Abstract

With the adoption of the Education Act (LOE, 2006) core competencies have achieved special prominence in teaching. Little is known about its practical development in the physical education curriculum in secondary schools. This paper summarises research conducted during 2010 in high schools in the region of La Marina Baixa (Alicante). Using a qualitative methodology, we present a case study on a sample of 28 teachers in order to find out what their perception of core competencies is, what strategies they employ to build them into programmes and what the main obstacles to putting them into practice are. Data were analysed using Aquad 6 software and the results show that the competencies-based approach is still being consolidated among teachers. The main strategies used to develop it concern decision-making in curriculum design followed by the promotion of student participation and motivation. As for obstacles, particularly significant are the scarcity and precariousness of available resources, the lack of information and training received by teachers and the limited involvement of teachers, parents and students.