Lifelong Teacher Professional Development as a Pedagogical Strategy to Optimize Teaching in Primary Education in Buchivacoa Municipality, Falcón State

Abstract

Teacher lifelong professional development constitutes a key pedagogical strategy for strengthening professional competencies and improving educational quality. This study aimed to analyze lifelong teacher professional development as a strategy to optimize the teaching process in primary education in Buchivacoa Municipality, Falcón State. The research followed a quantitative approach, grounded in the positivist paradigm, with a field design and descriptive level. The population consisted of primary education teachers, with a sample of 13 participants. A survey technique was applied using a structured questionnaire validated through expert judgment, obtaining a reliability coefficient of 0.89. The results showed that 69.2% of teachers demonstrated a positive disposition toward professional development and 84.6% had participated in training programs; however, only 30.7% perceived them as effective. It is concluded that there is a gap between the implementation of training programs and their actual impact on pedagogical practice, highlighting the need to redesign teacher training policies by incorporating contextualized strategies and motivational mechanisms to enhance their applicability.