Competencias profesionales en la Educación Inicial y su vínculo con la vocación y la formación ética

Abstract

Abstract: This research examines the professional competencies of Early Childhood Education teachers, considering the strengthening of communication, logical-mathematical, and digital skills as essential for child development. The main objective was to analyze these competencies, teaching vocation, and ethics within Ecuador s curricular framework to support the development of a practical pedagogical proposal. Methodologically, the study adopted a mixed-methods approach with a non-experimental, descriptive, and cross-sectional design. Data were collected through the voluntary participation of 10 teachers from the Initial 2 level in public educational institutions, who completed the Teachers 360° questionnaire to assess their professional profiles. The findings revealed strengths in professional performance but also identified specific challenges related to facilitating group discussions, enriching vocabulary, introducing shapes and quantities, self-assessing achievements, and the pedagogical use of digital tools. Based on this diagnosis, the physical-digital proposal Magic Apron for Little Geniuses was developed as an alternative that combines play, hands-on materials, and technological resources to enhance the teaching role and transform teaching-learning processes.