Socio-Affective Competence in Mathematics Education: An Analysis of the Primary Education Curriculum in Chile and Spain

Abstract

This study examines how socio-affective competence is incorporated into the primary education curriculum in Chile and Spain. Using a descriptive qualitative content analysis, it compares the presence of terms related to the affective domain and its components (beliefs, attitudes, and emotions) in the curricular documents of both countries. The analysis is organised around both the general curriculum framework and the specific description of the mathematics curriculum. The findings reveal that: (1) both countries acknowledge the importance of socio-affective aspects in mathematics learning, although to different degrees of explicitness; (2) the Chilean curriculum primarily emphasises the development of positive attitudes towards mathematics, without explicit reference to beliefs and emotions, whereas the Spanish curriculum explicitly incorporates beliefs, attitudes, emotions, and socio-affective skills, structured through specific competences and assessment criteria across the different educational cycles. The study concludes that, although both curricula address the affective domain, the Spanish curriculum integrates it in a more systematic and coherent manner. This difference highlights the need for the Chilean curriculum to move towards a more comprehensive inclusion of the socio-affective domain through the systematic integration of all its components.