Teachers’ Skills and Innovative Educational Practices: An Evaluation Study on the Effectiveness of a Training Path

In the Italian context, National Recovery and Resilience Plan [1] suggests the adoption of teaching approaches characterized by technological and digital innovation and a transdisciplinary connotation, in line with literature according to which training paths for teachers should increase teachers’ professionalism, as well as their attitude to incorporate elements of innovation into educational practices to make them effective [2]. Within this framework, using a pre-post comparison design, the current study evaluates the effectiveness of a training path about new techniques of teaching-learning useful to innovate teachers’ educational practices and increase teachers’ self-efficacy. The study included 248 Italian teachers (77% women) ranging in age from 23 to 65 years old (M=49.4; SD=9.6). Two ad hoc scales were used to test teachers’ digital skills and educational practices, while perceived personal effectiveness in the school environment [3] and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (S.A.E.D., Italian validation by Biasi et al, 2014) were used to measure teachers’ self-efficacy. Results of MANOVA highlighted significant differences between t1 and t2 with respect to digital skills (F(1)=10.95; p=.001), educational practices (F(1)=20.64; p<.001), and teachers’ perceived personal effectiveness both in the school context (F(1)=28.65; p<.001) and in class management, students’ involvement and learning strategies (F(1)=15.16; p<.001). Overall, the study shows the effectiveness of the training path examined as tools to improve teachers’ professionalism, regarding the relational and the cognitive dimension, and their perception of self-efficacy in the school and in the classroom context.