Factores que inciden en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de las escuelas de policía en Colombia

Abstract

This article describes the factors that influence the teaching-learning process in police education based on three categories of analysis: learning styles, environmental factors, and emotional factors. The communication triangle among instructors, commanders, and students was observed as a resource for examining the pedagogical perspective. The research method was descriptive ethnography and non-participant observation, which analyzed communicative interaction in everyday educational practices in thirteen Police Schools in Colombia, focusing on the training and instructional components. As an emerging variable, the factors that affect learning were identified after processing the observation logs in Atlas.ti. Among the findings, it was noted that instructors use standard strategies that may overlook students’ particularities, due to the difficulty of addressing individual learning styles in large classes. Environmental conditions—such as deficiencies in infrastructure, class size, poor lighting, and educational tools like interactive screens that limit visibility for many students—also impact learning. Regarding emotional factors, the hierarchical relationships and physically exhausting environments were found to influence learning. Persistent cultural traditions and patterns were also evident, including paradigms about what is considered valuable learning. In conclusion, the focus on discipline and obedience is essential in police education and must be integrated with the conceptual and theoretical aspects of the subject matter to achieve comprehensive training. Doctrinal identity is prioritized over educational identity, and greater visibility is needed regarding shared responsibility in curriculum development.