From Awareness To Action: The Role Of Professional Development In Bridging The Global Competence Implementation Gap

Abstract

Educational systems worldwide recognize the importance of global competence for 21st-century learners, yet implementation remains inconsistent. This study examined factors influencing global competence implementation among 156 elementary school teachers in Be'er Sheba, Israel, a city with significant socioeconomic diversity. Using the OECD (2018) Global Competence Framework, we investigated the relationship between school context (measured by the Cultivation Index), teacher characteristics (seniority and education level), and support mechanisms (professional development and pedagogical diversity). Contrary to expectations, teachers in schools facing greater socioeconomic challenges demonstrated significant awareness of global competence importance (r = .178, p < .05). However, traditional markers of teacher quality seniority (r = -.183, p < .05) and advanced degrees (r = -.231, p < .05) showed weak negative correlations with implementation. The strongest predictors were professional development (r = .372, p < .05) and pedagogical diversity (r = .512, p < .05), suggesting that the key to bridging the awareness-action gap lies not in who teachers are, but in how they are supported. This study offers evidence-based recommendations for educational policy focused on building implementation capacity through sustained, collaborative professional learning.