Transversal competences: The (mis)match between graduates' self-assessment and external evaluation

Sandra Santos, Carla Freire, Sílvia Monteiro and Ricardo Biscaia
University of Minho, Portugal
Ricardo Biscaia
University of Porto, Portugal

This study undertook a comparative analysis of the assessment of transversal competences using two methods, one based on self-assessment and the other on external evaluation, to verify whether there was a (mis)match between the two. Self-assessment was based on the scores obtained through a self-report survey, and external evaluation was based on the scores obtained through the adaptation of the Multiple Mini-Interviews method. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the scores of 130 Portuguese graduate students from three public universities in Portugal. A comparative analysis of the differences according to gender and study field was also conducted to determine the existence of a (mis)match. The differences between scores in both exercises were computed. The results suggest varied assessment patterns of transversal competences, highlighting differences depending on the evaluation method and according to gender and study field. This study deepens our understanding of how students' transversal competences are ascertained and sheds light on which transversal competences should be prioritised for development. Findings are particularly relevant for higher education institutions interested in developing and implementing assessment methodologies and intervention strategies to further increase their graduates' transversal competences and, ultimately, improve their employability and career prospects.
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Authors: Dr Sandra Santos is a researcher at CIEd (Research Centre on Education at the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal). She has prior experience at CIPES (Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Matosinhos, Portugal) and holds a PhD in applied psychology. She is focusing her research on competence assessment and development, higher education, doctoral education and employability. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0631-816X Email: sandra.css@gmail.com Dr Carla Freire is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management, School of Economics, Management and Political Science, University of Minho, Portugal, and a researcher at NIPE (Centre for Research in Economics and Management) at the same University. She holds a PhD in management and her main research interests are human resource management, ethics and CSR, leadership, and transversal competencies. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9476-2863 Email: cfreire@eeg.uminho.pt Dr Sílvia Monteiro is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education, University of Minho, Portugal. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the same university. Her research interests are in the fields of higher education, academic success, employability and work transition, where she coordinates and develops research projects. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5236-2711 Email: silviamonteiro@ie.uminho.pt Dr Ricardo Biscaia is an Assistant Professor at the School of Economics and Management of the University of Porto and an associate researcher at CIPES (Centre for Research in Higher Education Policies, Matosinhos, Portugal). He holds a PhD in Economics and his main research interests are in higher education policies, public policy, industrial economics and regional and urban economics. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5596-6564 Email: rbiscaia@fep.up.pt Please cite as: Santos, S., Freire, C., Monteiro, S. & Biscaia, R. (2025). Transversal competences: The (mis)match between graduates' self-assessment and external evaluation. Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 1154-1177. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/santos.pdf