Specific competencies in social work higher education in the framework of the European higher education area: the perception of future professionals in the Spanish context

ABSTRACT

We present the results of a study that aims to determine whether young future social work professionals value the specific competencies that they are taught as students and will put into practice as professionals. The study analyses how these students value the professional competencies taught in university social work programmes in Spain, which are under the auspices of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). We consider that this study can contribute to the review and improvement of the design of these university curricula. The study is descriptive and employs the survey method. The sample comprises 220 subjects who are university undergraduate students in social work. The findings indicate that undergraduate students express a high valuation of the specific competencies of the degree. Students’ sociodemographic variables have little effect on their valuation of specific competencies, although we can nuance this conclusion with some partial results that show an influence of these sociodemographic variables on students’ valuations.

RESUMEN

Presentamos los resultados de un estudio que ha pretendido saber si los jóvenes futuros profesionales del Trabajo Social se sienten concernidos por la propuesta de competencias específicas que como profesionales deberán poner en práctica. Se ha analizado cómo son valoradas las competencias profesionales específicas recogidas en los estudios universitarios de Trabajo Social en España, implantados al amparo del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES). Consideramos que puede ser una contribución para la revisión y mejora de los procesos que han conducido al diseño de dichos estudios universitarios. El tipo de investigación ha sido descriptiva desarrollándose a través de un método de encuesta. La muestra ha estado compuesta por 220 sujetos, estudiantes universitarios del Grado en Trabajo Social. Se ha concluido que los estudiantes de Grado expresan una alta valoración de las competencias específicas del título. Con respecto a la influencia de determinadas variables sociodemográficas de los estudiantes, la conclusión es que la valoración de las competencias específicas por parte de los futuros profesionales es resistente a los rasgos diferenciales de los estudiantes, aunque podamos matizar dicha conclusión con algunos resultados parciales, que muestran una relativa influencia de estas variables sociodemográficas sobre la valoración que los estudiantes atribuyen a las competencias.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work
• specific competencies
• European higher education area
• professional profile
• university curriculum

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Trabajo social
• Competencias específicas
• Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior
• Perfil profesional
• Currículo universitario

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

José Juan Carrión-Martínez. Professor. University of Almería. Full-time professor in the Department of Education of the University of Almería, Spain. He has been responsible for the UAL of the implementation of the curriculum reform of university studies in the context of the European Higher Education Area. He is the author of several publications, participating in different research projects of international and national scope. Today he directs a Research Group HUM-955 on Training, Guidance and Employability of the University System of Andalusia, Spain and also the Doctoral Program in Education of the UAL.

María del Mar Fernández-Martínez. Social worker. Professor. Affiliated University Center of Social Work, University of Almería. Currently a social worker in the system of care for dependent people and a professor at the Attached University Center for Social Work of the University of Almeria. His research works have focused new roles and competencies in the university,, the care system for dependent persons and in cooperation projects linked to educational inclusion. She is the author of several publications, also participating in different research projects in the national and international levels on the topics mentioned.

María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes. Professor. University of Almería. Director of Group SEJ-581 Research in the Area of Education and Health at the University of Almeria. She has been Director of the Quality Unit, of the Secretariat of the University for Older Students and Executive Secretary of the Department of Psychology. Director of the European Journal of Research in Health, Psychology and Education as well as member of the editorial boards of several publications. Author of numerous scientific publications and Senior Researcher in several R&D&I projects. Organiser and president of many health congresses.

José Jesús Gázquez Linares. Full Professor. Universidad Autónoma de Chile and University of Almería. Full professor in the University's Department of Psychology. His main line of research is coexistence in school. He is the Director of the European Journal of Education and Psychology, and is on the Editorial Board of several other publications. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and Senior Researcher in various national R&D projects and regional Excellence projects. He was the organiser and president of workshops held in 2006 and of International Congresses in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016 on Coexistence in School.

ORCID

José Juan Carrión-Martínez http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3115-2907

Notes

1 This is the lay term for the European Higher Education Area reform process

2 The identification with a cardinal number is only for the purposes of this study because although the 25 competencies are identical in different study plans from different universities, their numeration and/or order is varied.