Pedagogical strategies to strengthen meaningful learning in diverse educational contexts

Abstract

This study examines the impact of active pedagogical strategies on meaningful learning among lower and upper secondary students from public and private schools in Guayaquil, Ecuador. A sequential explanatory mixed‑methods design was used, combining a quasi‑experimental quantitative phase with a qualitative phase based on case studies, semi‑structured interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations. The intervention integrated project‑based learning, cooperative learning, gamification and flipped classroom, contextualized to Guayaquil’s sociocultural reality and aligned with the national curriculum. The sample comprised 176 students from six classes assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Open datasets from the Ministry of Education were used to contextualize the sample and build the baseline, together with achievement tests and meaningful‑learning perception questionnaires administered as pretest and posttest. Results show statistically significant improvements in academic performance and meaningful‑learning perception in the intervention group, with effect sizes larger than those observed in the comparison group, in line with recent evidence on active methodologies in the Latin American context. A moderate positive correlation between gains in perception and performance supports the assumption that relevant, participatory learning experiences foster deeper understanding. Findings confirm that context‑sensitive active methodologies are an effective means of strengthening meaningful learning in diverse educational settings in Guayaquil.