Abstract
The aim of this study is to find out the relevance of the competences worked on in the area of social science, specifically in the subjects of geography and history, through the perceptions of pupils in the 4th year of compulsory secondary education (ESO). In order to carry out the survey, a purposive sampling was carried out in which more than 1400 4th year ESO students (in Spain) participated. In addition, using a Likert-type scale of our own creation called Evaluation of the Perception of Social Science Competences (EPECOCISO) and following a design of quantitative methodology, an exploratory factor analysis was carried out with the analysis software SPSS through the descriptive process, which allowed us to select the three factors that make up the study. Subsequently, correlations were established between factors through Pearson’s test, and between the different variables that make up each one of them with the socio-demographic variables (distinguishing between ordinal and nominal variables) through the chi-square test of independence and Cramer’s V test (nominal), as well as the linearity test, Goodman’s gamma test, and the Kruskal (ordinal) test. Finally, one of the most important conclusions of this study is that the difficulties encountered by students in the acquisition of competences is conditioned by the development of the assessment processes that are carried out.
Highlights
The general objective of this study is to discover the perception that pupils in the 4th year of compulsory secondary education (ESO) have of the usefulness of the competences according to what they have learnt in their social sciences, geography, and history class; the difficulties they encounter in assimilating them; as well as the instruments used to assess the degree of attainment of these key competences
In order to respond to objective 1 of this study, analysis of the questionnaire items belonging to this factor has been carried out
There are eight items that question the contribution of the subject of geography and history to the improvement of the ability to use language to express emotions, experiences, and opinions in a way that is understandable to others; engagement with the surrounding environment and with society; the skills and abilities to make more and/or better use of information and communication technologies (ICT competence); full participation in society; understanding different realities and productions in the world of art and culture; as well as the awareness that everyone has of what they have learned and what they need to learn in order to continue building their own knowledge
Summary
If we take into account everything that has happened in recent decades, we can certainly see the effects that the various educational regulations (national and international) have had, and we can see that, in any case, they have been configured according to a reformist perspective, wishing to overcome an educational system that, despite being reviled, has continued to facilitate an encyclopaedic, traditional, and segregationist teaching (Núñez and Palacios 2004; Monarca and González 2020) From this perspective—and being fully aware that in Spain the curricular model has leaned towards lectures, the transmission of legitimised knowledge, and the repetition of everything learnt by students (Álvarez et al 2021)—the competency-based teaching-learning model was born, which, passing through all levels of education (basic, secondary, and higher), aims to respond to the demands of society (focused on the diversity of the student body and on getting rid of the illogical belief that all students must learn the same thing at the same time and in the same way). These demands have been expressed in recent decades by European governmental bodies through, for example, the renowned Tuning Educational Structure in Europe project developed by the European Union
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