Abstract:

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation effectiveness of the regulatory framework governing teacher training within higher education institutions in the Dominican Republic throughout the 2025–2027 period, a critical window for the modernization of the country’s pedagogical standards. Utilizing a robust mixed-methods approach framed within a non-experimental descriptive–evaluative design, the research utilized higher education institutions offering education programs as its primary population, specifically identifying academic managers and faculty members as the central units of analysis to capture both leadership and instructional perspectives. Data were meticulously gathered through the triangulation of quantitative surveys, qualitative semi-structured interviews, and a rigorous documentary analysis of institutional policies and accreditation reports. The findings reveal profound systemic vulnerabilities, most notably a pervasive lack of agility in academic and administrative management and a significant disarticulation between these institutions, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT), and the broader productive sector. These disconnects, compounded by inconsistent internal quality assurance mechanisms, indicate that the transition from regulatory theory to institutional practice is hindered by deep-seated structural limitations. Consequently, the study concludes that these barriers jeopardize the overall efficacy of the reform, and it ultimately proposes a series of integrated strategic guidelines—ranging from the harmonization of inter-institutional governance to the fostering of a data-driven culture of continuous improvement—to bridge the gap between normative expectations and the practical reality of teacher professionalization in the Dominican Republic.

Keywords:

Teacher training, higher education, educational policy, quality assurance, policy implementation.