Percepciones y creencias de los docentes de Primaria del Principado de Asturias sobre las competencias básicas

Abstract

Since the Spanish Organic Education Law, enacted in 2006, introduced key competences in the curriculum of compulsory education, few data have been collected about the attitudes and beliefs of teachers in this implementation process. Gordon et al. (2009) recognized the teachers as the key actors in the shift towards competences and noted that the successful implementation of competence-based approach depends on the attitude of teachers. The main objective of this paper was to analyze the perceptions of primary teachers in Asturias on key competences after their full incorporation into the curriculum. A second objective was to compare the perceptions of teachers in terms of three segmentation variables: sex, type of institution and type of teaching (specialty). For this purpose, an ad hoc questionnaire was designed, with a 5-point Likert scale, consisting of a total of 40 items organized into five relevant aspects of the curriculum: activities, methodology, assessment, motivation and interdisciplinary work. 810 subjects completed the questionnaire showing their perceptions of key competences. In general, teachers reflected medium warmth about key competences showing an unclear, unsteady opinion on their inclusion in the curriculum. Regarding the contrasts by segmentation variables, males scored significantly higher than women the competence benefits. Teachers in concerted (non-government) schools are more sensitive both the benefits and the costs to the competence framework. Specialists identified greater benefits than generalists. These results are discussed in terms of the need to support teachers to become more aware of the benefits of working competence and undertake effective strategies for change.