Unlocking Vital Professional Skills of EFL Educators to Cultivate Student English Core Competencies in the Digital Era

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the education sector has witnessed transformative changes. In the domain of secondary English language teaching, the advent and implementation of intelligent teaching systems have necessitated a reevaluation of Teacher Professional Competency (TPC). However, there is limited research exploring English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers' perspectives on the TPCs required for fostering student English core competencies in the ear of AI. This study aimed to investigate the need for relevant TPCs among English teachers. A sample of 1089 English teachers from 335 schools across China participated in this research. The findings identified a total of 12 TPCs, with variations observed based on gender, years of teaching experience, school type, school level, and school location. Notably, Teaching Design Competency (TDC), English Knowledge and Application Competency (EKAC), and Teaching Implementation and Management Competency (TIMC) were identified as the most crucial TPCs. These results provide valuable insights into the components of EFL teacher professional competencies and offer guidance for competency-based teacher digital education programs.