Improving teachers’ pedagogical competence is essential for supporting the quality of learning, particularly amid changes in student characteristics, advances in educational technology, and the increasing demands of 21st-century competencies. This study aims to systematically analyze various forms of continuous professional development for improving teachers’ pedagogical competence, including the strategies employed, supporting and inhibiting factors, and emerging research directions in this field. The study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature was obtained from academic databases using keywords related to teacher pedagogical competence, teacher professional development, continuous professional development, and teacher professional learning. The analyzed articles were selected based on inclusion criteria covering topic relevance, publication quality, full-text availability, and a publication period of 2016–2026. The data were analyzed thematically by identifying forms of professional development, competency focuses, program characteristics, and key research findings. The results indicate that continuous professional development has the potential to enhance teachers’ pedagogical competence, particularly through practice-based training, coaching and mentoring, professional learning communities, lesson study, reflective practice, teacher collaboration, and technology- and TPACK-based development. The most promising programs are characterized by continuity, strong connections to instructional practice, active learning, collaboration, feedback, and supportive school environments. Advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence are also emerging as new directions for developing teachers’ professional competencies. Therefore, improving pedagogical competence should be positioned as a continuous, contextual, collaborative professional learning process that is integrated with instructional practice.