Identification of Components of Educational and Professional Competencies of Faculty Members in the Higher Education System of the Country with a Meta-Synthesis Approach

Document Type : research article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Educational Management, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

2 , Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

4 , Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

Aim: Human resources are the most critical and valuable asset of any organization, influencing all aspects of its operations. In universities, faculty members represent the primary human resource, and their competence significantly impacts the quality of the educational process. This study aims to identify the components necessary for enhancing the educational and professional qualifications of faculty members within the higher education system of the country.
Methodology: This qualitative research utilized the seven-step meta-synthesis method developed by Sandelowski and Barroso. The study focused on all Persian research published on the educational and professional qualifications of faculty members between 2011 and 2024. Data was gathered through purposive sampling, resulting in the analysis of 27 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The reliability of the coding process was confirmed using the Kappa agreement coefficient in SPSS software, yielding a value of 0.78.
Results: Based on the results of data analysis, 122 open codes were identified for data collection, which were categorized into 7 main themes and 21 sub-themes, including: educational skills; research skills; communication and technology skills; personal characteristics; leadership and management skills; professional ethics and educational competencies.
Conclusions and suggestions: Based on the study’s findings, it is recommended to establish a Professional Competence Development Council within the university’s Vice-Chancellor for Education and Research. This council would organize workshops and conferences, as well as create educational materials to enhance faculty members’ professional competence, thereby fostering an effective implementation environment for development initiatives.
Innovation and originality: This research is one of the first comprehensive studies to identify the components necessary for developing the educational and professional qualifications of faculty members in the country’s higher education system through a synthesis of existing studies. It offers new, valuable insights that can significantly contribute to enhancing the qualifications of faculty members in this system.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

 
Abazari, Z., Shariyatmadari, M., Hamidifar, F., & Shoghi, B. (2021). Providing a suitable modelfor the professional competencies of faculty members at Islamic Azad University branches in Tehran. Journal of Jundishapur Development Education, 12(1), 73-87. https://doi.org/10.22118/edc.2020.240057.1455. [in persian].
Abedi, H., Ahmadabadi, A., & Ghoroneh, D. (2018). Identifying educational needs related to the professional growth of teaching among faculty members and instructors at Farhangian University. Biannual Journal of Research in Teacher Education, 1(3), 1-35. [in
Persian].
Adkoli, B. V., Al-Umran, K. U., Al-Sheikh, M. H., & Deepak, K. K. (2012). Innovative method of needs assessment for faculty development programs in a Gulf medical school. Education for health, 23(3), 389.‏  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21290357/
Akbari Lakeh, M., Karimi Moonaghi, H., Makarem, A. (2012). Medical faculty members’         teaching competencies and factors affecting it. Future of medical education journal, 2(3):7-10 : Doi: 10.22038/fmej.2012.342. [in persian].
Arefi, M., Ghahramani, M., & Rashid Haji Khajalu, S. (2016). Evaluation of effective criteria on the meritocracy and selection of faculty members from the perspective of Shahid Beheshti University faculty members. Quarterly Journal of Research in Educational Systems, 11(4), 25-38. https://www.magiran.com/p1727675 . [in Persian].
Bing-You, R. G., Lee, R., Trowbridge, R. L., Varaklis, K., & Hafler, J. P. (2019). Commentary: principle-based teaching competencies. Journal of graduate medical education, 1(1), 100-103.‏ DOI:10.4300/01.01.0016
Feldman, A., Altrichter, H., Posch, P., & Somekh, B. (2018). Teachers investigate their work: An introduction to action research across the professions. Routledge.‏https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315398822
Forsman, H., Jansson, I., Leksell, J., Lepp, M., Sundin Andersson, C., Engström, M., & Nilsson, J. (2020). Clusters of competence: Relationship between self‐reported professional competence and achievement on a national examination among graduating nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(1), 199-208.‏ doi: 10.1111/jan.14222
Hamdan, A. R., Ghafar, M. N., & Li, L. T. H. (2010). Teaching competency testing among Malaysian school teachers. European Journal of Social Sciences, 12(4), 610-617.‏https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283763634
Jamali, B., Nasr Isfahani, A.R., & Nili, M.R. (2018). Professional capabilities of faculty members considering recent developments in universities: A qualitative study. Quarterly Journal of Research in Educational Systems, 12(40), 153-179.  https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2018.64747. [in Persian].
Kalkanatov, A. (2023). PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION OF THE MANAGER IN THE CULTURAL FIELD. JOURNAL OF ECONOMY, TOURISM AND SERVICE, 2(9), 19-23.‏ https://jets.innovascience.uz/index.php/jets/article/view/88
Kayzouri, A. H., Ramezanzadeh, A., & Moradian, M. R. (2022). Personal epistemologies of higher education faculty members in soft disciplines: conceptualizations, enactments, and the educational implications. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(1), 99-113.https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1699527
Leighton, J., Heffernan, C., Cor, M. K., Gokiert, R. J., & Cui, Y. (2013). An Experimental Test of Student Verbal Reports and Expert Teacher Evolutions as a Source of Validity Evidence for Test Development. Journal Student Report and Teacher Evolutions, 12, 103-109.‏DOI:10.1080/08957347.2011.607061
Manning, M., Garvis, S., Fleming, C., & Wong, G. T. (2017). The relationship between teacher qualification and the quality of the early childhood education and care environment. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 13(1), 1-82.‏ DOI:10.4073/csr.2017.1
Modood, T. (2019). Capitals, ethnic identity, and educational qualifications. The next generation: Immigrant youth in a comparative perspective, 185-203.‏https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814707425.003.0009
Mohamadi, R., &  khorsandi yamchi, A. (2017). Designing the model of professional qualification of evaluators and quality auditors in the higher education system, Edcational planning studies, 6 (12), 89_ 105. Doi: 10.22080/eps. 2018.1787 .[in Persian].
Morling, B., & Lee, J. M. (2020). Are “Associate Professors” better than “Associate Teaching Professors”? Student and faculty perceptions of faculty titles. Teaching of Psychology, 47(1), 34-44.‏ https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628319888087
Nabavi, S.M., Aminbeidokhti, A., & Jafari, S. (2017). The mediating role of collaborative learning in the relationship between teaching competency and professional competence of faculty members with academic achievement of Semnan University students. Master's thesis, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University. https://doi.org/10.22055/edu.2018.21925.2191. [in Persian].
Ramesh, P., & Krishnan,P. (2020). Professional competence of teachers in Indian higher agricultural education. Current Science, 118(3), 356-361.‏DOI:10.18520/cs/v118/i3/356-361
Rampai, N., & Sopeerak, S. (2011). The Development Model of Knowledge Management via Web-Based Learning to Enhance Pre-Service Teacher's Competency. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 10(3), 249-254.‏https://www.learntechlib.org/p/53310/
Ravly, G. (2008). Top management leadership, employee empowerment and job satisfaction & customer satisfaction in TQM organization: An empirical study. Journal of Quality Management, 5.‏DOI:10.1016/S1084-8568(01)00023-2
Sabah, S., & Du, X. (2018). University faculty’s perceptions and practices of student centered learning in Qatar: Alignment or gap?. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 10(4), 514-533.‏DOI:10.1108/JARHE-11-2017-0144
Salimi, J., &  Abdi, A. (2017). Phenomenology of students' perception of educational elements in university: a case study of the concept of teachers' educational "qualifications". Edcational planning studies, 6 (12), 30-64. https://doi.org/ Doi: 10.22080/eps.2018.1785 . [in Persian].
Salimi G, Haidari E, Keshavarzi F. (2015). Faculty members’ Competencies for achieving the academic mission : A reflection from the perceptions and expectations of doctoral students. Quarterly Journal of Innovation and Enterpreneurship; 3(7):85- 103. http://journalie.ir/en/Article/332/FullText. [in Persian].
Sakaki, M., Mirzamohammadi, M. H., & Sobhaninejad, M., Najafi., H.  (2021). Analyzing the professional qualifications of faculty members in the field of evaluating educational progress. Journal of Educational Studies, 17, 12-23.‏ http://nama.ajaums.ac.ir/article-1-365-en.html. [in Persian].  
Saki, R. (2015). Lesson study. Tehran: Iranian Curriculum Encyclopedia.  [in Persian].  
Sandelowski, M., & Barroso, J. (2007). Handbook for synthesizing qualitative research Springer Publishing Company. New York. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1196746
Shafiee, F., Naderi, A., Abili, kh., & Sobhani, H. (2017). Analyzing and explaining the research performance of academic staff members with a mixed approach and multi-level modeling, case study: University of Tehran, Edcational planning studies, 7 (13), 97_ 120. Doi: 10.22080/eps. 2018.2024
Steinert, Y., O’Sullivan, P. S., & Irby, D. M. (2023). The Role of Faculty Development in Advancing Change at the Organizational Level. Academic Medicine, 10-1097.https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000005732 
Stoffberg, y., Nass, F., Twum_Darko, M. (2022). The relevance of educational qualifications to job performance among academic administrators at a University (Doctoral dissertation, Cape Peninsula University of Technology). 12(1):22773-22773. DOI:10.5430/ijhe.v12n1p70
Velasco, P. J., Learreta, B., Kober, C., & Tan, I. (2014). Faculty Perspective on Competency Development in Higher Education: An International Study. Higher Learning Research Communications, 4(4), 85-100.‏ DOI:10.18870/hlrc.v4i4.223
Wilden, E., Porsch, R., & Schurig, M. (2020). An early start in primary EFL education and the role of teacher qualification and teaching quality. Language Teaching for Young Learners, 2(1), 28-51.‏ DOI:10.1075/ltyl.19002.wil
Zimmer, L. (2006). Qualitative meta‐synthesis: a question of dialoguing with texts. Journal of advanced nursing, 53(3), 311-318.doi : 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03721
 
Journal of Educational Planning Studies
Volume 13, Issue 26
March 2025
Pages 271-292

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 15 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 05 February 2025
  • Accept Date: 14 February 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics