This survey, which was carried out in 2018, was tailored to the individual features of fifteen different sectors that also had specific associated university degrees. The purpose of the project is to contribute to the improvement of university degrees, providing more evidence on their operation and thus allowing better diagnosis and a plan to improve degree content.
One of the key sectors of the project is education. The survey was sent to the 2,960 schools in Catalonia that provide preschool, primary and/or secondary education, in order to assess the training and skills of the new graduate schoolteachers they had hired. A sample of 246 was obtained, which corresponds to a response rate of 8%.
The most significant results of the survey are as follows:
- Cross-disciplinary skills of primary and secondary schoolteachers (table 1): about half of the schools indicate a lack of problem-solving and decision-making skills and of practical training (in common with other sectors analysed). They also point to shortcomings in creativity, teamwork and responsibility at work.
Table 1. Cross-disciplinary skills that should be improved in the university training of primary and secondary schoolteachers
| Percentage |
---|
Numerical skills | 3 % |
Documentation | 9 % |
Theoretical training | 10 % |
Oral expression | 11 % |
Written expression | 15 % |
Negotiation skills | 16 % |
Leadership | 20 % |
Use of the most common computer tools | 21 % |
Languages | 22 % |
Ability to learn and self-learn | 26 % |
Self-reliance at work | 30 % |
Responsibility at work | 41 % |
Teamwork | 45 % |
Ability to generate new ideas and solutions | 47 % |
Practical training | 48 % |
Problem-solving and decision-making | 53 % |
- Specific skills of primary schoolteachers (table 2): almost 7 out of 10 schools consider that there is a lack of ability to manage the classroom. They also identify shortcomings in other skills, such as detection and action in difficult situations (47%), the design and assessment of teaching-learning processes (43%), pedagogical innovation and educational research (43%), conducting interviews with families (39%) and personal balance (34%).
Table 2. Specific skills that should be improved in the degrees in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education
| Percentage |
---|
Spanish Language | 3,4 % |
Social and Natural Sciences | 6,1 % |
Music, Art and Physical Education | 6,8 % |
Ability to build trust | 10,8 % |
Science and Technology | 12,8 % |
Foreign language | 15,5 % |
Ability to work with computer tools specific to teaching | 15,5 % |
Mathematics | 16,2 % |
Catalan Language | 19,6 % |
Commitment to promoting values and respect among students | 30,4 % |
Personal balance (stress management, time management skills, self-control and management of one's emotions, etc.) | 33,8 % |
Conducting interviews with families | 39,2 % |
Pedagogical innovation and educational research | 42,6 % |
Design and assessment of teaching-learning processes | 43,2 % |
Detection and action in difficult situations (learning, socio-familial...) | 46,6 % |
Ability to manage the classroom | 67,6 % |
- Specific skills of secondary schoolteachers (table 3): almost 9 out of 10 schools agree on the need to improve ability to manage the classroom. They also identify a deficit in basic psycho-pedagogical knowledge (68%), personal balance (55%), detection and action in difficult situations (41%) and a commitment to promote values and respect among students (37%).
Table 3. Specific skills that should be improved in the Master's degree in Teacher Training in Secondary Education
| Percentage |
---|
Ability to work with computer tools specific to teaching | 2,7 % |
Ability to build trust | 17,3 % |
Pedagogical innovation and educational research | 25,3 % |
Design and evaluation of teaching-learning processes | 28,0 % |
Knowledge in order to teach other subjects related to the field of knowledge (degree, discipline) | 30,7 % |
Conducting interviews with families | 30,7 % |
Commitment to promoting values and respect among students | 37,3 % |
Detection and action in difficult situations (learning, socio-familial...) | 41,3 % |
Personal balance (stress management, time management skills, self-control and management of one's emotions, etc.) | 54,7 % |
Basic psycho-pedagogical knowledge (psychological development of students, motivation, etc.) | 68,0 % |
Ability to manage the classroom | 86,7 % |
- Skills and specialisations that will become more important in the future (figure 1): preschools and primary schools highlight skills related to new technologies and languages, while according to secondary schools, emotional skills and teamwork will become important. As for the specialisations of the future, there is a consensus on languages and STEM subjects, although primary schoolteachers also highlight new technologies and attention to diversity and secondary school teachers, educational guidance.
Figure 1. Skills and specialisations that will become more important in the future
- Satisfaction of schools: schools' satisfaction with the skills of primary and secondary schoolteachers is 6.6 and 6.5, respectively, lower assessments than those found in other sectors.