Sinéctica
type: channel
description: Sinéctica is a biannual magazine edited by the Psychology, Education and Health Department of the ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara.
publisher: ITESO
language: en
publication name: Sinéctica
issn: 2007-7033
copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license. Authors who publish in Sinéctica agree to the following terms: The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication of the authorized work simultaneously under a Creative Commons Attribution License, which allows others to share the work as long as both the authorship of the work and the initial publication in this journal are acknowledged. Authors may enter into additional separate contractual agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the published version of the journal (e.g., publishing in an institutional repository or a book), with acknowledgement of initial publication in this journal. Authors are allowed to publish their work in institutional repositories or on their own website before and during the submission process, as it may generate productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of the published work. Explanatory note: As of 2017 Sinéctica is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 International License, a version that standardizes licenses internationally. Articles published between 1992 and 2016 are covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license, which allows a work to be shared and distributed non-commercially and with acknowledgement of the author, but prohibits modification of the original creation.
items: Presentación
items: Neuroeducational principles in higher education: Wellbeing, human development, and citizenship
items: Uses of pedagogical theories: Keys for a critical epistemological reflection
items: Pre-service English teachers’ reading comprehension beliefs, reading frequency, gender, and academic progress
items: TikTok addiction among university health students
items: School mental health in Chile: An analysis from a human rights perspective
items: Presentation
items: Andragogy and the experience of adult learning in rural communities: A phenomenological study
items: Curricular decolonization from Afro-Descendant epistemologies: Toward a pedagogy of cognitive justice in teacher education
items: Racism and emotions in everyday school life in the province of Jujuy, Argentina
items: Epistemic racism and curricular exclusion in rural economic education: Evidence from formal education systems
items: Coya territory and identity: Student perceptions of racism
items: Building critical interculturalism against racism. Experiences of indigenous youth university students
items: Racism and education: Effects on the subjective constitution of students
items: The body and racism in the university trajectory of Zapotec women from the isthmus of Tehuantepec
items: Students’ reflections on racism and its eradication. An intercultural approach to anti-racist education
items: Weaving anti-racist teacher training between universities in Mexico and Colombia
items: Racism in the Mexican academy against highly educated indigenous and afro-descendant women
items: Social engagement of university students: Experiences in an institution education higher private in Chiapas
items: The part-time academic as researcher: Between teaching responsibilities and scholarly production
items: Social justice in rural education policy for Chile and Mexico
items: Everyone fits in the market by learning to adapt. Structure of private higher education in the State of Mexico
items: Higher education markets in Oaxaca: Shifts and continuities during the 2018–2024 administration
items: Tsotsil bats’i k’op in Ts’omolton, Chalchihuitán: monolingualism, identity and education
items: Organizational change in private universities within Mexico’s accreditation context
items: Quality in Catholic higher education in México: A case study
items: Learner identity. A study about personal and situational influences with education university students
items: Development and validation of a tool for detecting at-risk students
items: A general approach to epistemological colonialism in the Chilean education system

Presentación
type: item
subject: Presentation
  topic: section
creator: Eduardo Hernández-González
creator: Karla Alejandra Contreras Tinoco
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-01
publication date: 2026-07-01
doi: 10.31391/

Neuroeducational principles in higher education: Wellbeing, human development, and citizenship
type: item
description: The article analyzes associations between the application of neuroeducational principles and dimensions of learning, socioeducational well-being, academic interaction, and civic education among university students within a specific institutional context. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and an exploratory, descriptive, and correlational scope, focused on relationships among variables without establishing causal inferences. The study was conducted at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, in the Architecture and Industrial Design programs, during the 2023–2024 academic period. The sample consisted of 314 students from different academic pathways. Data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, naturalistic observation, and document analysis. The findings, integrated through methodological triangulation, show associations between neuroeducational teaching strategies and self-regulation, motivation, socioeducational well-being, academic collaboration, and the emotional climate of the learning environment. Relationships were also identified among teacher feedback, psychoeducational support, and perceived quality of the educational experience, suggesting consistent interactions between pedagogical and socioemotional dimensions. Civic education was associated with participation, collaboration, and shared responsibility. The study concludes that neuroeducational principles are related to formative conditions of learning and well-being in the analyzed context, without implying causality or generalization to other educational settings. Overall, results provide situated evidence for higher education research and practice.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: neuroeducation, learning environments, human development, citizenship, academic community, higher education
  topic: keywords
creator: Ariadna Sandoval Aradillas
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-01
publication date: 2026-07-01
doi: 10.31391/HILK9912

Uses of pedagogical theories: Keys for a critical epistemological reflection
type: item
description: The article aims to propose epistemological keys for rethinking the use of pedagogical theories in the analysis of educational reality. It is framed within a critical epistemological perspective from which the relationship between theory and reality in the pedagogical field is examined, on the understanding that theories are historical constructions that must be problematized and contextualized. Methodologically, the study is grounded in a theoretical-critical reflection supported by conceptual review and dialogue with authors in the tradition of critical pedagogy. The analysis is based on the distinction between theoretical thinking and epistemic thinking, between totality and knowing everything, between history and the historical moment, as well as on the need to situate the political within the pedagogical and to place the subjects of education at the center. The findings show that the uncritical use of theories limits the understanding of educational reality. It concludes that rethinking such uses from a critical and situated perspective strengthens educational understanding and transformation in concrete historical and social contexts.
subject: Essays (open section)
  topic: section
subject: epistemology, educational theory, education, critical thinking
  topic: keywords
creator: Devadip Axel Meléndez Montero
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-04-20
publication date: 2026-04-20
doi: 10.31391/GDMS2176

Pre-service English teachers’ reading comprehension beliefs, reading frequency, gender, and academic progress
type: item
description: Research on reading beliefs has generally focused on belief types, such as implicit theories (ITs), rather than on clusters of belief types, or IT schemas. This study describes the ITs and IT schemas of Mexican undergraduate pre-service teachers of English as a foreign language from dimensional and typological perspectives. It also examines associations among ITs, schemas, reading frequency and genre variety, gender, and year of study. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was used, drawing on the locally developed Scale of Implicit Theories of Reading Comprehension. Five ITs were identified. The Receptive Polyphonic IT was the most prevalent, whereas the Rhetorical Sourcing IT was the least common. Participant variables were not associated with these ITs, except for the Critical IT, which tended to increase with academic progress. The schema-based approach showed that most participants were multischematic, meaning that they held more than one IT. Participants who reported reading more frequently and across more genres tended to be multischematic and to hold more epistemic-interactive ITs, whereas less frequent readers tended to be monoschematic or aschematic. These findings suggest that promoting frequent reading across diverse genres may support greater schematic diversity and more systematic multiple-document comprehension practices in university-level academic reading instruction.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: academic progress, beliefs, gender, reading comprehension, reading frequency
  topic: keywords
creator: Moisés Damián Perales-Escudero
creator: María del Rosario Reyes Cruz
creator: Griselda Murrieta Loyo
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-01
publication date: 2026-07-01
doi: 10.31391/SRKN4089

TikTok addiction among university health students
type: item
description: This study aimed to assess problematic TikTok use among university students in health-related programs and to examine its association with sociodemographic and academic variables, particularly age and sex. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational design was used with a sample of 825 students from Nursing, Medicine, Nutrition, and Psychology programs at two public universities in northwestern Mexico. Data were collected through an online questionnaire that included a validated TikTok addiction scale organized into three dimensions: obsession, lack of personal control, and excessive use. The results showed low to moderate levels of problematic engagement with the platform, with excessive use and self-regulation difficulties being the most prominent features. No statistically significant differences were found by sex. However, relevant associations were observed with age, academic program, and number of failed courses, as younger students and those with greater academic delay reported higher levels of problematic TikTok use. The findings suggest that problematic TikTok use is not a uniform phenomenon in this population; rather, it is linked to self-regulation and academic performance, underscoring the importance of preventive strategies in university settings.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: addiction, problematic social media use, TikTok, higher education
  topic: keywords
creator: Omar Vicente Garcia Sanchez
creator: Cristina Carrillo Guerrero
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-01
publication date: 2026-07-01
doi: 10.31391/XPKG9414

School mental health in Chile: An analysis from a human rights perspective
type: item
description: The objective of this study was to analyze public action on mental health in the school context from a human rights perspective. To this end, twelve ministerial documents addressing the role of school communities in this area were examined. The findings show that these documents recognize a broad range of rights related to mental health and education, supported by legal frameworks that promote an approach centered on integral well-being. However, this recognition operates mainly at the declarative level, without sufficient mechanisms for enforceability, oversight, or sanctions. Although schools are positioned as key actors in prevention, the documents do not specify the resources or monitoring systems needed to sustain this responsibility. The study concludes that schools are called upon to care without being cared for, creating a form of asymmetric co-responsibility in which the State occupies a marginal and limited role.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: mental health, well-being, public policies, human rights
  topic: keywords
creator: Jorge Luis Astudillo Muñoz
creator: René Valdés Morales
creator: Catalina Coronado-Reyno
creator: Emilio Ballesta Acevedo
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-07-01
publication date: 2026-07-01
doi: 10.31391/EHJD8598

Presentation
type: item
subject: Presentation
  topic: section
creator: Elisa Martina de los Ángeles Sulca
creator: Nayra Eva Cachambi Patzi
creator: Monica Sonia Chacoma
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-01-07
publication date: 2026-01-07
doi: 10.31391/NELJ6289

Andragogy and the experience of adult learning in rural communities: A phenomenological study
type: item
description: The objective of this study is to analyze the learning process of adults in rural community contexts from the principles of andragogy, based on the formative experiences of individuals who resumed their educational trajectories. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach, with a descriptive phenomenological design, employing in-depth interviews to explore participants’ lived experiences and the meanings they attribute to learning. The phenomenological approach made it possible to understand how participants interpret their educational experiences, considering motivational, affective, and sociocultural dimensions. The results indicate that adult learning in rural communities is characterized by self-directed learning, the pursuit of immediate practical relevance, the need for personal recognition, and the importance of horizontal educational relationships mediated by the facilitator. It is concluded that the incorporation of andragogical principles into community-based education promotes more relevant, flexible, and experience-centered learning processes, contributing to the strengthening of personal and community development.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: andragogy, community education, adult learning, phenomenology, motivation
  topic: keywords
creator: Fabiola Lydie Rochin Berumen
creator: Carlos Fernando Arechiga Flores
creator: Carla Beatriz Capetillo Medrano
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-03-05
publication date: 2026-03-05
doi: 10.31391/PCGF3712

Curricular decolonization from Afro-Descendant epistemologies: Toward a pedagogy of cognitive justice in teacher education
type: item
description: The objective of this article is to provide a theoretical reflection on the role of Afro-descendant epistemologies in the transformation of curriculum and teacher education in Colombia. Methodologically, it develops a hermeneutic-critical analysis based on dialogue with key authors. The approach is framed within a decolonial perspective that questions the persistence of a colonial matrix of knowledge in the modern school. As a result, it is argued that this matrix perpetuates racial and epistemic hierarchies, and it proposes understanding curricular decolonization not as thematic inclusion, but as a profound reconfiguration of the criteria of knowledge validity. In conclusion, it is maintained that Afro-descendant epistemologies constitute an ethical and political foundation for a pedagogy of cognitive justice, oriented toward repairing epistemic harm and recognizing community-based knowledge, thereby framing ethnoeducation as the construction of a plural, relational, and emancipatory school.
subject: Essays (open section)
  topic: section
subject: Afro-descendant epistemologies, decoloniality, curriculum, cognitive justice, teacher training
  topic: keywords
creator: Eugenio Robins Vergara
creator: Edgar Oswaldo Pineda Martínez
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-05-05
publication date: 2026-05-05
doi: 10.31391/KWND2494

Racism and emotions in everyday school life in the province of Jujuy, Argentina
type: item
description: This article reflects on how structural racism manifests, becomes naturalized, and is reproduced within the school environment. Based on a historical-ethnographic research approach, it analyzes a specific situation recorded during fieldwork in a secondary school in the province of Jujuy, Argentina, using participant observation and interviews. In a context shaped by the historical presence of Indigenous peoples and Bolivian migrants, the voices of a student, their peer group, and an institutional actor are recovered to explore how racist practices—although not always explicitly named—operate in everyday school interactions and generate significant emotional impacts. Experiences of shame, anger, fear, and intersubjective care are interpreted as social and historical configurations that shape the educational trajectories of racialized subjects. Furthermore, the article argues that schools, far from being neutral spaces, can reproduce affective inequalities that silence or delegitimize pain. It concludes that it is essential to intervene in the norms, institutional projects, planning, and pedagogical practices that structure school life, in order to create conditions that enable the symbolic processing of pain and contribute to the eradication of racism within educational settings.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: racism, emotions, high school, racialized students
  topic: keywords
creator: Nicolás Emmanuel Hugo Gimenez
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-01-07
publication date: 2026-01-07
doi: 10.31391/DEZG9094

Epistemic racism and curricular exclusion in rural economic education: Evidence from formal education systems
type: item
description: Economic education has gained relevance as a school competency, particularly in urban and secondary-level contexts. However, rural settings remain largely invisible in discussions on economic literacy and educational justice. This study critically analyzes the approaches, conditions, and experiences related to the teaching of economics in rural educational contexts, aiming to identify gaps, curricular hegemonies, and pedagogical alternatives. A systematic review of scientific literature published between 2016 and 2025 was conducted using the Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO databases. After applying rigorous inclusion and analysis criteria, six empirical studies were selected. Findings reveal a significant disparity in academic production, with a predominance of technocratic models, limited contextualization, and minimal integration of local knowledge or critical perspectives. Institutional constraints that hinder pedagogical innovation are also identified, although some experiences resist traditional models through participatory and situated methodologies. The study concludes that: a) economics education in rural areas is shaped by structural and epistemic exclusions; b) prevailing pedagogical models reinforce inequalities rather than address them; c) institutional conditions are crucial for transformation; and d) emerging counter-hegemonic practices offer potential for more just and context-sensitive educational proposals.
subject: Thematic essays
  topic: section
subject: economic education, rural areas, educational innovation, epistemic exclusion, epistemic racism
  topic: keywords
creator: Davis Velarde-Camaqui
creator: Angelo Alberto Loyola-Velarde
creator: Linda Estefanía Velarde-Cardenas
creator: Karina Velarde-Camaqui
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-01-07
publication date: 2026-01-07
doi: 10.31391/MJMF2463

Coya territory and identity: Student perceptions of racism
type: item
description: This article aims to understand what it means to identify as Coya from the perspective of young people from a Technical Education School located in the Puna region of Salta Province, Argentina. Through frieze workshops and participant observation, data linked to emotional experiences, self-perceptions, and forms of violence and racism were documented. The fieldwork is part of an ongoing research project aimed at understanding the emotional experiences constructed by Indigenous students and their relationship to racism in the sociodynamics of school stigmatization. Among the results, it is noted that recognizing oneself as Coya entails two ambivalent processes: on the one hand, it implies feelings of pride and dignity, and on the other, it entails feelings of shame and self-loathing. This depends on the context of social interaction in which the students are identified or presented as such. Thus, the same identity marker operates as a sign that exalts within the community itself and, at the same time, becomes a sign of inferiority in other spaces, such as urban areas. This shows that territories are not neutral, but rather scenarios configured by devices of racial classification and hierarchization.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: coya, racism, territory, identity, students
  topic: keywords
creator: Gonzalo Víctor Humberto Soriano
creator: Elisa Martina de los Angeles Sulca
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-01-07
publication date: 2026-01-07
doi: 10.31391/IBRR5905

Building critical interculturalism against racism. Experiences of indigenous youth university students
type: item
description: Racism produces and reproduces inequalities and forms of exclusion affecting populations that are wrongly labeled as minorities. Examining racism across its different dimensions and territorial expressions helps explain how it operates in educational settings, particularly in higher education institutions. This article analyzes the role of critical interculturality within a university as a practical and politically grounded response to racism in educational contexts. The study adopted a qualitative-interpretive approach and used a Google Forms questionnaire consisting of 18 open-ended items addressing experiences of racism in education and the recognition of interculturality as a framework for resistance and redress. Responses were analyzed through discourse analysis informed by diatopic hermeneutics. The findings show that racism operates both interpersonally and structurally and is shaped by ethnic and gender-based factors in university settings, as illustrated by the case of the Intercultural University of Chiapas. The article concludes that fostering critical interculturality in university educational processes strengthens social awareness, challenges power relations, and contributes to the consolidation of onto-epistemic justice in contexts of exclusion and discrimination that continue to shape university life and students’ experiences.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: exclusion, indigenous peoples, critical interculturality, university students, ethnic discrimination
  topic: keywords
creator: Antonio de Jesús Nájera Castellanos
creator: Angel Horacio Gómez Escobar
creator: Abraham Sántiz Gómez
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-03-26
publication date: 2026-03-26
doi: 10.31391/ZDSC6987

Racism and education: Effects on the subjective constitution of students
type: item
description: This study examines the manifestations of racism in the educational sphere through the relationship between social classifications, emotional experiences, and bodily practices that hinder or foster inclusion. From a sociopsychic and historical-cultural perspective, it adopts a qualitative approach that brings together critical sociology, body studies, and the affective turn through in-depth interviews. The theoretical framework challenges the separation between emotion and reason and highlights the political dimension of affects in the reproduction of inequalities. The findings show that the body functions as a marker of distinction or exclusion, producing forms of social suffering and violence. On this basis, the study argues that schools can contribute to denaturalizing discriminatory classifications and promoting critical pedagogies aimed at understanding subjective experiences and transforming power relations.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: racism, education, body, emotions, inequality
  topic: keywords
creator: Ezequiel Szapu
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-04-15
publication date: 2026-04-15
doi: 10.31391/DNPB8240

The body and racism in the university trajectory of Zapotec women from the isthmus of Tehuantepec
type: item
description: This article aims to describe the manifestations of racism experienced by a group of Zapotec women during their time in university and their effects on the processes of subject materialization. The methodology was qualitative and consisted of applying semi-structured interviews to women from the isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. Through a theoretical approach drawn from body studies, feminist studies, and studies on racism in Mexico, this article shows that the experience of racism produces corporeal practices of erasure (borramiento). These are modifications in the ways of speaking, dressing, and expressing oneself, whose intention is to discipline and normalize the body. The testimonies reveal that the experience of racism produces feelings of loneliness, anger, and grief, hence the necessity to avoid it. However, this erasure has long-term effects: upon finishing university and returning to their communities of origin, the body is read as "suspicious," having erased the corporeal characteristics that constitute identity and belonging, such as the Zapotec language, accent, and the use of traditional clothing. This text intends to name the influence of racism on the becoming of subjects and its long-term effects, even after the university trajectory has concluded.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: racism, body, embodied subjectivities
  topic: keywords
creator: Patricia Matus Alonso
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-01-07
publication date: 2026-01-07
doi: 10.31391/HWDE5303

Students’ reflections on racism and its eradication. An intercultural approach to anti-racist education
type: item
description: Racism constitutes a structural phenomenon that is also reproduced within higher education institutions, where students are among the groups most frequently affected. However, students do not always recognize that their own practices—or the aggressions they experience—are part of the broader spectrum of racist manifestations. The purpose of this study was to identify and render visible such expressions within the student community to develop intervention strategies grounded in an intercultural approach. Using an action research methodology, participatory workshops were conducted between 2024 and 2025 with undergraduate students in the Pedagogy program at Universidad Veracruzana (Xalapa campus), drawing on materials from the Initiative for the Eradication of Racism in Higher Education. The findings indicate that throughout their educational trajectories, participants have encountered racist situations both at the university level and in earlier stages of schooling. In addition, they identify related issues such as violence, discrimination, and class-based prejudice.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: racism, students, university
  topic: keywords
creator: Jessica Badillo Guzmán
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-02-27
publication date: 2026-02-27
doi: 10.31391/PWDY6430

Weaving anti-racist teacher training between universities in Mexico and Colombia
type: item
description: This article presents the results of a research project that also incorporates a training intervention based on the Teacher Training Diploma in Antiracist and Intercultural Pedagogies, developed by the National Pedagogical University of Mexico and the University of Cauca in Colombia. Teachers from basic and upper secondary education in Latin America participated in the program through dialogue and collaboration during 2023 and 2024. From a qualitative and participatory perspective, the diploma program identified the presence of racism in the daily life of school and classroom settings, as well as the scope of antiracist and intercultural pedagogies. Among the key findings is that, despite structural and institutional limitations, there are possibilities for transforming educational practice by making visible and naming racism against Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and migrant populations. This involves mobilizing and transforming conceptions and stereotypes circulating in schools to promote antiracist action and enhance teacher training that impacts the educational processes of children and young people.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: teacher training, anti-racist pedagogies, intercultural pedagogies, racism
  topic: keywords
creator: Gabriela Czarny
creator: Cecilia Navia
creator: Elizabeth Castillo
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-03-13
publication date: 2026-03-13
doi: 10.31391/REJM1206

Racism in the Mexican academy against highly educated indigenous and afro-descendant women
type: item
description: This article problematizes situations of mistreatment and racism directed at highly educated Indigenous and Afro-descendant women. It begins by examining how access to higher and postgraduate education for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities has developed in parallel with processes of criminalization affecting these groups. Subsequently, the article draws on a body of literature that documents the entry of Indigenous and Afro-descendant individuals into higher education. Through a critical perspective on mestizaje in Mexico and on whiteness as an institutional practice embedded within racial formation projects, the analysis examines institutional practices through cases of racism in research centers and postgraduate programs across different Mexican states. These cases reveal how racism based on skin color, linguistic racism, and epistemic racism operate. Finally, the article concludes by addressing the following questions: What does it mean to close the doors of academia to highly educated Indigenous and Afro-descendant women? And how does this compel a rethinking of the logics of privilege and whiteness in Mexico?
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: women, racism, academia, whiteness, mestizaje
  topic: keywords
creator: Gisela Carlos Fregoso
rights: Copyright (c) 2026 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2026-02-26
publication date: 2026-02-26
doi: 10.31391/AHOV5703

Presentación
type: item
subject: Presentation
  topic: section
creator: Juan Carlos Silas Casillas
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-01
publication date: 2025-07-01
doi: 10.31391/NUPG9803

Social engagement of university students: Experiences in an institution education higher private in Chiapas
type: item
description: The objective of this article is to understand the experiences of social engagement in three academic programs at a private higher education institution in Chiapas. A case study design was employed to analyze the relationship between university and society among students enrolled in the undergraduate programs of Pedagogy, Public Accounting, and Law. The research was conducted using a qualitative, inductive-explanatory methodology, structured in two data collection phases. In the first phase, a diagnostic questionnaire was administered to students to explore their educational trajectories and experiences of social engagement through professional internships and community service. In the second phase, in-depth interviews were conducted with faculty and administrative staff to deepen the understanding of these experiences. The sample consisted of 26 students and 7 faculty members or administrators. The data were analyzed using a qualitative thematic approach, which allowed for the identification of patterns and tensions concerning the university’s engagement with local communities. Among the main findings, it is noteworthy that although students value collaboration with local contexts, challenges remain regarding the long-term impact of engagement activities on their educational processes with community actors.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: institution education higher private, social links, social services, professional practices
  topic: keywords
creator: Ángel Horacio Gómez Escobar
creator: Osmar Isaías Reyes Trujillo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-10-31
publication date: 2025-10-31
doi: 10.31391/LNUF2304

The part-time academic as researcher: Between teaching responsibilities and scholarly production
type: item
description: This study aims to analyze the labor and institutional conditions of part-time faculty members who, in addition to their teaching duties, conduct research as part of Mexico’s National System of Researchers. The study examines how their employment status affects the recognition of academic and scientific merit within the institutional context of a state public university, specifically focusing on faculty members from two different educational institutions (university centers) of the University of Guadalajara. A qualitative methodological strategy was employed, involving the participation of ten part-time faculty researchers through semi-structured interviews (conducted both in person and online). Fieldwork was carried out between January and May 2024. The results highlight dimensions related to the difficulties, inequities, motivations, and consequences of conducting research for this faculty member, which are interpreted through a theoretical approach linked to merit. Finally, the study contributes to the understanding of a relatively new actor within the Mexican academic profession, as well as some of the key challenges surrounding them at the labor, institutional, and personal levels.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: Part-time professors
  topic: keywords
subject: Research
  topic: keywords
subject: Academic Merit
  topic: keywords
subject: Higher education
  topic: keywords
creator: José Arturo Martínez Pardo
creator: Abril Acosta Ochoa
creator: José Navarro Cendejas
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-08-15
publication date: 2025-08-15
doi: 10.31391/NNKC7261

Social justice in rural education policy for Chile and Mexico
type: item
description: The global health crisis has been resolved, yet its non-health consequences persist. The experience of education between 2020 and 2022 revealed the inconsistency of public policies toward vulnerable sectors, such as rural communities in Latin America. In particular, there has been a general decline in learning outcomes—confirmed by results on national and international standardized tests—while the solutions implemented have often been reductionist in contexts that demand greater sensitivity and contextualization. Teachers across the region have faced constant uncertainty. It is evident that the urgency of the situation led to improvisation in contingency planning. However, states must now move toward educational policies that ensure the fair distribution of resources and the dignified provision of services, which are essential for recognizing and supporting minority groups. Within this framework, teaching experiences from Chile and Mexico were analyzed in order to compare the objective and subjective advantages and disadvantages in rural territories. The findings redefined the professional effort required to teach—from reaching students in their homes to generating learning resources appropriate for remote areas. The results in rural schools highlighted the urgent need to reclaim social justice in the design of educational policies in both Chile and Mexico.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: school management, social justice, covid-19 and territories, educational policies, Latin American rural schools
  topic: keywords
creator: Moyra Marcela Castro Paredes
creator: Cristian Ernesto Castañeda Sánchez
creator: Daniel Eduardo Reyes Araya
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-08-28
publication date: 2025-08-28
doi: 10.31391/LBWX6953

Everyone fits in the market by learning to adapt. Structure of private higher education in the State of Mexico
type: item
description: This article analyzes the structure of private higher education in the State of México, which ranks second nationally in private sector enrollment. It explores three key areas: the regulatory framework governing the validity of academic programs offered by private institutions; the growth of offerings with Official Recognition of Validity of Studies (RVOE) and their integration into the Autonomous University of the State of México; and the expansion of programs by municipality, field of study, and modality. The article also highlights a trend toward oligopolistic organization within the private sector. The data analyzed are drawn from statistical reports, legal statutes, and regulatory frameworks.The findings reveal that the consolidation of private higher education offerings has been uneven, largely due to the region’s socioeconomic heterogeneity. Furthermore, there is a marked concentration of offerings in particular municipalities, academic programs, modalities, and institutions. This market dynamic appears to result from governmental decisions granting the private sector broad autonomy in defining its educational offerings, the lenient oversight of RVOE procedures, and institutional strategies focused on maximizing profitability.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: private university
  topic: keywords
subject: university market
  topic: keywords
subject: supply
  topic: keywords
subject: higher education
  topic: keywords
subject: State of México
  topic: keywords
creator: Mitzi Danae Morales Montes
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-01
publication date: 2025-07-01
doi: 10.31391/FUWZ3944

Higher education markets in Oaxaca: Shifts and continuities during the 2018–2024 administration
type: item
description: This paper analyzes the socio-spatial transformations of higher education markets in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, during the 2018–2024 presidential term, from the perspective of the geography of educational markets. Based on data from institutional sources, maps of higher education markets were developed for the state’s eight regions at both the beginning and end of the period, to compare changes in the provision of tertiary education. Data were collected on school-based higher education offerings (normal schools and bachelor's degrees), as well as on the type of administrative control (public or private). Additionally, the distribution of enrollment was analyzed at the state level, disaggregated by administrative control and gender. The results show a general increase in both the availability and enrollment in higher education; however, this growth is uneven and marked by territorial disparities: regions with a high concentration of institutions coexist with others offering few or no educational opportunities. The study concludes that, despite the overall expansion of educational offerings and enrollment, and certain advances in coverage and decentralization, there was no structural transformation of the higher education markets in Oaxaca during the 2018–2024 period.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: higher education, access to education, educational opportunities, educational policy, regional imbalances
  topic: keywords
creator: Tiffany Abigail Pérez Ramos
creator: Gustavo Mejía Pérez
creator: José Luis González Callejas
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-01
publication date: 2025-07-01
doi: 10.31391/SARZ1535

Tsotsil bats’i k’op in Ts’omolton, Chalchihuitán: monolingualism, identity and education
type: item
description: This article analyzes the symbolic system represented by bats’ik’op (“true” or “authentic” language, used to refer to Tsotsil and Tseltal) in the construction of identity among Tsotsil students in the community of Ts’omolton, municipality of Chalchihuitán, Chiapas. The study focuses on a monolingual community where language constitutes a highly valued identity marker. The objective is to examine the linguistic situation of the students and to understand the system of identity representation that language provides to its speakers. From an ethnographic perspective, the study seeks to capture the link between language and identity in the primary school context. The research is grounded in historical and sociopolitical processes that have strengthened Tsotsil identity in Chalchihuitán. It shows how local circumstances have contributed to preserving linguistic identity, as well as the debates surrounding the relevance of Tsotsil as the language of instruction. Among the findings, it is identified that the expulsion of Spanish speakers, isolation from urban influence, and the persistence of Tsotsil use within the community have helped prevent threats to its original linguistic identity.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: bats'ik'op tsotsil, identity, indigenous education
  topic: keywords
creator: Faustino Rodríguez Sánchez
creator: Vivian Gabriela Mazariegos Lima
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-10-10
publication date: 2025-10-10
doi: 10.31391/JRGE4412

Organizational change in private universities within Mexico’s accreditation context
type: item
description: Institutional and program accreditation has become a mechanism of self-regulation in Mexican higher education, operating within a market-driven logic. Consolidated private universities engage continuously in accreditation processes, strengthening their legitimacy and prestige, while those still striving for such recognition adopt a striving behavior to gain competitive advantages. Given ongoing debates about whether accreditation genuinely drives organizational transformation, this study asks: How does change occur in Mexican university organizations with different levels of institutional consolidation in the context of accreditation? A comparative case study was conducted involving Universidad La Salle Mexico City and Universidad Intercontinental, based on an adapted version of Pettigrew’s contextualist model. Using documentary sources and semi-structured interviews, the study found that accreditation acts as an external pressure to which organizations respond through discretionary internal adaptation. Changes were identified that align with accreditation agency criteria, along with strategic and reactive transformations shaped by resource allocation and internal perceptions of quality. Differences between the two cases are largely explained by the interplay of top-down and bottom-up implementation strategies. The findings suggest that organizational change in this context is complex, nonlinear, and shaped by both external pressures and internal dynamics.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: institutional accreditation, change strategies, private universities in Mexico, Pettigrew’s model, higher education, organizational isomorphism
  topic: keywords
creator: Fanny Lucía Urrego Cedillo
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-08-05
publication date: 2025-08-05
doi: 10.31391/FPST9107

Quality in Catholic higher education in México: A case study
type: item
description: The main objective of this article is to describe the meaning and significance that the actors of a private Catholic university in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico, have constructed regarding the concept of educational quality. To achieve this, a three-year qualitative study was conducted using a case study approach. The methodology included semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and a focus group with internal participants from the institution. This approach made it possible to capture the interpretive richness and the plurality of perspectives surrounding the concept of educational quality. The findings reveal that, in this Catholic university, the notion of quality is dynamic and multifaceted, encompassing both economic and humanistic perspectives. It is evident that the practical interpretation of quality by institutional actors often goes beyond the formally established philosophical ideals, resulting in the adaptation of policies and practices to simultaneously meet labor market demands and fulfill the university’s social mission. In conclusion, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how Catholic universities negotiate, reinterpret, and redefine the concept of educational quality in a context of increasing competition within higher education.
subject: Thematic research
  topic: section
subject: quality in Catholic higher education, private university management, perceptions of educational quality, Mexican Catholic universities, integration of economy-humanism in education
  topic: keywords
creator: Alejandro Uribe López
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-22
publication date: 2025-07-22
doi: 10.31391/WIGF8957

Learner identity. A study about personal and situational influences with education university students
type: item
description: The purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the influences exerted on the process of constructing learning identities. Drawing on current developments on the topic, we conducted an empirical study following the guidelines of a qualitative methodology. We worked with students taking psychology courses required for teacher training at a public university in Argentina. Data were collected using a questionnaire designed to explore representations and experiences related to their learning identities. Data analysis considered recommendations from grounded theory and implemented cross-coding procedures. The results indicated that students were able to recognize the influence of personal traits and the ties established in family and institutional contexts over their learning identities development. The study's conclusions include a broadening of the theoretical perspective, recognizing the influence of socioemotional competencies and the dynamic nature of identity construction processes. Regarding teaching practices, we emphasize the importance of the opportunities for participation that are provided for students, and the nature of the interactions and assessments that accompany or follow them.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: learning, meaningful experiences, socio-emotional competencies, contextual influences
  topic: keywords
creator: Paola Verónica Paoloni
creator: María Cristina Rinaudo
creator: Daiana Schlegel
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-21
publication date: 2025-07-21
doi: 10.31391/BMZT6983

Development and validation of a tool for detecting at-risk students
type: item
description: Systems for detecting students at risk of dropout range from direct observation to those based on machine learning techniques. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate a self-detection tool for high school dropout risk. Characteristics or traits consistently mentioned in the literature about at-risk students, such as economic struggles, lack of commitment to school, broad social motives, and others, served as indicators for the development of a questionnaire, which was administered online and employs an additive scoring indicating dropout risk. So that, the higher the score, the greater the risk. A convenience sample of 1006 public high school students participated in the study. Reliability analysis showed strong internal consistency of the scale (a = 0.9187). Factor analysis identified three priority factors. This questionnaire offers students a reliable and valid gauge of dropout risk. In addition, it enables timely interventions by educational authorities to enhance student retention and graduation rate.
subject: Research articles (open section)
  topic: section
subject: at-risk student, risk factors, dropping out, retention, pandemic
  topic: keywords
creator: Gilda Teresa Rojas-Fernández
creator: José Francisco Cortés-Sotres
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-07-01
publication date: 2025-07-01
doi: 10.31391/YPQX3872

A general approach to epistemological colonialism in the Chilean education system
type: item
description: This article discusses and reflects on the persistence of epistemological coloniality in the Chilean school system, which not only silences the knowledge of the indigenous population, but also the way in which foreign students construct and develop their way of knowing and conceiving reality; in other words, it also silences their episteme. The methodology is qualitative and descriptive, based on a theoretical and systematic review of the scientific, normative and dissemination literature on the school system and the practices that sustain it. A content analysis of the selected literature was carried out in order to discover nuclei of meaning and significance about the object of study. The main results show that the Chilean education system, through the school curriculum and initial teacher training, imposes an order of disciplinary knowledge that excludes any possibility of incorporating one's own knowledge and know-how into educational practices. The main conclusions support the urgent need to incorporate educational content based on epistemological pluralism into the school curriculum and initial teacher training programmes in order to progressively counteract epistemological coloniality in the Chilean education system.
subject: Essays (open section)
  topic: section
subject: colonialidade epistemológica, sistema educativo chileno, estudantes estrangeiros e indígenas, Educação Intercultural.
  topic: keywords
creator: Ilsa Mendoza-Mendoza
creator: Segundo Quintriqueo Millán
creator: Katerin Arias-Ortega
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sinéctica http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
date: 2025-03-27
publication date: 2025-03-27
doi: 10.31391/JAEL8429