This paper aims to identify whether there are statistically significant differences in the level of perceived achievement of complex thinking competence in a population of Latin American students from different disciplines. The intention is to corroborate or question the academic literature that categorizes certain types of thinking (systemic, scientific, and critical) as characteristic elements of some disciplines. Methodologically, the validated eComplexity instrument was applied to a sample of 370 undergraduate students from a Mexican university. The results showed that the highest means for systems thinking can be found in the disciplines of Engineering, Business, and Humanities, while the highest means for critical thinking can be found among architecture students. However, statistically, the results showed no significant differences upon an overall comparison of all disciplines. In conclusion, the findings of this study prove to be valuable for educational institutions seeking to develop complex thinking in their students, demonstrating that the disciplinary area is not a limiting factor in developing a perception of achievement in a particular competence and its sub-competences.

Purpose: To analyze financial inclusion through digital banking in order to identify how digital banking is including or excluding different types of populations in an emergent economy.Design/methodology/approach: Chi-square statistical tests were conducted to test the relationship between demographic variables (i.e. gender, region, locality and age) with having a digital banking account, types of services and reasons for not using them. As an example of an emergent economy, the Mexican Financial Inclusion Survey database was used, which includes stratified and clustered sampling.Findings: Having a bank account with digital banking is related to gender. Women are more excluded than men, demonstrating a gender gap in access to digital banking accounts. Moreover, having a bank account with digital banking depends on the region. In regions where digital banking is more developed, the population uses a wide variety of digital banking services, in contrast to less developed regions. About the size of the locality, the lack of financial inclusion via digital banking is more common in rural contexts or small cities, demonstrating the exclusion of this type of population.Research limitations/implications: This study is conducted with data from the latest Mexican Financial Inclusion Survey. Since the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (NISG) in Mexico previously conducted the study for exploratory purposes, it was not possible for the researchers to modify the variables.Practical implications: The results might be considered on similar emergent economies to promote financial inclusion of vulnerable groups such as women, people living in underdeveloped regions, rural areas, small cities and elders. These findings may provide criteria for both government agencies and banking institutions to make efforts focused on including these population groups that have not been financially included through digital banking.Originality/value: Identifying the barriers that affect financial inclusion, such as gender, region, size of the city and age can help to guide efforts to achieve greater economic freedom and quality of life for diverse types of populations. Although the study is carried out in an emerging economy, the results can also shed light on how to address these forms of exclusion that occur in different types of economies. It is understood that the lack of financial inclusion is a limitation to the economic freedom and quality of life to which everyone should have access, hence the relevance of the article.

The aim of this article is to present the results of a diagnostic study carried out on a group of Mexican university students regarding their perceived achievement of social entrepreneurship competence and its subcompetences. By means of a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, it was possible to evaluate the perception of this group on their level of perceived achievement considering the variable age. The results show a positive perception on the personal subcompetences and a low perception on the subcompetences of social innovation and business management. This article concludes with the need to promote projects and training programs that improve students’ perception of the achievement of the economic and administrative subcompetences linked to the management processes of the social entrepreneurship competence. This will allow future social entrepreneurs to develop an optimistic view of their professional tools when it comes to materializing their projects.

Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming increasingly common in people’s lives. The educational field is one of the most reflective on the importance of its adoption. Universities have made great efforts to integrate these new technologies into their classrooms, considering that every future professional will need AI skills and competencies. This article examines the importance of student perception and acceptance in adopting AI tools in higher education effectively. It highlights how students’ positive perceptions can significantly influence their motivation and commitment to learning. This research emphasizes that to integrate AI into university curricula successfully, it is essential to include its technologies in all areas of study and foster positivity among students regarding their use and training. This study’s methodology applied the validated instrument “Perception of Adoption and Training in the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in the Profession” to a sample of Mexican students. This exploratory analysis highlights the need for educational institutions to understand and address student perceptions of AI to design educational strategies that incorporate technological advances, are pedagogically relevant, and align with the students’ aspirations and needs.

This article presents the results of a bibliometric study that aimed to identify academic publications that considered the relationship between social entrepreneurship and the competency of complex thinking and its sub-competencies. The intention is to create a theoretical horizon that provides a complete overview of the current academic correlation between both competencies to identify areas of opportunity for new studies. Methodologically, we reviewed the Scopus and Web of Science databases under the PRISMA protocol. R, RStudio, and Bibliometrix were used to quantitatively analyze the data. The results showed that the number of related publications was minimal and corresponded to current studies, which sheds light on the vast possibilities to analyze the relationship between both variables.

Going beyond teaching knowledge to develop students’ competencies challenges contemporary universities because acquiring knowledge is insufficient without the capacity to implement it in real environments. Complex thinking is among the most valued competencies. It allows people to reason to solve problems, integrating their scientific, systemic, critical, and innovative skills. However, theoretically, there is a gender gap in the acquisition and development of complex thinking, suggesting inequity within the training processes. This article examines how acquiring and developing complex thinking are configured in a group of Mexican university students. Employing a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis, we intended our study to identify a possible gender gap and particular characteristics in the sample of female students to understand the formation of complex thinking considering the gender variable. Our conclusion found that, although the data suggests no statistically significant gap between the genders, it is still present in the unequal development of procedural knowledge in women, affecting their perception of their ability to implement what they know when solving problems. Practically, this text shows an area of opportunity for institutions that train complex thinking and establish educational policies to promote women’s leadership.