Artículos de investigación

Teaching research competencies in undergraduate programs in foreign languages. Are professors prepared for it?

Authors

Blanca Lucía Cely Betancourt Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios ,

Research skills in the training of new foreign language teachers are a constant concern in higher education. The Ministry of Education has insisted on the comprehensive training of new teachers of foreign students, including training in research skills. To achieve this, teacher trainers are required not only to have an inevitable competence but also to have a research practice
that can serve as a point of motivation and encouragement for their students. From a mixed approach, through focus groups, surveys and interviews, the investigator analyzed research skills and examined the research practice of forty teachers, belonging to bachelor’s degree in foreign languages programs, in charge of guiding such training. Although most of them have experience and practice in research as part of their professional training, these skills are not implemented in their classrooms. The results show that the professors’ lack of research skills directly affects research practice and therefore there are weaknesses in the ability to teach how to research to undergraduate students. It was found that there is no coherence between the profile of the teachers as trainers and the profile of the trainees in terms of the development of research skills. Universities must commit to the development of research skills in their teachers to make sure a quality and coherent learning process.

Keywords:

research competencies, research practice, bachelor’s degree programs, foreign languages

Issue

Published

2025-08-25
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How to Cite

Cely Betancourt, B. L. (2025). Teaching research competencies in undergraduate programs in foreign languages. Are professors prepared for it?. Humanitas Hodie, 7(2), 55-73. https://doi.org/10.28970/hh.2024.2.a4