From Beliefs to Practice: Unravelling the Mediation of Innovative Teaching in the Professional Competence of Art Instructors Rationale
Keywords:
Teaching Beliefs, Instructional Design Competence, Innovative Teaching, Art Education, Social Cognitive TheoryAbstract
Situated within the transformative landscape of higher art education in China, the professional evolution of the instructor has emerged as the critical vehicle for pedagogical reform. Despite the acknowledged centrality of the educator, a conspicuous lacuna remains regarding the specific mechanisms by which latent Teaching Beliefs are operationalized into technical Instructional Design Competence within aesthetic disciplines. Grounded in the epistemological framework of Social Cognitive Theory, this study rigorously interrogates the structural interplay between internal cognition and external professional practice, positing Innovative Teaching as a pivotal mediating variable. Employing a robust quantitative methodology, data were accrued from a stratified sample of 350 art instructors across four disciplinary domains. Hierarchical regression analysis substantiated the proposed theoretical model, demonstrating that while teaching beliefs exert a significant direct influence on design competence, this relationship is partially mediated by the enactment of innovative teaching behaviours. Consequently, the findings illuminate a sophisticated trajectory wherein abstract pedagogical convictions propel the adoption of novel methodologies, the practice of which subsequently crystallizes tangible structural design proficiency. Theoretically, this research transcends binary distinctions of teacher-efficacy, validating a "doing-to-become" model of professional maturation where behavioural engagement acts as the catalyst for cognitive refinement. Practically, the study offers a scientific basis for re-engineering faculty development programs, advocating for strategic interventions that prioritize experiential innovation to bridge the prevailing dissonance between policy intent and classroom reality.
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