The Competency-Based Approach in the Spanish University Context. The Vision of the Teaching Staff

Abstract

The adoption of the competency-based approach means an important change from the pedagogic and didactic point of view that directly affects university education and teaching practice. However, there is a certain tendency to admit that the institutional efforts made to stimulate structural changes have been superior to the attention given to the pedagogical and cultural change that affect teachers. For this reason and with the aim to expand the areas of critical thinking and value the improvement achieved in recent years, and to make visible the complications detected, our purpose is to delve into the perceptions that teachers of different Spanish universities have about the competency-based approach. The qualitative study was based on discussion groups as a data collection technique. Forty- three professors from six public Spanish universities had participated in the study. The recorded information given has been transcribed and categorized following a deductive- inductive process. The information has been structured around thirty-six subcategories and grouped in five categories. The analysis of the results concluded that the university professors have difficulties with incorporating the transversal competencies into the academic curriculum. They tend to be pessimistic regarding the impact of the competency-based approach in improving educational practice and consider that the successful incorporation of this approach requires deepening the current educational reform, adopting more holistic perspectives and addressing the cultural aspects of change.