Self-learning processes of university professors of Social and Legal Sciences

Abstract

Training of university teachers is a fundamental component of professional teacher development. Within the different learning modalities, self-learning or self-training is particularly important today, as the boundaries between different learning contexts are increasingly blurred thanks to the increase in ICT. In order to understand the configuration of learning processes of university teachers in the field of social and legal sciences, a qualitative study was carried out with eight of the best teachers at the University of A Coruña, evaluated according to the ANECA DOCENTIA program. Two semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The results are organized around three main elements: perceptions regarding the need for self-training, from which assessments and difficulties regarding training are extracted; past and present influences from people and experiences that lead us to want to self-train; and the resources used for self-learning. The data reveal that a fundamental component of teacher updating is based on continuous self-learning, especially in nonformal and informal contexts. The family, other teachers and the students themselves are key in learning processes, together with technological resources.