Methodology for the formative assessment of community leaders' competences

Abstract

Introduction: The study of human competencies is gaining more and more ground every day in the field of social sciences; however, the approach to the evaluation of competences and, especially the formative evaluation of them, is not very frequent. The objective of this research was to develop a methodology for the formative evaluation of competences.
Method: Participatory action research was used. The Madiba learning community, organized with community leaders from different provinces of the country, was used as the unit of analysis.
Results: The experience allowed for the construction of a methodology for the formative evaluation of competences of community leaders. This paper describes the steps of the methodology and illustrates its application. The research, as an extension of a previous project, allowed us to continue a definition of our own conception on the category competence, and to inquire more deeply into the processes of training, learning and evaluation of the core of competences for the coordination of participatory community processes of the members of the Madiba community who serve as community leaders. Conclusions: The methodology created to evaluate such competences, although it could seem very specific due to the object of evaluation, it is considered flexible enough to make it extensible to other formative experiences. Its application at the community level also makes it possible to understand the link between community management and social policies. This link takes place in the context of the community, since it is there where it is problematized and enriched by practical action.