Teaching excellence: an exploratory study in Spain and Italy

The study investigates the perceptions of teachers in Spain and Italy concerning their practices associated with teaching excellence. Grounded in recent theoretical frameworks on teaching professional competence, the research adopts an exploratory cross-national design to analyze excellence in everyday teaching. A total of 235 teachers from both countries participated in the study by completing a structured questionnaire composed of a validated scale measuring teaching excellence. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics, tests, and exploratory factor analysis, were used to compare the results across national contexts. The findings reveal a strong shared commitment among teachers to participatory and reflective teaching practices, with notable differences in dimensions such as pedagogical innovation and subject matter expertise. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of designing both initial and in-service teacher education programs that support reflective practices and strengthen professional development pathways.