Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how the legitimacy of the policy of external quality assurance (EQA) in Colombian higher education has evolved over the past 30 years through an examination of its two main instruments: the compulsory control of minimum quality standards for academic programs and institutions (registro calificado) and…

This paper presents language as a scenario where the word in its multiple manifestations constitutes a symbolic field around which reality is constructed (as it is not unusual for someone to want to control it). It is briefly explained how in the processes of cultural plundering in Latin America, the word as a technology of power was taken by the…

Over the past 30 years, quality assurance in higher education has rapidly developed on a global scale and become a widely studied research topic. However, a good deal of the research on this issue has been subject to an instrumental bias. The attention given to the technical features and expected results of quality assurance has overshadowed the…

This paper reports an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study on speaking assessment approaches in a teacher education program at a Colombian university. The study aimed to explore how four in-service English language teachers approach the assessment of students' speaking skill. The data were gathered through classroom observations,…

This study aims to summarize the research findings on using socio-scientific issues (SSI) in teaching Science. In recent years, teaching based on socio-scientific issues (SSI) is utilized in science education to promote scientific literacy. A meta-analysis is conducted by calculating the effect size of the 12 studies associated with the SSI…

Purpose: This study provides a new look at the late 19th-century university issue in Spain. Loss of self-government among universities and the state's centralization brought a conflict between science and religion to the fore in the process of the secularization of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: We first delve into the anti-Darwinian…

We analyze the effect of Colombia's ambitious "Free Housing" program on children's educational outcomes. The program was generous, giving free housing to beneficiaries in desirable areas. We evaluate the program by leveraging housing lotteries and linking applicants to their children. We find that public housing increases high school…

Some human activities have caused a serious environmental crisis, producing irreversible damage and loss of resources and diversity, which is why a strong sustainability approach is required to keep human activities within planetary boundaries. However, a strong sustainability concept can be difficult for teachers to convey and for students to…

This study made a preliminary attempt to conduct a needs assessment of teachers' utilization of the SSI-based approach in teaching Science by exploring Filipino teachers' awareness, perceived need, readiness, and willingness. It also aimed to determine which among the demographic profiles of the teachers had significant differences in their…

Inquiry-based science education has become one of the most effective methodologies to learn science; however, proposals in preschool are scarce. Different factors are responsible for this situation, such as the low self-confidence of teachers to teach science and the belief that young children are unable to develop certain reasoning skills. This…

This paper describes the implementation and student learning outcomes of a nationwide professional development program for lower secondary and upper secondary school teachers to integrate computational thinking into the K-12 curriculum. Computational thinking comprises important concepts and skills that all students should develop to take an…

An important component of social justice research is centering the voices of those individuals whose lives the research is intended to improve, not as subjects from whom researchers collect data but as active participants in a process of understanding and addressing issues of concern to the community. This ideal of community engagement slows the…

The acquisition of oral communication skills is essential for lifelong learning and development. Despite their importance, specific approaches oriented to its acquisition and mastery in second languages (L2) are not widely established. Indeed, the prevalence of a monologic classroom discourse still hinders the opportunities to enhance language…

A growing number of higher education institutions have adopted tools to promote mobile learning. However, studies into the driving factors of its adoption are insufficient. This article identifies the aspects that have an effect on the adoption of mobile learning (m-learning) among university students. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and…

The processes of social confinement caused by the global health crisis (COVID-19), have forced professors to assume new research competencies that allow them to improve science indicators and contribute to the research culture in the digital era for the Latin American region. This article analyzes the research culture of Latin American professors…