Teacher competence inventory: An empirical study on future-oriented competences of the teaching profession in higher education in India

Teachers at the tertiary level play an essential role in the expansion of quality in higher education. The issue of competence and its development has particular importance in creating the new landscape of the twenty-first century. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop validated inventory identifying future-oriented competences required for the teaching profession in the changing environment of higher education institutions (HEIs).

In the study, teacher competences and related teacher’s behavior were theoretically defined and underwent principal factor analysis. The survey was carried out among teachers, students and graduates of HEIs in India.

The analysis revealed future-oriented teacher competences resulting from the globalization process of the teaching profession. Testing the inventory indicated that there was a high Cronbach’s α reliability. Results show that the inventory enjoyed proper internal consistency for four dimensions as general teaching competences. The inventory with 66 items and four factors explained 47.279 percent of the total variance and indicated a strong factor model.

Teacher competence inventory (TCI) can be used to modernize study programs of teacher education and shift focus toward future-oriented competences required for the teaching profession in HEIs in India. Therefore, TCI could be essential to prepare teachers for the changing environment of teaching.

This study is an essential step in reorienting the process of teacher education toward professional development aimed at developing future-oriented competences in the teaching profession. It proposes to develop an instrument measuring teacher competences areas and related teacher behavior.