Innovative pedagogical strategies and their influence on meaningful learning in diverse educational contexts

Abstract

This study examines the influence of innovative pedagogical strategies on meaningful learning among lower secondary students (EGB Media) in public schools in Cuenca, Ecuador, combining open educational data from the Ministry of Education and the national assessment agency (INEVAL) with a theoretical simulation model. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design is used, integrating descriptive and correlational analyses of performance indicators (national test scores, promotion, repetition and dropout rates) with scenario-based simulations of the adoption of strategies such as gamification, project-based learning, cooperative learning and flipped classroom. Findings indicate that national averages in Language and Mathematics remain below the expected achievement threshold, whereas simulated scenarios of moderate and intensive adoption of innovative strategies produce notable increases in mean scores and in the proportion of students reaching satisfactory performance levels, together with reductions in dropout rates. The study concludes that the systematic and context-sensitive implementation of innovative pedagogical strategies, aligned with neurodidactic principles and supported by teacher training, resources and institutional support, is a viable pathway to strengthen meaningful learning in diverse educational settings such as those found in Cuenca.