Christopher Olley

The Concept of Competence and Its Relevance for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the concept of competence has been introduced as a new paradigm in several educational systems. It reflects the need of educational systems to respond to societal and economic changes, i.e. the transition from industrial- to information-based societies. In contrast to earlier educational goals that focused more on basic skills and knowledge expectations, competences are more functionally oriented. They involve the ability to solve complex problems in a particular context, e.g. in vocational or everyday situations. In science, technology and mathematics education, the concept of competence is closely linked to the concept of literacy. Apart from these rather cognitive and affective perspectives influenced by the need to assess students’ achievement of desired learning goals in relation to their interest and motivation, the perspectives of the concept of Bildung as well as of the labour market influence today’s definition of educational goals. In order to address these perspectives, twenty-first-century skills were defined that encompass skills believed to be critically important to success in today’s world like, e.g. innovation and communication. This chapter addresses these developments by describing the concept of competence, by explaining its relevance for science, technology and mathematics education and by examining future directions. The chapter concludes with some remarks regarding commonalities and differences between the three domains: science, technology and mathematics.

The Teaching and Assessment of Inquiry Competences

New competence-oriented learning goals can only be sustainably implemented if they are aligned with teaching and assessment goals. Within the fields of science, technology and mathematics education, one approach of competence-oriented teaching is based on the concept of inquiry-based education. Scientific inquiry in science, problem solving in mathematics, design processes in technology and innovation as a cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning that is emphasised as a key element of twenty-first-century skills allow students to engage in the thinking and working processes of scientists. By applying these approaches, teachers can address subject-specific as well as generic competences (e.g. investigation in science as a subject-specific competence vs. argumentation or communication as more generic competences). Since what is assessed strongly influences what is taught, changes in teaching need to be accompanied by changes in assessment in order to be sustainable. Teaching and learning goals need to be aligned, and assessment methods developed that allow for the assessment of competences related to scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving or design and innovation processes. This chapter aims to provide a short overview about these inquiry-based approaches in the teaching and learning of science, technology, mathematics and innovation. Following a short introduction, the chapter consists of four subsections devoted to scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving, design processes and innovation. Each subsection addresses three basic questions: (1) How is the construct defined and conceptualised? (2) How does teaching for inquiry change teaching? (3) What changes in assessment are necessary to assess inquiry competences?