The professional competence of teachers from the perspective of their students in vocational schools

Abstract

The current research problem is encapsulated in the following inquiries: Do teachers possess professional competence from the viewpoint of their students in vocational schools? The aim of the current research was as follows: 1- To assess the professional competence of teachers from the perspective of students in vocational schools. 2- To evaluate the professional competence of teachers from the viewpoint of students based on gender (males/females). The research defines the objective boundaries as follows: including the variables of the current research on the level of professional competence from the perspective of students. The spatial boundaries encompass vocational schools in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf province. The human boundaries focus on a sample of morning students in vocational schools in the Directorate General of Education in Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf province, including both genders (males and females). The temporal boundaries are set for the academic year (2023-2024). The theoretical framework included previous studies on the variable of professional competence, discussing theories and previous studies, and elucidating their utility. The researchers employed the descriptive correlational method, with the research population consisting of students in the vocational stage in government schools for the academic year (2023-2024), with a total population of 539 students. The primary research sample was selected randomly and proportionally, comprising 400 students. To achieve the research objectives, the researchers constructed a professional competence questionnaire after verifying the validity and reliability indicators. The initial questionnaire consisted of 32 items, with four items being removed due to redundancy, resulting in the final questionnaire containing 28 items. The researchers arrived at the following results: It emerged that the research sample perceives their teachers to have a good level of professional competence. There were statistically significant differences in the variable of gender, favoring males