Assessment of research competence in the educational field: an analysis of measurement instruments

There is a growing interest in the acquisition, promotion, and assessment of the competencies necessary for research among university students. However, within the field of educational evaluation, one confronts the complexity of establishing precise measures that inform about the performance of this competence. This study examined the measurement instruments employed to assess the research competence of university students in the educational field. The research followed the PRISMA protocol for conducting systematic literature reviews and performed a critical analysis of the identified measurement instruments. The aspects under investigation included: proposed use, target population, construct’s conceptualization, instrument format, and validity evidence’s generation. Findings indicated that these instruments are employed both to assess the acquisition and mastery of research competence and to evaluate the effectiveness of pedagogical interventions aimed at fostering it. A lack of representativeness of the student population in disciplines with an educational focus was identified. The components and indicators of research competence share a common organization into dimensions spanning from metacognitive skills to contextual conditions within which research is practiced. There was an observed tendency towards the use of questionnaires and a prevalence of traditional approaches in validation procedures.