Epistemic Priorities in the Research Training of Latin American Engineers: Contributing to Human Development

Abstract

Objective: To identify the epistemic priorities that should guide the research training of Latin American engineers in order to strengthen their contribution to human development and cognitive equity. Methods: A qualitative documentary research was carried out, based on the interpretive analysis of the educational models of 63 Latin American universities, curricular management regulations, and 10 recent scientific articles. The procedure included the collection and systematization of information, content analysis, and interpretive synthesis. Results: Four epistemic priorities were identified: the adoption of Southern epistemology and cognitive justice; the curricular integration of structural problems associated with the Sustainable Development Goals; a transdisciplinary and open conception of research training; and the strengthening of extended epistemic communities through university-society engagement. These priorities promote ethical, critical, and contextualized training. Conclusions: The research training of Latin American engineers requires an epistemic shift that articulates situated knowledge, social commitment, and sustainability. The integration of the SDGs, transdisciplinarity, and the link with the social environment are key to consolidating an engineering oriented toward human development.