Innovative Pedagogical Strategies to Strengthen Learning in Diverse Educational Contexts

Abstract

This article examines the role of innovative pedagogical strategies in strengthening learning in lower secondary education (Educación General Básica Media) in schools located in Guayaquil, Ecuador, within highly diverse socio‑economic and cultural contexts and in the presence of students with special educational needs. The research addresses how active methodologies—such as project‑based learning, cooperative work, playful activities and the pedagogical use of digital technologies—can respond to heterogeneous classrooms and contribute to reducing achievement gaps. A sequential mixed‑methods design was adopted, combining secondary data from the Ministry of Education’s open data platform with student and teacher surveys, semi‑structured interviews and focus groups in public, semi‑public and private schools in Guayaquil. Quantitative findings reveal positive, moderate associations between a pedagogical innovation index and students’ motivation, participation and achievement in Language and Mathematics, which is consistent with recent reviews reporting significant improvements when active methodologies are systematically embedded in basic education. Classrooms with higher levels of innovation show substantially higher averages of intrinsic motivation and active participation, as well as greater proportions of students reaching satisfactory achievement levels compared with classrooms where traditional practices prevail. Qualitative evidence shows that teachers and students perceive these strategies as “learning by doing” experiences that connect curricular content with everyday life, promote collaborative work and make classroom diversity more visible. Nevertheless, several barriers are identified: gaps in access to devices and connectivity, unequal teacher training in active methodologies, limited time for collaborative planning and insufficient institutionalisation of innovative practices. The study concludes that innovative pedagogical strategies can effectively transform learning in lower secondary education in Guayaquil, provided they are embedded in an inclusive institutional culture, supported by policies that promote technological equity and sustained through continuous teacher professional development.