Socioformative pedagogical practices and academic performance in students: Mediation of socioemotional skills

This study analyzes the mastery level of educators regarding eight socioformative pedagogical practices and their impact on the academic performance of their students, aiming to identify mediating factors within a longitudinal design framework. A total of 282 university teachers from Ecuador participated, with instruments applied at two points in time: during the pandemic and at its end. Convenience sampling was employed. The results indicate an acceptable level in the development of socioformative pedagogical practices among participants, as well as in their socio-emotional skills. Regression analysis revealed the influence of various variables on socioformative pedagogical practices, such as socio-emotional skills, continuous training, academic degree, and economic level. The structural equation model established a positive association between socioformative pedagogical practices assessed during the pandemic and the academic performance of students in terms of achieving learning outcomes evaluated one year after the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also found that socioformative pedagogical practices are influenced by socio-emotional skills. The conclusion is that teachers possess a medium level in the development of their pedagogical practices but need to strengthen them to achieve an advanced level through continuous training and by obtaining higher academic degrees. Moreover, enhancing socio-emotional skills is essential for improved performance.

Development of transversal skills in higher education programs in conjunction with online learning: relationship between learning strategies, project-based pedagogical practices, e-learning platforms, and academic performance

This study investigates the development of transversal skills and their association with academic performance in university students enrolled in on-campus programs with online activities. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative research was conducted with 252 students from a public university in Mexico. Transversal skills, socioformative project-based practices, learning strategies, and the relevance of online activities were assessed using validated rubrics. The results indicated a low level of development in three transversal skills: research, entrepreneurship, and English, with the latter being the poorest rated. Critical and creative thinking exhibited the highest level of development. In the didactic component, socioformative project-based pedagogical practices and learning strategies showed acceptable levels. Students expressed satisfaction with complementary online activities, showing a preference for interactive videos and short videos under 4 min. Regression analysis and structural equations were used to examine the relationships between various factors. Results demonstrated that socioformative project-based pedagogical practices, learning strategies, and online education positively correlated with the development of transversal skills. Furthermore, a higher level of transversal skills was associated with better academic averages among students. Socioformative project-based pedagogical practices also correlated with academic performance through transversal skills. The study concludes that integrating online activities into on-campus programs, based on the socioformative pedagogical model, can enhance the development of transversal skills and improve academic performance. Further research into the implementation of this educational model and its long-term impact on university education and professional success is recommended.