Conceptualization of competencies: Systematic review of research in Primary Education

Abstract

The study of competencies has a vast research trajectory. Nevertheless, in the last years, this concept and its theoretical foundations have given rise to some relevant questions that should be reconsidered. The aim of this piece of research is to report information available in the literature that can help elucidate the conceptualization of competency and understand the meaningfulness of competencies for current education, especially in the primary level. We present a synthesis of the rise and evolution of competency and a systematic review on research around this notion in Primary Education. Results show that the current decade is the period with most scientific production, with an upward trend. As for the general profile of publications, two thirds correspond to empirical studies; most of them are published in Europe, with Spain at the top of the list of countries. In-depth analysis shows that almost all studies address the traditional dimensions of competency; only few studies consider a wider variety of dimensions. Conceptualizations of competency from a technical/professionalizing perspective prevail over a more humanist/formative view. Only one quarter of the articles in the sample present original definitions of competency; the rest adopt pre-existing theoretical frameworks. According to our results, we consider that conceptualizations on competency that are available in the literature are still immature. All these findings could help develop educational proposals more coherent with current educational needs.