Assessment of the Importance and Applicability of Competences for School and Educational Psychologists

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the importance and applicability of competences, previously mapped in the literature, by school and educational psychologists, aiming to contribute to the discussion of the relevance of the use of competence as a complementary strategy in the training and performance of this professional. From the survey of the universe of professionals working in school psychology in public and private schools in Belém, Pará, 18 psychologists accepted to participate in this study. They evaluated the degree of importance and everyday applicability of the competences in the school trough a standardized instrument formulated in a previous study with a Likert scale, and the data was analyzed from non-parametric descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that the majority of competences elaborated were evaluated as relevant to the performance of the school psychologist according to the professionals’ perception, with a greater emphasis on those that are directed to the institutional context. The public and private networks presented differences, especially regarding the applicability of competences, which can be understood from the configurations of their praxis. The strategy of using competence can be considered appropriate to the training and preparation for the future roles and functions that the school psychologist will apply in practice.