While this is a well-established academic and professional field in Catalonia – the Catalan Higher Education System and professional practice in Catalonia have been recognised as pioneers in the scientific substantiation and creation of services and programmes in the field of experimentation and educational guidance – the nature and practice of educational psychology is in a process of change, which has affected the development of disciplines and their control over academic and professional discourse.
All of this has had an impact on the evolution of Educational Psychology courses and, specifically, of the MUP. The results of the assessments carried out by AQU Catalunya on the implementation of this master's degree at Catalan universities highlighted the need for an in-depth analysis of the programme's main problems. This analysis has materialised in the Cross-sectional assessment report on the university master's degree in Educational Psychology, drawn up by professors Eduardo García, José Gutiérrez and José Antonio Caride, all three of whom are long-standing collaborators with AQU Catalunya.
The analysis carried out shows a considerable lack of definition in the approach and training profile of the MUP, which leads to a wide disparity in key educational aspects, such as learning outcomes, the specialisation offer, access and graduation profiles and the bridging courses of the different master's degrees offered in Catalonia, as well as a loss of the academic leadership that had been achieved in this area in Catalan faculties.
In this respect, the conclusion has been reached that it is necessary to undertake a revision and updating of the contents taught on the master's degree course, in order to bring them closer to the advances in current research, and also to promote the revision of teaching formats and methods to bring them closer to evidence-based practice and a learner-centred approach.
Also highlighted is the need to address the mismatch between graduates' profile and the new social needs, particularly with regard to the growing demand for support and guidance from families and institutions.
The report's conclusions, presented to academic and institutional decision-makers on 12 January, also propose to promote the implementation of effective assessment procedures for the main learning outcomes of the MUP. It likewise highlights the need to develop academic and professional competence assessment guides to improve master's degree final project subjects and external training placements, identified as weak points in the training offer, together with the academic and professional support systems and guidance services for students.
The situation of the MUP calls for a change of strategy that involves rethinking its identity, differentiating it from other training offers, and claiming the relevance of these studies for today's society. It also involves recovering the initiative and leadership of Catalan universities in this disciplinary field. AQU Catalunya proposes the creation of spaces for reflection and joint work between universities, government and communities related to the scientific, academic and professional fields of educational psychology that can respond to the needs and demands that the professionals of the future will have to face.