Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Editorial

The perception held by college students about the human evolution plays a crucial role in the understanding of our natural history. This study assessed, through an oral survey, the perception of college students on some aspects of our natural history (665 students from a private university in Metropolitan Lima, from both science and humanities study programs). The results obtained indicate that 50% of the population surveyed consider that a god did not take part in the evolutionary process, which reflects a position in accordance with non-theistic evolution, i.e., a clearly evolutionary materialistic position. Lower percentages accepted that the human being does not come from other animal species (20%) or that we lived at the same time as dinosaurs (23%). No differences were found between science and humanities students (p>.05), which indicates that the findings of this study are, most probably, a reflection of pre-school and school education. The results should be taken into account in the development of courses at the primary, secondary, and university levels so that these can include contents that reinforce the scientific conceptions of our natural history.

This article analyzes the main characteristics of research with a quantitative and qualitative approach, contrasting its differences and pointing out their historical and epistemic similarities as well as methodological and procedural. Likewise, its pertinence is defined depending on the subject of study and the discipline—scientific, proto-scientific or human—in which it is framed, providing guidelines for the selection of one approach or the other, or of both—mixed research—through the estimation of its advantages and disadvantages for scientific research. On the other hand, it highlights the importance of establishing communication and integration channels between the corresponding cognitive approaches, far from the conceptions that seek to find dissent rather than consensus, thus contravening the value of studies with a mixed or complementary approach, which would be an alternative to the previous ones, but not for that reason superior or always necessary.

Traditionally, training in research at the universities has been transmitted as theory (research training, RT); however, the nature of this knowledge benefits from a more practical approach (formative research, FR). The aim of this research was to compare the qualitative differences between these two types of approach to training in the research process. Four focus groups were created: 2 RT and 2 FR. Sixteen categories corresponding to the quantitative research process were chosen for the script, and a total of 30 Psychology students participated. Significant conceptual differences were found regarding the research process. FR students tend to have more clarity regarding concepts, take a larger number of ethical aspects into consideration, and develop an identity as researchers. They prefer qualitative research because of the difficulties they have with statistics. There is a linear view of the research process in both, and change-generating dynamism is perceived as a problem. In sum, the FR students acquire an overview of the process that is perfected with experience, in addition to contributing to an ethical vision and acquiring an identity as researchers, which shows advantages over the other type of training.

As part of the efforts to prioritize lines of research in the field of higher education in Peru, the project Improvement of Higher Education Quality (PROCALIDAD) convened management specialists and members of academia to create working groups. After the presentation of a characterization of the general problem in this field, a debate was started, and this concluded in the preparation of a joint proposal for a research agenda, which prioritized certain lines such as (a) the need for articulation between basic and higher education for a generation of competencies in the applicants; (b) the need to emphasize the teaching professional career aimed at improving the quality of educational institutions; (c) the need to seek alternative financing mechanisms involving the private sector; (d) the need for greater clarity in existing regulations and standards, and (e) the need to foster the connection between higher education, business, and State, in order to achieve a higher level of competitiveness and development. These guidelines will allow to expand the discussion and generate a series of public policies conducive to strengthening research in higher education institutions and promoting more relevant research for the country in the medium and long term.

This article presents an experience carried out by the faculty of the third year of the Infant Education degree at the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona (Spain). A proposal for multidisciplinary intervention that joins two modules: one for arts (musical, corporal, visual, and plastic education) and another for sciences (mathematics, and experimental and social sciences). The intervention stems from a generating idea—the book “Alice in Wonderland”—which allows for connections between the contents of the modules, involves co-teaching, multidisciplinary work, and shared evaluation experiences. The aim of the study is to get to know the perception of the participating faculty about the changes in the didactic components involved in the experience. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were carried out at three moments of the process and a discussion group at the end. The analysis of the data shows that the experience has been rich in terms of the multidisciplinary approach, shared teaching, growth of creative competence, the student´s cooperative work and leadership capacity. Weaknesses reside in the assessment process and difficulties finding adequate time and space to prepare and implement the proposal.

The aim of this study was to compare the levels of emotional intelligence (EI) of students based on the expected achievement level in competencies. Participants were 313 students (M = 20.20 years old, SD = 2.41; 61% women) of communication sciences from a private university in Lima (Perú) which uses the Competency Based Education Model. The EI was measured with the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The level in achievement of competencies groups students in: “lower level” (participants from the first three academic semesters, 45.7% of the total) and “higher level” (semesters four to tenth). There were found gender differences in EI, and thus comparative analyses were done separately by gender. Among men, there were no differences between groups in EI (lower level vs. higher level). By contrast, women from the lower level scored higher than women from the higher-level group in: others’ emotional appraisal, use of emotion, and EI total score. It is suggested to incorporate the EI competence within the teaching model of this academic institution, as well as to do longitudinal studies.

The purpose of this work was to inquire into the aspects that college students consider as significant of the faculty collected in the portfolios so that, in the light of this exploration, the faculty can reflect on their teaching practices and put forward proposals for improvement and change. It is proposed as qualitative research where the case is the analysis of student portfolios of the Management of Specific Projects course of the Interculturality Module (Minorkult). The tool being studied, also the main strategy for the generation of data, was the student portfolio and the analytical procedure consisted of a hermeneutic analysis of thematic contents. As a result, it is worth noting that, by opting for the portfolio, the faculty has strengthened the voice and visibility of the students, as well as their autonomy in the learning process, and has generated reflective processes within the faculty aimed at improving their teaching practice.

La Revista Digital de Investigación en Docencia Universitaria (RIDU) presenta un nuevo número, correspondiente al período enero-junio de 2019, el cual cuenta con importantes contribuciones tanto nacionales como internacionales. En primer lugar, Paola Palomino Flores y Carlos A. Almenara, profesores e investigadores de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, presentan una investigación cuyo objetivo fue comparar los niveles de inteligencia emocional en un grupo de estudiantes universitarios según el nivel de logro esperado de competencias, encontrándose diferencias en el grupo de estudiantes mujeres. En segundo lugar, Goretti Orbea-Aizpitarte, Esther Cruz-Iglesias y Itziar Rekalde-Rodríguez, del Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Escolar de la Universidad del País Vasco, nos presentan su investigación orientada a indagar sobre la percepción de un grupo de estudiantes universitarios en base a las posibilidades educativas y formativas que el portafolios ofrece al profesorado de un módulo de enseñanza (Minorkult); destacándose la importancia de esta herramienta para potenciar la práctica docente y la autonomía del alumnado. En tercer lugar, Carmina Folch, Reina Capdevila y Montserrat Prat, de la Universitat Ramon Llull, presentan un estudio sobre la percepción del profesorado sobre una experiencia de codocencia en la que se unieron los módulos de arte y ciencias, y en donde los resultados reflejan que dicha experiencia permitió lograr el crecimiento la creatividad, el trabajo en equipo y el liderazgo en los estudiantes. En cuarto lugar, Héctor Aponte, Daniel Barona, Antony-Javier Apeño-Arias y Angela-Stefany Hernando-Blotte de la Universidad Científica del Sur, no muestran los resultados de su investigación sobre la percepción que tienen los estudiantes universitarios sobre la historia natural del ser humano, encontrándose como principal resultado que un poco más de la mitad de los encuetados sostiene una postura evolucionista sobre el origen del hombre, mientras que el resto aún mantiene una postura más teísta.