Abstract:

Educational policies aim to train effective teachers by adhering to established standards of practice and pedagogical knowledge. At the international level, professional development encompasses a positive relationship between knowledge, collaboration, self-efficacy, and the perception of the value of the teaching profession. This development constantly addresses numerous challenges and responsibilities that require targeted interventions not only to update skills but also to enhance the ability to meet students’ educational and social needs. Consequently, teaching profession is exposed to multiple work-related stress factors, which threaten the health and effectiveness of teachers and, subsequently, the success of the overall teaching and learning process. In this context, the characteristics of the work environment are crucial for the psychological well-being of teachers, as they can facilitate or hinder their professional development.

In Italy, the role of teachers is primarily defined at the normative level through three main competencies: teaching, organization, and professionalism. Teaching competencies include designing effective and inclusive learning situations. Organizational competencies involve participating in school management, while professional competencies include continuous training and the exploration of ethical and professional issues. It is thus evident that teachers’ professional growth is influenced by both personal and environmental characteristics and interactions with their organizational work context. These factors profoundly influence the organizational context with its conditions, structures, and dynamics, significantly impacting teachers’ professionalism and practices, with effects on the implementation of effective, inclusive, and innovative teaching.

For these reasons, in recent years, it has become increasingly important to understand which individual elements (such as years of experience and role) and contextual factors (such as the type of school) influence teachers’ perceptions of the organizational context. This understanding is essential for implementing effective interventions and guidelines to improve teachers’ professional development.

This paper is part of a broader project aimed at studying teachers’ professionalism in relation to their perceptions of the work context, with the general objective of identifying individual, contextual, and didactic elements to observe factors that hinder or facilitate the implementation of inclusive teaching practices. The goal of the present study is to present some preliminary results, which include a sample of 86 teachers from a school encompassing both primary and secondary levels. Various aspects of the organizational context (such as the perception of workload and work organization, involvement and support in school inclusion processes, and the level of collaboration and respect among teachers) were evaluated in relation to individual and contextual factors. The results obtained were discussed with the teachers to guide self-evaluation, support the school in defining priorities, and identify process objectives for professional development and teaching improvement.

Keywords:

Context perceptions, organizational work context, professional development, primary and secondary school.