1.     Research topic/aim

This paper relies on a systematic review of peer reviewed scholarship concerning competence-based education (CBE) approaches, specifically focusing on competence-based curriculum (CBC) visions and implications for schooling. It addresses to overarching research questions: 1. What visions and corresponding features of CBC can[PfS1]  be observed transnationally and who are the main actors[PfS2]  behind each vision? And 2. What are the main implications and implementation challenges of CBC visions for formal schooling.

2.     Theoretical framework

Theoretically, the study adopts from the curriculum-didaktik approaches as two main education traditions in the Western world that shape to a large extent, for example, what education policies are implemented in[PfS3]  school systems, and what is the main focus during curriculum implementation at the classroom level (Tahirsylaj, Niebert, & Duschl, 2015). 

3.     Methodological design 

This study is a systematic review, and more specifically it falls within ‘narrative reviews’ category as the goal is not to seek generalizations but to identify and analyze key issues related to CBE from educational research perspective (Educational Research Review, n.d). The search strategy relied on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework (Page et al., 2021). We used the following 4 search terms: ‘competence-based education’, ‘competence-based curriculum’, ‘key competences’, and ‘key competencies’. This study reports from 160 articles included in the final sample based on searches conducted in December 2016 (Tahirsylaj & Sundberg, 2020) and January 2023.

4.     Expected conclusions/findings

The comprehensive analaysis of educational research related to competence-based curricula (CBC) reveals five main CBC visions for the concept of competence in relation to the national curriculum, namely: competence as a policy discourse, competence as a policy recommendation, competence as an add-on to existing curriculum, competence as learning outcomes, and competence as curriculum-transformative.

5.     Relevance to Nordic educational research 

The contribution to NERA 2024 conference will be relevant for the conference participants since CBE approaches to education have permeated most national education systems internationally as well as Nordic countries, and it can be described as one of the ‘adventures of education’ at global scale over the past 30 years.  

References 

Education Research Review [ERR]. (n.d.). A guide for writing scholarly articles or reviews for the Educational Research Review. Retrieved from: https://www.elsevier.com/__data/promis_misc/edurevReviewPaperWriting.pdf

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., ... & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic reviews, 10(89), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4 

Tahirsylaj, A., Niebert, K. & Duschl, R. (2015). Curriculum and didaktik in 21st century: Still divergent or converging? European Journal of Curriculum Studies. 2(2), pp. 262-281.  

Tahirsylaj, A., & Sundberg, D. (2020). The unfinished business of defining competences for 21st century curricula—a systematic research review. Curriculum Perspectives, 40(2), 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-020-00112-6