Teacher Professional Competence, Collaboration and School Culture in Urban Periphery Schools in China

This study aimed to explore the current educational landscape in urban periphery schools of Jiangsu Province, focusing on the interrelationships among teacher professional competence, collaboration, and school culture. A descriptive method of research was conducted among 429 target samples from the research locale. The findings revealed that the majority of the respondents showed that the proportion of males was slightly higher than that of females, and they were mainly in the age group of 30-39 years old and held a bachelor's degree. In addition, most of the respondents had a service period of between 10 and 20 years. Most respondents generally agreed on a positive evaluation of teachers' professional ability, which was reflected in their "agree" attitude towards professional quality, classroom behavior management, and teaching technology. They also generally agreed with teachers' performance in collaboration, with the quality of interaction receiving the highest rating. Moreover, they agreed in terms of the school's physical environment, ability to adapt to change, and collective efficacy, with the physical environment receiving the approval of the majority. The study showed that teachers’ responses had no significant difference in their perceptions of teacher professional competence, collaboration, and school culture. There was a highly significant positive correlation between teacher professional competence, teacher collaboration, and school culture. Finally, an improvement plan to improve the quality of education in urban marginal schools by strengthening teacher classroom management, enhancing collaboration among teachers, and promoting a sense of collective efficacy in school culture was proposed.