A purpose-led approach towards the development of competency frameworks

• Published in: Journal of further and higher education Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 1143 - 1156
• Main Authors: Child, Simon F. J., Shaw, Stuart D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 13.09.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: 21st Century Skills; Alignment (Education); century skills; Competence; competency framework; Cooperation; Core competencies; Decision Making; Educational Objectives; employability; Higher education; Labor force; Methods; Skill development; Skills
• ISSN: 0309-877X; 1469-9486
• DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2019.1669773

The concept of 'competence' has gained traction in recent years because of its power in informing broader educational objectives, such as readiness for transition to later educational stages. The responsibility for developing competencies in learners is increasingly laid onto educational institutions via accountability arrangements. As a result, competency frameworks are value-laden and motivated by interrelated purposes including construct definition, the development of assessment criteria, and workplace readiness. The present article introduces a methodological approach for constructing a competency framework that accounts for these underpinning motivations. The present article first introduces three binary distinctions that developers can utilise in making structural decisions on a competency framework: binary vs continuum; atomistic vs holistic, and context-specific vs context-general. We argue that decisions made by developers in terms of the three binary distinctions influence their additional responsibilities in order to achieve a high degree of utility for practitioners using a competency framework. The decisions regarding framework purpose and its structural features inform the alignment between the intended constructs being targeted and a framework's use. The present article then focuses on a worked example in relation to one competency area that commonly resides within a competency framework - collaboration. We conclude that conceptual and structural alignment can help inform a competency framework's validation process, by enabling more specific usage claims to be articulated that can form the basis of empirical analysis.