Campamentos educativos como estrategia formativa para el desarrollo de competencias en turismo en Ecuador
Educational camps as a training strategy for tourism competency development in EcuadorBarra lateral del artículo
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Contexto: La formación de profesionales en turismo demanda enfoques educativos que vinculen teoría y práctica para responder a las dinámicas del sector. En este marco, los campamentos educativos constituyen una estrategia de aprendizaje experiencial que favorece el desarrollo de competencias técnicas y socioemocionales en contextos reales. Objetivo: Evaluar la percepción y efectividad de los campamentos educativos como estrategia formativa en el desarrollo de competencias en estudiantes y graduados de turismo en Cuenca, Ecuador. Metodología: Se empleó un diseño cuantitativo, basado en encuestas aplicadas a 96 estudiantes matriculados y 178 graduados, seleccionados por muestreo no probabilístico intencional. Resultados: El 89.58% de los estudiantes calificó la experiencia como positiva; el 82.30% destacó el trabajo en equipo, el 68.75% el liderazgo, el 66.67% la sostenibilidad como competencias desarrolladas e igual porcentaje las habilidades prácticas. El 79.21% de los graduados reconoció la contribución de los campamentos al desempeño profesional y el 61.80% aplicó competencias adquiridas en su práctica laboral. Conclusión: Los campamentos educativos constituyen una estrategia pedagógica efectiva para la formación en turismo, al facilitar la integración teórico-práctica y promover competencias transferibles al ámbito profesional.
Background: Tourism education requires pedagogical approaches that bridge theory and practice to respond to industry dynamics. Within this framework, educational camps constitute an experiential learning strategy that fosters the development of technical and socio-emotional competencies in real-world contexts. Objective: To evaluate the perception and effectiveness of educational camps as a training strategy for competency development among tourism students and graduates in Cuenca, Ecuador. Methods: A quantitative design was employed, based on surveys administered to 96 enrolled students and 178 graduates, selected through purposive non-probabilistic sampling. Results: 89.58% of students rated the experience as positive; 82.30% highlighted teamwork, 68.75% leadership, 66.67% sustainability, and 66.67% practical skills as developed competencies. Additionally, 79.21% of graduates recognized the contribution of the camps to professional performance, and 61.80% applied acquired competencies in their work practice. Conclusion: Educational camps constitute an effective pedagogical strategy for tourism education by facilitating theory-practice integration and promoting transferable professional competencies.
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