Development of investigative skills in Physical Culture students at the University of Guayaquil

Abstract

This research aimed to analyze the development of investigative skills in university students studying Physical Culture through an educational intervention. The sample was made up of 250 fifth semester students, distributed in the periods 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Five key areas were evaluated: identification of research problems, formulation of hypotheses, search and analysis of information, writing of scientific reports and use of technological tools. The quasi-experimental design included the application of pretest and posttest. The results showed significant improvements: in the use of technological tools, the average performance went from 49.6 in the pretest to 50.0 in the posttest for 2023-2024, and from 49.8 to 50.0 for 2024-2025, with a correlation coefficient of 0.996 . In problem identification, the number of students in the "High" category increased from 75 to 90 in 2023-2024 and from 77 to 92 in 2024-2025. The standard deviation increased slightly, reflecting greater variability in the posttest. Despite these improvements, challenges remain, especially among students who remained in the “Very Low” or “Low” categories. It is concluded that the theoretical model is effective in improving research skills, but it is necessary to adjust pedagogical strategies to serve students with different learning rates.