University, civic-social competences, and the labour market
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University, civic-social competences,
and the labour market*
Universidad, competencias cívico-sociales
y mercado de trabajo
Miguel A. SANTOS REGO, PhD. Professor. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (miguelangel.santos@usc.es).
María José FERRACES OTERO, PhD. Associate Professor. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (mjose.ferraces@usc.es).
Ígor MELLA NÚÑEZ, PhD. Researcher. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (igor.mella@usc.es).
Ana VÁZQUEZ-RODRÍGUEZ. Researcher. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (ana.vazquez@usc.es).
Abstract: university students, we performed an explorato-
Universities have, at present, generally tak- ry factorial analysis followed by a confirmatory
en on as their own the role of providing compre- factorial analysis. We then conducted a 2 × 2
hensive training that contributes to academic, Multivariate Analysis of Variance (cycle × field
professional, and social development. As a re- of knowledge), taking as dependent variables
sult, civic and social competences have become the factors obtained previously. In addition to a
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
increasingly important, given their potential satisfactory solution of the scale, both in factor
contribution to optimising university students’ structure and in levels of internal consisten-
transition to the labour market. The objective of cy, the results reveal differences regarding the
this work is to study the psychometric properties study variables. While first-cycle students dis-
revista española de pedagogía
of a scale for assessing a range of civic and social play a high level of development of these compe-
competences in higher education and to analyse tences, we found no differences regarding field of
whether students’ cycle and field of knowledge knowledge. However, significant effects were ap-
shape how these competences develop. To this parent in the interaction of these two variables,
end, after randomly dividing the sample of 996 as first-cycle students from Health Sciences and
*This work derives from two projects within the framework of the Spanish State R&D&I Programme Oriented to the
Challenges of Society (EDU2013-41687-R and EDU2017-82629-R) - http://www.usc.es/apsuni/
Revision accepted: 2020-04-13.
This is the English version of an article originally printed in Spanish in issue 276 of the revista española de pedagogía.
For this reason, the abbreviation EV has been added to the page numbers. Please, cite this article as follows: Santos
Rego, M. A., Ferraces Otero, M. J., Mella Núñez, Í., & Vázquez-Rodríguez, A. (2020). Universidad, competencias
cívico-sociales y mercado de trabajo | University, civic-social competences, and the labour market. Revista Española de
Pedagogía, 78 (276), 213-232. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP78-2-2020-06
https://revistadepedagogia.org/ ISSN: 0034-9461 (Print), 2174-0909 (Online)
213 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
Engineering-Architecture and second-cycle stu- (996 alumnos universitarios), se ha procedido
dents from Social-Legal Sciences and Arts-Hu- a realizar un análisis factorial exploratorio y, a
manities displayed higher scores. This paper continuación, confirmatorio. Posteriormente,
concludes by highlighting the need for higher se ha llevado a cabo un análisis multivariado
education institutions to promote the develop- de varianza 2 × 2 (ciclo × área de conocimien-
ment of civic and social competences to a greater to), tomando como variables dependientes los
extent. To do so, they should consider methodo- factores previamente obtenidos. Además de
logical strategies and programs that react to this una solución satisfactoria de la escala, tanto
need so that levels of social participation and en la estructura factorial como en los niveles
transition to employment can be enhanced. de consistencia interna, los resultados obteni-
dos revelan diferencias en torno a las variables
Keywords: higher education, social compe- objeto de estudio. Mientras que, en general, los
tence, civic competence, labour market, em- alumnos de primer ciclo muestran un alto nivel
ployment, university students. de desarrollo de estas competencias, no se cons-
tatan diferencias en cuanto al área de conoci-
miento. No obstante, en la interacción de estas
Resumen: dos variables se evidencian efectos significati-
En general, la universidad actual tiene vos, reflejando puntuaciones más elevadas en el
asumida como propia la misión de ofrecer una alumnado de primer ciclo de ciencias de la salud
formación integral que contribuya al desarrollo e ingeniería-arquitectura, y en el de segundo ci-
académico, pero también al profesional y social. clo de ciencias sociales-jurídicas y artes-huma-
Así, cada vez es mayor la importancia otorgada nidades. Se concluye enfatizando la necesidad
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
a las competencias cívico-sociales, dada su po- de que las instituciones de educación superior
tencial contribución a la hora de optimizar la promuevan, en mayor medida, el desarrollo de
transición del alumnado universitario al mer- competencias cívico-sociales con estrategias
cado de trabajo. El objetivo del presente artí- metodológicas y programas ajustados a esta
revista española de pedagogía
culo es estudiar las propiedades psicométricas exigencia, orientados a la mejora de los niveles
de una escala para evaluar competencias cívi- de participación social y la transición al empleo.
co-sociales en la educación superior y analizar
si el ciclo y el área de conocimiento determinan Descriptores: educación superior, competencia
su desarrollo en los estudiantes. Para ello, des- social, competencia cívica, mercado laboral, em-
pués de subdividir aleatoriamente a la muestra pleo, estudiantes universitarios.
1. Introduction practise responsible citizenship in demo-
It could be said that we are living in cratic societies. It is also accepted that
a time with a consensus around the need this education should not be limited to
for individuals to learn about ethical and the sphere of the family or confined to
civic-social competences so that they can social organisations, but instead should
214 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
be explicitly present in the educational The need to foster social justice and
system. It is important to bear in mind democratic development and the urgency
the amount of time young people spend in of facilitating graduates’ transition into
class at school or in universities, and so employment highlight the main task that
this interest in their social commitment the institutions responsible for developing
is logical (Naval, García, Puig, & Santos social capital must lead (Coleman, 1988).
Rego, 2011). Indeed, one of the principal ways in which
higher education institutions can foster
Civic education, which complements social capital is by nurturing their stu-
more directly cognitive education, is cur- dents’ social competence (Baron & Mark-
rently becoming increasingly relevant. man, 2003). This is something that should
This is the position of Reparaz, Arbués, help to make the university a stronger in-
Naval, and Ugarte (2015) when they stitution rather than a «light» one (Este-
state that situations of social injustice ban, 2019).
require universities to contribute to the
ethical and civic development of their Consequently, we believe that higher
students. Citizenship education is con- education should promote students’ social
nected to basic needs relating to how the competence as it is a basic resource, not
stability of a democracy is maintained only for improving inclusion and commit-
through political participation and com- ment but also for facilitating integration
mitment, as well as confronting chal- into a labour market characterised by high
lenges such as cultural diversity, migrato- levels of unemployment and uncertainty
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
ry movements, and social injustice, among (Baron & Markman, 2003; Lans, Verhees,
others (Ugarte & Naval, 2008/2009). In & Verstegen, 2016). Even so, it is impor-
short, «civic education provides sociali- tant to note that in the case of Spain, there
sation in the values and customs of dem- has been more interest in citizenship edu-
revista española de pedagogía
ocratic coexistence» (Gil & Jover, 2003, cation in primary and secondary education
p. 116). than at the university level, both in theo-
ry and in practice, owing to a widely-held
Similarly, learning about democratic view that the principles that govern educa-
citizenship can help students develop so- tion in the earlier stages differ from those
cial capital, since it addresses how people that prevail in Academia (Santos Rego &
participate in community-wide questions, Lorenzo, 2010).
the relationships and links they establish,
and, ultimately, social cohesion (Pichler & Having established the importance of
Wallace, 2007). We should not disregard a more social focus in university educa-
how a lack of personal contacts and net- tion, this study builds on research that
works can manifest itself in limited social illustrates the uneven development of
and political commitment, weak social these competences according to students’
ties, and low tolerance and trust (Put- academic profiles (González & Wagenaar,
nam, 2000). 2003). It could even be assumed, along
215 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
with Polo (2018), that the progress of the who asserts that ethical learning entails
university is the progress of knowledge treating the all-round education of stu-
and of contributions to society. Conse- dents as the primary objective of high-
quently, we propose a dual aim for this er education, something that involves
work. Firstly, to study the psychometric personal, professional, and social learn-
properties of a scale of civic-social compe- ing which is traversed by morality and
tences designed for university students, ethics.
and secondly, to analyse whether these
civic-social competences vary depending One central aspect of civic learning is
on the educational cycle the students are its interpretation in terms of competence,
in and the field of knowledge they are involving knowledge (historical, political,
studying. and civic), skills (critical thinking, com-
munication, public problem solving, and
civic judgement), and values (justice, in-
2. Civic-Social Competences, Uni- clusion, and participation) (Saltmarsh,
versity, and the Labour Market 2005). In this context, civic and ethical
In line with one of their major tasks, learning cannot be reduced to setting ob-
the education universities provide must jectives and providing content delivered
be designed to foster the exercise of a gen- through a specific set of pedagogical activi-
uinely democratic citizenship, on which ties, but instead must be directed at ensur-
true social progress depends. Two strong- ing students learn competences (Martínez
ly opposing positions can be fitted into & Esteban, 2005). This is the civic-social
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
this framework: on the one hand, there is competence, in other words a competence
a viewpoint that sees higher education as comprising
being more market orientated; on the oth-
a group of cognitive and socio-affective
er hand, there is a position that argues for
factors (including behaviour, communica-
revista española de pedagogía
the introduction of a humanistic element.
tion skills, interactive abilities, etc.) that
We argue for combining both positions, drive an individual inclination to be, act,
as this is the focus of the mission of the and feel in a particular way, but which can
university of the 21st century. Moreover, always be understood in accordance with
«preparation for the job market and ed- patterns of communal life (Santos Rego &
ucation for becoming active citizens are Lorenzo, 2010, p. 10).
presented as the two most relevant ob-
jectives of education in the upcoming In turn, it is now some time since the
decades and also as two of the key goals European Parliament and the Council of
for university education» (Naval et al., the European Union (2006) proposed a
2011, pp. 80-81). narrower classification, defining these
competences as personal, interpersonal,
It is important to specify what we and intercultural ones that include all
understand by civic and social learn- forms of behaviour, with the purpose of
ing. We start by citing Buxarrais (2006), preparing people to participate effectively
216 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
and constructively in social and profes- university contributes to effective demo-
sional life. cratic and civic-social development is in-
disputable (Ibáñez-Martín, 2001; Naval &
Similarly, civic-social competences Arbués, 2018).
are linked to the development of social
capital, as this can be integrated into a However, a comprehensive overview
focus based on community participation of the university system involves consid-
and relationships with peers. Universi- ering the reciprocal relationship between
ties should have links with their imme- civic learning and students’ integration
diate social surroundings and should into the labour market. A relationship of
not cease to be one of the main centres this sort does not, pedagogically speak-
for invigorating them. This is how civic ing, have to endorse a vision of civic-so-
participation is vital for leading people cial competence merely as instrumental
towards democracy, an altruistic spir- support for training individuals suitable
it, and the prosperity of the community for a civil society that barely considers
(Putnam, 2000). Therefore, social capital the teleological scope of human formation
and collective action reinforce each other, through education (including university
creating a positive feedback cycle in their education).
interaction (Wagner & Fernández-Gimén-
ez, 2008). Subordinating this competence solely
to the requirements of the labour market
Universities, which are also educa- is counterproductive, not just because it
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
tional institutions, must put in place an is intellectually short-sighted but also —
appropriate pedagogical response, en- paradoxically — because it encourages
couraging learning processes that are outcomes that clash with the intended
directed at developing civic-social compe- ones. As noted in one classic text, univer-
revista española de pedagogía
tences and that should focus solely on de- sities must avoid pursuing an instrumen-
veloping civic virtues and promoting the tal purpose that only serves industrial
common good (Putnam, 2000). Examples forces (Hutchins, 1964). It is not a compe-
of this include methodologies such as ser- tence that can be trained as a short-term
vice-learning to create an active and par- strategy as part of an accelerated curricu-
ticipatory citizenship (Sotelino, Mella, & lum in order to find a job or improve one’s
Rodríguez, 2019), or quality non-formal existing employment.
educational programmes, such as volun-
teering or international mobility, that It is precisely because of this compe-
contribute to social inclusion and employ- tence’s intrinsic value and not because of
ability goals (Santos Rego, Lorenzo, & a pragmatic association with the produc-
Vázquez, 2018). In this context, the role tive fabric that it should be implemented
played by many teachers who are commit- in line with a framework of comprehensive
ted to actions with a social scope (schol- training and well-rounded education of the
arship of engagement) to ensure that the human being (Jaspers, 1959; Nussbaum,
217 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
1997) to which universities must also con- endorsed by a report by the McKinsey
tribute by ensuring their programmes have Global Institute (2018) in which the out-
an approach in line with their social mis- look for the year 2030 (taking 2016 as a
sion, and so it is necessary to consider the starting point) identifies social and emo-
reasonable expectation that graduates will tional competences as having the second
be responsible and public-spirited citizens. highest growth, behind only technologi-
cal ones.
Nevertheless, universities must also
consider the labour market, just as this Similarly, an increase in demand for
must take an interest in what happens capacities associated with intercultural
in the university. A good example of competence (communication, command
this is the attention that has been paid of other languages, cultural sensitivity)
to this link, which is of such strategic can be observed, as it is widely accept-
importance, since the Bologna process, ed that employees with well-developed
especially in the Bucharest (2012) and intercultural competence can attract po-
Yerevan (2015) Communiqués, which tential clients, more easily integrate into
consider graduate employability given diverse work teams, and improve an or-
the changes that have shaken the dif- ganisation’s reputation (British Council,
ferent productive sectors and the emer- 2013).
gence of new job profiles. Consequently,
there is a demand for graduates have the In short, it is possible to maintain that
appropriate generic and specific compe- teamwork, diversity, and oral communica-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
tences to facilitate their employability tion competences are essential for the la-
(González & Wagenaar, 2003). We should bour market of the 21st century (Casner-
not ignore the persistence of high rates Lotto & Benner, 2006). Therefore, given
of youth unemployment, which make it the clear connection between social cap-
revista española de pedagogía
necessary to identify variables that facil- ital, civic-social competences, and long-
itate this transition to the labour mar- term vocational outlooks (Deming, 2017),
ket. it would be advisable for higher education
institutions to consider such dimensions
Since the end of the last century, an in an effective way, showing off educa-
increase in jobs that require skills that tional strategies aimed at all-round de-
are not just cognitive but also social has velopment and considering the social and
become apparent (Weinberger, 2014). Fo- workplace integration of their students
cussing on the skills the jobs of the future and graduates.
require, a report by the European Centre
for the Development of Vocational Train-
ing (CEDEFOP, 2018) concluded that the 3. Method
jobs with the best prospects place greater 3.1. Participants
value on advanced cognitive and socio- A total of 996 students from the Uni-
emotional competences. This point is versidade de Santiago de Compostela par-
218 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
ticipated in this study. They were selected started with an initial scale of 34 items,
using purposive non-probability sampling. 14 of which it was necessary to eliminate
Their ages were between 19 and 45 (M = as the item–total correlation (degree of
22.24, SD = 3.47) and the majority were homogeneity) was not significant. Conse-
women (73.2%). They were studying pro- quently, a final version with 20 items was
grammes in the fields of Social-Legal constructed.
Sciences and Arts-Humanities (86.4%),
and Health Sciences and Engineering-Ar- We used several instruments as refer-
chitecture (13.7%). ences for developing it: the Civic Attitudes
and Skills Questionnaire (CASQ) (Moely,
3.2. Instrument Mercer, Ilustre, Miron, & MacFarland,
We used the Questionnaire on Universi- 2002); a self-evaluation scale designed by
ty Students’ Civic and Social Competences Santos Rego et al. (2018) regarding the
and Self-Efficacy (CUCOCSA) (Santos development of generic competences; the
Rego & Lorenzo, 2018). This comprises Public Affairs Scale–Short Survey (PAS-
13 questions: nine closed-ended ones and SS) (Levesque-Bristol & Richards, 2014);
four that use a Likert-type scale with five and the Evaluation System for Experien-
answer options. It is organised in the fol- tial Educational Programs (ESEE) by Fur-
lowing sections: co (1995).
– Personal and academic biography: The content validity was verified
age, sex, degree programme, and through external validation by a panel of
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
year in which the student is en- five experts representing relevant academ-
rolled, faculty, campus, involvement ic fields. Their suggestions enabled us to
in mobility programmes, projects proceed with the questionnaire’s develop-
involving community service, and ment and ensure consistency in its design.
revista española de pedagogía
service-learning projects. This allowed us to improve its form (the
position and order of items) and its con-
– Scales covering: training at univer- tent (expanding and removing items and
sity (7 items from strongly disagree their degree of intelligibility).
to strongly agree), students’ social
participation (5 items from never 3.3. Procedure
to weekly), civic-social competences The instrument was applied during
(20 items from strongly disagree the 2016-2017 academic year. To collect as
to strongly agree), and perceived many responses as possible, we adminis-
self-efficacy (14 items from strongly tered it in person. However, in some cas-
disagree to strongly agree). es, at the request of the teachers, it was
completed online using the Survey Mon-
This article focusses on the civic-social key platform. We estimated it would take
competences scale. These are evaluated 10-15 minutes to complete. The study
using the students’ self-perception. We followed the recommendations of the Bio-
219 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
ethics Committee of the Universidade de their field of knowledge (a first group
Santiago de Compostela and scrupulously comprising Health Sciences and Engi-
complied with the requirements of Spain’s neering-Architecture degrees and a second
Personal Data Protection and Digital group comprising Social-Legal Sciences
Rights Protection Organic Act 3/2018, of and Arts-Humanities).
5 December.
3.4. Data Analysis 4. Results
To carry out the analysis, we divided We will now present the results ob-
the sample into two subsamples at random tained regarding the two research ob-
using the IBM-SPSS statistics package, jectives. Accordingly, we refer first to
version 24. The first one comprised 500 stu- the psychometric study of the scale of
dents (M = 22.26, SD = 3.67) and the sec- civic-social competences for university
ond comprised 496 (M = 22.17, SD = 3.39). students.
Firstly, with subsample 1 (calibra- 4.1. Exploratory Factor Analysis and
tion sample), and in order to analyse the Reliability (Subsample 1)
psychometric properties of the scale, we We determined the scale’s dimen-
performed an exploratory factor analysis sionality through the exploratory factor
(EFA) and calculated the reliability of the analysis, using the principal compo-
factors using Cronbach’s α . nents extraction method and varimax
rotation. The sample size meets the cri-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
Next, with subsample 2 (validation sam- terion agreed on by methodologists of 5
ple), we performed a confirmatory factor to 10 subjects per item (Velicer & Fava,
analysis (CFA), using the AMOS 20 statis- 1998).
tics package, with the purpose of checking
KMO =.846 and χ2(190)=2833.81,
revista española de pedagogía
that the factor structure previously obtained
from the EFA adequately represented the pUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
Table 1. Means and standard deviations.
Items M SD
1. I am able to work cooperatively with other people. 4.42 .64
2. I am able to properly communicate with others. 4.25 .65
3. I easily relate with other people. 4.01 .89
4. I try to put myself in others’ place, trying to understand
4.35 .66
their situation.
5. I am able to lead groups and motivate others to achieve
3.53 .89
common goals.
6. W
e have to look beyond people to understand their
4.42 .61
problems.
7. W
e need to change people’s attitudes to solve social
4.45 .64
problems.
8. I enjoy meeting people from backgrounds and cultures different
4.31 .80
from mine.
9. C
ultural diversity makes a group more interesting
4.51 .68
and effective.
10. I easily adapt to other cultural environments. 3.98 .85
11. I n everything I do, I strive to be a better person. 4.31 .68
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
12. I try to make sure that my actions do not intentionally
4.46 .62
harm another person.
13. W
hen working in a group, I try to make sure that everyone
4.26 .68
is heard before making a decision.
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14. I think that if people learned and worked cooperatively, many
4.41 .70
of society’s problems could be solved.
15. T
o get a job, having good personal competences (such as
responsibility, honesty, etc.) is as important as having good 4.40 .72
technical competences.
16. I t is easy for me to evaluate and accept the consequences of
3.70 .85
my decisions.
17. I am able to identify and control my own emotions as well as
3.46 .91
the emotions of others.
18. I am able to present my ideas and viewpoints with
3.69 .90
confidence.
19. I am able to generate new ideas (solutions, products,
3.97 .66
viewpoints, etc.).
20. I am able to analyse information from a critical point of view. 4.08 .65
Source: Own elaboration.
221 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
Table 2. Rotated Component Matrix for the Scale.
Items Factor I Factor II Factor III Factor IV
Item 12 .727
Item 13 .686
Item 6 .683
Item 11 .658
Item 4 .574
Item 14 .574
Item 15 .537
Item 7 .449
Item 18 .725
Item 19 .665
Item 20 .639
Item 17 .590
Item 16 .560
Item 5 .449
Item 9 .724
Item 8 .715
Item 10 .615
Item 2 .756
Item 1 .707
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
Item 3 .679
Cronbach’s α
.79 .72 .73 .70
of the factors
Source: Own elaboration.
revista española de pedagogía
4.2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (Sub- and hypothetical variance/covariance ma-
sample 2) trices. This value not being significant
The evidence for the construct validity confirms there is no discrepancy between
provided by the EFA with subsample 1 was the two matrices (Bentler & Bonett, 1980).
taken into account when carrying out the However, as this statistic is very sensitive
four-factor CFA with subsample 2. Graph to sample size (n ≥ 200 is usually signifi-
1 and Table 3 show the indexes of fit and cant), it should be accompanied by other
the measurement model for the scale. As indexes: GFI (Tanaka & Huba, 1985), CFI
we can see, all of the factorial weights and (Bentler, 1990), RMSEA (Steiger, 1990),
correlations are significant (p < .01). and SRMR (Hu & Bentler, 1999). Taking
into account the relevant parameters for
The test of χ2 = 487.56, p = .000 re- each of the indexes, we established that
lates to the distance between the sample the model has a good fit.
222 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
Graph 1. CFA Model for the Scale.
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
revista española de pedagogía
Source: Own elaboration.
Table 3. Indicators of the Model’s Goodness of Fit
χ 2
df p χ 2/df GFI CFI RMSEA[CI] SRMR
487.56 164 .000 2.97 .92 .91 .060 [.050–.076] .051
Source: Own elaboration.
223 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
4.3. Cycle × Field of Knowledge Multi- positively the skills associated with what,
variate Analysis of Variance sensu stricto, is known as social compe-
We now set out the results of the anal- tence (M = 4.19).
ysis of civic-social competences depending
on the students’ academic profile, taking The interaction between cycle and field
the cycle and field of study as units of of knowledge also has a significant effect on
study. Specifically, the multivariate analy- the «Leadership» variable [F (1, 961) = 6.39,
sis performed between the scale’s signifi- p = .020, η = .07, 1-β = .64]. The Post Hoc
cant factors depending on these two varia- comparisons show a statistically significant
bles gave the following results. difference between students from the first
and second cycles of Health Sciences and
Firstly, no significant effect of the field Engineering-Architecture (Mfirst_Msecond
of knowledge on the variables analysed = .25, p = .01). That is to say, students from
was observed; that is to say, there were the first two years of these degrees score
no statistically significant differences be- higher on competences relating to leader-
tween students taking degrees in Health ship than those who are in higher years.
Sciences and Engineering-Architecture
on the one hand and Social-Legal Scienc- For their part, as Graph 2 shows, So-
es and Arts-Humanities on the other. cial-Legal Sciences and Arts-Humanities
This means we can conclude that stu- students achieve similar scores on this var-
dents from the different areas of knowl- iable, regardless of their cycle. Students
edge do not differ in how much they claim from the early years of Health Sciences
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
to possess the civic-social competences and Engineering-Architecture clearly dis-
evaluated. play the highest scores, contrasting with
those reported by their course mates in
Secondly, we observed a significant ef- higher years, who have the lowest scores.
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fect on the «Leadership» variable by the
students’ cycle [F (1, 961) = 5.75, p = .001, Furthermore, a significant effect of
η = .07, 1-β = .67]. So, students from the the interaction between cycle and field of
first cycle (M = 3.73) gave higher scores knowledge is apparent in the «Teamwork
than those from the second cycle (M = and relating to others» variable [F (1, 961)
3.69) to the competences that comprise this = 8.46, p = .004, η = .09, 1-β = .83]. The
factor, that is to say, competences relating post hoc comparisons indicate differences
to decision making, emotional intelligence, between students from the first and sec-
creativity, and critical thinking. ond cycles in the field of Health Sciences
and Engineering-Architecture (Mfirst_
Similarly, the effect of the cycle on the Msecond = .37, p = .001). Once again,
«Teamwork and relating to others» vari- the younger students in these areas have
able is identical [F (1, 961) = 10.37, p = higher scores in a factor that combines
.017, η = .01, 1-β = .89]. Again, students the variables relating to social competence
from the first cycle (M = 4.27) rate most (Graph 3).
224 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
Graph 2. Cycle × Field of Knowledge Interaction in the «Leadership» Variable.
Source: Own elaboration.
Graph 3. Cycle × Field of Knowledge Interaction in the
«Teamwork and Relating to Others» Variable.
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
revista española de pedagogía
Source: Own elaboration.
Next, a significant effect on the «Inter- Arts-Humanities (Mfirst_Msecond = -.12,
cultural competence» variable [F (1, 961) p = .003). Nonetheless, what is apparent
= 3.79, p = .050, η = .06, 1-β = .50] is also here is that students from higher years re-
apparent. The post hoc comparisons indi- port a higher score, reflecting an improve-
cate a statistically significant difference ment in this competence as they progress
between first- and second-cycle students through the years in the corresponding
in the field of Social-Legal Sciences and degrees (Graph 4).
225 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
Graph 4. Cycle × Field of Knowledge Interaction in the
«Intercultural Competence» Variable.
Source: Own elaboration.
Finally, no significant effects were found both in the scale’s factorial structure and in
in the «Prosocial behaviour» variable, ei- the levels of internal consistency evaluated.
ther with regards to cycle or with regards to The scale includes four dimensions, with
its interaction with the field of knowledge. which, according to the literature on this
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
subject (Reparaz et al., 2015; Santos Rego &
Lorenzo, 2010), it is possible to analyse the
5. Discussion and Conclusions development of civic-social competences:
The main focus of this work is an analy- «Prosocialbehaviour»,«Leadership»,«Inter-
revista española de pedagogía
sis of university students’ perception of cultural competence», and «Teamwork and
their civic-social competences in view of relating to others». Furthermore, with this
their clear benefits in terms of community scale we established that the students’ cy-
engagement and transition to employment cle and field of knowledge influence their
(Deming, 2017). Specifically, our first ob- self-perception with regards to the study
jective was to study the psychometric variables.
properties of a scale for measuring these
competences in students. We presented a Firstly, we found that university stu-
proposal based on a solid and rigorous the- dents rate themselves very positively in
oretical model comprising 20 items in or- all of the items on the scale. The factor
der to establish the degree of development where they rated the development of this
of civic and social capacities. competence development the lowest was
«Leadership». Nevertheless, both cycle
The exploratory and confirmatory fac- and area of knowledge influence self-per-
tor analyses indicate a satisfactory solution, ception.
226 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
First-cycle students scored higher in not disregard the evidence linking par-
the «Leadership» and «Teamwork and re- ticipation in community activities with
lating to others constructs». Consequent- the development of social capital, above
ly, the idea that students from higher all in regards to equality and mutual re-
years achieve higher scores in civic-social spect (Wagner & Fernández-Giménez,
competences simply as a consequence of 2008).
having spent longer in class, is not con-
firmed. This could be explained by most Civic-social competences are the sub-
students becoming involved in more com- ject of attention by universities, taking
petitive dynamics in later years given into account labour integration indicators,
that they will soon be leaving the univer- especially if we take into account grad-
sity system. It is no surprise that the re- uates’ long-term career and promotion
sults of the study by Reparaz et al. (2015) prospects, where having better developed
led them to conclude that the university social and cognitive competences can de-
must reinforce the social dimension of its cide access to employment and promotion
educational mission. to higher-paying positions (Deming, 2017;
Deming & Khan, 2018; Weinberger, 2014).
Nonetheless, the fact that second-cycle Furthermore, it seems that the companies
students have lower scores could be linked that require these competences do not
to the continued prevalence of traditional see their results suffer (Deming & Khan,
methodologies in universities. That is to 2018), perhaps because, in diverse work
say, in a model based on competitiveness teams, interactions are more fluid if work-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
and teaching where acquiring technical ers have better social competences (Baron
content still has the greatest weight, a & Markman, 2003).
large proportion of students might end
up accepting a more passive view of their In addition, the data enable us to con-
revista española de pedagogía
learning as they move through the years firm the absence of a significant effect by
(Gargallo, Suárez, Garfella, & Fernández, the area of knowledge on the competence
2011). It therefore becomes clear that dimensions evaluated. That is to say, we
there is a limited connection between an did not observe any differences between
educational paradigm based on the devel- students according to the programme they
opment of civic-social competences and a study.
traditional model that persists in many
higher education institutions despite not These two results led us to propose a
fitting in with the current agendas of uni- final level in which we studied the interac-
versity policies. tion between cycle and field of knowledge.
At the intersection of these two variables
In this context, strategies that tran- there are significant effects with regards
scend the university setting, establish- to «Leadership» and to «Teamwork and
ing direct relations with the surrounding relating to others», with students from the
context, start to make sense. We should first cycle of Health Sciences and Engi-
227 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
neering-Architecture showing the highest teamwork, communication skills, and the
scores. A reduction in the socio-civic com- ability to adapt to new settings, among
petences of students from these areas as others. The same can be extrapolated to
they progress to higher years is therefore Health Science programmes, where com-
apparent. petences such as teamwork and respect
for the opinions of others are a central
Our results agree with those of Conlon component of optimal professional per-
(2008) and Gilbert, Held, Ellzey, Bailey, & formance (Baños & Pérez, 2005).
Young (2015), who identify the need to ex-
pand syllabuses on engineering degrees to In the case of students from Social-Le-
include a focus on social responsibility, giv- gal Sciences and Arts-Humanities, those
en that the social aspects of technological from the second cycle of the programmes
development are critical for these profes- display the highest scores, in this case
sionals. Accordingly, measures directed at relating to Intercultural competence. In
the introduction of the principles of social contrast with the case of Health Sciences
justice and equality, the promotion of com- and Engineering-Architecture students
munity development, and the offer of spe- described above, an increase in this com-
cific modules on ethics and social sciences petence over the years of university educa-
will be effective. tion is confirmed.
It should be noted that a situation like This approach can be explained by tak-
this could prejudice graduates’ transition ing into account the involvement of stu-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
to the world of work, given the increased dents from these programmes in learning
demand for social skills in the positions focusses aimed at a greater connection and
in a labour market that is increasingly at appreciating culturally diverse settings,
globalised and influenced by technology educational strategies that, in opposition
revista española de pedagogía
(Deming, 2017). The study by Martín, to the idea of a «passive student», promote
Rabadán, and Hernández (2013), which learners with the capacity to explore new
collates the views of employers of grad- ideas (Riley, Bustamante, & Edmonson,
uates from engineering courses, reports 2016). It might be relevant to analyse
an imbalance between students’ level of and compare the methodologies imple-
acquisition of competences such as team- mented as the key to understanding how
work and leadership and what companies intercultural competence is promoted in
require. It goes without saying that such these degrees. Indeed, it would be a good
competences are highly valued by those idea to consider this particular question
responsible for recruitment in these in greater depth, analysing the influence
companies (Santos Rego et al., 2018). of the teaching culture on the students’
Furthermore, the study by Martín et al. perception. In any event, our results high-
(2013) cited above concludes that the light the need to put a greater emphasis on
ideal profile for an engineering gradu- teaching innovation processes in Health
ate includes social competences such as Science and Technology degrees.
228 EVUniversity, civic-social competences, and the labour market
Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests
In this regard, research works that
and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance
analyse the views of the workplace of structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88 (3), 588-606.
people responsible for large-scale recruit- doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.3.588
ment report that applicant profiles with British Council (2013). Culture at work. The value
command of languages and knowledge of of intercultural skills in the workplace. Man-
chester, UK: British Council.
other cultures are highly valued, given
Buxarrais, M. R. (2006). La misión de la universidad
their potential for working effectively with en la construcción de la ciudadanía europea. In
clients, suppliers, and companies from M. A. Murga & M. P. Quicios (Coords.), La re-
other cultures and countries (Casner-Lotto forma de la universidad. Cambios exigidos por
& Benner, 2006; Damari et al., 2017). la nueva Europa (pp. 39-56). Madrid: Dykinson.
Skills associated with intercultural com- Casner-Lotto, J., & Benner, M. J. (2006). Are they re-
ally ready to work? Employers’ perspectives on the
petence mean people who have them are basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants
visible within an organisation and, conse- to the 21st century U.S. Workforce. Retrieved from
quently, improve their promotion opportu- https://bit.ly/2lWW7As (Consulted on 2019-11-15).
nities (British Council, 2013). Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation
of human capital. American Journal of Sociolo-
gy, 94, 95-120.
Finally, this work opens up a field of re- Conlon, E. (2008). The new engineer: between employ-
search in the sphere of higher education, ability and social responsibility. European Jour-
as it identifies significant differences in nal of Engineering Education, 33 (2), 151-159.
the factors that contemplate civic-social doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03043790801996371
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tion of covariance structures. Multivariate Be-
edge. Consequently, it is important to car- havioral Research, 18 (2), 147-167. doi: https://
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ry out comparative studies that analyse doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr1802_2
civic-social competences and their posi- Damari, R. R., Rivers, W. P., Brecht, R. D., Gardner,
tioning from a perspective considering the P., Pulupa, C., & Robinson, J. (2017). The De-
quality and social responsibility of univer- mand for Multilingual Human Capital in the
U.S. Labor Market. Foreign Language Annals,
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50 (1), 13-37. doi: 10.1111/flan.12241
Deming, D. J. (2017). The Growing Importance of
Social Skills in the Labor Market. The Quar-
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va, Número Especial, 1-17. sor at the Universidade de Santiago de
Santos Rego, M. A., & Lorenzo, M. (Eds.) (2018). Compostela. He is the Coordinator of the
A guide for the institutionalization of service- ESCULCA research group and the RIES
learning at university level. Santiago de Com- (Immigration, School and Society) net-
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postela: Servizo de Publicacións e Intercambio
work. He is currently Head of the Depart-
Científico da USC.
Santos Rego, M. A., Lorenzo, M., & Vázquez, A. ment of Pedagogy and Didactics at the
(2018). Educación no formal y empleabilidad Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
de la juventud. Madrid: Síntesis. and President of the Galician Committee
revista española de pedagogía
Sotelino, A., Mella, I., & Rodríguez, M. A. (2019). on Reports, Verification, Certification,
El papel de las entidades cívico-sociales en el and Accreditation (CGIACA-ACSUG). His
aprendizaje-servicio. Sistematizando la partici- main research interests are intercultural
pación del alumnado en el tercer sector. Teoría
pedagogy, theory of educational processes,
de la Educación, 31 (2), 197-219. doi: http://dx.
doi.org/10.14201/teri.20156 and service-learning and higher education.
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evalua-
tion and modification: an interval estimation https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8593-6881
approach. Multivariate Behavioural Research,
25 (2), 173-180. doi: https://doi.org/10.1207/ María José Ferraces Otero. Associ-
s15327906mbr2502_4 ate Professor in the Department of Social
Tanaka, J. S., & Huba, G. J. (1985). A fit index for
and Basic Psychology and Methodology of
covariance structure models under arbitrary
GLS estimation. British Journal of Mathemati-
the Universidade de Santiago de Composte-
cal and Statistical Psychology, 38 (2), 197-201. la. She is a member of the ESCULCA Re-
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8317.1985. search Group and the RIES (Immigration,
tb00834.x School and Society) network. Her main
231 EVMiguel A. SANTOS, María José FERRACES, Ígor MELLA and Ana VÁZQUEZ
research interest is research methodology Ana Vázquez Rodríguez. Graduate
in behavioural science, with a particular in Pedagogy, Master’s degree in Research
focus on educational processes. in Education, Cultural Diversity, and
Community Development from the Uni-
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4308-3427 versidade de Santiago de Compostela. She
is a member of the ESCULCA research
Ígor Mella Núñez. Doctor of education group, in which she did her doctoral thesis
from the Universidade de Santiago de Com- on non-formal education and youth em-
postela. He is a member of the ESCULCA ployability thanks to a university teacher
research group, where he is currently a re- training (FPU) grant from Spain’s Minis-
searcher on a project that is part of Spain’s Na- try of Universities.
tional Plan for Service-Learning and Employ-
ability. His main research interests are service- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5968-9549
learning, academic performance, and compe-
tence development in higher education.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0189-4619
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 213-232
revista española de pedagogía
232 EVrevista española de pedagogía
año 78, n.º 276, mayo-agosto 2020
Spanish Journal of Pedagogy
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020
Table of Contents
Sumario
Editorial Jesús Miguel Jornet Meliá, María Jesús Perales
Editorial Montolío, & José González-Such
The concept of validity of teaching evaluation
José Antonio Ibáñez-Martín processes
An educational consideration on the pandemic: El concepto de validez de los procesos de evaluación
endure...and progress de la docencia 233
Una consideración educativa sobre la pandemia: resistir…
Fernando Acevedo Calamet
y adelantar 181 Explanatory factors for dropout from higher education
in unfavourable socio-academic contexts
Factores explicativos del abandono de los estudios en la educación
Studies
superior en contextos socio-académicos desfavorables 253
Estudios
Bernardo Gargallo López, Fran J. García-García,
Notes
Inmaculada López-Francés, Miguel Ángel Jiménez Notas
Rodríguez, & Salomé Moreno Navarro
The learning to learn competence: An assessment María-Carmen Ricoy, & Cristina Sánchez-Martínez
A systematic review of tablet use in primary education
of a theoretical model
Revisión sistemática sobre el uso de la tableta en la etapa de
La competencia aprender a aprender: valoración de
educación primaria 273
un modelo teórico 187
Jaime Carcamo-Oyarzun, & Christian Herrmann
Construct validity of the MOBAK test battery for the
assessment of basic motor competencies in primary
school children
Validez de constructo de la batería MOBAK para la evaluación
de las competencias motrices básicas en escolares de
213 educación primaria 291You can also read
