![]() |
Elements for a Diagnosis of the Spanish Educational System 1 - Previous studies of diagnosis and evaluation (end) ![]() ![]() ![]() |
N.B.: The INCE has taken advantage of two specific studies on this important
aspect: the first of these (Aportaciones de la investigación al diagnóstico del sistema educativo
espańol - Contributions by research to diagnosis of the Spanish educational system) is due to the
generosity of the Research Service at the Centre for Educational Research and Documentation,
coordinated by Mercedes Muńoz Repiso and Javier Murillo Torrecilla, a very ample study that provides
considerable detail of much of the research carried out by this institution and by the institutions which,
under another name, preceded it; the second is a summary of the former, which the INCE commissioned
to Ángel Lázaro, Associate Teacher of Educational Orientation and Diagnosis at the Complutense University
of Madrid, under the title of Contributions by research to diagnostic study of the Spanish educational
system. The lines included here are based on these studies, which may be requested from the INCE by those
who are especially interested. |
DIAGNOSIS AND EVALUATION OF THE OVERALL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMFirst of all, one must point out that the mainstream research commissioned by said institutional group was aimed at research themes applied to classroom action and educational processes and techniques, there being few studies aimed directly at diagnosis and evaluation research. The study document prepared by the Research Service at the CIDE was based on an ample sample of the total research carried out by the institutional group. The sample covers 346 studies out of a total 870, which is almost 40% of the total production. In their choice, they took into account criteria set at the specific request of the INCE, such as referring only to pre-university levels, the possibility of generalising diverse contexts, the nature of applied and not basic research, etc. In order for the reader to be able to understand the themes covered by the sample as well as the specific volume of the research dedicated to each theme, we reproduce one of the graphs from the CIDE document (graph 1).
If we had to predict where research into diagnosis and/or evaluation of the educational system were to fit into this thematic distribution, in general, or in any of its levels or modes, it would be logical to look first at the group labelled "Evaluation and inspection" and perhaps also, in second place, that on "General structure and organisation of the system". As to the first group, the thematic classification is that shown on graph 2, which shows the scarce interest dedicated to it.
As we may see, the greatest part of the evaluation effort has concentrated on the part that is surely furthest from all aimed diagnosis: programme evaluation. The studies affecting this sector are substantially dedicated to analyze reform programmes or experimental programmes in general; and in other cases, specific programmes (integration, drug prevention, press-school, etc.) and syllabus programmes. As reads the summary prepared by Ángel Lázaro, "the evaluation of schools and evaluation of teachers are matters that are scarcely covered, as evaluation of these scopes gives rise to rejection and, even more, is identified with matters of control, and even more so if an external evaluation". Throughout the period, there is only one study dedicated to evaluation of the educational system which, in Lázaro’s opinion, is not significant in number or results. There may be greater interest for our purposes in the set of research studies that the main reference document brings together under the heading "General structure and organisation of the educational system", the content of which is shown in graph 3. As may be seen from this, a certain number of research studies have been dedicated to studying the situation of the levels of schooling, and one must emphasise the fact that the level that attracts the greatest attention of the researchers is secondary education. However, none of the studies carried out seems to cover the situation of secondary education overall or in any of its two cycles (lower and upper), but specific aspects. As to the research into implementation of the educational reforms, an appreciable number of those follows the line of comparing experimental groups with control groups taken from the previous educational reform. There is a particular interest in those included in the analysis of attitudes of diverse groups to the draft reform that led to the LOGSE; and as to these concerning "moments of transition", most are dedicated to the always controversial matter of university entrance.
After this brief approximation, the conclusion that must be reached is that the attention paid to diagnosis and evaluation actions for the education system by educational researchers has been quite scarce, hardly comparable in quantitative and qualitative terms to that spent on other items. However, this does not mean that the contributions made due to the research efforts are scarcely significant in the scope concerned. On the contrary, they form a source of reflection and even of data to which it will be indispensable to resort for more in-depth study, one by one, into the different aspects. |
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF DIAGNOSISSTUDENT PERFORMANCEAlthough these are not as numerous as one could perhaps expect, the research into student performance forms a body of special importance within the objective concerned here. The document taken as reference orders them in three fundamental chapters (graph 4).
As to performance analysis, to which the greatest attention is paid, the studies provide interesting data and considerations on the features of academic performance and on the variables affecting this, of a personal nature and of the contextual type, the latter subdividable into "school" and "social-family". Although a general diagnosis action, such as that now performed in Spain and forming the object of this work must make special emphasis on the really existing situation and in principle is not aimed at detecting the main variables that affect this situation, there is no doubt that study of these may not be postponed till later steps. It will then be the moment to look back over the research performed up to present. In spite of there being many less, the studies on academic performance diagnosis are also very important. As one might expect, they concentrate above all on classroom actions and one may obtain suggestions of undoubtable methodological usefulness from these. There are also few - above all if one takes their great social influence into account - studies concerning academic failure which, in any case, show the high rates of unsatisfactory results obtained in diverse terminal stages, particularly at the end of Primary Education (EGB).
|
© Instituto Nacional de Calidad y Evaluación (INCE) calle San Fernando del Jarama, 14 E28002 MADRID |
Tel: +34 91.745.9200 Fax: +34 91.745.9249 email: info@ince.mec.es |