La nueva realidad impuesta por el COVID-19 ha supuesto uno de los mayores desafíos que, hasta el momento, han tenido que hacer frente las universidades de tipo presencial, al tener que transitar de esta modalidad a una virtual y de emergencia. En concreto, la comunicación presencial en las aulas se ha tenido que apoyar en videoconferencias síncronas, las cuales han “ocupado” virtualmente un espacio que estaba regulado con anterioridad en las clases ordinarias. Todo ello ha requerido el uso de diversas aplicaciones tecnológicas, entre las cuales Google Meet ha sido una de las más utilizadas. En base a ello, este estudio se planteó con dos objetivos: (1) identificar las necesidades de comunicación que el alumnado universitario ha tenido durante el periodo de docencia virtual y (2) comprobar si Google Meet ha sido capaz de satisfacerlas. Para el logro de estos, se contó con la participación de 52 estudiantes del Grado de Maestro en Educación Primaria de la Universidad de Alicante. Se adoptó un enfoque metodológico mixto y para el tratamiento de los datos se emplearon el SPSS v. 25 y el AQUAD 7, con los que se realizó un estudio descriptivo y un análisis de contenido respectivamente. De acuerdo con los resultados, si bien el profesorado ha utilizado una comunicación audiovisual síncrona, lo que se ajusta a las demandas del alumnado, el grado de satisfacción de este es notoriamente escaso. Algo similar sucede en el caso de Google Meet, ya que pese a reconocerle cierto grado de utilidad y disfrute, manifiestan haber tenido serias dificultades a la hora de utilizarlo. A la vista de tales hallazgos, se concluye señalando la necesidad de ajustar la respuesta tecnológica que desde la universidad se está dando a la situación provocada por el COVID-19.

Most universities are working committedly towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The University of Alicante (UA) (Spain) has designed a series of strategies to help crystallize its aims within these goals, including those related to gender equality (SDG 5). Given the context, the aims of this study are (1) to find out whether teachers integrate SDG 5 into their teaching and, if so, what strategies they use, (2) to analyse how they perceive the effects of this and what factors help or hinder the process, and (3) to check for possible differences in these perceptions according to sex and faculty. Some 310 teachers from all the UA faculties participated. A descriptive and comparative analysis was performed, as was a content analysis. Half of the participants were found to be implementing these strategies, with women in general and teachers from the Faculty of Humanities in particular appearing to be most aware of the subject. However, only a minority applied them on a mainstream basis. The most used strategy was inclusive language. Other strategies, such as reflecting on equality, promoting equal participation, visibilizing women in different areas of knowledge, equal treatment of students and gender research, were also present in their narratives but to only a very small degree. Improved professional development for teachers and greater student awareness of gender issues were identified as positive effects of incorporating these strategies. Participants also felt that low awareness and a lack of time and training were obstacles to the process. Universities should therefore establish specific institutional policies aimed at integrating SDG 5 as a quality indicator. Training programmes should be redesigned to take into account a more practical approach, the type of learning (classroom, online or mixed), and subsequent follow-up in the classroom to guarantee effective integration.

According to UNESCO, critical thinking (CT) is a strategic skill for the 21st century, as it is associated with attitudes of personal and social change and improvement. Based on this, the objectives of this study were (1) to find out the possible relationships between CT and effective personality (EP) and (2) to determine the extent to which EP predicts the development of CT in children and adolescents. The research approach was quantitative, correlational and predictive. The sample consisted of 562 Spanish students. The measurement instruments were: (1) the Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory and (2) the Efficacy Personality Questionnaire. The main findings showed that there is a positive relationship between EP and CT, with the traits “being enthusiastic”, “developing positive self-esteem” and “having self-confidence” correlating most strongly with CT. The regression analysis shows that EP influences the development of students’ CT. There were no significant differences according to sex, and Primary Education students obtained higher CT scores. It is concluded that the better the promotion of EP, the greater the CT development will be. This suggests the need to design educational programmes for the improvement of EP, especially in adolescents.

Women’s empowerment is one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 5, gender equality. However, little research has highlighted the contributions of sustainable female leadership in academic governance. In order to fill this gap, this study identifies and analyses the satisfactions, opportunities, and contributions of women academics to university governance and their perceptions of the potential impact of gender in this process. Forty-eight women leaders participated in the study. A purposive sampling technique was used because the research involved leaders who had held a management position in the university. The research methodology was qualitative, the instrument used for the collection of information was a semi-structured interview, and the analysis of the narratives was carried out with Aquad v. 7 software (Günter Huber, Tübingen, Alemania). The study revealed that the leadership style of the female academics is framed within the sustainable leadership approach. Beyond personal satisfactions, the main reward derived from the performance of the position lies in becoming transformative and catalysing agents of the institution, who try to find a balance between the economic and social interests of the organisation. The functions these female academics perform, within the framework of sustainable development, have a technical and, at the same time, humanised vision, as they focus on people and on personal and social values. Gender issues have not been a determinant in the satisfactions, opportunities, and contributions that the leaders make to the institution; however, participants emphasise that this was a strength for leadership.

The climate crisis remains a paramount challenge that contemporary society and forthcoming generations will grapple with. The significance of instilling sustainability awareness during formative years, particularly during adolescence, is underscored due to the potential for personality consolidation during this phase. In the educational context, physical education emerges as a valuable avenue to further the cause of a sustainable world by fostering student competencies across the three dimensions of sustainable development. Within this domain, activities such as plogging—an outdoor exercise that intertwines physical activity with litter collection—directly enhance environmental quality. However, a discernible gap exists in previous literature regarding high school students’ perspectives on this practice. Thus, this research aimed to integrate a plogging intervention within physical education lessons to assess student perceptions of this innovative activity. A cohort of 28 secondary school students (16 females and 12 males aged 15 ± 1.2 years) participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews consisting of nine questions were deployed to elicit narratives pertaining to their plogging experiences within an educational setting. Over four sessions, an active methodology rooted in plogging was employed, culminating in a hands-on excursion in a natural environment. The findings were bifurcated into two categories. The first pertained to reflections on the didactic experience, encapsulating its immediate impact and prospective implications. The second category offered a critical evaluation of plogging, underscoring predominantly affirmative views, especially those highlighting environmental benefits. Responses revealed high acceptance levels for plogging, a heightened awareness of littering, and a recognition of the tangible environmental benefits of such activities. For a sustainable future, it is imperative for adults to possess and impart profound environmental consciousness to younger generations. These insights can potentially catalyze further research on the integration of sustainability in physical education and the role of plogging as an instrumental classroom tool.