A pathway model for physics teachers’ pedagogical philosophy core competency development

Abstract

The implementation of the National Education Development Plan
(2024–2035) has propelled Chinese physics education from traditional knowledge transmission toward a core competency-oriented teaching model. This transformation need to impose new demands on educationally underserved central and western regions, how teachers adapt to this shift presents an urgent challenge. This study aims to systematically analyze secondary physics teachers’ cognitive levels regarding core competencies, examine the consistency between teaching philosophies, practices, and focus on how individual teacher characteristics and external support conditions influence professional development. The sample comprised 320 secondary physics teachers from Ulanqab City, selected via stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness, with 48 teachers participated in a quasi-experimental intervention study. Findings indicate that teachers’ overall core literacy cognition levels were moderately high (M=3.86, SD=0.42), though 35.0% reached high levels. Significant differences existed across teaching experience and professional titles (p<0.05). In teaching practice, alignment between pedagogical beliefs and behaviors remained low overall (r=0.42), with traditional knowledge transmission still dominant. Teachers’ personal characteristics, school support, and peer collaboration played crucial roles in conceptual transformation, collectively explaining 68.4% of the variance. Through a three-dimensional development model built on theoretical learning, reflective practice, and collaborative exchange, teachers demonstrated significant improvements in instructional design, classroom organization, and reflective refinement (Cohen’s d=0.58–0.91). This study provides empirical support for teacher professional development mechanisms while offering practical references for advancing regional educational equity and high-quality physics instruction.