Society needs and university teaching: is there a gap?

Lola C. Duque (), Maria Pujol-Jover () and Carme Riera-Prunera
Additional contact information
Lola C. Duque: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Maria Pujol-Jover: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Chapter 31 in Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación, 2015, vol. 10, pp 617-634 from Asociación de Economía de la Educación

Abstract: This paper analyses the relationship between the skills developed at university and the skills labour market demands. Building on the SERVQUAL model ([1]), coming from the services literature, we adapt a gap model that compares businessmen and graduates perceptions of competences learned. The model compares the perceptions about learned competences during graduates’ studies with the level of learning required at work, both from the businessmen perspective (gap A) and from the graduates perspective (gap B); then, the comparison between expectations of both (gap C) confirms that perceptions are similar from this angle; and finally, gap D shows a direct comparison between both perspectives. In order to test this model we developed questionnaires addressed to both groups of individuals, ensuring that the same sets of competences were directly comparable. Data was collected from graduates of Economics in a Spanish university and from businessmen in companies where these graduates had developed internships. The final sample consists of 182 businessmen and 238 graduates. We use the ANOVA test to evaluate the size of these four gaps. We analyse 30 competences grouped in three sets: instrumental competences, interpersonal competences and professional competences. One of the most interesting findings is observed in Gap D, since this gap shows a direct assessment of perceptions between graduates’ thought with an external evaluation from business people. Differences suggest that graduates seem to give low value to the knowledge, skills and capabilities learnt during their studies: 22 out of the 30 competences are rated statistically higher from the businessmen perspective. The analysis proposes a simple but informative tool for decision-making. We conclude the study by suggesting specific actions to directors of this university and opening up questions and extensions of this model.

Keywords: perceptions; gap analysis; instrumental competences; interpersonal competences; professional competences; ANOVA test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
ISBN: 978-84-944483-4-8
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://repec.economicsofeducation.com/2015madrid/10-31.pdf (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 500 Can't connect to repec.economicsofeducation.com:80 (No such host is known. )

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aec:ieed10:10-31

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 10 from Asociación de Economía de la Educación Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Domingo P. Ximénez-de-Embún ().