Do Efl Teachers From Two Private Chilean Universities Feel Professionally Competent An Exploratory Study

Facultad de Educación
Escuela de Educación
DO EFL TEACHERS FROM TWO CHILEAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES FEEL

PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT?
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY CONSIDERING THE PROFESSIONAL PROFILE AND
PROGRAMS OF SUCH UNIVERSITIES
Seminario para optar al Título de
Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media
Y al Grado Académico de:
Licenciado en Educación
Nombre alumno(s):
Claudia Albuccó Ariztía
María Soledad Espinoza Morales
Michelle Leiva Espinoza
Profesor Guía:
Eduardo González Acevedo
Viña del Mar-Chile

i
Dedications
I would like to thank my parents Luis Albuccó and Marisol Ariztía for their never-ending
support. Also, to my dear team members and friends for being the best team ever specially to
Francisca and María Soledad. Besides, to my professors who have inspired me to improve day by
day. Finally, to my beloved partner Marc Moller for his constant encouragement during this
process.
Claudia Albuccó Ariztía
I would like to thank all the people who have helped me to be here. First of all, to my family,
who have always believed in me and made me feel like home when I needed it. Secondly, to my
group members, who have supported me through this process. And last but not least, to Nelson
Valderrama, who never left me alone even if I asked him to do so. To all the people I love and the
ones I have not mentioned here, but that are in my heart. Thank you.
María Soledad Espinoza Morales
Firstly, I would like to thank my parents, Yesenia and Cristián, for their unconditional support,
nothing of this would have been possible without their love and care; to my brothers Juan Pablo
and Juan Andrés for never letting me to give up on anything. Secondly, to my amazing friends
Claudia and María Soledad for their hard work and dedication. Thirdly, I would like to thank my
wonderful English teacher Claudia Saéz for inspiring me to follow this beautiful career and for
always believing in me. Finally, I want to thank Fernando Piña and his family for their support and
company during all this process, thank you for being my breath of fresh air.
Michelle Leiva Espinoza

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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our thesis advisor Eduardo González for guiding us during this
process, Ximena Casanueva for supporting us, Nelson Valderrama for being our special
collaborator, and specially our team members Francisca Molina, Daniela Oyarzún and Carolina
Salinas for starting this journey with us.

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INDEX
Dedications i
Acknowledgement ii
Index iii
Abstract vi
Resumen (in Spanish) vii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Topic 2
1.2 Area of research 3
1.3 Problematic situation 4
1.4 Research question 5
1.5 Assumptions 6
1.6 General objective 7
1.7 Specific objectives 8
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 9
2.1 Etymological and historical background of the concept of competency 10
2.2 Definitions of competency with regards to the area of the teaching profession 13
2.3 Cognitive Competency 16
2.4 Procedural Competency 18
2.5 Attitudinal competency 20
2.6 Socialization and internalization of values 24
2.7 Professionally competent teacher 26

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CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 33
3.1 Methodological design 34
3.2 Sampling 35
3.3 Instrument 36
3.4 Data collection 38
3.5 Findings 39
3.5.1 Section 1 40
3.5.2 Section 2 89
3.5.3 Section 3 95
3.6 Analysis of results 99
3.6.1 Section 1 100
3.6.2 Section 2 103
3.6.3 Section 3 106
3.7 Limitations 108
4. Conclusion 109
5. Discussion 111
List of references 112
Bibliography 119
APPENDIX 120
Appendix 1 121
Appendix 2 122
Appendix 3 123
Appendix 4 130
v
Appendix 5 131
Appendix 6 132
Appendix 7 146
vi
Abstract
The aim of this study, based on a previous analysis of the concept of competency, is to explore
what may be lacking in English Pedagogy programs to make future EFL teachers feel
professionally competent once they major from two private universities. This study is carried out
with the qualitative, exploratory, and participative methods applying one survey for each sample.
For this, 31 Chilean EFL teachers from two private universities were asked to answer a survey
about their perception with regards to how professionally competent they feel.
The results show that respondents do feel professionally competent at the moment of
majoring.
Keywords: competencies
vii
Resumen (in Spanish)
El objetivo de este estudio, basado en un análisis previo del concepto de competencia, es
explorar qué puede faltar en los programas de Pedagogía en Inglés para que los futuros profesores
de Inglés como lengua extranjera se sientan profesionalmente competentes una vez egresados de
dos universidades privadas. Este estudio fue llevado a cabo usando el método cualitativo,
exploratorio y participativo aplicando una encuesta a cada muestra.
Para ello, se les solicitó a 31 profesores de inglés como lengua extranjera de dos universidades
privadas, que respondieran una encuesta acerca de su propia percepción en cuanto a qué tan
profesionalmente competentes se sienten.
Los resultados muestran que los encuestados si se sienten profesionalmente competentes al
momento de egresar.
Palabra clave: competencias

1
CHAPTER I:
INTRODUCTION
2
1.1 Topic
According to the participants’ observations and pre-research, there may be an incongruity
between the actual English Pedagogy graduate program (Appendix 1) and the competencies
acquired during the process of majoring from university. After reviewing the professional profile
(Appendix 2) stated by Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB) the participants do not feel
professionally competent to teach in EFL classrooms. For this reason, the topic of this thesis is
EFL future teachers’ competencies after majoring from English Pedagogy. It would be helpful for
the faculty authorities to acknowledge the perception their students have of their competencies at
the moment of majoring, so that changes may be fostered to improve and strengthen their feeling
of being professionally competent.

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1.2 Area of research
One of the areas of research of this thesis is sociology since the subjects belong to a social
community involved in the same academic and professional interests. A second area of research is
psychology as this study deals with feelings and perceptions which will be interpreted to obtain
data. The third area of study is pedagogy since it is assumed that the problematic situation may be
solved, in part, by the addition or modification of pedagogical curricular content, which is part of
the science of teaching.

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1.3 Problematic situation
The first idea was to work on the differences between the concepts of expertise and
competency. Therefore, six professors of English working at UNAB were the sample in a pre-
research survey (Appendix 3). According to the findings of the pre-research, it was realized that
there may be a misconception of the concept of competency, but more importantly, the respondents
did not feel competent enough when performing classes within a two year period after majoring
from university. For this reason, it was decided to consider the latter problem as most important
i.e. why is it that EFL teachers do not feel competent enough to teach classes after graduating?
5
1.4 Research question
How could professional competencies during the EFL Pedagogy major be improved in order
to make EFL teachers feel professionally competent after majoring, so that the professional profiles
stated by each private university become congruent with the teachers’ own perception of
competency?
6
1.5 Assumptions
Regarding EFL teachers’ training process, there may be some deficiencies when acquiring the
necessary competencies to teach English as a second language before majoring. The following
assumptions were considered:
a. The attitudinal/procedural/cognitive competencies may need to be reinforced in order to make
EFL future teachers feel more competent at the moment of starting a professional career.
b. Private universities may need to modify or to add more content to the existing courses of their
English Pedagogy programs as for example, cultural aspects of English-speaking countries to
Literature or creation of didactic material to Methodology courses.
c. Private universities might need to add new courses to their English Pedagogy programs in
order to make future Chilean EFL teachers feel highly professionally competent. For instance,
Spanish language or creation of didactic material.
d. Private universities may need to revise and re-evaluate the competencies presented in their
English Pedagogy programs and professional profiles in order to find congruence with the
perception of Chilean EFL teachers about being highly professionally competent.

7
1.6 General Objective
The main objective of this thesis, based on the previous analysis of the concept of competency,
is to explore what may be lacking in English Pedagogy programs to make future Chilean EFL
teachers feel professionally competent once they major from two private universities.
8
1.7 Specific objectives
The specific objectives of this thesis are the following:
a. To explore etymological and historical background with regards to the concept of competency.
b. To analyse validated definitions of competency with regards to the area of teaching.
c. To explore the different English Pedagogy professional profiles and programs from two
private universities.
d. To compare and contrast the English Pedagogy program and professional profile of university
of Concepción with other two Chilean private universities.
e. To find out the perception of in-training EFL teachers who are about to major and in-service
EFL teachers who have teaching experience in EFL classrooms, in regards to their
professional competency.
f. To explore the possible suggestions from in-training EFL teachers who are about to major and
in-service EFL teachers who have teaching experience in EFL classrooms, which may
contribute to make the faculty authorities aware of those factors which may need to be added
or modified in order to help majored EFL teachers feel professionally competent from the
moment they major.

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CHAPTER II:
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
10
2.1 Etymological and historical background of the concept of competency
As the main objective of this thesis is to explore what may be lacking in English Pedagogy
programs, it may be sound to look for definitions of competency.
Mulder, Weigel and Collins (2006) declared that the concept of competency’s first use dates
back to Plato’s era. The concept’s root comes from “ikano, a derivative of iknoumai” (Mulder et
al., p. 3) which means to arrive. Moreover, the ancient Greek had a similar concept for competency.
They referred to it as “ikanótis” which might be translated as the characteristic of being “ikanos”,
or capable of achieving a skill.
Van der Klink, Boon and Schlusmans (2007) mentioned that the concept of competency is not
a new concept in relation with education as its popularity dates back to the 1970’s. They explained
that the term was presented through the competence-based curricula in the USA in order to train
professionals, such as in the area of business and educational field. With regards to business, Van
der Klink and Boon (2003) mentioned that corporations in the USA began to get interested in the
concept of competency for measuring managers’ performance; leaving aside the psychological
tests for measuring intelligence. Additionally, in the area of education, Competence-Based
Teacher Training (CBTT) was unsuccessfully implemented to prepare teachers for acquiring skills.
It could be said that with an improvement in the implementation of CBTT, teachers would realize
that with the acquisition of teaching skills, students might learn in a meaningful way.
Furthermore, according to Villa and Poblete (2008), there was a need of changing “the
excessively professor-centred and methodological model” (p. 15) when teaching. This problem
arose at University of Deusto along with other European universities. They pointed out that a
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possible solution to the problem was the Tuning Project, which proposes a competency-based
approach (CBA) to teach at university level in order to acquire generic competencies while
coursing a major program. The authors of the proposal suggested that generic competencies are
“essential competencies needed in each of the professions for which the universities prepare
graduates, which will be taught along with all other aspects and dimensions considered opportune,
pertinent and necessary for the best training and coaching development of their students.” (Villa
and Poblete, p.33). In the same study, they pointed out that the first continent apart from Europe
to adopt the Tuning Project was Latin America. The Latin American version of the project includes
the participation of Chile among other countries.
In regards to Chile, Villaroel and Bruna (2014) suggested that classes were teacher oriented
and that students had been dealing with certain problems when applying content once they
graduate. It could be said that there was something in the old curriculum which might not have
fulfilled students’ needs during the learning process. Moreover, the authors also argued that this
process needed to be the protagonist of education rather than the input provided by teachers. They
also mentioned that the idea of selecting the CBA when teaching at university level was to create
a bridge between society and students’ performance once they graduate. It was expected that the
new approach would help in the contextualization of content so the future performance of
professionals might achieve society’s requirements.
Regarding the information previously mentioned, it could be said that competency may be
considered as a current concept in relation to education in Chile. Additionally, the etymological
and historical background previously described could help to understand why competency could
be a difficult concept to explain. For this reason, it might be important to define this term, as it
12
may be deeply involved with the teaching field.

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2.2 Definitions of competency with regards to the area of the teaching profession
Regarding to what the authors of this study have found it can be argued that the concept of
competency may be hard to define due to the fact that it might change meanings according to the
field in which it has been used. Nevertheless, the concept of competency will be defined and
analysed from the educational point of view.
According to different English dictionaries, competency may be defined as an ability or skill
that individuals need to perform a task professionally, efficiently, effectively and satisfactorily
(Oxford, 2015; MacMillan, 2015; American Heritage, 2015). Regarding the definition above, it
can be said that people might be able to acquire competencies by studying subjects according to
their field due to the fact that it may be possible to acquire skills or abilities. Additionally, teachers
may acquire competencies during their major, but could teachers be competent even though their
students do not get the expected results? In order to answer this question, we first need to analyse
Bozu’s definition of competency.
According to Bozu (2007), competency involves knowledge, knowing how to apply that
knowledge, and knowing how to be as a person with regards to the educational field. These
competencies will respond to a specific context e.g. English teachers could have the competencies
to teach that language, but they might not have the necessary competencies to teach Spanish or
Biology. Additionally, she goes on claiming that competencies produce tangible and measurable
results.
Keeping the previous information in mind, it could be inferred that teachers may be able to
update their competencies by going through further training. Besides, competencies may also be
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updated by teaching in different contexts. This may be why every experience might provide
something new to the teachers’ competencies. This aspect will be defined and analysed under
"cognitive competency” which will be explained later. Moreover, teachers’ competencies might
be measurable and may have visible results due to the fact that students' outcomes could show if
teachers might have the necessary competencies when teaching. What was stated before could be
linked to what happens here in Chile. There might be some schools that may not be hiring English
teachers to teach this language, instead, they might hire teachers with other professional
competencies who also have knowledge of the language.
Furthermore, for Medved (n.d) and Tejada (1999) competency is a combination of skills,
knowledge, and attitudes that individuals have in order to perform a task efficiently and on their
own, in a specific context or field. In addition, Spencer and Spencer (1993) stated that “A
competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to criterion-
referenced effective and/or superior performance in a job or situation” (p. 9).
Bearing the above definition in mind, it can be said that the concept of "underlying
characteristic" could be considered as the cognitive competency as knowledge becomes part of us.
Furthermore, the term "causally related" may be linked to the procedural competency arising from
the fact that perhaps the skills that people might possess may have an effect on the behavior and
performance when facing certain situations. For instance, teachers who might not have a skill may
react differently from those who might possess that skill. Additionally, the "criterion referenced"
could be linked to the attitudinal competency resulting from the fact that teachers might have some
kind of criteria to know if they may have done something right or wrong. This could be linked to
the fact that in-training EFL teachers may not be taught the attitudinal aspect of being a teacher
15
during their professional formation at university.
Keeping the previous definitions in mind, it could be said that the concept of competency
might be divided into three categories. Each one of them may be linked to each other due to the
fact that perhaps one competency could not be put into practice without the other. Therefore, it can
be sustained that those teachers who only have acquired knowledge (cognitive competency) might
not have an efficient outcome, as they may be lacking some skills (procedural competency) or they
may not know how to behave inside a classroom (attitudinal competency). Thus, it could be
important to nourish all of the competencies equally, so teachers could have all of them balanced.
To do this, it might be significant to go through some kind of further training on each competency;
perhaps, taking further courses of English (cognitive competency); coursing a semester of
methodology or strategies (procedural competency) and taking a course on ethics (attitudinal
competency) may help teachers to keep their competencies consistent with their professional
profile.
The definitions mentioned before are going to be taken into consideration throughout this
study. Therefore, competency will be understood as a set of knowledge, procedures, and attitudes
in order to fulfil a task efficiently.
As many authors divided the concept of competency into three, it was decided to analyze each
one of them separately.

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2.3 Cognitive Competency
One of the competencies that has a common definition by authors is the cognitive competency.
On the one hand, cognitive competency is considered as “the mental resources of individuals that
are used to master tasks, acquire knowledge and achieve a good performance” (Mulder et al, p. 6).
As clear definitions of mental resources were not found throughout the investigation, this concept
will be understood as the use of memory and knowledge as tools. It could be inferred from the
previous definition above that cognitive competency might be then understood as being capable
of doing something or developing a skill based on resources which were acquired through
knowledge. This may be connected with the procedural competency which will be explained later.
On the other hand, Weinert (1999) declared that cognitive competency refers to the knowledge
the individuals have acquired during their process of learning. Furthermore, he also divided the
cognitive competency into two: General cognitive competency and Specialized cognitive
competency. The first one is subdivided into three approaches. The subdivisions are the following:
Psychometric Models of Human Intelligence, Information Processing Models and the Piagetian
Model of Cognitive Structural Development. For the purpose of this study, only the second
approach will be taken into consideration. The Information Processing Models can be understood
as the brain working as a machine. This machine possesses different features which help it to
acquire knowledge and skills (p. 6). Keeping this definition in mind, it could be said that teachers
should keep their brains in training by using prior knowledge which may cause the acquisition of
new one. Additionally, the knowledge teachers possess may be used in order to create strategies,
methodologies, and approaches as to create a successful class. This may be complemented by

17
relating this idea with Vygotsky’s theory of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
According to Vygotsky (1978), ZPD referred to the distance between the actual developmental
level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as
determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable
peers. This theory may fulfil the understanding of cognitive competency as the individuals making
a constant use of their knowledge in order to acquire more. The process previously mentioned may
take place with the counselling of more experienced mentors or peers. Consequently, cognitive
competency may be conceived as a never-ending learning process.
Taking all this information into account, it could be said that the cognitive competency may
be considered as a tool in order to solve problems and acquire more knowledge. It may be
understood that cognitive competency may be one of the easiest competencies to teach at
university level due to the fact that professors may be more prepared to teach in-training teachers
by using books, media or other didactic material. Therefore, it could also be understood that the
knowledge teachers possess may also help them solve problematic situations inside the classroom,
which means that competencies should always be regarded as integral concepts due to the fact that
solving a problem is the application of knowledge, and attitude is how this application of
knowledge is perceived.
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2.4 Procedural Competency
As the cognitive competency was already analysed, it is imperative to define the procedural
competency.
Firstly, Greeno, Riley and Gelman (1984) discussed the procedural competency suggesting
that it involves knowledge of rules and methods in order to connect actions with goals under
different circumstances as planned. It could be inferred that knowledge and methods may need to
be combined in order to perform as expected regardless the situation. This may mean that having
knowledge may not be the only characteristic needed in order to be competent. Knowing how to
apply that knowledge using methods and strategies might be an important part of becoming
competent in a specific field.
Secondly, Winterton, Delamare-Le Deist and Stringfellow (2006) discussed the functional
competency, which refers to a set of skills that professionals “should be able to do... [and] able to
demonstrate” (p. 49). In this case, functional competency may also refer to procedural competency.
Therefore, it could be argued that teachers may not only need to own a set of skills, but also may
need to prove that they can apply it inside and outside the classroom.
Thirdly, L. Sánchez (2005) suggested that the procedural competency involves knowledge, a
set of skills, and attitudes that are limited to a certain professional field. She also argued that those
features are put into practice through methodologies and techniques used and performed by
individuals. Again, the same terms are used to define procedural competency. Knowledge, a set of
skills, and methods seem to be part of the main characteristics of what is needed to be procedurally
competent.
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Taking the previous information into account, it can be said that there might be two
perspectives of how teachers may need to be procedurally competent. On the one hand, teachers
perhaps need to be procedurally competent in order to perform as expected. This means that
teachers might need to put their knowledge, skills and methods into practice not only when
teaching, but also when socializing. On the other hand, it could be argued that the combination of
the features previously mentioned, could help teachers to face different situations which may be
unexpected. As procedural competency may be considered as the application of knowledge, this
competency might be developed during the process of training at university as well as cognitive
competency; and again attitudinal competency should also integrate the other two, as socialization
may be fostered through the correct attitude.

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2.5 Attitudinal competency
The last competency to analyse is the attitudinal competency as it may be the hardest to define.
The attitudinal competency is understood as, moral values, ethical principles, and emotional
faculties, that characterize people’s behaviors when interacting with others. Such characteristics
help individuals to contribute to society with their personal visions and perspectives, also to accept
and respect the opinions of others, whether they agree or not (University of Rosario, 2008; Torres,
2010; L. Sánchez, 2005).
Regarding the area of teaching, L. Sánchez suggested that attitudinal competency deals with
two main aspects. On the one hand, it relates to knowing oneself as a person, and the development
of one’s personality. It also deals with the ability to accept other people, which is also considered
as a way of knowing oneself. On the other hand, it refers to the development of the ability of
knowing how to interact with other people, which for the authors is connected to interpersonal
relations, also known as emotional intelligence. According to this author, the term refers to the
social and emotional abilities of individuals in order to work with others, and to solve problems
within a society in different contexts.
What was previously mentioned could be linked to the working environment of a school
community, as there might be many different personalities working together, teachers may need
to learn how to express and share their own opinions or beliefs. Moreover, they may also need to
learn how to accept and respect their co-workers in order to maintain a positive working
environment regardless of the differences they may encounter.

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L. Sánchez argued that today's education should not only be focused on teaching knowledge,
but it should also consider how to form integral individuals through integral education. According
to her, this means that students need to be taught not just knowledge but also the development of
abilities, skills and attitudes that will be helpful for them during their lives. The ideas mentioned
above may be strengthened by Lumpkin (2008) when she stated that an integral individual is
someone who acts based on values, which is a way to perform according to moral beliefs or
obligations regardless the culture, race, or religion (p. 46).
L. Sánchez also argued the concept of “learning how to be, as a person” that, for teachers,
means transmitting values to their students. Through this, teachers can help students to form and
shape their personality, to benefit students to develop their social abilities to work with others and
to establish interaction in different situations. In this way, teachers are not only helping their
students to be better, but they are also making a contribution to the society (p. 4).
Considering what was previously stated, it could be said that each school may have its own
norms and beliefs, which might need to be conveyed by every member of the school community
to their students. Moreover, it could be argued that when children are enrolled in a school, their
parents may need to consider the set of rules and beliefs that the institution has, due to the fact that
the members of the school community may transmit the school’s beliefs to their students, so in this
way parents may reflect upon them and decide whether they like the school or not.
The previous facts could be linked to Lumpkin’s standpoint which stated that teachers are
expected to share and teach virtues to their students in order to help them to be a positive
contribution to society. In addition, she argued that students can perceive whether their teachers
are committed to their work or not, through how they are treated by the latter (p.47). What was
22
previously mentioned could be linked to what Naylor and Sayed (2014) suggested in the sense that
the quality of teachers refers to the attitude they have with their students as well as how teachers
value students’ diversity. Therefore, L. Sánchez, Naylor and Sayed, and Lumpkin’s standpoints
help to support the authors’ posture that teachers should transmit not only knowledge through good
methodologies, but also transmit the necessary values in order to shape their students as integral
people, who could perform and behave properly in society. In this way, it could be also said that
when accomplishing these aims, teachers might be fully competent when working.
To have a better understanding of this competency it seems relevant to clarify what morality
and ethics stand for. On the one hand, Savater (1991) related morality with a set of behaviors and
norms that are commonly accepted by people; while on the other hand, he argues that ethics deals
with the act of thinking and reflecting upon why such norms and behaviors are accepted by certain
people (p. 21). Therefore, morality and ethics seem to be something that should be instilled in
future teachers.
What was previously mentioned could also be related to Hare’s point of view (2006) about
what an ethical person is. The components within this concept are “central moral virtues as
fairness, respect, trustworthiness, honesty, and kindness” (p. 104).
Consequently and using similar terms, Campbell (2007) argued that “the teacher, as a moral
person, conducts him or herself in schools with honesty, a sense of fairness, integrity, compassion,
patience, respect, impartiality, care, dedication, and other such core virtues” (p.603). The ideas
previously mentioned may also reinforce the idea that moral values and ethics are an important
part of the attitudinal competency required by professional teachers. Hence, the previous postures
are important since, for the purposes of this thesis, they help not only to understand that teachers
23
might need to demonstrate how committed they are towards their work and students, but also to
make themselves aware of how teachers could improve their attitudinal competency when working
and socializing with people in their school community and society.
Even though authors have given different names to attitudinal competency, most of them
coincide in some concepts when defining this competency e.g. attitudes, values, behaviours, and
principles among others. Bearing the previous information in mind, it could be said that the
attitudinal competency might be the combination of several components as suggested by authors.
Such combination may be of major importance for individuals when interacting with people
around them. In the case of teachers, this might be considered as a relevant tool that may help them
to react properly in different situations. Additionally, ethics and morality may be important
features when implementing this competency in their classes in order to help students in their
formation as human beings.

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2.6 Socialization and internalization of values
As it was stated before, moral and professional ethics seem to be important factors when
discussing the values and attitudes that may be needed in certain professions. For this reason, it
seems necessary to know what can be done in order to acquire these attitudes and values, and how
this process could be connected with the fact of being attitudinally competent. This will be
explained below.
According to Bloom, individuals need to go through the process of socialization and
internalization in order to develop and acquire attitudes or emotional conducts. The author
described the socialization process as the acceptance of certain behaviours and values which are
determined by a specific context. Additionally, he explained that internalization happens when
individuals embrace these emotional behaviors as their own. Furthermore, the author pointed out
that the needed exposure for internalization to happen may require the constant participation of
individuals in the development of tasks carefully designed to fulfill three stages of emotional
development. The stages described are “a) becoming aware of the emotional factors needed for
certain contexts and circumstances; b) responding with adequate attitude and emotional behaviour,
but only when supervised by a recognized external authority, in this case, the teacher; and c)
responding adequately in any circumstances when faced with obstacles or barriers, without any
supervision.” (Bloom, 1971. Cited in González, 2013). After the third stage, the process of
internalization is completed. It is important to mention that Bloom suggested that the exposure to
the task should be constant, consistent, and focused on a specific attitude or value at a time. It
could be inferred that, once the process of socialization and internalization are consummated,
25
individuals may be considered competent with regards to their attitudes or emotional conducts as
stated by the author.
It could be argued that teachers may acquire values or attitudes according to the context in
which they might be teaching e.g. the schools where teachers may work could have different
values. Then, they might be able to internalize these values by keeping them in practice. With
regards to the in-training teachers, universities may provide the proper opportunities to their
students during their internship period in order to socialize and internalize values and attitudes of
teachers.
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2.7 Professionally competent teacher
As every competency was analysed separately, it was necessary to distinguish the several
competencies that a professionally competent teacher should have. This is the main reason why
several definitions from various authors were analysed in order to suggest what competencies are
needed in order to be considered a professionally competent teacher.
On the one hand, Delors (1996) claimed that knowledge, how to apply that knowledge,
knowing how to be as a person, and knowing how to live together are essential educational bases.
He explained that none of these bases can be left aside as they provide the essential elements to
learn and to teach effectively and to learn how to live as a community. On the other hand, Tribó
(2008) understood the suggestions of Delors as competencies of professional teachers. It could be
inferred that the educational bases seem to be the fundamental part of becoming a professional
teacher e.g. teachers are immersed in schools with different types of people, where they may have
to know how to relate with each other in order to create a positive working environment. It could
be said that if teachers create a positive atmosphere, students’ learning process could be more
effective and efficient as they might feel more comfortable and more relaxed.
In order to reinforce what was previously discussed, Tribó identified subject competency,
methodological competency, social competency, and personal competency as the areas of
competency that professional teachers should acquire during their in-training internship period,
which will be explained below.
Subject competency is defined by Tribó as the ability to promote and manage knowledge in
order to facilitate the learning process. Therefore, it could be said that teachers may not only need
27
to impart knowledge regarding their professional field, but also to be taught how to convey and
foster it through different strategies in order to catch the attention of students. Additionally, this
area of competency could be classified as part of the cognitive competency as it deals with
knowledge and its use in order to teach effectively.
In regards to the methodological competency, Tribó referred to the application of methods to
conduct classes which consider: classroom atmosphere; interaction and group work; relationship
within the classroom; adapting to students’ diversity; individual and group assistance on personal
matters; developing strategies to resolve conflicts; fostering comprehensive and meaningful
learning; constant evaluation of competencies; using technology and resources didactically in
order to fulfill students’ special needs; and using assessment results to improve and modify
teaching activities and didactic plans. Thus, to be consistent with the definition of competencies,
Tribó’s definition of methodological competency may refer to procedural competency as it
compromises the application of knowledge (cognitive competency) and its effectiveness.
Concerning social competency, Tribó encompasses a set of attitudes, such as cooperative and
non-individualistic disposition to work with the educational community among others. He
understands the teaching profession as a social activity, thus, it requires building relationships with
the participants of the educational community e.g. families and other teachers. Besides, Ferrárez
and Sánchez (2014) mentioned that society needs teachers who can “draw on its richness” in order
to value diversity on all its aspects. Therefore, it may be inferred that the attitudinal aspects of
professional teachers could be of major importance when working on an educational environment.
As teachers may be expected to build relationships with the educational community,
notwithstanding its diversity, the set of attitudes previously described might be needed in any
28
situation that teachers may encounter.
We may exemplify this by saying that families may be considered as important participants
of educational communities. Therefore, we agree with the authors in the sense that teachers should
be able to interact and integrate them to the school. We also agree that this also may only be
achieved if teachers have the capacity to create an interpersonal relationship with both families
and school community.
Furthermore, the personal competency involves the ability to regulate and interpret emotions
in different situations as suggested by Tribó. He explained that the emotional state of teachers may
alter the effectiveness of their performance. For this reason, the personal competency is needed. It
may be inferred that this competency could be related to what is described by Gardner (2013) as
intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. According to this author, intrapersonal intelligence
is understood as the ability to connect with inner feelings and understand oneself as an individual.
On the other hand, interpersonal intelligence is interpreted as the ability to interact and understand
others. Thus, it could be suggested that teachers may need to develop intrapersonal and
interpersonal intelligences in order to acquire the competency previously described.
Both social and personal competencies may be related to what has been previously defined as
attitudinal competency. On the one hand, teachers who may be aiming to be socially competent
might need to develop a set of attitudes in order to perform efficiently. On the other hand, the
ability to work individually and as a team might be a characteristic of teachers who are personally
competent. These are reasons enough to claim that the social and personal competencies might be
associated with attitudes, behaviors, and social skills that teachers should develop to teach, and
socialize with the educational community.

29
Tribó went on explaining that the mission of teachers should be organized based on the four
professional and social competencies, as proposed by Delors, throughout their teaching
experience. For this reason, Tribó claimed that what defines a professional teacher is the ability to
relate, coordinate, and apply knowledge in praxis simultaneously. This could also be explained by
saying that even though competencies are analysed separately in this study, they are integral and
should be applied unseparated and constantly during the teaching practice. Moreover, he considers
that competent professional teachers are able to transfer their strategies to new situations when
needed. He recommended that to learn by competencies requires new methods to train future
teachers, but more importantly, professors should be professionally competent in order to transmit
and foster the importance of competencies in the educational field. It could be inferred that in order
to shape future competent teachers, competent professors at university level may be needed so that
in-training teachers could be formed as competent future professionals.
Furthermore, Pérez (2011) stated that teachers who are competent are the ones who use
knowledge, capacities, abilities, skills, attitudes and behaviors in order to achieve the aim of
education, which is the challenge to educate their students. According to this statement, teachers
do not only teach a subject, but they may need to use the different competencies in order to fulfill
the challenge previously mentioned. Moreover, it could be said that there might be some elements
of being professionally competent that may have not been taught at university levels; e.g., attitudes
and behaviors. Additionally, it is mentioned that by using several competencies teachers are
helping their students to develop the basic competencies to have a valuable personal life and to be
able to put that into practice throughout their lives.
According to Figel (2007), the basic or key competencies are those which “citizens require
30
for their personal fulfilment, social inclusion, active citizenship and employability in our
knowledge-based society” (p. 1). Therefore, teachers might teach students the basic tools for living
a valuable life, so teachers’ job could go further than just interacting with learners inside the
classroom.
As reported by Pérez, the professional competencies of teachers are classified into five
categories: 1. to know, 2. how to be as a social being, 3. to know how to do something, 4. expertise
and 5. know how to be as an individual (Appendix 4).
According to this categorization, it may not be enough to be knowledgeable on the subject
that is being taught, but also teachers might have to know other aspects of teaching.
For instance, as it is stated in Pérez’s table (Appendix 4), that teachers may need to know how to
create didactic material or how to establish a proper relationship with the students. According to
this author, when teachers acquire the five competencies mentioned above, they would be
considered professionally competent.
The author Liakopoulou (2011) separated professional competencies into two domains which
will be analysed in the following paragraph.
On the one hand, the first domain involves personal traits, attitudes and beliefs. She mentioned
that teachers’ effectiveness is affected by personality traits such as having a sense of humor, sense
of fairness, and patience, among others. Additionally, she argued that teachers’ attitudes influence
their performance inside classrooms as well as their viewpoint on their own professional growth.
On the other hand, she stated that the second domain involves pedagogical skills and knowledge,
which also includes the adoption of routines in order to save time and energy for more important
purposes in regards to teachers’ work. Additionally, those skills involve principles and data which
31
are applied as techniques and strategies for teachers to use them in different circumstances. It could
be then said that the concept of professional competency includes many different characteristics
which are all interrelated.
Furthermore, it could be stated that the first domain might refer to the attitudinal competency
due to the fact that it may imply aspects of teachers as a person. These aspects might be taught at
home (family education). For instance, the author stated that the first domain includes aspects such
as patience and sense of humor, which might not be usually taught at university level. Regarding
the second domain, it could be said that it might refer to cognitive and procedural competencies
due to the fact that it may imply methodological aspects and knowledge. These aspects could, on
the other hand, usually be taught at university level.
As it is stated before, competencies could be divided into different categories according to
Tribó, Pérez and Liakopoulou. However, Pettis (1997) mentioned only three competencies that
include the ones stated before.
According to Pettis, there are three competencies which are knowledge, skills and principles.
These three elements can be found in professionally competent teachers. Furthermore, the author
claimed that the knowledge without the skills is of limited use and the principles can change over
the years. In addition, she claims that teachers who know how to apply their knowledge with the
right skills are powerful educators. Hence, to be consistent with the definitions of competency
previously discussed, Pettis’ competencies indicate that knowledge is cognitive competency; skills
are part of procedural competency; and principles are what is known as attitudinal competency. It
can then be inferred that the three competencies may be linked due to the fact that the principles
might affect the methodology used by teachers in order to teach the knowledge that they possess.
32
Moreover, all the authors previously discussed coincide with the idea of having the three
competencies equally balanced, using them simultaneously and consistently when performing in
order to be considered a professionally competent teacher.

33
CHAPTER III:
METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
34
3.1 Methodological design
This thesis will be developed with the qualitative method. This method was chosen due to the
fact that the problematic situation of this research arose from, as stated by Sampieri, Collao and
Lucio (2010), the observation of a particular situation which turned into a general case (p. 9). The
authors of this thesis do not feel professionally competent to teach in EFL classrooms and so did
the subjects who participated in the pre-research (Appendix 3). Therefore, it could be said that the
perception of the authors seems to be a common feeling not only for students who are majoring in
English Pedagogy but also for experienced EFL teachers.
The research will be of an exploratory type although, as it is stated by Sampieri et al., it is a
type of research commonly used with the quantitative method (p.77). However, the exploratory
method is going to be used in this thesis due to the fact that as a topic it has not been studied in
depth and the concept of competency may be classified as a promising term.
As the authors of this thesis are involved in the problem, it is imperative to mention that they
will also be affected by the findings and outcomes of this research. Additionally, a specific social
group will be studied, in this case EFL teachers. For these reasons, this research can be considered
participative as it involves the researchers and a social group who shares certain characteristics.
Moreover, this research is focused on finding out what is needed to make EFL teachers feel
professionally competent at the moment of majoring, which is something that could be understood
by Sampieri et al. as a change to improve the human development (p. 511); in this case focus on
EFL teachers.
35
3.2 Sampling
As the aim of this thesis is to gather data on the perception in-training EFL teachers who are
about to major and in-service EFL teachers who have teaching experience in EFL classrooms have
about their professional competencies, other Chilean private university was selected because,
according to the authors’ perception, it seems to have the most completed program regarding the
English Pedagogy major. This university is placed at 17th in the Latin American ranking of 2015
and, in terms of academic reputation, the university is ranked 29th (Quacquarelli Symonds
Company, 2015). Additionally, its English Pedagogy program has been accredited since 2013 until
2018 (CNA-Chile, 2015). The program of this university was used as a model to be compared and
contrasted with two other Chilean private universities in order to acknowledge which would be the
possible courses that could be needed or modified to feel professionally competent.
As it was previously mentioned, the authors of this research, who study at a private university,
do not feel professionally competent to teach in EFL classrooms, therefore, there was the necessity
of knowing if EFL teachers who majored from two private universities shared the same perception.
Additionally, both private universities are accredited until 2017 (CNA-Chile, 2015).
The representative subjects from private university one were ten in-training Chilean EFL
teachers who are about to major and eight in-service Chilean EFL teachers who have teaching
experience in EFL classrooms. Moreover, the representative subjects from private university two
were eight in-training Chilean EFL teachers who are about to major and five in-service Chilean
EFL teachers who have teaching experience in EFL classrooms.

36
3.3 Instrument
Before applying the instrument, it was necessary to go through the process of validation in
order to apply the most accurate survey to the future respondents. In order to do this, the first
version of the survey was sent to highly experienced professors with a corresponding validation
checklist (Appendix 5). This survey was not validated due to the fact that the objective was not
clear enough and there was no coherence with the real purpose of the research. Additionally, the
structure of the survey was also questionable because there was no open question in order to make
respondents feel free to provide any suggestion or comment. All these changes previously
described were implemented before sending the instrument to the second validation process.
Moreover, the authors decided to restructure the first part of the survey according to each
competency so the future analysis of results could be easier to develop.
The instruments that were used throughout this research were two structured surveys which
were done considering the English Pedagogy program of the top university previously mentioned.
This was done because the authors of this research considered that its English Pedagogy program
seems to include courses that might develop the competencies that a professionally competent
teacher should have. Each survey was customized according to the English Pedagogy program and
professional profile of private institution one and two.
The surveys consist on three sections of different nature. The first section consists on closed
questions using a likert scale to answer. The scale includes options from 1 to 10, being 1 the lowest
and 10 the highest. This scale was chosen because, as stated by Barua (2013), the subjects have to
point out their level of agreement with the statement given in order to determine the intensity of
37
their feelings (p. 35). The subjects were asked to select a number from one to ten to represent their
feelings with regards to their courses of their English Pedagogy program. The second section is
focused on the possible courses that may have helped the respondents to feel more competent if
those courses would have been included in their English Pedagogy programs. Another aim for this
section was to know the subjects’ perception with regard to the congruence between the
professional profile and program stated by each university. As for the third part, it aims to the
possible modifications that the subjects may provide about their programs so they could feel highly
professionally competent. This part includes one closed question which is, according to Hlebec,
Lozar, Reja and Vehovar (2003), the type of question that restrict the interviewee to answer only
one of the options offered (p. 164). Hence, the data gathered from this specific part of the survey
was easier to analyse. In addition, this section includes one closed-ended question with more
possible answers, as stated by Hlebec et al. (p. 166). Lastly, one open question was added so the
respondents could express their opinions freely. Moreover, this type of question gives the
opportunity to subjects to provide their opinion freely about the matter they are being asked
(Hlebec et al., p. 164).

38
3.4 Data collection
Prior to conducting the application of the survey, the instrument was validated with a checklist
in order to get feedback from experienced professors. Then, before applying the surveys, the
subjects were contacted by e-mail or through the online social network Facebook in order to be
informed about the main aim of the investigation. The surveys were sent, either via e-mail or
through Facebook, depending on the subjects’ preferences.

39
3.5 Findings
In this section, the information gathered through the application of the survey to the thirty one
subjects will be presented through graphics. The findings will be divided into the same sections
presented in the research instrument.

40
3.5.1 Section 1
Concerning the first section of the survey, its aim was to gather information about the subjects’
perception of their cognitive, procedural and attitudinal competencies with regards the courses
they took at certain private universities. The information will be presented according to each
competency and course.

41
A. Cognitive competency
I. English Language (EL)
From a cognitive point of view, 0% of the respondents rated their feeling of being competent
between 1 and 5. In contrast, 100% of respondents rated their feeling of being competent between
6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was applicable for all the respondents.
42
II. Curriculum y Evaluación (C Y E)
From a cognitive point of view, 26% of the respondents ranked their feeling of being
competent between 1 and 5. Nevertheless, 32% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10 from the same point of view. It is of significant importance to mention
that, for 42% of the respondents, this course was not applicable.
43
III. Culture, civilization and literature of different English-speaking countries (CC&L)
From a cognitive point of view, 51% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 1 and 5. Moreover, 49% of them raked their feeling of being competent in this
area between 6 and 10. Again, this course was applicable for all the respondents.
44
IV. General Linguistics and Applied Linguistics (GRL & APPL)
competent between 1 and 5. On the contrary, 81% of the respondents rate their feeling of being
cognitively competent in this area between 6 and 10. Again, this course was applicable for all the
respondents.
45
V. Methodology (M)
competent between 1 and 5. In contrast, 52% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that for 42% of the respondents this course
was not applicable.

46
VI. Procesos Cognitivos y Aprendizaje (PCA)
competent between 1 and 5. Nonetheless, 55% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. Again, for 42% of the respondents this course was not applicable.
47
VII. Procesos del Ciclo Vital (PCV)
competent between 6 and 10. Again, for 42% of the respondents this course was not applicable.
48
VIII. Integración Laboral (IL)
cognitively competent between 1 and 5. However, 54% of the respondents rated their feeling of
being cognitively competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that for 43% of the
respondents this course was not applicable.

49
IX. Taller de Expresión (TE)
competent between 1 and 5. Although, 33% of the respondent rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that for 58% of the respondents this course
was not applicable.

50
X. Applied Phonetics and Phonology (AP & PH)
competent between 6 and 10. Once more, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
51
XI. Education for different levels and Teaching English for different levels (EDL & TE)
competent in this area between 1 and 5. On the contrary, 39% of the respondents rated their feeling
of being competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
52
XII. Mass Media Resources (MMR)
competent between 1 and 5. On the contrary, 32% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. Again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the respondents.
53
XIII. Global Issues (GI)
competent in this area between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 58% of
the respondents.
54
XIV. Cultura y Valores (C Y V)
55
XV. Ética Profesional (EP)
competent between 1 and 5. Unlike, 39% of the respondents rated their feeling of being competent
in this area between 6 and 10. Once more, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
56
XVI. Seminar Courses (S)
cognitively competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 58% of
the respondents.
57
B. Procedural competency
From a procedural point of view, 3% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 1 and 5. In contrast, 97% of the respondent rated their feeling of being
competent in this area between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was applicable
for all the respondents.

58
From a procedural point of view, 20% of the subjects ranked their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. It is of significant importance to mention that for 42% of the
respondents this course was not applicable.

59
III. Culture, civilization and literature of English-speaking countries (CC&L)
competent between 1 and 5. Moreover, 59% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was applicable for all the
respondents.
60
From a procedural point of view, 25% of the respondents ranked their feeling of being
competent in this area between 1 and 5. In contrast, 75% of the respondents ranked their feeling
of being competent between 6 and 10. Again, this course was applicable for all the respondents.
61
V. Methodology (M)
competent in this area between 1 and 5. In contrast, 55% of the respondents rated their feeling of
being competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 42% of the
respondents.
62
of being competent between 6 and 10. Once more, this course was not applicable for 42% of the
respondents.
63
being competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 42% of the
respondents.
64
of being competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was not applicable
for 44% of the respondents.

65
being competent between 6 and 10. It is of significant importance to mention that this course was
not applicable for 58% of the respondents.

66
X. Applied Phonetics and Phonology (AP&PH)
competent between 1 and 5. On the contrary, 29% of the respondents rated their feeling of
being competent in this area between 6 and 10. Again, this course was not applicable for 58%
of the respondents.
67
XI. Education for different levels and Teaching for different levels (EDL & TE)
competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
68
respondents.
69
being competent between 6 and 10. Likewise, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
70
of being competent between 6 and 10. Again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
71
respondents.
72
competent in this area between 6 and 10. Likewise, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
73
C. Attitudinal competency
From an attitudinal point of view, 0% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
competent between 1 and 5. Unlike, 100% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was applicable
for all the respondents.

74
From an attitudinal point of view, 17% of the respondents ranked their feeling of being
competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was not applicable for
42% of the respondents.

75
III. Culture, civilization and literature of different English-speaking countries (CC&L)
competent between 1 and 5. On the other hand, 71% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. Likewise, this course was applicable for all the
respondents.
76
competent in this area between 1 and 5. However, 78% of the respondents rated their feeling of
being competent between 6 and 10. Again, this course was applicable for all the respondents.
77
V. Methodology (M)
From an attitudinal point of view, 3% of the respondents ranked their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. It is of major importance to mention that this course
was not applicable for 42% of the respondents.

78
competent in this area between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 42% of
the respondents.
79
attitudinally competent in this area between 6 and 10. Once more, this course was not applicable
for 42% of the respondents.

80
competent between 6 and 10. It is of significant importance to mention that this course was not
applicable for 43% of the respondents.

81
competent between 1 and 5. On the other hand, 35% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. It is important to mention that this course was not
applicable for 58% of the respondents.

82
X. Applied Phonetics and Phonology (AP&PH)
competent between 6 and 10. Once again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
83
XI. Education for different levels and Teaching for different levels (EDL & TE)
competent between 1 and 5. in contrast, 42% of the respondents rated their feeling of being
84
From an attitudinal point of view, 3% of the respondent rated their feeling of being
competent between 1 and 5. Unlike, 39% of the respondents rated their feeling of being competent
between 6 and 10. Once more, this course was not applicable for 58% of the respondents.
85
competent between 1 and 5. On the other hand, 32% of the subject rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. Likewise, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
86
competent between 1 and 5. On the contrary, 32% of the subjects rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. Likewise, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
87
competent in this area between 1 and 5. Although, 42% of the respondents rated their feeling of
being competent between 6 and 10. Again, this course was not applicable for 58% of the
respondents.
88
competent between 1 and 5. On the other hand, 32% of the subjects rated their feeling of being
attitudinally competent between 6 and 10. Nevertheless, this course was not applicable for 58% of
the respondents.
89
3.5.2 Section 2
Regarding the second section, its aim was to gather information about the possible courses
that could have helped the respondents feel more competent if they had been included into their
programs.
90
I. Ética y Filosofía
Regarding this course, 3% of the respondents chose the option highly professionally
competent, 29% chose fairly professionally competent, and 26% chose somewhat professionally
competent. It is important to mention that for 42% of the respondents this course was not
applicable.
91
II. Comunicación Creativa en Lengua Inglesa
competent, 16% chose the option fairly competent, and 13% chose the option somewhat
competent. It is important to mention that for 42% of the respondents this course was not
applicable.
92
III. Recursos de Liderazgo
competent, 48% chose the option fairly professionally competent, and 16% chose the option
somewhat professionally competent.

93
IV. Role of Head Teacher.
competent, 42% chose the option fairly professionally competent, and 16% of the respondents
chose somewhat professionally competent.

94
V. Congruence between Professional Profiles and Competencies Acquired.
Regarding the congruence between the professional profiles and competencies acquired
during the program, 29% of the respondents chose the option highly professionally competent,
55% chose the option fairly professionally competent, and 16% chose the option somewhat
professionally competent.
95
3.5.3 Section 3
In regards to the third section of the survey, the aim was to gather information about the
suggestions or recommendations of possible modifications concerning the respondents’ English
pedagogy programs.
96
I. Early internship
Regarding this course, 61% of the respondents considered that it was not necessary to start
internships earlier in order to feel more competent. Nevertheless, 39% of the respondents
considered that starting internships earlier than as it is proposed by their program would make
them feel more competent.

97
II. Ética Profesional
In regards to this course, 38% of the respondents answered that Ética Profesional had been
helpful for their professional development and 12% of the respondents considered that Ética
Profesional had not been helpful for their professional development. It is important to mention that
for 50% of the respondents this course was not applicable.

98
III. Checklist of possible courses
This particular section aimed to know which courses from the other Chilean private
university would have helped the respondents to feel more competent. From the courses in the
checklist, Ética y Filosofía (EYF) was chosen by a 4% of the respondents and Comunicación
Creativa en Lengua Inglesa (CCLI) was chosen by a 23% of the respondents. Likewise, Recursos
de Liderazgo was selected by a 23% of the respondents, Fonética Segmental and Fonética
Suprasegmental (FSYFSP) was chosen by 19% of the respondents and Evaluación Educacional
was chosen by a 28% of the respondents. Additionally, only 2% of the respondents considered that
none of the courses named above would have helped them to feel more competent.
99
3.6 Analysis of results
In order to understand the results previously stated, it is important to analyse the data based
on the specific objective focused on finding out the perception of future in-training Chilean EFL
teachers who are about to major and in-service EFL teachers who have teaching experience in EFL
classrooms in regards to their professional competency. Additionally, the possible suggestions
from the respondents will be explored.

100
3.6.1 Section 1
As the aim of this section was to gather information about the respondents’ perception of their
competencies with regards to the courses they took at two private universities, it is important to
mention which were the ones that may had boosted and decreased their feeling of being competent
in the three types of competency, which are cognitive, procedural and attitudinal.
Regarding the cognitive competency, English Language received the highest percentage
concerning the feeling of being competent in this area. However, the course called Culture,
civilization and literature of English-speaking countries was rated with the lowest points on the
likert scale. These results could be connected to what Tribó declared as subject competency which
may be classified as part of the cognitive competency. In this case, it could be said that the
respondents feel highly professionally competent in relation to the language they are supposed to
teach as EFL teachers. As respondents feel they could manage English language cognitively, it is
expected that they could apply it as well as teach it, so they may be considered cognitively
competent. In relation to the subject matter related with literature, it may be understood that this
content may not be as useful and applicable as other subject matters due to the fact that it may not
be included in all the school curriculums. Thus, respondents may feel they do not need to know
about English-speaking culture. Nevertheless, it has been observed that the English Pedagogy
programs used in this research, include the course as part of their EFL teachers’ professional
training. Hence, it may be claimed that, although this course may be given importance in the
programs of certain private universities, in-training EFL teachers may not finish their major feeling
they have acquired the necessary knowledge to feel competent in this competency.
101
With regards to the procedural competency, English language was rated as the course that
helped respondents to feel more procedurally competent. In contrast, Culture, civilization and
literature of English-speaking countries received the lowest acceptance with regards to subjects’
perception of feeling competent. This data may confirm the link between these results and the idea
of the subject competency stated by Tribó. As the respondents feel they have acquired the
knowledge they need in order to teach language, they also perceive they have acquired the
necessary skills to put their language knowledge in praxis. This means, the respondents feel able
to teach the English language. Furthermore, the data shows that, as the respondents do not feel
cognitively competent, the respondents may not feel procedurally competent. This pattern shows
that respondents could have answered coherently and according to their feeling of being
competent.
Concerning the attitudinal competency, English language received the complete approval of
subjects with reference to respondents’ feeling of being competent in terms of attitude. Once again,
Culture, civilization and literature of English-speaking countries was rated as the course that did
not help to increase subjects’ perception of their own competency. As respondents rated positively
their feeling of being attitudinally competent, it could be said that the respondents feel highly
professionally competent with regards to the language training they received at university.
Additionally, the respondents’ perception of themselves may reflect the professional training they
may have received from professionally competent teachers of English language. Nevertheless, the
literature course received the lowest approval as it may not help EFL teachers to act properly or to
feel as integral teachers once they finish the course. Again, it is important to highlight that,
although the English Pedagogy programs include courses related to culture and literature,
102
in-training EFL teachers may not be acquiring the necessary skills to feel competent in this area,
or perhaps they feel its content is not meaningful when teaching in EFL classrooms. Furthermore,
it could be said that the course may not be transmitting the emotional abilities that respondents
may need in order to feel attitudinally competent.
In general terms, it could be noticed that there is a constant feeling of being highly
professionally competent in terms of English language. Moreover, these results give us the idea
that private universities are training their future EFL teachers in an integral way due to the constant
feeling of being competent presenting the combination of skills, knowledge, and attitudes in order
to perform effectively when putting in praxis their knowledge of English language. Furthermore,
it could be observed that these combinations of features may not have been successfully applied
when taking the literature courses. Nevertheless, it may be said that, possibly, the literature courses
are not being taught meaningfully. Perhaps, literature courses are not being connected with Chilean
school curriculums that is why in-training EFL teachers might not be aware of their importance
and significance when becoming professionally competent EFL teachers.

103
3.6.2 Section 2
As the aim of this section was to gather data about the perception of respondents with regards
to their feeling of competency if they had taken specific courses, it is important to know which
courses could have helped the respondents to feel competent according to their answers.
I. Ética y Filosofía
Regarding this course, the results show that the choice with the most preference was “fairly
professionally competent” and the choice with the least preference was “highly professionally
competent”. This may indicate that respondents feel that Ética y Filosofía is not a primary course
that must be included in their English Pedagogy programs as they do not seem to give much
importance to it. It may be important to take this data into account as this course may be
fundamental in the development of the attitudinal competency due to the fact that, as stated before,
attitudinal competency is understood as moral values, ethical principles and emotional faculties
that shape our behaviour when intercommunicating with others (University of Rosario, Torres,
L.Sánchez). For this reason, it may be said that this course could help in-training EFL teachers to
develop the previously named characteristics so they could feel more competent when performing
as EFL teachers.
104
II. Comunicación Creativa en Lengua Inglesa
Concerning this course, the results show that the choice with the most preference was
“highly professionally competent” and the choice with the least preference was “somewhat
professionally competent”. According to these results, it may be said that respondents feel that this
course may have helped them to be more competent if it had been included into their English
Pedagogy programs. Additionally, this course could be connected with the development of the
procedural competency because its aim is to develop highly linguistic competencies to express
ideas in English properly (University of Concepción, 2015). For this reason, these results may
indicate that respondents could be worried about the way they perform inside classrooms.
III. Recursos de Liderazgo
Regarding this course, the results show that the choice with the most preference was “fairly
professionally competent” and the choice with the least preference was “somewhat professionally
competent”. According to these results, it may be said that this course would have influenced the
population’s perception of feeling competent, but not as much as other courses would have made
them feel, such as Comunicación Creativa en Lengua Inglesa.

105
IV. Role of Head Teacher
Regarding this course, the results show that the choice with the most preference was
“highly professionally competent” and “fairly professionally competent” while the choice with the
least preference was “somewhat professionally competent”. This may indicate that respondents
consider that the role of head teacher is an important characteristic within the perception of feeling
competent. This course could be connected to the attitudinal competency too, as the duties of a
head teacher may not be the same as the duties of a teacher of a certain course. Head teachers
might have to be leaders and work with legal guardians as well as with students. On the whole, it
may be said that respondents may consider the course as important and due to this, it would have
made them feel more competent.
V. Congruence between Professional Profiles and Competencies Acquired
As it was previously mentioned, respondents were asked to evaluate their feeling of
competency considering the ones presented in the professional profiles of their private university.
The results show that the choice with the most preference was “fairly professionally competent”
and the choice with the least preference was “somewhat professionally competent”. According to
these results, it may be said that respondents did not feel completely satisfied with the correlation
between their acquired competencies and the professional profiles stated by private universities
when they are about to major and when they graduate.

106
3.6.3 Section 3
Regarding the third section, its aim was to gather data about the possible suggestions and
modifications to the programs made by respondents.
The first question refers to the time of starting the internship inside the program. As the results
show, the respondents preferred the negative option which may indicate that respondents feel that
the time they start their internship is the correct one.
Question number two refers to the usefulness of a course called Ética Profesional. The results
show that most of the respondents considered that this course was useful for their professional
development. It could be said that the content of this particular course influenced positively in the
praxis of the respondents as they may considered the content of this course as important. It is
important to mention that this question was not applicable to all of the respondens. The third
question is about the possible courses that could be included in the English Pedagogy programs in
order to make respondents feel more competent. Most of the respondents considered that the
subject called Evaluación Educacional is the course that would help them the most in order to feel
more competent. According to the results, there may be a feeling of uncertainty with regards to
evaluation that might take place inside classrooms as respondents’ preference was for that course.
There is an option inside this question which gave the possibility to write which course could be
added to their English Pedagogy programs. The most common ones were Creation of Didactic
Material and Class Management. These results may indicate that the respondents feel that those
features of EFL teachers could need more meaningful praxis in order to feel more competent in
those areas. In other words, there may be a need of a deeper understanding and significant
107
teaching-learning process of that content.
The last question refers to the possible suggestions or modifications that respondents could
provide to their English Pedagogy programs. In order to make the data more understandable, the
answers given were classified into two categories. The first category refers to the recommendations
to the program. There are eight different answers which refer to modifications to the courses
(division of English language, emphasis on grammar, emphasis on classroom management,
evaluation of attitude, emphasis on teaching and education related topics); and administrative
issues (correlation of thesis hours and internship hours, increasing the level of requirements when
passing a course, and correlation between internship and Psychology). The second category refers
to the suggestions for further modifications to their English Pedagogy programs. As well as the
first category, there are eight different answers which refer to the addition of content to other
courses (addition of health-related workshops, addition of class-preparation workshops, and
addition of use of English in real-life situations workshops); and the addition of more courses
(addition of phonetics, addition of a course related to Didactics, addition of a course related with
assessment in special education, addition of a course related with statistics, and addition of a course
related with teaching in other pedagogical areas). This may indicate that respondents feel that they
need more practice and guidance in the courses that they referred to in order to feel more
competent.
108
3.7 Limitations
The authors’ of this thesis encountered some situations which slowed down the application of
the instrument.
Firstly, prior to conducting the survey, there was no answer from possible respondents from
private university two.
Secondly, there was a delay from the respondents when sending back the surveys with their
answers.
Thirdly, it was difficult to obtain information from the other Chilean private university in
regards to their English Pedagogy program.

109
4. Conclusion
Even though the results show that respondents feel professionally competent, there is a
contradiction with regards to their feeling of being professionally competent at the moment of
starting a professional career.
Such contradiction is evidenced by the incongruity between respondents’ own perception of
being competent and the competencies in the English Pedagogy program stated by each private
university, due to the fact that most of the respondents suggested several modifications to their
respective programs.
Furthermore, some of the existing courses offered by the two private universities may require
the addition or modification of the existing content in their English Pedagogy programs as it was
considered in our second assumption. For instance, emphasis on classroom management that
perhaps could be included in Methodology courses. Additionally, English language skills may
need to be taught separately and not just the language as an integral combination of skills such as
reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Regarding our third assumption, the two private universities may need to add new courses to
their English Pedagogy programs in order to help their in-training EFL teachers to feel highly
professionally competent when majoring, such as courses related to the creation of didactic
material or courses related to Phonetics and Pronunciation as well as Grammar.
Bearing that information in mind, it is suggested that private universities need to revise or re-
evaluate their English Pedagogy programs and professional profiles in order to avoid the
discrepancy previously mentioned.

110
Furthermore, as it was suggested on our first assumption, the existing courses offered in the
two private universities may need to consider the development of the concept of competency as an
integral term by unifying its three types: cognitive, procedural and attitudinal, in order to make in-
training EFL teachers feel highly professionally competent once they major.
111
5. Discussion
The findings analyzed in this research have made us aware of other perceptions and suggestions
that may affect EFL teachers to feel highly professionally competent.
Firstly, some respondents pointed out that, perhaps, some administrative issues could be
improved in order to make in-training EFL teachers feel more competent and satisfied with the
English Pedagogy programs of two private universities. Moreover, one of the respondents revealed
that the basic requirement to pass courses might be modified due to the fact that it is uncomfortable
to share classes with people who have passed with an average of 4.0. In addition, it was revealed
that some pedagogical matters from the English Pedagogy programs could be emphasized, such as
teaching how to apply the content covered during the major, so the training process could be more
meaningful. For instance, besides training future EFL teachers on writing correctly, they should
be taught how to apply that knowledge inside the classroom.
Secondly, there is a need for knowing more about the incongruity between the professional
profiles stated by private universities and the competencies acquired by respondents. As it was
previously mentioned, most of the respondents feel that they are fairly professionally competent
considering their professional profiles. That answer drew our attention as most of the respondents
may feel that that there is not a total congruence between their actual competencies and the
professional profile stated by certain private universities. Due to this, further research on this topic
is needed.
On the whole, it is believed that there may be a need for continuing this investigation so the
information previously exposed in this section can be clarified.

112
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APPENDIX
121
Appendix 1: English Pedagogy program from Andrés Bello University

122
Appendix 2: Professional profile stated by Andrés Bello University
Retrieved in March 17, 2015 from http://www.unab.cl/admision/pedagogia-en-

ingles.aspx
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Appendix 3: Pre-research survey

Survey
Name: Subject 1
Profession: Teacher of English
Alma Matter: Universidad de Chile
Degrees: Licenciatura en Humanidades, Master in Literature,
Doctor in Literature
Years of experience: 50
Work place: Universidad Andrés Bello
1. Do you think that being competent is the same as being expert? Why?
A: Do I think being competent is the same as being an expert? Uhm, not really. Not really,
because you may be theoretically, ah, knowledgeable, an expert in something but you have
not, uhm, you have not like placed it in a real situation; meaning I find that many teachers at
the university are very much in their (…) tower, in their little world, and they know they are
experts but they are, they have not gone and taught at the real place, at the schools. So I’m
very proud of having taught classroom English for many years and all levels, all levels, from
kinder grade up with. That makes you a competent teacher because you may have all the
(…) theoretical knowledge which, if not applied will lead you to not excellent teaching. So
that’s what I think.

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2. What do you understand by full competency?
A: Uhm, being able to apply ehm your theoretical knowledge, and uhm put it into practice,
and make a difference. Change what you want to change, not only have an aim but fulfilling
the aim, and, in teaching, have results.
3. Do you consider that when you graduated you acquired full competency to teach
English?
A: No, no. I think that it is an initial step. Of course, we are young, we, we try our best, but
you need practice. It is mostly to put into practice what you have learnt, not only specifically
in the field. To be a teacher, I feel, is like being a mother. It envelops all of the aspects of
life, you cannot teach English, as on our case, to a child who is hungry, to a child who is
disrupted, to a child who has almost no home. You have to kind of take care of those aspects
first and teach English later, be aware that he’s an individual and that your influence may
last forever. Forever like for your natural life.
4. What do you understand by expertise? Is it necessary to teach English for better
results? Why?
A: Being knowledgeable in your field, uhm, being, uhm, innovative, do research in your
field. Is it necessary to teach English for better results in what? To learn for what? For life?
125
To communicate with other people? I think we are a very isolated country where only half
percent of the people speak English to, at a decent level (…) to communicate, I mean. So, I
believe that it is necessary if we are going to become part of the world, because we are
always very isolated, and very much to ourselves. We need to, apart from Argentina and
Bolivia and Peru who are always bothering us, we never communicate with anyone else
(laugh) so, and, that, we have Spanish for that and we feel that’s enough. Sometimes we go
aside as Mexico, but if we want to be really in that world concept we need to know, to learn
English. To advance in science, to become a better nurse, to become a better doctor, because
it is the language of, of science, it is the language of technology, it is the language of
civilization, I would say. Nowadays, is the Latin of the Renaissance, of the Middle Ages,
this is English now.
5. Do you consider yourself an expert? If so, how do you know it?
A: Uhm, I would say that I am an expert teacher more than an expert, uhm, in the field of
research because I’ve always devoted myself more to teach English more than researching,
investigation. How do I know that? That I have made a difference. I suppose through the
connections that I still keep with my ex-students, with my alumni. They are constantly on
the mail, they come for my birthday. I’m talking about people who graduated 42, 44 years
ago. So I must have made a difference. Sometimes one wonders: did I make a difference?
126
Was it worth it? And you don’t know really until later on they come and tell you. So it is, I
think that, at this time it would be terrible not to have made a difference. I think that I have
helped people develop their lives, I have helped them when they were in trouble. I don’t
know if I have taught them English, perhaps yes, but as a (laugh), as a secondary thing, I
think, but that doesn’t make me less of a teacher because I still feel that education is more
far reaching than instruction.
6. Have you undergone post-degree training? If so, did it improve your teaching
performance? In which way?
A: Yes, of course, my doctorate. Actually, I always say this and people laugh. My master’s
was much more difficult than my doctorate. My doctorate was like (…) nothing. I did the
thesis very quickly. The other one it took a long, long, long time in doing, and it did improve
me and open my vistas. I was very weak in, uhm, theoretical foundations mainly because
when I studied that did not exist. I studied a five-year career but that that was not taken into
account at all. So when I went back to study, I really didn’t, I didn’t know anything what
they were saying. I just looked into the air and said “God, where am I?” And then, little by
little, since I have excellent skills, studying skills; those come from my school not from my
university training, uhm, I know how to take notes, how to synthetize, how to analyze, all of
these skills which are much more valuable than any other thing we didn’t have; I learnt
127
theoretical basis of things, which I hadn’t a clue before. This is my master’s and my
doctorate (clap) was nothing.
7. Which were your motives to have undergone a post-degree training? Name at least
two.
A: I was quite old when I did it. I was 40. Uhm, and I, so I have personal motives. All of my
motives are personal because I was teaching at school and no one cared whatever I had. It
wasn’t like now that everyone says “Oh, you ought to be this” and “you should get that”.
When I was teaching, the only thing they wanted me was to be a good teacher and to instruct
the students correctly, I was teaching at a British school. And, eh, everyone kind of smile
when I was taking this, I was taking this in Santiago. It was really difficult to run away
because I taught a full timetable so I had a very nice person who organized my timetable
that, so that I could run away to Santiago. It was all personal, it was like “I want to be, I
want to know more, I feel there is a moment in my life when things have to change”, and I
did it. Ah, it was very, very difficult because I had lots of family to take care of and very
young children, etc, etc, etc. But, I, I thought that my brain needed some, (…) some uhm,
upgrading, perhaps. That’s why I did it not because of social pressures like today that people
128
tell you “you must have a diploma, you must have a master’s, and you must have a
doctor’s”.
8. Once you were teaching for two years, did you feel professionally competent to teach?
A: I felt that I was competent enough but that I was lacking in many aspects. The other thing
was that I taught before I went out of the university and I continued teaching at the same
place and, ah, I was like almost the same age as the people I was teaching because I taught
ah, 4th medios, 3th medios. I was like four or five years older than they were so it, it was a
difficult proposition (laugh). Ah, but, well, after two years (…) after two years is very little
time, but of course you know much more than after you just go out. You have to keep out it,
practice, as it, as an English (…) says “Practice makes perfect”. I think you need to practice
a lot.
9. Do you think that the professors of Universidad Andrés Bello highlight the importance
of undergoing a post-degree training to their students? How?
A: To be honest, I don’t know. I really don’t know because I feel that my teachers, on the
whole, are doing the best to instruct you and to guide you but I , I have, I really don’t know
if they have told you that it is necessary to keep on, uhm, training. As a matter of fact, I have
had to make many of your teachers take the master’s because they were kind of the old
129
school and they didn’t, they didn’t see the need for a master’s. So I have been pushing and
demanding and cajoling and that they, and they all have. All of our teachers are at least
master’s, all of them. So, perhaps I got into them, I don’t know.
130
Appendix 4: Competencies stated by Pérez (2011)

131
Appendix 5: Validation checklist

132
Appendix 6: Instrument
Survey Private University 1
Objective : The aim of this survey is to find out the perception of in-service EFL teachers
who graduated two years ago and EFL teachers who still do not have their
degrees, in regards to their professional competencies.
Instructions: You will find three sections on this survey. Please choose one answer on each
question according to your perception of your university program and
professional profile.
I. Select one number on a scale from 1 to 10, being 1 the lowest and 10 the
highest, according to your university program:
A. From a cognitive point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1. English language:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2. Curriculum y Evaluación:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3. Culture, civilization, and literature of different English-speaking countries:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4. General Linguistics and Applied Linguistics:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5. Methodology:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
133
6. Procesos Cognitivos y Aprendizaje:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7. Psicología del Ciclo Vital:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8. Integración Laboral:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
B. From a procedural point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
134
5. Methodology:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
C. From an attitudinal point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
135
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5. Methodology:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
136
II. Select the most accurate option according to your perception:
1. How competent would you feel if you had taken a course on Ética y Filosofía?
Highly Fairly Somewhat

professionally professionally professionally
competent competent competent
2. How competent would you feel if you had taken a course on Comunicación
Creativa en Lengua Inglesa?

3. How competent would you feel if you had taken a course on Recursos de
Liderazgo?

4. How competent would you feel if you had taken an internship focused on the role
of a head teacher?

5. How competent do you feel considering the competencies presented in the

professional profile of your major?

137
III. According to your perception, please answer the following questions:
1. Do you think you would feel more competent if you had started your internship
before the time proposed by your program?
Yes No
2. Please select those subjects, which in your opinion, would help you feel more
competent:
Ética y Filosofía
Comunicación Creativa en Lengua Inglesa
Recursos de Liderazgo
Fonética Segmental y Suprasegmental
Evaluación Educacional
None of the above
Other. Which one? _____________________________________________.
3. Would you recommend or suggest further modifications in your program? If yes,

which ones? Provide a brief explanation.
138
Survey Private University 2
Objective : The aim of this survey is to find out the perception of in-service EFL
teachers who graduated two years ago and EFL teachers who still do not
have their degrees, in regards to their professional competencies.
Instructions: You will find three sections on this survey. Please choose one answer on
each question according to your perception of your university program and
professional profile.
I. Select one number on a scale from 1 to 10, being 1 the lowest and 10 the
highest, according to your university program:
A. From a cognitive point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1. Taller de Expresión:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3. Applied Phonetics and Phonology:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5. Literature in English:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
139
6. Educación for different levels (children, young children and adolescents) and
Teaching English for different levels (initial, primary, secondary and adult
education):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
7. Mass Media Resources:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8. Global Issues:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
9. Cultura y Valores:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
10. Ética Profesional:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11. Seminar courses:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
140
B. From a procedural point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
education):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
141
8. Global Issues:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
C. From an attitudinal point of view, how competent do you feel about:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
142
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
education):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8. Global Issues:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
143

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
144
II. Select the most accurate option according to your perception:
1. How competent would you feel if you had taken a course on Recursos de
Liderazgo?

2. How competent would you feel if you had taken an internship focused on the role
of a head teacher?

3. How competent do you feel considering the competencies presented in the

professional profile of your major?

145
III. According to your perception, please answer the following questions:
1. Was your course called Ética Profesional helpful for your professional
development?
Yes No
2. Do you think you would feel more competent if you had started your internship
before the time proposed by your program?
Yes No
3. Please select those subjects, which in your opinion, would help you feel more
competent:
Comunicación Creativa en Lengua Inglesa
Recursos de Liderazgo
Fónetica Segmental y Suprasegmental
Evaluación Educacional
None of the above
Other. Which one? ____________________________________________.
4. Would you recommend or suggest further modifications in your program? If yes,

which ones? Provide a brief explanation.
146
Appendix 7: Answered instrument

147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158

Do Efl Teachers From Two Private Chilean Universities Feel Professionally Competent An Exploratory Study

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Facultad de Educación

DO EFL TEACHERS FROM TWO CHILEAN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES FEEL

Seminario para optar al Título de

Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media

Y al Grado Académico de:

Claudia Albuccó Ariztía

María Soledad Espinoza Morales

Michelle Leiva Espinoza

Eduardo González Acevedo

Viña del Mar-Chile

Claudia Albuccó Ariztía

María Soledad Espinoza Morales

Michelle Leiva Espinoza

Salinas for starting this journey with us.

Resumen (in Spanish) vii

1.2 Area of research 3

1.3 Problematic situation 4

1.4 Research question 5

1.6 General objective 7

1.7 Specific objectives 8

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 9

2.1 Etymological and historical background of the concept of competency 10

2.3 Cognitive Competency 16

2.4 Procedural Competency 18

2.5 Attitudinal competency 20

2.6 Socialization and internalization of values 24

2.7 Professionally competent teacher 26

3.1 Methodological design 34

3.4 Data collection 38

3.6 Analysis of results 99

3.6.1 Section 1 100

3.6.2 Section 2 103

3.6.3 Section 3 106

3.7 Limitations 108

List of references 112

El objetivo de este estudio, basado en un análisis previo del concepto de competencia, es

exploratorio y participativo aplicando una encuesta a cada muestra.

profesionalmente competentes se sienten.

Los resultados muestran que los encuestados si se sienten profesionalmente competentes al

Palabra clave: competencias

According to the participants’ observations and pre-research, there may be an incongruity

of being professionally competent.

1.2 Area of research

the science of teaching.

1.3 Problematic situation

1.4 Research question

assumptions were considered:

a. The attitudinal/procedural/cognitive competencies may need to be reinforced in order to make

English Pedagogy programs as for example, cultural aspects of English-speaking countries to

Literature or creation of didactic material to Methodology courses.

Spanish language or creation of didactic material.

perception of Chilean EFL teachers about being highly professionally competent.

1.6 General Objective

1.7 Specific objectives

The specific objectives of this thesis are the following:

b. To analyse validated definitions of competency with regards to the area of teaching.

of Concepción with other two Chilean private universities.

moment they major.

2.1 Etymological and historical background of the concept of competency

programs, it may be sound to look for definitions of competency.

or capable of achieving a skill.

tests for measuring intelligence. Additionally, in the area of education, Competence-Based