The Multifunctional Role of University Professors and Its Impact on Employability in South American Public Universities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21703/rexe.v25i.3559Keywords:
Higher education, Employability, University teaching staff, Educational inequality, Pedagogical innovation, Sustainable Development GoalsAbstract
Employability has become a key quality indicator in higher education, particularly in South American public universities located in peripheral contexts with structural inequalities. Within this framework, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 and 10 guide the analysis of the teaching role in employability training. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was applied, combining a structured survey of 427 faculty members from public universities in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay, and 24 semi-structured interviews analyzed through thematic coding using Atlas.ti. Over 80% of faculty members acknowledged their responsibility for students’ employability, emphasizing five action areas: professional skills development, productive sector linkage, ICT integration, entrepreneurship and innovation promotion, and support during the school-to-work transition. Significant differences were found by country, gender, discipline, and teaching experience. Findings confirm that the teaching role in peripheral universities is multifunctional and strategic for enhancing employability, though constrained by institutional and regional inequalities. Strengthening comprehensive university policies and continuous teacher training programs aligned with SDGs 4 and 10 is recommended.
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