Demands and strategies to support university students' educational trajectories in the post-pandemic context

Abstract

Teacher education faces significant challenges and opportunities in the current context, still marked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Consejo Interuniversitario Nacional, 2021). This paper analyzes the difficulties that students have experienced in their academic trajectories, understood as heterogeneous paths involving starting points, processes, and outcomes (Terigi, 2010) since 2022, as well as the devices needed to strengthen them.

The analysis draws on data collected through a questionnaire administered to third-year and advanced-level students from different Teacher Education and Education degree programs at FFyL-UNT, prioritizing qualitative responses related to subjective factors, time management, learning strategies, the teaching role, assessment modalities, motivation and interest, and economic conditions.

Findings show that, after returning to in-person classes, students’ academic paths were affected by subjective difficulties (anxiety, insecurity), challenges in managing time, lack of effective learning strategies, demotivation, tensions in the teacher-student relationship, rigid assessment practices, and financial constraints.

It is concluded that it is essential to strengthen support mechanisms, particularly academic tutoring, as collaborative spaces that address these difficulties and foster more comprehensive and context-sensitive teaching practices in the post-pandemic period.