Abstract:

In recent decades, educational reforms across Europe have increasingly emphasized the centrality of guiding frameworks designed to clarify the learning outcomes and competencies considered fundamental at the end of compulsory schooling. Within this context, several education systems have developed graduate profiles intended to frame curriculum organization and guide the pedagogical action of schools. It is within this perspective that the present study is situated, proposing a comparative analysis of two such frameworks in the Iberian Peninsula: the Portuguese document Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória (“Profile of Students at the End of Compulsory Schooling”) and the Spanish Perfil de salida del alumnado al término de la enseñanza básica (“Graduate Profile at the End of Basic Education”). The study is based on a qualitative documentary analysis focusing on the structure, guiding principles, and curricular function attributed to each of these documents within their respective education systems. In doing so, it seeks to understand how these frameworks conceptualize the formative profile of students and how they relate to processes of curriculum organization. The findings reveal important convergences in the emphasis placed on an education oriented toward the development of competencies and the holistic formation of students. Nevertheless, differences emerge in the ways these frameworks are embedded within the curricular architecture of each education system. While the Portuguese model assumes primarily a guiding function, structured around principles and domains of competence, the Spanish framework displays a more direct articulation with the curriculum, integrating competencies, assessment criteria, and guidelines for the organization of learning. These results highlight distinct modes of operationalizing competency-based curricular policies and contribute to a deeper understanding of the simultaneous dynamics of convergence and differentiation that characterize educational reforms in the Iberian context.

Keywords:

Graduate profile, competency-based curriculum, curriculum policies, comparative analysis, education systems, Iberian Peninsula.