Editorial: Perspectives on teachers’ transdisciplinary professional competence

Abstract

What are the prevalent understandings of the concept of teachers’ professional competence? What knowledge forms and learning arenas are significant in developing teacher competences for the 21st century? In what ways can transdisciplinary goals of teacher education (such as diversity, research and development (R&D) and digital competence) contribute in forming teachers’ professional competence? This special issue’s contributions address a variety of perspectives on core concepts for understanding the complexity of teachers’ professional competence. They define, question and criticize the prevalent epistemological and ontological understandings within teacher qualification. They include theoretical and empirical papers addressing a variety of perspectives on teacher qualification and teachers’ professional competence, with a particular focus on the role of modes of knowledge, learning arenas and multidisciplinarity as contributors to transdisciplinary goals in teacher qualification. In addition, contributions illustrate dimensions of teachers’ professional competences such as teachers’ diversity competence, teachers’ R&D competence and teachers’ digital competence.