teachers’ views, practices, difficulties, and expectations on teaching EFL writing. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 11(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v11i1.2228

Irani, F. H., Chalak, A., & Tabrizi, H. H. (2020). Assessing pre-service teachers’ professional identity construction in a three-phase teacher education program in Iran. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-020-00100-3

Keiler, L. S., Diotti, R., Hudon, K., & Ransom, J. C. (2020). The role of feedback in teacher mentoring: How coaches, peers, and students affect teacher change. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 28(2), 126–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2020.1749345

Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Baumert, J., Richter, D., Voss, T., & Hachfeld, A. (2013). Professional competence of teachers: Effects on instructional quality and student development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 805-820.

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032583

Lai, C., & Gu, M. (2011). Self-regulated out-of-class language learning with technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24(4), 317–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2011.568417

Li, J., Yue, Y., & Yang, M. (2011). On webquest-based metacognitive speaking strategy instruction. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(12), 1762–1766. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.1.12.1762-1766

Meyer, D., Doll, J., & Kaiser, G. (2023). Professional identity of pre-service teachers: Actual and designated identity profiles and their relationship to teacher education programs. Frontiers in Education, 8(May), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1134848

Mustakim, M. (2021). The development of learning strategies in pesantren studies on the transformation of the teaching system in pesantren. IJORER : International Journal of Recent Educational Research, 2(2), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.46245/ijorer.v2i2.94

Parker, L., Xu, S., & Chi, C. (2022). Chinese preservice teachers’ perspectives of mentoring relationships in an international learning partnership. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(5), 525–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871221108655

Parsons, M., & Stephenson, M. (2005). Developing reflective practice in student teachers: Collaboration and critical partnerships. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 11(1), 95–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/1354060042000337110

Rahmani, E. F., Riyanti, D., Yoga, K., & Pratiwi, E. (2024). EFL Pre-service teachers’ experiences in implementing differentiated instruction during teaching practice program. Jurnal Pendidikan Progresif, 14(02), 1245–1268. https://doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v14.i2.202490

Schiepe-Tiska, A., Dzhaparkulova, A., & Ziernwald, L. (2021). A mixed-methods approach to investigating social and emotional learning at schools: Teachers’ familiarity, beliefs, training, and perceived school culture. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(June). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.518634

Suárez, N., Jiménez, J. E., & Sánchez, C. R. (2020). Teaching reading: A case study through mixed methods. Frontiers in Psychology, 11(June), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01083

Suphasri, P., & Chinokul, S. (2021). Reflective practice in teacher education: Issues, challenges, and considerations. Pasaa, 62(1), 236–264. https://doi.org/10.58837/chula.pasaa.62.1.9

Thuy, T., & Nguyen, L. (2020). Teacher-research: Agency of practical knowledge and professional development. Journal of Language and Education, 6(2), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2020.9913

Yin, J. (2019). Connecting theory and practice in teacher education: English-as-a-foreign-language pre-service teachers’ perceptions of practicum experience. Innovation and Education, 1(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42862-019-0003-z

Zhao, H., & Zhang, X. (2017). The influence of field teaching practice on pre-service teachers’ professional identity: A mixed methods study. Frontiers in Physiology, 8(JUL), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01264

Structural Path Model between Teacher Competency Domains and Professional Competence

Downloads

Published

2025-12-11

How to Cite

Hamiddin, H., Ismiatun, F., Ilmi, Y. I. N., & Wicaksono, H. (2025). Teacher competencies and their role in promoting pre-service teachers’ professional growth. Journal of Research on English and Language Learning (J-REaLL), 7(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.33474/j-reall.v7i1.24314