Primary school student and teacher perceptions of competency-based learning

Abstract

In the search for an educational system that enables students to achieve the best academic results, it is extremely important to explore the perception of the main educational agents: students and teachers. Therefore, the objectives of this paper were: (a) to analyse primary school student and teacher perceptions of students’ competency-based learning; (b) to assess the possible differences between them; and (c) to test hypothetical models for predicting learning according to their perception. The participants were 8,513 students from 58 schools and 1,010 teachers from 110 schools. Overall, both teachers and students reported high scores of perception. However, the perception of the students was higher than that of the teachers, except for the digital competence. While the results showed differences in perception between both prediction models of competency-based learning, both groups perceived the competences of autonomy and personal initiative, digital competence, social competence and citizenship, and lifelong learning as core elements of their perception. In this regard, initial and ongoing teacher training in innovative pedagogical models is needed to enable the development of these competences, which are predictors of perceived learning.

En la búsqueda de un sistema educativo que posibilite los mejores resultados académicos del alumnado resulta necesario conocer la percepción de los principales agentes implicados: alumnado y profesorado. Los objetivos fueron conocer: (a) la percepción de alumnado y profesorado de Educación Primaria sobre el aprendizaje de los estudiantes basado en competencias; (b) las posibles diferencias entre ambos; y (c) los modelos hipotéticos de predicción del aprendizaje según sus percepciones. Participaron 8,513 alumnos de 58 centros y 1,010 maestros de 110 centros escolares. Tanto alumnado como profesorado reportaron puntuaciones altas de percepción. No obstante, los valores de alumnado resultaron más altos que los de profesorado, excepto en la competencia digital. Si bien se mostraron diferencias de percepción entre los modelos de predicción de aprendizaje competencial, ambos percibieron las competencias autonomía e iniciativa personal, digital, social y ciudadana, y aprender a aprender como ejes vertebrales de su percepción. En este sentido, es necesaria la formación inicial y permanente del profesorado sobre modelos pedagógicos innovadores que faciliten el desarrollo de estas competencias predictoras del aprendizaje percibido.