preliminary communication
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Teaching (Today for) Tomorrow: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and Reality 3rd International Scientific and Art Conference |
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| Section - Education for personal and professional development | Paper number: |
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Abstract |
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The teacher holds a responsible social role that entails professional expertise and desirable qualities. In Highlighting the |
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Introduction
ResearchThe indicatesquestion of the expertise and desirable qualities of teachers who educate and shape young generations has attracted the attention of theorists and thinkers since ancient times. For instance, in the 1st century CE, Quintilian, in The Education of the Orator, emphasizes that "a more educated teacher is a more perfect methodologist" and that "no one can excel in the more demanding aspects of their profession unless they have thoroughly mastered its fundamentals" (Quintilian, 1985, pp. 127). Although more than twenty centuries have passed since these claims by the Roman philosopher, they remain indisputable even today. In modern society, teachers are still expected to be educated, competent, and skilled methodologists, and it is emphasized that the academic success of universityteaching studentsdepends on their "knowledge, skills, competencies, motivation, and other personal characteristics" (Đigić, 2017, pp. 19).
Modern approaches to the quality of education place emphasis on teacher competencies, viewing them as directly linked to the quality of educational outcomes. Todorović and colleagues highlight findings from numerous studies that show teacher quality has the greatest impact on student achievement (Todorović, Milin, Stanković, 2019). The importance of teacher competence is closelyparticularly relatedunderscored tofor theirprimary mentalschool orteachers, psychologicalwho statelay andthe foundation for the education of every individual. It is no surprise that the absenceliterature points out that if a teacher "lacks quality pedagogical knowledge and competencies, they simply cannot successfully meet the challenges of psychologicaltheir disordersteaching profession" (Đuranović, Klasnić, Lapat, 2013, pp. 36–37). However, while the importance of teacher competence is undisputed, it is important to note that there is no universal definition or framework for competencies, nor uniform criteria for their classification. One common approach defines competencies as a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable an individual to act actively and effectively in any given situation or profession (Korać, 2014). Teaching competencies specify what a teacher should know, be able to do, and how to act effectively in situations encountered in modern schools. These competencies are expressed through measurable characteristics and behaviors, which are based on, but not limited to, acquired knowledge (Kostović, 2008; Radulović, Pejatović, Vujisić-Živković, 2010). Definitions of competencies are largely guided by various areas of a teacher's work, with many emphasizing teaching and classroom activities. Competencies involve specific elements, such as anxiety,subject stressknowledge, andtheoretical depression significantly improves the probability of students’ academic success (Akram et al., 2022; Cárdenas et al., 2022; Dodd et al., 2021). Students who have an appropriate psychological and mental state are more likely to succeedexpertise in an academic environment,field, and the teacher's proficiency in these areas. However, subject knowledge alone "is insufficient in ensuring proficiency as a classroom teacher" (Rijavec et al., 2006, pp. 134). Another key element is knowing how to act, which contributesis often linked to thepedagogical, well-beingpsychological, didactic, and methodological domains (Branković & Popović, 2018; Lipovac & Golijanin Elez, 2017). Jurčić views teaching competencies through two dimensions: pedagogical competencies (personal, analytical, social, communication, emotional, intercultural, developmental skills, and problem-solving abilities), and didactic competencies (curriculum design, organization and management of theirthe positiveeducational mentalprocess, healthclassroom climate shaping, student achievement assessment, and building models of educational partnerships with parents (Wang,Jurčić, 2023)2014). An integral approach to teacher competencies also includes knowing how to be—competencies necessary for working and living with others in society and assuming an active professional role in the community (Korać, 2014; Tatković & Ćatić, 2010; Vizek Vidović, 2009). Contemporary approaches to defining competency lists emphasize the importance of communication skills, i.e., communication competence, and knowledge of information and communication technology (ICT), including ICT methods and tools (Caena & Redecker, 2019; Zivlak & Šafranj, 2018; Zlatić & Bjekić, 2015). The importance of ICT competencies is also highlighted in international documents such as the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (UNESCO, 2018) and the European Framework for Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) (Redecker, 2017).
MentalIn healthrecent well-beingyears, generallyinternational refersapproaches to one'scompetency degreeframeworks have focused on defining descriptors of happinesswhat a teacher should know, understand, and satisfactionbe able to do (Eurydice, 2018). Analyzing international documents on the teaching profession, authors have noted that the Council of Europe recommends promoting competencies that are particularly relevant today, such as working in multilingual and multicultural environments, teaching students from impoverished backgrounds, supporting students with his/herspecial personal,needs, professionalpromoting orsustainable socialdevelopment, lifeand teaching in digital environments (FanSánchez-Tarazaga & Wang,Matarranz, 2022;2023). GargDevelopmental and integrative models of competencies are increasingly present in European competency frameworks and in theoretical explanations of the need for such an approach (Hebib & Rastogi,Ovesni, 2009;2019; WangVizek et al.Vidović, 2021)2009). EmphasizingHowever, positiveintegrative mentalmodels healthof competencies should emerge as a priority,combination someof studiesglobal (Bandurademands 1992;and the specific needs of individual countries. Therefore, the competency framework is considered one of the tools for building quality in education. The standardization of competencies is a trend aimed at professionalization and serves as citedan ineffective Mrazektool &for Haggerty,quality 1994)control associateand positiveestablishing mentalinternal healthregulation withwithin variousthe constructsteaching profession (Todorović, Milin, Stanković, 2019). On the other hand, there are beliefs that standardizing teaching competencies reduces teachers' professional autonomy and that measurable indicators cannot easily capture values such as educational outcomes (Radulović, Pejatović, Vujisić-Živković, 2010).
The view that defining a list of competence,competencies self-efficacyfor the teaching profession can serve as a foundation for improving policies and individual empowerment, followed by (Kovess-Masfety et al., 2005) positive affect, i.e. emotionspractices of happiness,professional a personality type that includes self-esteem and resilience. Because positive mental health affects how we think, feel, and act,development, as well as howenhancing wethe dealquality withof stress,educational howwork, wejustifies relatetheir standardization within a specific context. Additionally, the belief that competencies can be cultivated and developed supports this approach. However, care must be taken to others,ensure that the status of the teaching profession is considered when defining, implementing, and howevaluating wecompetency makestandards decisions,(Todorović, studentsMilin, withStanković, optimal2019). levelsTheir application and evaluation are closely linked to the professional development of mentalteachers, healthspanning performfrom moreinitial effectivelyeducation into thecontinuous academicprofessional environmenttraining thatand providescareer support (Rodríguez-Fernández et al., 2018; Ventura-León et al., 2022). advancement.
However, In the OECD (2022) states that 49 %Republic of youngSerbia, peoplethe doRulebook noton haveStandards accessof toCompetencies mentalfor healththe supportTeaching Profession and unfortunately,Their manyProfessional studentsDevelopment havewas mentaladopted healthin problems2011. such as anxiety, depression and stress. They feel pressured by academic expectations, social interactions and personal challenges, and the protection of young people's mental health is one of the priorities of the EU and its member states. University teachers can play a significant positive roleCompetencies in this process.document Byare recognizingdefined as "a set of necessary knowledge, skills, and value-based attitudes of teachers" (Rulebook on Standards of Competencies for the connectionTeaching between mental healthProfession and academicTheir success,Professional universityDevelopment, 2011, pp. 1). This represents a broader definition of competencies, implying that "a person utilizes a certain ability or skill to perform a task in a way that allows the assessment of their level of achievement" (Branković & Popović, 2018, p. 9). Such a definition includes the developmental aspect of competencies, as teachers canacquire have a major impact on the emotional, psychological and social well-being and welfare of students.
Research studies (Derakhshan, 2022; Derakhshan et al., 2022; Feng et al., 2019; Lavy & Naama-Ghanayim, 2020; Paloș et al., 2020; Wang & Derakhshan, 2023) which have been conducted worldwide on the interplay of care of university teachers, their support and students' emotionscompetencies during their studies,education whichbut relatealso to behaviours during mutual communicationrefine and theirdevelop pedagogicalthem consequences,through triedpractical towork. investigateIn potentialthis outcomesdocument, teachers' professional competencies are categorized into four key domains: 1) Teaching area, subject, and teaching methodology; 2) Teaching and learning; 3) Support for student personality development; 4) Communication and collaboration; and within each of these domains, competencies are further divided into five subdomains: 1. Knowledge, 2. Planning, 3. Implementation, 4. Assessment/Evaluation, and 5. Professional development (The Rulebook on Standards of Competencies for the careTeaching Profession and supportTheir Professional Development, 2011). From the above, it can be observed that the key competencies of university teachers in the contextRepublic of teachingSerbia encompass their academic, cognitive, methodological, didactic, interpersonal, and learning,communicative andabilities. All domains in which key competencies are categorized are essential for the successful performance of the waysteaching toprofession, moreas effectivelyare preventthe mentalcompetencies healthincluded problemswithin amongthem. students,A taking into account their special needs. The resultsreview of the studyRulebook showedreveals that caringmost competencies fall under the subdomain of knowledge, while the subdomains of assessment/evaluation and professional development are the least represented. It is also noted that the framework combines academic and generic competencies (instrumental, interpersonal, and systemic), which "enable flexible adaptation to the demands of diverse high-level professional tasks" (Vizek Vidović, 2009, pp. 34–35). However, there is an insufficient presence of systemic competencies, particularly those that would allow teachers to comprehend the complexity of the systems to which they belong and to contribute through their actions. Analyzing the processes of introducing the standardization of the teaching profession in European and global contexts, it has been observed that its practical implementation sometimes ties motivation for studentscompetency candevelopment promoteto theirspecific well-being in an academic environmentincentives and thatbenefits, itsuch promotesas theircareer mentaladvancement, healthobtaining licenses, and leadssimilar themrewards to(Todorović, aMilin, deeperStanković, engagement with learning. 2019).
In the research (Wang, 2023), the connection between the teacher's support in learning process and the well-being of studentsIt is elucidate. Namely, students' perceptions of their teachers' caring and supportive behaviours can largely influence their psychological and subjective well-being and this may be instructive for teachers who seekimportant to bring about positive changes in their students’ well-being. The author emphasizes that teachers must continuously support them in the learning process so that it would havefoster a positive effectattitude ontoward the student's mental health.
When it comes to the supportdevelopment of universitycompetencies teachers, especially in times of stress and crisis, young people observe the behaviours and emotions of adults, including student university teachers, in order to learn how to manage their own emotions. In this sense, university teachers are expected to be a good example and support, and to undertake activities to reduce student stress, to provide supportrequired for the well-beingteaching ofprofession students,during andinitial toteacher apply positive coping strategies (UNICEF, 2022).
In the context of the prevalence of mental health difficulties among young people, there is a growing need in colleges for strategies that promote and maintain high levels of student mental health and well-being. Therefore, this work wants to stimulate issues related to the need to ensure student education that is inclusive, fair and high-quality for all students, regardless of their diversity. Today more than ever, this refers to the competencies of university teachers, pointing out, first of all, that what is necessary is a whole system of methodical and didactic differentiated approaches and support to those students who need it additionally, along with education and training of university teachers.
The researches on the influence of university teachers on the specific characteristics of positive mental health of students are rare.education. For this reason, inwe thisconducted research,a study among future teachers at the question is which aspectsFaculty of positiveEducation, mentalfocusing healthon arethe influencedvalue by university teachers. The goal of thisteacher researchcompetencies isas to find differencesdefined in the self-assessmentsdocument Rulebook on Standards of positiveCompetencies mental health of students who have and do not have the support of university teachers during their studies and, if there are, what are the specific characteristics of mental health for the observedTeaching groups of participants. The purpose of the research is related to strategies that promoteProfession and maintainTheir highProfessional levels of students' mental health and well-being, involving their university teachers with special emphasis on the competencies of university teachers, in order to increase the academic achievements of university students.
In accordance with the above, the hypothesis (H1) was put forward that there are statistically significant differences in the self-assessment of certain characteristics of positive mental health of students who have and do not have the support of university teachers. In this way, based on a set of items that describe the self-assessment of certain characteristics of positive mental health, it is possible to statistically significantly predict the belonging to the group of students who had and those who did not have the support of university teachers.Development.
Research MethodologyMethods
A positive attitude toward the defined competencies for the teaching profession can serve as a strong motivational framework for their development during initial teacher education. The aim of the research we conducted was to examine how students, as future teachers, assess the value of these competencies. In relation to the study programs they attend, it is assumed that students will have positive assessments of the competence areas and sub-areas defined by the Rulebook on Standards of Competencies for the Teaching Profession and Their Professional Development. The study employs a descriptive method to investigate the evaluation of teaching competencies. For the purpose of this paper, we focused on a narrower research goal, specifically examining the value assigned by students to the competency domains (teaching area, subject, and teaching methodology; teaching and learning; support for student personality development; communication and collaboration) and subdomains (possession of knowledge necessary for teaching; skills in planning various activities within professional work; skills in implementing all activities in professional work; knowledge and skills in monitoring, assessing, and evaluating all activities and stakeholders in the educational process; planning and continuously implementing personal professional development) as defined in the aforementioned document.
SampleFor the purposes of participantthe research, an assessment scale was constructed, containing content aligned with the defined competency domains, subdomains, and indicators specified in the Rulebook. Students evaluated the importance of the given descriptions using a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 (1 – least important, 5 – most important). The reliability of the entire instrument was calculated using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which yielded a value of 0.782, indicating an acceptable level of reliability (George & Mallery, 2019).
The sample ofin participantsthe wasstudy convenient, consistingconsisted of a143 total of 359undergraduate students of university integrated undergraduate and graduate teacher studies and university undergraduate and graduate early and preschool education atfrom the Faculty of TeacherEducation Educationin Užice. The surveyed students were informed about the purpose of the University of Zagrebresearch, and the Facultysurvey ofwas Educationalconducted Sciences of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula.anonymously. Descriptive Therestatistics were 95.5 % female students and 4.5 % male students participatingapplied in the research.data Theanalysis, majorityincluding the calculation of studentsmean were between the ages of 19values and 23 (82.7 %), 10.3 % of students were aged 24 to 29, and 7 % of students were over 30 years of age. Most of the participants were undergraduates (57 %), followed by students attending integrated studies (30.9 %) and graduate studies (12 %). Considering the method of study, 83.3 % were full-time students and 16.7 % part-time students.
In the total sample, 59 % of participants estimated that they had support from university teachers, and 41 % that they did not have support from teachers regarding the characteristics of positive mental health.
Measuring instrument, item sample and research method
The Mental health continuum-short form - MHC-SF questionnaire was used in the research. It was validated on the population of Croatian students (Vuletić et al., 2018), and had good metric characteristics (α=0.92). The author's consent was obtained for its use. The original version of the questionnaire consists of 14 items that aim to measure positive mental health (Keyes 2006; Lamers et al., 2011). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the existence of three subscales in the Croatian version of the questionnaire: emotional well-being, psychological well-being and social well-being, which also correspond to the assumed structure of the original model (Lamers et al., 2011). The answers in the aforementioned questionnaire related to the frequency of students' feelings in the past three months related to their positive mental health and represents a predictor set of items. Assessments were made on a 6-point Likert-type scale (1= never, 2= once or twice, 3= once a week, 4= several times a week, 5= almost every day, 6= every day).
Another independent Environmental Support Scale related to individual features of environmental support was added to the questionnaire for the purposes of this research by the authors of the manuscript. It consists of 8 items, and for the purposes of this research, the criterion item - support of university teachers - was used. Answers on the Environmental Support Scale referred to the presence or absence of support from university teachers (yes/no). The variable of university teacher support is generally about the degree of assistance, attention, and guidance that students receive within a particular learning environment such us university.
Method of data collection and processing
Data were collected through a Google form during the 2022/2023 academic year. The questionnaire was sent to every student of the Teacher Training Faculty of the University of Zagreb and the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula. Students' access to the questionnaire was voluntary and anonymous, and they could refuse to fill out the questionnaire or decide not to answer a question or statement at any time. The research was previously approved by the Committee for the Evaluation of Ethics in Research of the Jurja Dobrila University of Pula. The data were calculated based on basic statistical parameters, multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis, which are an integrated part of the licensed SPSS program.ranks.
Results and Discussion
BasedPedagogical on descriptive indicators, the self-assessments thatcompetencies are consideredinterlinked high,with thatall referareas of teaching, and a pedagogically competent teacher is one who demonstrates a high level of expertise in all aspects of their work, applying their knowledge, skills, abilities, and values to positivepedagogical feelingspractice (Mijatović, 2000; Ljubetić & Kostović Vranješ, 2008). Through initial education, professional development, and daily work in the lasteducational threeprocess, monthsteachers' competencies evolve, develop, and thatimprove, aremaking manifestedthe acquisition of pedagogical competencies a continuous process of progression from pedagogical incompetence to competence. This process also depends on averagevarious "almostinternal everyfactors, day"such as age, attitudes, values, and individual expectations (TableLjubetić 1)& areKostović almostVranješ, entirely2008). relatedThe results of this study will be presented in relation to psychologicalthe well-being.assessed importance of domains in which teachers need to possess competencies for professional work, as well as the assessed importance of subdomains of teacher competencies, as evaluated by students, future teachers.
OtherTable items1 were mostly self-assessed inpresents the rangeaverage assessment values and rankings that indicate the perceived importance of "severalindividual timesareas a week",within which isteacher acompetencies veryare good indicator because the items were set in the form of characteristics of students’ positive mental health. Also, the "never" category, which is very favourable, was not evaluated by any of the research participants for the first three items that describe emotional well-being.
Also, it is important to note that 41 % of participants report that they did not have support from teachers regarding the characteristics of positive mental health.
defined.
Table 1
Basic statistical parametersAssessment of the most evaluated characteristicsimportance of positivecompetency mental healthareas
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| area, subject
| teaching
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methodology |
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1,022 |
I |
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Teaching and learning |
3,182 |
1,018 |
II |
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Communication and collaboration |
3,168 |
1,175 |
III |
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Support for student personality development |
3,056 |
1,079 |
IV |
It can be observed that all areas of competency are assessed as important since the mean values are above average. Students evaluate the teaching field, subject, and teaching methodology as the most important competency area, which ranks first. The area of teaching and learning is ranked second, while communication and collaboration is ranked third. Students rated the importance of the area of support for the development of students' personalities the lowest, placing it in the fourth place.
Table 2
Assessment of the importance of competency subareas
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Competency subareas |
M |
σ |
Ranking |
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Possession of knowledge necessary for teaching |
4,664 |
0,795 |
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Possessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the implementation of all activities in teaching |
4,391 |
1,021 |
II |
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Possession of knowledge, skills, and abilities in monitoring, assessing, and evaluating all activities and stakeholders in the educational process |
4,322 |
1,142 |
III
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teaching |
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Differences in the self-assessment of certain characteristics of positive mental health by students, considering whether students had or did not have the support of university teachers, were examined based on discriminant analysis in order to gain insight into the latent dimensions of these differences. Also, discriminant analysis was also used for the purpose of investigating the overall measure of the intensity of the positive experience of mental health and its specificity between groups. Previously, multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the differences between groups of students who had or did not have the support of university teachers in relation to the combination of individual characteristics of positive mental health. The analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in certain characteristics of positive mental health between the observed groups of students (Λ= .811, p= .000.) Accordingly, in this paper, a discriminant analysis was performed on a set of items that describe certain characteristics of students’ positive mental health, namely students who had the university teachers' support and those who did not have university teachers' support. Given that a discriminant analysis was performed on only two groups of participants - students who had university teachers' support and those who did not have university teachers' support, one discriminant function was obtained that is statistically significant at the p= .01 level (Table 2) and discriminates the observed groups of participants. Canonical correlation shows a relatively good discriminating power of this function in a practical sense.
Table 2
Characteristic root and Wilks Lambda
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Table 3
Standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients (C) and matrix structure (S)
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* variable's largest absolute correlation
From the data presented in Table 3, it follows that students who had the support of university teachers and those who did not have such support differ most from each other in their self-assessments in the following characteristics: ...having a good relationship of understanding with close persons and ...interested in life/ that your life matters to you in general.
Table 4
Centroids of groups
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V |
BasedWhen onit comes to the insightsub-competencies intodefined by the positionsStandards of Competence for the centroidsTeaching (Table 4)Profession, itstudents highly value them as important, as evidenced by the mean values. The first rank is evidentoccupied thatby studentsthe differsub-competency of possessing the knowledge necessary for teaching. The second rank, in terms of importance, is occupied by possessing the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for implementing all activities in the mentionedteaching characteristicsprofession. inThe suchthird arank way that students who hadincludes the supportnecessary ofknowledge, university teachers evaluated the mentioned positive characteristics of mental health. The results can be interpreted on the basis of the main concept of well-being (Keyes, 2002), given that the applied questionnaire can also be used as a diagnostic category (as flourishing, moderately mentally healthy or languishing classification)skills, and itabilities canfor bemonitoring, concluded that the support of university teachers had the greatest impact on the emotionalassessing, and psychologicalevaluating well-beingall ofactivities students.and This confirms the hypothesis that there are statistically significant differencesparticipants in the self-assessmenteducational ofprocess. certainThe characteristicsfourth of positive mental health of students who have and do not have the support of university teachers, that is, on the basis of a set of items that describe the self-assessment of certain characteristics of positive mental health, itrank is possible to statistically significantly predict belongingassigned to the groupsub-competency of studentspossessing whothe hadknowledge, skills, and thoseabilities whofor didplanning notvarious haveactivities in teaching. Lastly, the supportfifth rank is occupied by the sub-competency of university teachers.
In accordance withpossessing the above, some authors (Gargknowledge and Rastogi, 2009, Lei et al., 2018) find the reasonsskills for the strong connection between teacher supportplanning and studentcontinuously well-beingimplementing inpersonal theprofessional fact that supporting students to attain their desired learning goals makes students feel happy and satisfied. These two feelings, as pointed out by, are the main indicators of students' psychological well-being.
development.
ConclusionDiscussion
Research findings emphasize the importance of the developmental dimension of competency frameworks for the teaching profession, as well as the significance of fostering a positive attitude among both future and current teachers toward the knowledge, skills, and values that enable individuals to act actively and effectively in their profession (Cochran-Smith, 2021; Ghorbani, Jafari, Sharifian, 2018; Jurčić, 2014; Tatković & Ćatić, 2010). It is also highlighted that competency frameworks reflect the specific context and societal needs (Cochran-Smith, 2021). The results of our research focus on assessing the importance of competency areas for future teachers as defined in the Regulation on Competency Standards for the Teaching Profession and Their Professional Development. The significance of the obtained results reflects the students' perspectives and their evaluation of competency areas, which could raise many questions about the extent to which undergraduate study programs contribute to the development or formation of positive attitudes towards the needs and possibilities for developing competencies in future teachers.
The goalstudents surveyed in our research attributed the greatest importance to the area of competence related to teaching subjects, content, and teaching methodologies. The reasoning behind this evaluation can be linked to research indicating the current state of teacher education, where programs are predominantly subject focused at a theoretical level, which may influence students' perceptions of the importance of this area (Đigić, 2017; Stanojević & Janjić, 2013). In a study conducted by Rijavec et al. (2006), respondents, consisting of teachers and recent graduates, rated themselves as most competent in teaching, subject content, and planning. Similar findings are presented by Stranovská and colleagues, who emphasize that the surveyed teachers identified having a strong knowledge of subject content and teaching methodology as the most important aspect of their professional work (Stranovská, Lalinská, & Boboňová, 2018).
The second most highly valued area, according to students' evaluations, is the domain of teaching and learning, which includes knowledge about students' cognitive development, the nature and diversity of learning styles, the formation of scientific concepts, as well as the planning, implementation, and support of the teaching and learning process. Đuranović, Klasnić, Lapat (2013) highlight in their research that during undergraduate teacher education, and even in continuous professional development, insufficient emphasis is placed on pedagogical competency. As a result, teachers often do not feel adequately pedagogically competent in specific teaching situations, especially those that consider the abilities and needs of individual students in the learning process.
The third-ranked area, based on the students' evaluations in our study, is the competency area of communication and collaboration. This includes understanding, planning, and implementing collaboration with parents and other educational stakeholders, as well as knowledge of the forms and content of such collaboration. It also encompasses knowledge of effective communication techniques and the promotion of students' social competencies. Zlatić (2022), in their study on teachers' communicative competence, emphasizes the importance of its development, pointing out the connection between this competency and overall teaching effectiveness. Moreover, they argue that possessing this competency is a prerequisite for fostering students' communication skills. In a study conducted by Zrilić and Marin (2019), surveyed teachers highly rated their competence in forming partnerships with various interest groups.
Students evaluated the competency area support for student personality development as the least important. This area includes knowledge and understanding of students' physical, emotional, social, and cultural differences, as well as their psychological, social, and emotional development. It also encompasses knowledge of ways to support students in their socialization and individuality. Additionally, it involves planning and implementing activities that consider students' needs, specificities, interests, diversity, and initiatives. Similar results have been observed in other studies, although the respondents in those studies were teachers rather than students (Parmigiani, Jones, Kunnari, Nicchia, 2022; Stranovská, Lalinská, Boboňová, 2018). Considering the needs of modern society and schools, this competency area must be given greater importance and incorporated into the content of study programs and professional development programs for teachers. These results confirm the assumption from which we started that students generally highly value the defined competence areas from the Rulebook on Teacher Competences.
When it comes to evaluating competency sub-areas, the surveyed students rated possession of knowledge necessary for professional work across all mentioned areas as the most important. The knowledge dimension in teaching competencies is a significant element highlighted by many authors (Lipovac, Golijanin Elez, 2017; Radulović, Pejatović, Vujisić Živković, 2010; Vizek Vidović, 2009). It has already been emphasized that teachers are primarily prepared through initial education at a theoretical and subject-oriented level, making the emphasis placed on knowledge a priority. The sub-area of implementation of all activities in teaching, which, in addition to knowledge, includes skills and abilities for conducting educational activities, ranked second according to the students' evaluations. The ability to apply knowledge in one's work in alignment with the context, conditions, and demands of specific practices is an essential element. Students encounter this aspect during their initial education through professional practice within real school settings. The third rank is held by the sub-area of monitoring, assessing, and evaluating all activities and participants in the educational process. The quality of educational work is shaped by continuous monitoring and evaluation of processes and outcomes. Teacher self-assessment serves as the foundation for developing their competence. The importance of feedback and a reflective approach to one’s work is a crucial prerequisite for achieving competencies in this sub-area. Knowledge and skills in planning various activities in teaching occupy the fourth rank in the students' evaluations. Effective planning is essential for the successful implementation of activities. The work of teachers is highly complex, responsible, and nuanced, requiring them to be equipped to identify priorities, place them at the forefront, and thereby ensure quality processes and outcomes in their work. Teachers are expected to be skilled in various types of planning, each with their own purpose and significance. It is evident that students have not sufficiently recognized the importance of this aspect of their work and the need to be well-prepared for it. The sub-area planning and continuously implementing personal professional development was torated investigateas the existenceleast important by the students. This sub-area includes professional development in all areas of work, applying newly acquired knowledge to improve one’s teaching practice, and planning personal development based on self-evaluation of their work. Contrary to this result, research conducted by Stranovská and colleagues shows that practicing teachers highly value competencies in planning and implementing their own development and career (Stranovská, Lalinská, Boboňová, 2018). It could be expected that there would be differences in the self-assessmentevaluations between students—future teachers—and those already involved in educational work, as students are still in the process of positiveinitial mental health of students who haveeducation and do not have thea supportrealistic view of universitythe demands placed on modern teachers. This points to the necessity of revisiting the learning outcomes of teacher education programs and modifying their content, methods, and approaches to emphasize the importance of lifelong learning. Other studies on teacher competencies in modern schools indicate that teachers duringstrive for continuous development and lifelong learning (Zrilić & Marin, 2019), emphasizing that self-regulation of professional development is a critical requirement for achieving teaching competencies (Beara, Popović, & Jerković, 2019). Observing the assessment of the value of the competence sub-areas by the surveyed students, we can confirm the assumption from which we started that students generally highly value the importance of the competence sub-areas defined by the Rulebook.
Conclusions
The development of competency frameworks for modern teachers must align with the needs of contemporary schools, societal contexts, and the systems in which they operate. The development of competencies cannot be viewed separately from the professional development of teachers, which encompasses initial education, continuous professional training, and lifelong learning. Approaches that justify the existence of defined teaching competencies can be reconciled with the need for autonomy among teachers in their studies,professional work and development. It is evident that competencies evolve alongside societal changes, making it crucial to identify future needs. The progressive development of competencies represents a key task for both initial teacher education and professional training. During initial education, it is essential to cultivate positive attitudes and motivation among future teachers toward developing their competencies. Numerous studies have highlighted shortcomings in teacher education programs, particularly regarding the development of specific competencies.
Considering the results of our research, positive attitudes toward the competency areas and sub-areas defined by the Rulebook on Standards of Teacher Competencies and Their Professional Development in the Republic of Serbia can be identified, though differences exist in the perceived levels of importance. Initial teacher education should aim to foster positive attitudes toward teaching competencies, the need for their improvement, and the recognition of personal and professional development needs. Parmigiani and colleagues emphasize the importance of "future attitudes" of teachers, which are cultivated through education as potential approaches for teacher development during initial education (Parmigiani, Jones, Kunnari, Nicchia, 2022).
As the results of this research indicate that the competency area of supporting student development was assessed as the least important, yet still above average by the students, efforts should focus on re-examining study programs and courses that encourage and develop competencies in this area, as well as possiblyon whatapproaches specificto characteristicsand organization of positiveteaching mentaland healthprofessional arepractice involved.with Basedstudents. The students surveyed in our research do not sufficiently recognize the importance of continuous professional development and competencies in this sub-area, even though its perceived importance is not quantitatively low. The foundation of every study program should be based on the researchprinciples results,of itlifelong islearning concludedand thatthe theredevelopment areof suchstudent differencesawareness I.about e.its groupsnecessity. differThe mostCommon fromEuropean eachPrinciples otherfor Teacher Competence and Qualifications emphasize recommendations for the development of key competencies, requiring teachers to engage in theircontinuous self-assessmentsprofessional in the characteristics: ...having a good relationship of understanding with close personsdevelopment and ...interestedlifelong in life/ that your life matters to you in general. From an insight into the latent dimensions of these differences in relation to the three subscales of the Croatian version of the questionnaire, it is concluded that the support of university teachers had the greatest impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of students. Regardless of the fact that the results show that the perception of these university students about their mental health is generally positive, regardless of the support of university teachers, the results show that a certain number of students feel that university teachers do not provide them with support when it comes to positive mental health. learning.
The results of this research, in addition to the scientific insight into the influence of university teachers on the positive mental health of their students and contribution to the scarce literature in this sense, open up the possibility to consider and create guidelines for strategies that promote and maintain a high level of students’ mental health with special emphasis on the competencies of university teachers and strengthen protective factors at the universities themselves. In doing so, special emphasis should be placed on additional continuous education of university teachers related to the mental health of students in the context of quality inclusive university practice, in terms of monitoring and supporting students with various difficulties during their studies, which is another way of strengthening the competences of university teachers so that they are better prepared for different ways of giving support to students. Based on the above, this research has certain practical implications for university teachers to use different support strategies to motivate students to learn. In addition, there is room for a further research question related to why some students do not perceive the support of university teachers, which indicates the need for further research.
Although the results obtained in this research areraise satisfactory,many questions regarding the needs and possibilities of education focused on outcomes and competencies. They highlight the necessity for further research aimed at assessing the mastery of competencies, exploring the possibilities and limitations of their application in practice, and re-examining teacher education programs. Such examinations should focus on how, to what extent, and through which content these programs encourage and develop the competencies of future teachers.
The research presented in this paper yielded certain results, but it is necessaryimportant to pointmention the circumstances that somewhat limit their objectivity and generalizability. One of these circumstances is the sample, which consists solely of students from a single faculty, despite the sample size not being small. Using descriptive statistics, we obtained values that indicate the quantitative assessment of the importance of competency areas and subareas. This provided an answer to somethe limitationsresearch question regarding how positive the attitudes of future teachers are toward the competencies that should be encouraged and suggestionsdeveloped through initial education and professional development. These results serve as a framework for futureanalyzing research.and Themodifying limitationsthe study programs at the Faculty of Education in Užice as part of their preparation for reaccreditation.
We hope that this research arewill serve as an impetus for further studies and reexamination of all circumstances and conditions related to the convenientinitial sampleeducation of participants.teachers, Ineducational addition,policies, and the limitationsneeds alsoimposed applyby tocontemporary the answers collected through the Google form,society and it can be assumed that students who are more motivated and open to cooperation, and therefore students with a more positive mental health, participated in filling out the questionnaire. Also, on this occasion, the assumptions for linear discriminant analysis as independence and non-multicollinearity were not examined, which, if violated, could affect the interpretation of the results.
Lastly, while inclusion in education was initially focused on groups that traditionally occupy a marginalized position in education, such as youth with disabilities, inclusive education is now conceptualized as the need to transform education systems as a whole, which includes the higher education level (Vantieghem et al., 2023). This understanding of inclusion starts from the point of view of social justice and equality and is known as 'Education for All' (Ainscow & Miles, 2008). Social justice in education in general means that the child and young person, not the subject curriculum, is at the centre of the learning and teaching process. This presupposes that at all levels of education there is an emphasis on recognizing the responsibility of educational fields to take into account differences, in order to create quality learning environments for all, while maintaining a clear understanding of how systemic inequalities in education disproportionately affect certain (marginalized) groups (Ponet et al., 2021, as cited in Vantieghem et al., 2023). Regarding university teacher’s competencies in this sense, Blömeke et al., (2015) and Vantieghem et al. (2023) emphasize that for teaching and performance, university teachers' situation-specific skills include processes such as perception and decision-making for students in specific situations. Since the competencies for inclusive education are defined as a complex combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable teaching professionals to successfully respond to the diversity of those they teach (Crick, 2008), there is a great need for research that provides better insight into the competencies of university teachers, especially in preserving the mental health of students during their studies.
education.
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