Article

 

 

 


The institutional curriculum project

As an alternative for improving education

 

El proyecto curricular institucional

Como alternativa para la mejora de la educación

 

Darío Cuicapuza Salazar[*]

 

 

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight the impact of the Institutional Curriculum Project (PCI) as an alternative for improving educational quality in regular basic education institutions. Research was conducted using a quantitative exploratory-descriptive approach, applying Cronbach's alpha and Kolmogorov-Smirnov reliability scales to 30 teachers from five educational institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Local Education Management Unit (UGEL). The results of the survey and analysis have determined that PCI planning is in "process"; this assessment differs from the teacher self-assessment, where the variability ranges from "absent" to "achieved." According to the evidence recorded on the PCI planning process, the vast majority of educational institutions in rural areas face difficulties in the construction and development of the PCI. Having this management tool is relevant and a fundamental pillar of the current educational proposal as a fundamental element for strengthening institutional pedagogical management.

Keywords: Institutional curriculum project, educational quality, teaching and learning.

 

Resumen

El artículo tiene como propósito dar a conocer el impacto del desarrollo del Proyecto Curricular Institucional PCI, como alternativa para mejorar la calidad educativa, en Instituciones Educativas de Educación Básica Regular. Se ha realizado una investigación centrada en el enfoque cuantitativo de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo, utilizando escalas de medición y confiabilidad Alfa de Cronbach y Kolmogórov-Smirnov, aplicadas a 30 docentes de cinco instituciones educativas de la UGEL Tayacaja-Huancavelica. Los resultados de la encuesta y análisis han determinado que la planificación del PCI se ubica en "proceso", esta valoración se difiere de la autoevaluación docente, donde la variabilidad oscila entre "ausente" y "logrado". De acuerdo con las evidencias registradas sobre el proceso de planificación del PCI, la gran mayoría de las instituciones educativas del ámbito rural enfrentan dificultades en la construcción y desarrollo del PCI, contar con este instrumento de gestión es relevante y pilar fundamental de la propuesta educativa actual como elemento fundamental para el fortalecimiento de la gestión pedagógica institucional.

Palabras clave: Proyecto curricular institucional, calidad educativa, enseñanza y aprendizaje.

 

Introduction

Internationally, education is recognized as one of the essential rights found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1945). However, opportunities to learn and teach have not been equitable in terms of quality and adequacy to the needs and particularities of all citizens. When nations adopt a single curriculum, the educational goals of that curriculum are determined to apply to all students, regardless of their personal or contextual circumstances. The education system in any nation is seen as a key element for progress, the comprehensive training of human capital, as well as for raising the culture and standard of living of the population and, in general terms, meeting the expectations of society.

International organizations such as the OECD, the World Bank, UNESCO, and PREAL play a decisive role in the development and promotion of education and educational reforms in countries seeking to respond to the demands of the sector by shaping their systems and the quality of those systems. In Peru, the proposal for an Institutional Curriculum Project (PCI) requires changes that are reflected in concrete actions, greater participation not only from teachers, but also from all sectors and social actors who are consumers and users of educational services, taking into account the evaluation process integrated into curriculum development. The project is conceived from a holistic perspective, which encourages the interaction of all elements in the training and development of participants in the educational process. It consists of adapting and contextualizing the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB) to the needs, interests, and characteristics of students, educational institutions, and their environment, taking into account local, regional, national, and global issues.

The problem observed in the educational institutions under study is the lack of knowledge and training among teachers regarding the guidelines and standards established for the PCI, as well as difficulties in planning pedagogical management, which implies optimizing and enriching the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB) in order to respond appropriately to the needs, demands, and characteristics of students from diverse social, cultural, and geographical backgrounds in different areas. It is clearly imperative to verify and ensure that educational development is consistent with each situation and with national goals through adequate pedagogical management planning, especially among primary school teachers in the Tayacaja Local Education Management Unit (UGEL), located in the Huancavelica region.

Hence the importance of this article entitled "The Institutional Curriculum Project as a strategy for improving educational quality in Regular Basic Education." Its objective is to raise awareness of the impact and importance of the IPC as a strategy and alternative for improving educational quality in RBE institutions. This involves valuing the diversity of students, their families, and their context; that is, considering all the expressions with which the educational institution interacts: age, gender, health status, ethnic origin, culture, native language, talent, background, disability, conditions of vulnerability, among others. Therefore, when developing the PCI, it is suggested that the following questions be taken into account: Where and how is the educational institution's pedagogical proposal oriented? What are the principles, values, approaches, and guidelines that will guide the educational institution's pedagogical proposal? What student profile is expected at the end of basic education in the educational institution? What role does each actor in the educational community assume? What and why learn and teach? What and why assess? How and when learn, teach, and assess? What resources do we have in our educational institution to promote the development of competencies in our students?

Over the last few decades, many efforts and initiatives have been made to improve education in our country. In this context, there is a need for each educational institution to have its own PCI as a pedagogical management tool to guide the direction of the institution. Many efforts and initiatives have been made in recent decades to improve education in our country. However, the opportunities offered by the teaching and learning process do not respond to the characteristics and needs of students, teachers are not involved in the project, and most educational institutions do not have an updated PCI. Hence the importance of the Institutional Curriculum Project (PCI) in improving educational quality, promoting coherent and diversified PCI planning that guides the pedagogical and learning processes established in the CNEB, and guiding the planning, execution, and evaluation of teaching and learning processes based on updated diagnoses, characteristics, needs, and interests of students. In addition, it is important to implement effective pedagogical interventions and proposals for student development and learning.

Vallejo (2002) points out that the Institutional Curriculum Project (PCI) should be at the heart of the new educational proposal, as the core for strengthening the autonomous pedagogical management of the educational institution and the means of interrelating the school with the local and regional community where it is located, thus making the most of its resources to achieve effective social and pedagogical action and outreach. According to this source, the PCI pursues autonomy in the curricular sphere, with each school adapting the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB) to its regional and local needs and in the sphere of efficient pedagogical management. (p.117).

According to SINEACE (2016), the Institutional Curriculum Project is coherent, diversified, and guides pedagogical processes. It establishes specific pedagogical guidelines that guide the planning, execution, and evaluation of teaching and learning processes. These institutional activities include the organization, sequencing, and articulation of the national curriculum competencies aligned with the identity and objectives of the educational institution. In addition, it incorporates elements of the regional, local, family, and institutional reality based on the characteristics and needs of the students and integrates competencies in all areas, maintaining high expectations in relation to learning standards (p.3).

The PCI should guide and facilitate the treatment of curricular adaptations in accordance with the needs and interests of students and the conditions of the context, planning anticipatory actions. This involves drawing up a research hypothesis, devising tasks that can be carried out with the students, selecting or adapting the most advantageous elements for teaching, and deciding how to proceed. Where planning facilitates the constant adaptation of teaching, it provides teachers with a secure platform, allowing them to predict, in part, what will happen in the classroom and reducing insecurity. From this perspective, planning regains its meaning (SINEACE, 2016). 

Currently facing the challenge of developing and implementing the Institutional Curriculum Project as a strategy to improve educational quality in Regular Basic Education, this must undoubtedly be a priority for education today, requiring a change in the organizational and management structure of each school. Within the framework of the ongoing implementation of the National Curriculum, this represents a significant step forward in overcoming this situation. In addition to the fact that the PCI is consistent with the PEI, it diversifies the national/regional curriculum while maintaining high expectations for teacher performance and guides the implementation of pedagogical processes that support comprehensive development, especially for the exercise of the teaching role, which must organize and lead the efforts of the educational community towards the achievement of results through the management of operating conditions, especially in the educational institutions of the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Local Education Management Unit (UGEL).

For Minedu (2019)

the Educational Institution's Curriculum Project is the management tool that guides the educational institution's pedagogical processes for the development of learning established in the National Basic Education Curriculum, as well as the guidelines for educational service models, as appropriate. It is developed within the framework of the educational institution's pedagogical proposal and curriculum documents, taking into account the characteristics, learning needs, and interests of students in their diverse contexts (RVM 011, p. 5).

Finally, the Institutional Curriculum Project (PCI) is the fundamental part of the Institutional Educational Project (PEI), and is a proposal for education, specifically aimed at students, which must be agreed upon by all stakeholders. They must feel involved and responsible for achieving the stated objectives. The PCI is a document that guides the management of learning in an educational institution. It is important because: It specifies the institution's pedagogical proposal. It analyzes the teaching-learning process. It guides pedagogical, administrative, and institutional processes. It adapts to the educational needs of students. It adapts to the demands of the community and the school environment. It encourages collective analysis and reflection on practice.

If the PCI is a component of the Institutional Educational Project (PEI). It must be developed based on the institutional diagnosis and is the responsibility of the institution's authorities and teachers, considering the following objectives: Develop critical reflective learning in students. Strengthen interpersonal relationships between students and teachers. Develop students' research skills. Strengthen teachers' competencies. Develop a virtual learning platform.

Carcuz Cay (2021) In his thesis on Pedagogical Planning in accordance with Guatemala's National Core Curriculum (CNB), he points out that teachers working at the school carry out and deliver planning based on competencies, complying with the structure promoted by the Ministry of Education, but with a gap in practice that leads to problems at the time of implementation inside and outside the classroom. This thesis is very important because it encourages planning as a process that allows for anticipating, organizing, and deciding on varied and flexible courses of action that promote specific learning in students. Understanding that curriculum planning is the sequential and chronological organization of the teaching units that will be carried out during the year.

Aponte (2021) in his research on Curricular Adaptations for the Learning of Students with Special Educational Needs in General Basic Education students at the Hogar de Jesús Educational Unit in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He seeks to strengthen the attention given to SEN and thus respond to the learning needs of this population, respecting the pace and needs of the students. He designs a proposal that allows for strengthening the educational attention given to students with SEN through a training program on the development of curricular adaptations, thereby improving student learning.

Benavides (2021) in his thesis Proposal for Institutional Curriculum Planning for Child Development Centers with an Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, Quito, Ecuador 2022, proposes alternatives for change, but not necessarily implementing the proposal based on this criterion. That is why our research will use projective research, as we will design a proposal to provide a solution for strategic curriculum planning, a viable means in structural processes and innovative changes that place the student and educator at the center of the entire restructuring process, accompanied by a true sense of life in which respect, love, and service are fundamental values in educational practice.

 Jaen Ayma (2020) In his thesis Educational Planning and Pedagogical Management of Primary School Teachers in the District of Yanatile, Calca, in Cusco, he describes how educational planning relates to the pedagogical management of teachers. He points out that if teachers do not engage in educational planning, this would imply improvisation in the development of their teaching work, which would also affect the level of teaching, failing to meet learning standards.

Chaupis (2019) in his thesis on Strategic Educational Management and Pedagogical Management at the Simón Bolívar Educational Institution 2026 in Comas, Peru. This allows us to foster the relationship between variables and a favorable environment in the school, where teachers are motivated, sensitized, updated, guided, and encouraged to work collegially, beginning with strategic educational management and institutional pedagogical management, which must be in accordance with the guidelines established by the higher educational body. It also allows us to constantly supervise the work of teachers in the classroom, verifying compliance with the plan and providing the necessary support in order to improve the quality of teaching practice and, therefore, student learning.

Alcántara (2018) in his research work on Curriculum Project Management at the Fe y Alegría 22 – San Luis Gonzaga Educational Institution in the city of Jaén. He proposes strategies to enhance the professional skills of teachers at the educational institution, enabling them to improve their teaching practice and achieve better learning outcomes. The aim is to have an impact on the development of teachers' skills, the promotion of institutional identity, and the quality of learning.

Sotelo (2018) In his research Educational Management and Pedagogical Management in the Jorge Chávez Mixed Educational Institution No. 6044, Surco 2018 in Lima, he seeks to establish the relationship between educational management and pedagogical management. It is relevant because it brings together the shortcomings that affect educational management and pedagogical management in educational institutions. It also proposes the strengthening of educational projects in institutions, which help to maintain institutional autonomy and enrich pedagogical processes in order to respond to the educational needs of educational institutions.

Cabrera (2018), in his thesis on Pedagogical Management and Its Influence on the Performance of Teachers at the Babahoyo Educational Unit, Babahoyo Canton, Los Ríos, Ecuador, reveals how pedagogical management influences the performance of teachers at the educational unit. He points out that the pedagogical management of the principal is a process that leads to curricular improvement through teacher performance, seeking curricular improvement and innovation, as well as the professional and personal development of teachers.

 

Materials and methods

An exploratory-descriptive quantitative study was conducted using Cronbach's alpha and Kolmogorov-Smirnov reliability scales, applied to 30 teachers from five educational institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Local Education Management Unit (UGEL). The results in each table of the teacher survey and the analysis of the PCI by educational institution have determined that PCI planning is "in progress." This assessment differs from the teacher self-assessment, in which teachers' opinions show variability ranging from "absent" to "achieved," according to the results and evidence found. Teachers have difficulty in the process of planning and executing the PCI, and most educational institutions do not have updated PCIs.

This research, according to its purpose, is a quantitative approach focused on quantifying the collection and analysis of data from the Institutional Curriculum Project variables as a strategy to improve educational quality in Regular Basic Education, in a detailed and in-depth manner, in line with Sampieri (2014). Therefore, this research used data collection to test hypotheses based on numerical measurement and statistical analysis to establish patterns of behavior, guided by the context, the situation, the available resources, its objectives, and the problem under study.

 The non-experimental cross-sectional design was descriptive and correlational-causal in nature. Surveys and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect information from 30 teachers, including administrators and teachers from five educational institutions, considering the number of teachers as a representative sample of the selected population of teachers from various levels of multigrade and multi-subject rural primary education in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Local Education Management Unit (UGEL). Teachers from educational institutions surveyed.

Table 1. Teachers from educational institutions surveyed.

Level and modality

Teachers

Total teachers

V

M

31,344

30,962 - 31,380

1

8

9

30936

30954

7

14

21

Total

8

22

30

 

The online questionnaires consisted of 28 items for the Institutional Curriculum Project variable on the following aspects: Principles and context, prioritization of pedagogical issues, curriculum planning, teaching strategies, and formative assessment. The second variable, pedagogical management planning, was aligned with the following aspects: Annual planning, teaching units, and learning sessions from . Forty items with reliability and content validity were evidenced through expert judgment, while ensuring the representativeness and feasibility of the instrument.

In this study, statistical reliability tests were carried out on the instruments using Cronbach's alpha, as well as an assessment of the goodness of fit of the population in question. As a first step in the fieldwork, the researcher constructed the research instruments. To measure the Institutional Curriculum Project variable as a strategy for improving educational quality in Regular Basic Education, surveys and observation were used as techniques, and a questionnaire that underwent validation, reliability, and feasibility processes was also used as an instrument. Validation of instruments

For the validation of the research instruments, we had the support and collaboration of the following doctors who are specialists in the field of our research study:

Dr. Jadira del Rocío Jara Nunayalle.

Dr. Giovanni Crovetto Castro.

Dr. Salomón Marcos Berrocal Villegas

Table 2. Instrument validation results: Institutional Curriculum Project

Category

Expert 1

Expert 2

Expert 3

Total

Failed

-

-

-

       -

Observed

-

-

-

       -

Approved

Yes

Yes

Yes

   Yes

 

In the research, the survey and questionnaire were initially applied to a group of 30 teachers with the same characteristics. In order to validate reliability, data and information were collected from each teacher at the targeted educational institutions. The surveys and questionnaires were then coded, the data was manipulated and analyzed, and the hypotheses were converged to corroborate the veracity or reliability of the variables using Cronbach's alpha. Teachers were monitored through communication channels such as phone calls and videos via cell phone, especially WhatsApp, and through technological tools such as Zoom, Jitzi Meet, and others. Methodological sequence

Results

The results of each table in the teacher survey and the documentary analysis of the PCI by educational institution show that teachers find planning difficult. According to the analysis, PCI planning is "in progress," This assessment differs from the self-assessment, in which teachers' opinions vary from "Absent" to "Achieved." The study concludes that the PCI has a significant influence on pedagogical management planning, given the Pearson values and significance shown in the tables.

Table 3. Levels of self-assessment of the Institutional Curriculum Project in primary education institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Ugel 2022.

Institutions

Self-assessment levels

Absent

In progress

In progress

Achieved

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

31344

1

3.6

7

25.0

18

64.3

2

7.1

30,962 - 31,380

0

0

12

42.9

16

57.1

0

0.0

30,936

0

0.0

8

28.6

20

71.4

0

0.0

30954

0

0.0

0

0.0

28

100.0

0

0

 

According to Table 3, we can see that all institutions have the highest percentage in the process level, followed by the initial level in the self-assessment of the institutional curriculum project.

Graph 1 Levels of self-assessment of the Institutional Curriculum Project in primary education institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Ugel 2022.

Table 2. Levels of the Institutional Curriculum Project in primary educational institutions in Ugel Tayacaja-Huancavelica 2022, according to the evaluator.

 

Institutions

Self-assessment levels

Absence

In progress

In progress

Achieved

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

31344

4

14.3

18

64.3

6

21.4

0

0.0

30,962 - 31,380

2

7.1

10

35.7

12

42.9

4

14.3

30936

1

3.6

12

42.9

15

53.6

0

0.0

30,954

0

0.0

2

7.1

10

35.7

16

57.1

 

According to Table 2, we can see that all institutions have the highest percentage at the "in progress" level, followed by the "starting" level and, finally, the "absent" level in the evaluation of the institutional curriculum project.

Graph 2 Levels of the Institutional Curriculum Project in Primary Education Institutions in Ugel Tayacaja-Huancavelica 2022, according to the evaluator.

 

 

 

 

Table 3. Levels of self-evaluation in the planning of pedagogical management in primary educational institutions in Ugel Tayacaja-Huancavelica 2022.

 

Institutions

Self-assessment Levels

Absence

In progress

In progress

Achieved

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

31344

0

0.0

22

55.0

18

45.0

0

0

30,962 - 31,380

0

0

37

92.5

3

7.5

0

0.0

30936

2

5.0

35

87.5

3

7.5

0

0.0

30954

0

0.0

37

92.5

3

7.5

0

0

 

According to Table 3, we can see that all institutions have the highest percentage at the initial level, followed by institution 31344 with a level in progress with 45% in the self-assessment of Pedagogical Management Planning.

Graph 3 Levels of self-assessment in Pedagogical Management Planning in Primary Education Institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Ugel 2022.

 

 

 

 

Table 4. Levels of Pedagogical Management Planning in Primary Education Institutions in Ugel Tayacaja-Huancavelica 2022, according to the evaluator.

Institutions

Levels of Self-Assessment

Absence

In progress

In progress

Achieved

N

%

N

%

N

%

N

%

31344

4

10.0

19

47.5

17

42.5

0

0

30,962 - 31,380

0

0

31

77.5

9

22.5

0

0.0

30936

0

0.0

19

47.5

21

52.5

0

0.0

30954

0

0.0

34

85.0

6

15.0

0

0

 

According to Table 4, we can see that all institutions have the highest percentage at the initial level, followed by the ongoing level in the evaluation of Pedagogical Management Planning.

Graph 4 Levels of Pedagogical Management Planning in Primary Education Institutions in the Tayacaja-Huancavelica Ugel 2022, according to the evaluator.

 

Discussion

The data obtained show that teachers find planning difficult. According to the analysis, it has been established that the planning of the Institutional Curriculum Project is in "Process." This evaluation differs from the self-evaluation, in which the teachers' opinions vary between "Absent" and "Achieved." The statistical tables also show that there is a significant influence of the IPC in some educational institutions.

Likewise, it has been noted in the responses given by the majority of the teachers interviewed that there are two trends in defining the IPC: one as a curriculum organization document that enables the contextualization of the curriculum, based on collaborative work carried out by teachers with reference to the needs that arise in their educational context; And another as an administrative compliance document to be presented to higher authorities, which is prepared by a minority group of teachers. However, according to the teachers' statements regarding the phases of PCI development and its components, it can be observed that greater priority is given to planning and, secondarily, to its implementation, with less time devoted to the evaluation phase.

Regarding the particularities of the PCI, it was found that the teachers interviewed stated that only some of them begin with the diagnosis of students through situational analysis, which allows them to carry out the process of diversifying the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are worked on together and put into plenary, in order to include the following aspects: The prioritization of pedagogical issues, curriculum planning, teaching strategies, and formative assessment, as well as the planning of pedagogical management aligned with annual planning, teaching units, and learning sessions.

The Institutional Curriculum Project must also be a means of linking the educational institution with the community, promoting the participation of parents, representatives, neighbors, and other members of the social environment in the teaching and learning process. It generates actions that involve cultural production that is disseminated and allows for the recovery of the activities, traditions, and needs of the community, seeking answers from the school environment. The PCI, as a pedagogical management tool formulated within the framework of the National Basic Education Curriculum (CNEB), must be developed through a process of curriculum diversification, based on the results of a diagnosis, the characteristics of the students, and their specific learning needs.

 

References

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National University of San Marcos - Lima. dario.cuicapuza@unmsm.edu.pe https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8694-4225