systematic review

15 February 2023

This paper presents a systematic review of scientific articles on friendship and character education (CE) published between 2007 and 2021. It seeks to identify the dominant theo- ries from which CE is approached, how friend- ship is understood in the studies, and what specific relationship is built between friend- ship and character; in other words, the extent to which it is posited that friendship can be harnessed to acquire virtues. Results indicate a prevalence of a psychological approach to CE, linked to an instrumentalist perspective on friendship, which associates it with certain benefits. However, this approach is closely followed by a philosophical–moral view that understands friendship as a good in itself and, consequently, highlights its humanizing potential. The Aristotelian framework for un- derstanding friendship and character stands out within this approach. The relationship be- tween friendship and character in the selected articles is explored through 5 categories that emerged in the analysis: 1) friendship for char- acter; 2) character for friendship; 3) friendship and transgressions; 4) teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the influence of friendship; and 5) analysis of programmes that include friendship in the curriculum.


Please, cite this article as follows: Espinosa Zárate, Z., Ahedo Ruiz, J., & Rumayor, M. (2023). Amistad y educación del carácter: una revisión sistemática | Friendship and character education: A systematic review. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 81 (284), 143-169. https://doi.org/10.22550/REP81-1-2023-08

3 September 2020

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is a methodology that enhances learning through a knowledge construction process. The aim of this study is to establish how IBL is used and what effects it has on university students from social sciences and health sciences. This study follows the PRISMA guidelines for conducting systematic reviews. It comprises an analysis of 31 studies extracted from four electronic databases and reference lists on the topic, published in English between 1998-2019. The results show that the strengths of IBL are: 1) promoting cooperative learning, 2) engaging students in self-learning, and 3) increasing critical thinking. Its weaknesses include: 1) the inability to meet learning expectations, and 2) the reluctance of university hierarchies to embrace IBL. The potential of IBL as a teaching strategy at university level is discussed as it allows deep knowledge construction, increased learning motivation, and development of students’ research skills as well as their self-learning, self-confidence, critical thinking, and academic performance. IBL favours meaningful learning by university students by offering a space for the creation of knowledge stimulated by the inquiry process.


Please, cite this article as follows: Santana-Vega, L. E., Suárez-Perdomo, A., Feliciano-García, L. (2020). El aprendizaje basado en la investigación en el contexto universitario: una revisión sistemática | Inquiry-based learning in the university context: A systematic review. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 78 (277), 517-535. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP78-3-2020-08