Active learning and educational technologies: a review of approaches and evidence

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between active learning and educational technologies in Basic General Education, middle sublevel, with a specific focus on the Amazonian context of Puyo, Pastaza province (Ecuador). The aim is to review recent approaches and evidence on active methodologies mediated by ICT in Language and Mathematics, assessing their impact on students’ academic achievement, motivation, and digital competences. A structured narrative and scoping review was conducted, drawing on national policy frameworks (prioritized curriculum, Digital Educational Agenda 2021–2025) and Latin American scientific literature indexed in Latindex, Scielo and Scopus, including contributions from Horizonte Científico. The analysis shows that strategies such as project-based learning, flipped classroom, collaborative work and gamification, when integrated with educational technologies, consistently improve achievement and intrinsic motivation compared with traditional lecture-based approaches. However, their effects are conditioned by digital infrastructure, teacher training and contextual relevance, which in the Ecuadorian Amazon require supportive policies, continuous professional development and situated instructional designs. It is concluded that active learning mediated by ICT is a strategic pathway to enhance equity and educational quality in the middle sublevel of Basic General Education, provided it is embedded within a territorially sensitive vision centered on student agency.