Measuring Secondary School English Teachers’ Professional Competencies: Scale Development and Validation

In recent years, there has been growing interest in core competencies and how to cultivate core competencies in secondary education. The teacher professional competency (TPC) plays an important role in this regard. However, TPCs tailored for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers to develop students’ English core competencies (language ability, learning ability, cultural awareness and thinking capability) remains scarce. This study therefore aims to investigate EFL teachers’ perspectives and develop a TPC scale. A comprehensive literature review yielded a TPC model consisting of 14 factors. Then a pilot study employing Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using a questionnaire ( n = 175) across 15 schools, followed by a formal study with Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on data collected from 914 EFL teachers across 335 schools. The study developed and validated three second-order models and one-third-order factor model, resulting in a reliable and structurally stable three-layer TPC scale. This scale, built on rigorous empirical research, consists of three dimensions and 12 factors. Aligned with the goal of cultivating students’ English core competencies, it accurately and effectively captures the essential skills and qualities required of EFL teachers. Moreover, it provides robust theoretical and practical support for research and practice in teacher professional development, further enhancing its value as a reliable tool in this field.