Teachers’ conceptions regarding the implementation of new curriculum guidelines in Portugal

Abstract

The current curricular guidelines for Portuguese basic education are expressed in two main documents: the Profile of Students at the End of Compulsory Schooling (PASEO) and the Essential Learnings (AE), published in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Initially, these documents coexisted with previous curricular references, and it was only in 2021, with Order No. 6605-A/2021 — which revoked the earlier programs — that they became the sole framework for curriculum management and flexibility. In order to understand the functionality and implementation of these documents, it is essential to explore teachers’ conceptions of these curricular instruments. Thus, in this study, six focus groups were conducted with 17 teachers from the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education, and the information collected was analyzed using content analysis. The study aimed to explore how teachers perceive the current curriculum guidelines and assess their suitability to real classroom contexts. The findings indicate that the participants are familiar with the current curricular documents and engage in reflective consideration of their implications. Nonetheless, the implementation of these documents, along with the revocation of previous ones, has not led to significant changes in their teaching practices. Teachers view the PASEO as a reference framework for developing essential competences. Regarding the AE, while they express criticism of its formulation, they reject the notion that it represents minimum learning standards or a decline in academic expectations. Still, some teachers highlight a lack of realism in its design and foresee challenges in its practical application.