The Professional Competencies of Teachers Graduated from Farhangian University and those of other Universities: A comparative Study in Kurdistan Province

This current study aimed to compare the professional competencies of teachers graduated from Farhangian University with those of teachers who graduated from other higher educational institutes in Kurdistan province. In this descriptive study, a total of 226 teachers were selected using a two stage cluster random sampling, which included 84 teachers graduating from Farhangian University and 142 teachers graduating from other higher education institutions. The data was collected by using four researcher-made performance tests of Mathematics and science content knowledge and mathematics and science pedagogical knowledge. The validity of the tests were confirmed by employing content validity index and expert views. The reliability of the instruments was assessed using the tests split-half reliability method. The findings indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups of teachers in terms of mathematics and science content knowledge, favoring Farhangian University graduates. However, it was found that the two groups did not perform differently in terms of science and mathematics pedagogy. Female teachers who graduated from Farhangian University scored significantly higher than their male counterparts in science pedagogical knowledge. Concerning other university graduates, males significantly outperformed the females in mathematics and science content knowledge tests.