Collaborative Learning as a Strategy for Competence Development in Multidisciplinary Educational Contexts

Abstract

This study analyses collaborative learning as a strategy for competence development in multidisciplinary educational contexts at the Upper General Basic Education level in the Santa Elena Peninsula, Ecuador, within the recent curricular shift towards a competence-based approach. A non-experimental, descriptive–correlational mixed-method design is adopted, combining secondary data from the open data portals of the Ministry of Education with primary information gathered through questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations applied to teachers and students from schools located in the cantons of Santa Elena, La Libertad, and Salinas. Based on data consistent with current literature, an index of collaborative learning use was constructed, and academic (reading, mathematics, and science) and socio-emotional (teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, and empathy) competencies were measured. The results show positive low-to-moderate associations between the intensity of collaborative learning and competency levels, as well as gradual increases in mean competency scores when moving from low to high levels of collaborative strategies, particularly in multidisciplinary projects connected to real problems from the peninsular context. Qualitative analysis identifies teacher training in active methodologies, school leadership support, and collaborative school culture as key enabling conditions, and limited time, large class sizes, and resource gaps as the main obstacles. The study concludes that well-designed and context-sensitive collaborative learning is a relevant pedagogical resource to operationalise the competence-based curriculum in Upper General Basic Education and proposes action lines to strengthen teacher professional development and the design of contextualised interdisciplinary projects in the Santa Elena Peninsula.