Active Methodologies Mediated by Digital Platforms and Student Participation in School Education: A Scoping Review of Dimensions, Pedagogical Design, and Equity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64747/1t7nyx47Keywords:
active learning, student participation, student engagement, digital platforms, problem-based learning, inquiry, collaborative learning, digital equityAbstract
Introduction: Educational platforms make part of student activity visible, but logging in, clicking, or posting does not necessarily constitute cognitive, emotional, or social participation. Active methodologies may broaden opportunities for involvement when technology is integrated with authentic tasks, collaboration, scaffolding, and feedback. Objective: To map evidence published through May 22, 2026, on the dimensions, measures, pedagogical components, digital functions, teaching practices, and equity conditions of platform-mediated active methodologies in school education. Methods: A JBI-oriented scoping review was reported using PRISMA-ScR. Ten historical Crossref searches retrieved 600 records; 570 were unique and 94 passed a broad thematic filter. Forty-six reports were assessed and 20 sources were included after complementary tracing through ERIC, DOI records, publisher pages, and institutional sources. Results: The corpus comprised 12 reviews or syntheses and eight empirical or process studies. Participation was behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social, although measurement was heterogeneous. Platforms, applications, and analytics supported access, production, collaboration, visualization, and feedback; their contribution depended on pedagogy and teacher orchestration. More consistent designs connected authentic problems, roles, shared products, dialogue, reflection, and follow-up. Evidence showed that low visibility may represent peripheral participation and that averages can conceal concentrated contributions. Connectivity, accessibility, privacy, and digital competence shaped equity. Conclusions: A platform should be treated as pedagogical infrastructure rather than an autonomous intervention. Responsible evaluation separates opportunity, quantity, quality, and distribution of participation and triangulates observation, products, student voice, and minimal traces. Current evidence can guide a future Ecuadorian pilot but cannot establish local effectiveness or replace prospective implementation.
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