Search Results (10)

Advancing toward sustainable higher education requires simultaneously addressing United Nations Sustainability Goals 4 (quality education) and 5 (gender equality). This mixed-methods case study analyzes how cultural stereotypes and gender expectations influence career choices in the field of computer science, which is highly masculinized in Chile. As a contextual and comparative contrast, the feminization of disciplines such as nursing is considered, illustrating the gender polarization across areas of knowledge. This comparison is not random, since in Chile the health sector stands at the opposite end of the spectrum from technology, as demonstrated by the study’s figures. As a theoretical basis, a simple systematic review of the literature published between 2013 and 2024 (in English and Spanish) was carried out, drawing on Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, and ERIC databases, following some steps of the PRISMA protocol. Thematic analysis allowed mapping research by region, discipline, and type of intervention. The results confirm the persistence of stereotyped beliefs about skills and professional roles, even in contexts with formal equity policies. Strategies that foster empathy, belonging, and intercultural communication, implemented through mentoring, outreach activities, or curriculum redesign, emerge as key catalysts for more inclusive environments. The study presents a practical case applied to first-year computer engineering students at the Universidad de La Frontera (Chile), in which gendered perceptions embedded in vocational choice processes were identified. By situating this study in Chile’s context, we identify how local structures—school sector, regional labor markets, and gender norms—shape women’s participation in computing. Based on this experience, practical recommendations are proposed for integrating a gender perspective into technology education, including pedagogical strategies, gender-sensitive vocational guidance, and the visibility of role models. Full article

This article reports on the first qualitative phase of an exploratory sequential mixed method (ESMM) research design focusing on EFL pronunciation instruction in Spanish primary schools. Firstly, it presents an analysis of the National Curriculum in light of recent policy changes and adaptations across seventeen Autonomous Communities (AACC) to assess coherence and the scaffolding of contents. Secondly, based on results from Focus Groups with eight instructors from five different schools and two different AACC, teachers’ perceptions on EFL pronunciation teaching in the current curriculum change are examined according to two main strands, i.e., Curriculum Design and Development and Teacher Professional Development. The results reveal asymmetries in Curriculum Contents regarding specificity and teaching methodologies, as well as some conceptual inconsistencies and dispositions that seem to be leading to overregulation, particularly in relation to increased measures of public accountability. These appear to be heightening tensions that are causing a mismatch between the intended Curriculum and the instructor-experienced curriculum. Another key observation is that, in this scenario, the positive beliefs and attitudes of primary school teachers towards EFL pronunciation are insufficient for optimal teaching. Intervention measures and innovations are suggested to improve the situation, which may be extrapolated to other similar EFL contexts. Full article

Effective communication is key for healthcare providers to provide optimal care for patients. Pharmacists’ fluency in a patient’s native language is important for effective communication. Additionally, language concordance improves patients’ trust and ensures health equity. In the United States (US), Hispanics are the largest minority group, but only 36% of the pharmacy schools in the US offer Spanish courses in their curriculum. Conversely, Middle Eastern countries have implemented English as the language of instruction in pharmacy schools, though the native language of the patient population is Arabic. The discrepancy between the language of education and the language used by patients might lead to communication problems, thus limiting a pharmacist’s role in practice. This review aims to describe the efforts of pharmacy schools both in the US and Middle Eastern countries to incorporate a second language (Spanish and Arabic, respectively) in their curriculum. Spanish language content has scarcely been introduced into the pharmacy curriculum in the US, either as didactic elements (elective courses, lab sessions, modules within a course, or co-curricular programs) or as language immersion experiences (rotations and internships, nationally or abroad). In Arabic-speaking countries, an Arabic course was introduced to the pharmacy curriculum to enhance students’ communication skills. This review provides an overview of the steps taken in various pharmacy programs to prepare students for adequate multilingual speaking. The findings reveal the need for additional strategies to assess the impact of language courses on student performance and patient experience, as well as language competence in pharmacists and pharmacy students. Full article

This study looks at how well bachelor’s degree holders in Spain match into jobs five years after graduation. Based on workers’ self-assessment, education–job mismatch is defined as the discrepancy between the formal qualifications that individuals earned at Spanish universities and those that are required by jobs. By estimating a multinomial logit model, this research identifies fields of study that are associated with increased likelihood of a particular educational mismatch status. Results indicate that university graduates from highly specialized bachelor’s degree programs are more likely to work in a graduate job that is related to their field of education. In particular, graduates with degrees that entail specific human capital, such as health sciences degrees and hard science and engineering degrees, are more likely to be well-matched in their current jobs. In contrast, the results show a higher likelihood of over-qualification (recent graduates who are in non-graduate jobs) for social and legal sciences degrees and arts and humanities degrees. Gender appears to play no role in the matching process; however, the subject-specific knowledge that graduates have gained from their time in higher education is important. As a novelty, this study also identifies, for a sub-sample of workers, the process through which a good match is achieved—that is, how individuals self-select to accept jobs in which they can achieve a good match. The regression results are based on micro data from a nationally representative random sample of the first cohort of undergraduates after the Bologna curriculum reform. Full article

In recent years, concern in Spain for gender issues has been on the rise. The United Nations has established the Sustainable Development Goals, among which is the concern for achieving quality education and gender equity. In view of the above, this study analyzed the relationship between emotional intelligence and quality of life in university students taking degrees related to education; the study took into account variables such as sex, studies completed, and the degree of concern that the students show about the incorporation of the gender perspective in their curriculum. The sample consisted of 442 students from different Spanish universities who responded to an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic questions and several questionnaires, which allowed for an analysis of emotional intelligence (TMMS-24), satisfaction with life (SWLS-C), and gender-sensitive evaluation of training in gender equality (ESFIG). Some of the main results obtained concluded that there were no differences between the sexes with respect to the perception of quality of life, with the people who were more satisfied with their lives being those who were more sensitive to the incorporation of a gender perspective in training plans. In relation to emotional intelligence, women scored higher in the attention dimension and men in the emotional clarity and repair. In turn, females showed greater interest in including the treatment of gender issues in their academic training. The findings obtained show the need for future teacher training plans to pay attention to the satisfaction with life shown by students in addition to favoring the development of emotional competencies and the incorporation of gender perspective, considering the social, personal, and work-related benefits that this will bring about. Full article

In primary health care, the work environment can cause high levels of anxiety and depression, triggering relevant expert and individual change. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs reduce signs of anxiety and depression. The purpose of this sub-analysis of the total project, was to equate the effectiveness of the standard MBSR curriculum with the abbreviated version in minimizing anxiety and depression. This randomized controlled clinical trial enrolled 112 mentors and resident specialists from Family and Community Medicine and Nurses (FCMN), distributed across six teaching units (TU) of the Spanish National Health System (SNHS). Experimental group participants received a MBRS training (abbreviated/standard). Depression and anxiety levels were measured with the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS) at three different time periods during the analysis: before (pre-test) and after (post-test) participation, as well as 3 months after the completion of intervention. Taking into account the pre-test scores as the covariate, an adjusted analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed significant depletion in anxiety and depression in general (F (2.91) = 4.488; p = 0.014; η² = 0.090) and depression in particular (F (2, 91) = 6.653; p = 0.002; η² = 0.128 at the post-test visit, maintaining their effects for 3 months (F (2.79) = 3.031; p = 0.050; η² = 0.071—F (2.79) = 2.874; p = 0.049; η² = 0.068, respectively), which is associated with the use of a standard training program. The abbreviated training program did not have a significant effect on the level of anxiety and depression. The standard MBSR training program had a positive effect on anxiety and depression and promotes long-lasting effects in tutors and resident practitioners. New research is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of abbreviated versions of training programs. Full article

The search for overarching factors involved in both sport and broader lifestyle and achievement domains may help to understand the early drop-out phenomenon. This study aimed to analyze the association between early sport drop-out and strategic learning skills, checking for the individual and joint role of nationality, school type, gender, age and sport habits. Six hundred and fourteen Italian and Spanish students aged 14–18 years completed two self-assessment questionnaires concerning physical activity, sports habits and learning strategies. Outcomes were analyzed with frequency analysis. Higher affective–motivational strategic learning skills were associated with lower drop-out rates in Italian but not Spanish students. In high schools with an enhanced sports curriculum, drop-out rates were negligible compared to other Italian and Spanish curricula. A lack of persistence in the same sport type was significantly associated with a higher drop-out rate in males but not in female students, who had overall higher drop-out rates. This study suggests that overarching personal skills, cultural characteristics and sports habits may independently and jointly contribute to sport drop-out. Specifically, affective–motivational learning skills may play a key role in sport persistence and in strategies tailored to drop-out prevention. Full article

This paper examines the current representations of gender roles and heteronormativity in a corpus of textbooks used to teach English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Spanish high schools. Several studies have documented the importance of recognizing problems of homophobic harassment and gender bias which may result in a significant number of students feeling excluded. It is notable that textbook publishers have failed to address this issue despite its relevance to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), raising the question of why this continues to go unnoticed by textbook publishers. The corpus selected comprises two sets of textbooks printed by leading publishers in the area of EFL. In order to gain insight into this issue, we have conducted a qualitative study analyzing the role of textbooks in perpetuating heteronormativity and stereotyped gender roles by exemplifying the naturalized heterosexual and male/female identities. Data were coded under two broad variables: heteronormativity and gender, which in turn were broken down into different units of analysis. The results suggested that heteronormativity still permeates the whole curriculum and that attempts to gender-balance need to be improved by reducing the number of male protagonists. Textbooks fell into some of the same clichés with regard to gender-related stereotypes, such as almost exclusively linking women with shopping and fashion. It is evidently clear from the findings that textbooks should be revised to ensure the right to quality education for all and to make students aware of SDGs, since 7 out of 17 are related to the target topics. Full article

Socioeconomic inequality is a burning issue in today’s world. It has been a characteristic feature of human societies since prehistoric times, but it has taken on a special meaning in the West as a result of the economic crises of the 21st century. We analyze the six elements of the Spanish national curriculum to learn how these dissymmetries are treated in seven Social Sciences and Humanities subjects in Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). For this qualitative study with quantitative contributions, thirty-five keywords were selected; a detailed system of categories was configured for the treatment and analysis of the curriculum; and three levels of progression and complexity were introduced with respect to this problem in order to classify four educational curricula. The outcomes for the State legislation and for the three Autonomous Communities examined (Andalusia, the Chartered Community of Navarre, and Galicia) did not reach a level suitable for training a critical citizenship that seeks greater social balances. An interdisciplinary teaching–learning process must be carried out in Social Science Didactics, which makes connections between and reflects on the origin of socioeconomic inequality and its serious consequences for Humanity. Full article

Within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, four case studies of the degree in Primary Education at three Spanish universities are analyzed. The aim is to study the suitability of three different active teaching-learning strategies: problem-based learning (PBL), project-oriented learning (POL), and a cross-disciplinary workshop. Another goal is to promote the integration of education for sustainable development (ESD) and measure the level of acquisition of several competencies of sustainability and the change in consumption habits of future teachers after implementing those pedagogical approaches. Initial and final ecological footprint (EF) as well as a rubric to measure the level of acquisition of competencies of sustainability were used as data collection instruments. The conclusions related to the research objectives show that when sustainability is implemented in the curriculum through active teaching-learning strategies, future teachers acquire competencies of sustainability. They also reveal that said strategies contribute to a change in consumption habits as a reduction in the EF is observed. There exists a relation between EF reduction and high levels of acquisition of competency in sustainability. Full article