Inquiry-oriented professional teachers in Spain: examining the influence of self-efficacy, attitudes, and values

This study examines how Spanish in-service teachers engage in inquiry-oriented professional practices and how perceived self-efficacy, attitudes, and values relate to that engagement. It addresses three forms of inquiry (systematic reflection, use of research, and conducting research) considered at both individual and collaborative levels. Using a cross-sectional design, 333 teachers completed the adapted and validated TIP-MapVa-IS questionnaire (47 items; nine factors). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc comparisons, and Spearman correlations examined associations across the nine dimensions. Individual systematic reflection was the most frequent form of inquiry, while collaborative reflection, use of research, and conducting research were considerably less common. Self-efficacy showed moderate positive associations with individual use of research and with individually conducting research, whereas attitudes and values displayed only weak relationships with actual engagement. Teachers with a master’s degree or doctorate reported higher engagement in research-related practices and higher self-efficacy than those with a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree. Early-career teachers reported higher self-efficacy than those with more than 20 years of experience. Findings highlight the need to support teachers’ collaborative research and suggest that professional development initiatives should address individual and contextual factors shaping inquiry-oriented engagement.