2015 ERI-Net regional study on transversal competencies in education policy and practice (Phase III): preparing and supporting teachers in the Asia Pacific to meet the challenges of twenty-first century Learning; regional synthesis report

This study built on two prior research phases. Phase I, undertaken in 2013/14, examined how countries in the Asia Pacific region define and apply transversal competencies in education policy and curriculum frameworks. Phase II, undertaken in 2014/15, explored how these competencies were being interpreted, implemented and integrated in schools in the region. Phase III examined what kind of support teachers are getting in terms of professional development for integrating transversal competencies into teaching and learning. For this study, research teams in nine countries (Australia, China [Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region], India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam) used quantitative and qualitative methods to collect data from 457 schools, including 255 secondary schools, 181 primary schools, 17 combination schools and 4 schools of an unspecified level. A total of 2,621 education personnel responded to a standard questionnaire. The majority of the personnel were teachers (95 per cent), while the remainder were school principals (4 per cent) and students (1 per cent). The ERI Net definition of ‘transversal competencies’ (TVCs) used in the final study covers six domains: critical and innovative thinking; interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, global citizenship, media and information literacy and ‘others’.