Guidelines for Developing Teacher Competencies in teaching in the 21st Century in Zhejiang Higher Vocational Colleges, People’s Republic of China
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Abstract
This study aimed to 1) develop guidelines for developing 21st-century teaching competencies among Zhejiang higher vocational colleges (HVCs) and 2) evaluate the guidelines for developing teacher competencies in teaching in the 21st century in Zhejiang HVCs. The researcher formulated the guidelines based on the investigation of the current situation of teachers’ teaching competencies. The research was divided into two stages. Stage 1: It was identified that the 21st-century teaching competencies of teachers in HVCs in Zhejiang Province comprised six aspects. Ranked from highest to lowest in terms of competency level, they were research competency, student management competency, professional ethics, social service competency, self-development competency, and teaching management competency. Stage 1 involved investigating current competency levels and qualitative data collection through semi-structured interviews with award-winning teachers and administrative managers from model HVCs. The second stage focused on the expert evaluation of the developed guidelines, utilizing a 5-level rating scale questionnaire to assess their feasibility and utility among a sample of experienced deans.
It was found that: 1. In Zhejiang Province of the People’s Republic of China, teacher competencies in teaching in the 21st century in HVCs were at a relatively high level in general and in all aspects on average. 2. To improve teacher competencies in teaching in the 21st century in Zhejiang HVCs, it was necessary to improve teaching competency from six aspects: 1) research, 2) student management, 3) professional ethics, 4) social service, 5) self-development, and 6) learning and teaching. 3. Evaluation results showed that experts conducted a high-level assessment of the feasibility and utility of the 21st century teaching competency guidelines for college teachers.
The study successfully produced a validated set of development guidelines tailored to the specific needs of Zhejiang HVC teachers. These findings provide a critical roadmap for vocational teacher training policy in China, emphasize targeted development in key areas, and ensure educators are equipped for the demands of the 21st century.
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