˘ ˇ - OECD.org

1 DeSeCo Background PaperOECDOCDEOECD/SFSO/DeSeCo Background PaperPage 19rsv v v h q Tryrp v s 8 r r pvr )Uur r vphy h q 8 pr hy A qh v 9rTr8 7hpxt q Qh r Context .. 2 Basic Considerations .. 3 DeSeCo s research questions .. 5 Main activities .. 6 Organization .. 8 Schedule of 10 Contact Address .. 11 ANNEX A: DeSeCo 12 Revised December, 2001 DeSeCo Background PaperOECDOCDEOECD/SFSO/DeSeCo Background PaperPage 2 The OECD Program 9rsv v v h q Tryrp v s 8 r r pvr ) Uur r vphy h q 8 pr hyA qh v DeSeCo) was initiated at the end of 1997 and managed by the Swiss FederalStatistical Office with major support from the United States Department of education , NationalCenter for education is part of OECD s effort within the framework of INES to continue work in the area ofcompetencies and skills of the youth and adult population and to develop over time a coherentstrategy for defining, selecting and measuring competencies and r The complexity of the demands generated by an increasingly interdependent, changing andconflictual world places the objectives of education and the strategies to achieve education goalsin center stage of the debate on broad educational reform.

2 In line with a growing concern aboutthe adequacy and quality of education and training and the actual return on public educationalexpenditure, there has been since the mid-1980s an increased policy interest in comparableoutcome indicators in the education field. In fact, measuring the quality of education outcomes,estimating economic and social returns to learning, and identifying key determinants toeducational success is an ongoing discussion topic that stimulates keen interest around the interest in new information raises important questions about what is most needed. Beyondbasic skills such as reading, writing, and calculating, what competencies are needed for theindividual to lead an overall successful and responsible life and for contemporary society to facepresent and future challenges?

3 What are the normative, theoretical, and conceptual foundationsfor defining and selecting a limited set of the most relevant competencies? These questions arethe basis for an international and interdisciplinary endeavor conducted under the auspices of theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and led by the SwissFederal Statistical Office (SFSO). This project entitled 9rsv v v h q Tryrp v s8 r r pvr ) Uur r vphy h q 8 pr hy A qh v (DeSeCo) has been set up to developresearch in the area of v r DeSeCo seeks in collaboration with ongoing OECD assessment programs, to analyze thetheoretical foundation, the rationale of the definition and selection process of key competenciesand their relationship to the social and economic environment.

4 Further it aims to provideguidelines for future developmental work for the assessment of broad human competencies in aninternational context. The elaboration of assessment instruments is beyond the scope of Background PaperOECDOCDEOECD/SFSO/DeSeCo Background PaperPage 3 The main objectives of DeSeCo are:- U qr ry h v r ur r vphy h q p pr hy s qh v s qrsv v t h q ryrp v t xr p r r pvr . The program seeks through an interdisciplinary scientificapproach, within an international context, to develop a common, overarching theoreticalframework for the identification of the competencies needed for individuals to lead anoverall successful and responsible life and for society to face the challenges of the presentand the future.

5 The construction of future measures in the form of relevant indicatorsshould be based on a refined and solid, theory-based U qr ry rsr r pr v s ur qr ry r h q qr h qv t s s rv qvph s p r r pvr h q s ur hyvqh v s rq ph v v qvph h q vqr h ih v s r hpp h r h q h vh r v r r h v s r v vphy r y . The work of the program will provide a resource for the process of defining andselecting key competencies, as well as for the development and understanding of futuremeasures aimed at producing relevant indicators of skills and competencies. For this it iscrucial to support an iterative process between conceptual and empirical work throughclose linkages with INES-related activities in the domain of U r q v ur y t r v s h v rrq s yvp hxr.

6 The DeSeCoProgram is embedded in the long-term strategy of INES to develop a broad basis forinternational comparisons of education outcomes and to develop relevant andtheoretically based criteria for the successful evaluation of education systems andlearning outcomes more vp 8 vqr h v Important considerations underlying the DeSeCo Program are: a broad scope defining keycompetencies as encompassing participation not only in the labor market but also in the differentarenas of contemporary democratic societies; the assumption that it is possible to identify alimited number of extremely relevant competencies that go beyond the subject-bound curriculumoffered by schools; the existence of different conceptual and disciplinary approaches to thedefinition of competencies; and the need to negotiate and balance priorities linked to theselection of key competencies (which will be applied in the work place, in social relations, indemocratic processes, etc.)

7 Among policy underlying assumption of the DeSeCo Program is that defining and selecting keycompetencies relevant for individuals and societies is at the same time an ethical, a scientific,and a political , no frame of reference is neutral. One s underlying vision of the world, includingassumptions about society and individuals and about what a successful life implies affectsthe identification of key , the theoretical approaches and the analytical tools used affect the way in whichthe topic is understood and how the problem is Background PaperOECDOCDEOECD/SFSO/DeSeCo Background PaperPage 4 Third, individual characteristics such as gender, age, and social status, and aspects of thesocial environment such as culture and national context influence the forms that keycompetencies described at the abstract level take in specific.

8 The interdependence of scientific findings and the requirements of policymakersand those involved in educational practice constitute an important aspect of the of these elements has an impact on how key competencies are constructed, developed,transmitted and assessed in major sectors or social fields. This point is illustrated graphically bythe figure , defining and selecting a valuable, useful and legitimate set of key competencies areultimately the result of a political process, in which researchers are partners among otherconstituents and stakeholders such as policy makers, practitioners, and representatives of theeconomic and social 9rTr8 8 y hy p r iv t h uvphy h vhivyv P r vr s ur vpQ yv vphy rt vh v p r s h v Uur r vphy qry h q p pr Fr p r r pvr Wv v s pvr h q v qv vq hy Hrh r h q v qvph U h v v pr r DeSeCo Background PaperOECDOCDEOECD/SFSO/DeSeCo Background PaperPage 59rTr8 % r rh pu r v The problems and issues that the DeSeCo Program addresses are described through the followingset of research questions:- Is the basic premise of a limited number of key competencies justified?

9 Can a set ofcompetencies of prime importance for a successful life and effective participation in differentfields of life - including economic, political, social, and family domains, public and privateinterpersonal relations, personal development - be identified? If so, what is the nature ofthese competencies and what distinguishes them as key competencies? How can they bedescribed and theoretically justified? What are the components of these competencies?- What do the perspectives of an economist, a sociologist, a philosopher, an anthropologist, apsychologist or an expert in educational research contribute to the identification of a set ofkey competencies? What is the resultant set or constellation of key competencies?

10 - According to experts in various spheres of activity, which competencies are necessary forunderstanding and acting in different areas of life?- Do key competencies operate independently, or should they be viewed as an interdependentset or constellation of competencies, that proves to be more or less favorable depending onthe context?- To what extent is it possible to identify key competencies independently of age, gender,status, professional activity, etc? Are certain competencies particularly important in thevarious phases of life, and if so, which ones? Do we need the same key competencies whenwe are young, join the workforce, establish a family, advance in our professional or politicalcareer and when we retire?