Fostering competence: a narrative case study of developing a two-dimensional curriculum in Denmark

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines curricular development within compulsory science and mathematics education (grades k-9) in Denmark during a 20-year transition towards competency-oriented curricula. The article contains two main parts. In the first part, we describe the Danish case, emphasizing how international and national trends at the turn of the millennium led to the development of competency-oriented curricula based on a two-dimensional framework. In this framework, subject goals are separated into competency and subject matter goals. In the second part, we explore teachers’ perspectives on potentials and challenges when implementing competency-oriented teaching. Teachers found the two-dimensional framework useful when translating curricula into teaching practice. This analysis also identified four key aspects that support teachers’ work within this framework: Maintaining two-dimensionality, coherent competency goals, goals that are both purposeful and teachable, and a feasible content structure. We conclude the article by proposing a model that combines these four aspects and by suggesting possible avenues for future research and developmental processes.