Paradigma: Revista de Investigación Educativa

The imaginaries of university students about the choice of a teaching career

Perla Mayela Brenes Maltez — 2025-06-30

The objective of this study is to analyze the imaginaries of the students from the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (FACE-UPNFM), Honduras, who were present during the choice of the teaching profession. Using a qualitative approach, the biographical-narrative method was implemented with an intentional sample of 40 students from the five degree programs that make up FACE. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted, focusing on three dimensions: cognitive, psycho-emotional, and experiential. The data were analyzed based on the processes of categorization, contrast, structuring, and theorization. As a result, it was concluded that students’ choice of a teaching career is the outcome of the intersection and dynamic interaction among cognitive, psycho-emotional, and experiential aspects. The combination of these elements forms a referential foundation that enables students to recognize and understand how their career choice aligns not only with their professional goals but also with their personal and emotional identity.

Curricular integration and school-based research as tools for vocational guidance

Darwin Valmore Franco Gallego — 2025-06-30

The objective of this study is to determine how strengthening career guidance for final-year secondary school students can be achieved through curricular integration, school-based research, and the use of digital resources. Using a qualitative approach, the study implemented a design-based research methodology focused on the development of interdisciplinary teaching-learning sequences. The research was conducted with 56 students in Medellín, integrating the subjects of Spanish, religious education, and technology through a collaborative methodological guide. As part of the process, students created social cartographies, identified local issues, proposed community transformation projects, and engaged in vocational self-exploration. The findings reveal that the articulation of school research and digital tools not only fosters meaningful learning but also enhances the development of critical thinking, autonomy, and social engagement. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary experience supported students in making more informed decisions about their professional futures by linking their personal interests with real-world contexts. In conclusion, curricular integration—mediated by investigative and technological practices—emerges as a key strategy to strengthen career guidance processes.

Educational and socio-cultural strategies to strengthen the identity of migrant children

Óscar Bernardo Rivera García — 2025-06-30

This article aims to highlight the didactic and socio-cultural strategies that teachers with more than twenty years of experience teaching at basic level have applied to ensure the process by which the identity of migrant children is defined. This is a qualitative research developed in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; three primary schools were visited, where interviews were applied and observation records were made. This paper analyses the importance of basic education schools as social frameworks in which an identity is expressed with the influence of three references: 1) situational; 2) clan or group; and 3) symbolic. One of the findings identified was that the different didactic and socio-cultural strategies that teachers have applied in order to enable children to express an identity in the context of human mobility, such as a horizontal pedagogy, have not yet been institutionalized.

Perceptions of the impact of the Bogotá Mayor's Office's "Jóvenes a la U" program on the Minuto de Dios University Corporation, Colombia

Daniela Pérez Rueda — 2025-06-30

This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluates the social reach of the Bogotá Mayor's Office's "Jóvenes a la U" program at the Minuto de Dios University Corporation, focusing on facilitating free access to higher education for low-income youth. A mixed-methods research was conducted using a structured survey administered to 633 beneficiaries selected by stratified random sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were categorized thematically. The results revealed that 93.9% of participants, primarily from strata 1 and 2, would not have accessed university education without this support. Ninety-five percent reported significant changes in their perspectives and goals. Participants were concentrated in peripheral locations with high socioeconomic vulnerability, experiencing improvements in personal and professional development. The program reached its peak in 2023, benefiting 52% of the total participants. Areas for improvement were identified, such as more comprehensive academic support services and more timely payments. "Jóvenes a la U" is positioned as an effective public policy model that reduces structural barriers to access to higher education, transforming the careers of young people from marginalized communities.

Virtual reality as a teaching and learning tool for three-dimensional geometry

Brahiam Ramírez Jofré — 2025-06-30

This article presents and analyzes the results of an instructional proposal implemented with Virtual Reality (VR) to address the difficulties in the teaching and learning of orthogonal projections in three-dimensional geometry. Through a qualitative interpretative analysis, the responses of four secondary school students (16-17 years old), participating in a 3D Geometry course, were evaluated using the Instrumental Approach and the Theory of Semiotic Representation Registers as analytical frameworks. After three sessions, a substantial positive change was observed in the students' responses, which highlights the potential of VR to improve the performance of orthogonal projections. A relevant finding was the observation that the student with the least active interaction with VR showed the least degree of improvement in their responses, underscoring the importance of engagement with technology.

Socioformative evaluation and meaningful learning in higher education

Bienvenido Sáez Ulloa — 2025-06-30

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of socio-formative assessment on the significant learning of graduate students of the Specialization in Higher Education at the Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP). A mixed approach integrating an experimental design was used. This design made it possible to compare socioformative evaluation with traditional pedagogical approaches. The methodology included the application of a pre-test and a post-test to an experimental group and a control group, as well as interviews with teachers of the program. The results revealed a positive perception by teachers of the potential of socio-formative assessment to foster student participation and critical thinking. A positive impact of socioformative assessment on the development of meaningful learning was observed, particularly in conceptual understanding and the ability to apply acquired knowledge, although statistical differences were not always significant. The need to strengthen teacher training for an effective implementation of this methodology was identified.

Academic performance in Mathematics at UPNFM CURSPS: before, during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Víctor Adolfo Cárdenas Pérez — 2025-06-30

In this work, we analyzed the historical records of the Mathematics pedagogical space taught at the Centro Universitario Regional de San Pedro Sula de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM CURSPS), Honduras. The objective is to identify significant variations and differences in the academic performance of students, comparing the academic periods before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study had a quantitative approach, using descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data. The methodology used consisted of the analysis of the grade tables from the I PAC 2020 to the I PAC 2024, with an exploratory and descriptive scope. Among the relevant results, an increase in the number of students passed during the academic periods during the pandemic was observed, as well as an improvement in the grades obtained. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference is evident in the academic performance of students who took Mathematics during the pandemic compared to students who took the pedagogical course during the academic periods prior to the pandemic.

Meanings of the geometric ratio in inelastic collision: a modeling experience in Initial Teacher Training

Paulina Salazar Cortez — 2025-06-30

The objective of this study is to explore the construction of meaning around geometric progression in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) through cycles of mathematical modeling applied to the phenomenon of inelastic collision. Using a qualitative and phenomenological approach, individual reports and a focus group with five mathematics education students from the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación in Chile were analyzed during the second semester of 2023. Participants calculated geometric ratios based on experimental data and engaged in collaborative discussions that facilitated the re-signification of this concept within modeling contexts. The results show that although students tended to focus on identifying mathematical objects such as geometric progression, they encountered difficulties in articulating conceptual and procedural aspects, which led to inconsistent interpretations of the phenomenon, such as assuming infinite rebounds. However, the discussion dynamics allowed them to contrast perspectives and adjust their models based on the physical characteristics of the phenomenon, fostering a deeper understanding between mathematics and physics. This study highlights the importance of promoting discussion spaces within modeling cycles, encouraging interdisciplinary approaches, and connecting mathematical analysis with real-world contexts to strengthen teacher education.

Presentation Paradigma 53

Russbel Hernández Rodríguez — 2025-06-30

Paradigma: Revista de Investigación Educativa of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional Francisco Morazán (UPNFM) presents its 53rd issue, featuring a carefully curated selection of eight scientific articles that address diverse and current topics within the field of education. During the editorial process for this issue, 29 manuscripts were reviewed, submitted by authors from countries such as Honduras, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. Eight research papers were accepted for publication in this volume, representing academic voices committed to critical analysis, didactic innovation, and the improvement of Latin American educational systems.