Analysis of content and underlying theories in Spanish reference texts on General Didactics.

Abstract

The results of the 2019 Pisa Reports confirm that the Spanish education system continues to stagnate after compulsory education has been completed. This situation calls for self-criticism on the part of all actors involved. One of the groups concerned are the university professors and lecturers who provide training for prospective teachers. Among them are those who teach General Didactics. They provide basic and multi-purpose training on teaching methods for prospective teachers. For this purpose, they usually consider traditional and recent textbooks and other reference texts on teaching theory and practice, which help to define the discipline. The aim of the study is to find out whether these works train and equip prospective teachers with teaching competences and to verify their educational and professional potential with regard to the teaching theory they convey. In order to fulfil this aim, a descriptive documentary study of 35 reference works on General Didactics was carried out, including both textbooks and texts used as sources of didactic knowledge. The content of the structure and composition of these texts was analysed. The results show a tendency to prioritise theoretical aspects over competences and to order chapters based on a technical and administrative tradition, rather than a conceptual and semantic approach focused on designing a meaningful learning experience. As an applied summary, recommendations are provided for the development of textbooks on General Didactics, aimed at initial teacher training, from a more competence-based and less academic approach.