STRENGTHENING RESEARCH COMPETENCIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF STRATEGIES USED IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The acquisition of research competencies at the higher education level allows the academic and social development of human capital by means of the university. In this regard, a systematic review was conducted to identify research related to the implementation of strategies for the development and strengthening of research competencies in higher education, from 2009 to 2019. Taking into account the PRISMA protocol, the search was carried out in ERIC and ScienceDirect. The inclusion criteria for the search were: original articles in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with publication date until December 2019, undergraduate/postgraduate university students as participants, and the description of strategies for the development and/or strengthening of research competencies. Eleven studies were selected for which strategies at the undergraduate level were applied. This included research mentoring, research units, courses, and laboratory classes applied to the curriculum, tutoring, and collaborative learning for the development of an interdisciplinary research project. Overall, the strategies used are a reference for the implementation of new methods to develop and reinforce the professional competencies required in the different careers given in the university environment.