Introducción: el aprendizaje del estilo libre o crol requiere el dominio progresivo de habilidades acuáticas básicas que permitan al estudiante desenvolverse con seguridad, control postural y coordinación en el medio acuático. Objetivo: desarrollar y evaluar las habilidades técnicas básicas vinculadas con la enseñanza del estilo libre en estudiantes de la Carrera de Pedagogía de la Actividad Física y Deporte de la Universidad Técnica de Ambato. Metodología: se realizó un estudio cuantitativo, empírico y observacional, con medición pretest y postest en un solo grupo. Participaron 10 estudiantes sin conocimientos previos de crol, seleccionados intencionalmente de un grupo de 39; la muestra estuvo integrada por cinco mujeres y cinco varones. Se aplicó un instrumento observacional con escala de tres niveles: nulo, medio y bueno, para valorar adaptabilidad al entorno, flotabilidad, inmersión, control de la respiración y confianza en el instructor. La intervención se organizó mediante actividades progresivas en seco y en agua, con recursos didácticos, tareas lúdicas, ejercicios de patada, brazada, respiración y coordinación. Resultados: el porcentaje de participantes clasificados en nivel bueno pasó de 10 % a 90 % en adaptabilidad, de 0 % a 80 % en flotabilidad, de 0 % a 80 % en inmersión, de 0 % a 70 % en control respiratorio y de 90 % a 100 % en confianza con el instructor. Conclusión: la intervención mostró una mejora descriptiva consistente en las habilidades acuáticas básicas, especialmente en flotabilidad, inmersión, respiración y adaptabilidad, y reafirmó la relevancia del acompañamiento pedagógico y empático del instructor durante la iniciación al crol.

Área de estudio general: Educación. Área de estudio específica: Actividad física y deporte. Tipo de artículo: original.

Introduction: this study analyzes the transversal competencies of the personnel of the Fire Department of the Salcedo canton and their relationship with the perception of the training process received in risk and emergency management. Objectives: the objective was to determine the degree of association between the transversal competencies of the staff and their assessment of the training process, considering the performance of the instructor, the relevance of the contents and the conditions of the learning environment. Methodology: the methodological design had a quantitative, field, non-experimental approach, and descriptive-correlational scope. Data collection was conducted through surveys applied to 17 members of the institution, who were administered a structured questionnaire aimed at measuring the profile of transversal competencies and the perception of the training environment. Data analysis was performed in SPSS using frequencies, percentages, descriptive statistics, Shapiro-Wilk normality test, and Spearman correlation. Results: the findings showed that most of the staff were at a medium level of transversal competencies, with strengths in reliability (M = 8.88), optimism (M = 8.65), and decision-making (M = 8.53). Regarding the association between variables, Spearman's Rho coefficient was -0.108, with a significance of p = 0.679, which shows a very weak and statistically non-significant negative correlation. Conclusions: in conclusion, although the participants favorably valued the instructor's performance and the training contents, the data do not allow us to affirm that a positive perception of the teaching process translates into a greater development of transversal competencies. This scenario shows the need to restructure the institutional training offer towards practical, continuous schemes linked to the real demands of operational personnel. General Area of Study: Administration and economics for the sustainable development of organizations and society. Specific area of study: Public administration. Type of study: Original articles.

Introduction: At Santa Marianita Educational Unit, located in Manta, Ecuador, difficulties were identified among adult ninth-grade general basic education students enrolled in an extraordinary education program, particularly in operational hierarchy, procedural organization, and the contextual resolution of combined operations. These needs guided the design of a GeoGebra-mediated didactic strategy aimed at supporting the visualization of procedures, error analysis, and feedback during mathematical problem solving. Objective: To evaluate the changes observed in the learning of combined operations before and after the implementation of a GeoGebra-mediated didactic strategy among ninth-grade general basic education students enrolled in an extraordinary education program at Santa Marianita Educational Unit. Methodology: An applied study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach with quantitative predominance and a one-group pre-experiment pretest-post-test design. The participants were 28 adult students. Performance was assessed using a 20-item objective test administered before and after six intervention sessions. Subsequently, a 20-item satisfaction survey was conducted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the principal, vice-principal, and Mathematics teacher. The didactic proposal was independently evaluated by five professionals. Normality of the difference scores was examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and pretest-post test scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: The mean score increased from 5.54 (SD = 1.04) on the pre-test to 7.80 (SD = 0.86) on the post-test. Twenty-seven of the 28 participants obtained higher scores at post-test, while one participant obtained the same score. The difference was statistically significant (W = 0.00, p < .001), with a large effect size (r = .88). All four dimensions showed descriptive increases, although contextual problem solving remained the dimension with the lowest post-test score. The survey showed a predominantly favorable evaluation of the experience, particularly regarding motivation and interest, while the interviews provided complementary information on the visualization of procedures, student participation, teacher mediation, and implementation conditions. Conclusion: Implementation of the strategy was accompanied by a favorable pattern in subsequent performance and a positive evaluation of the educational experience. Given the pre-experiment design, absence of a comparison group, differences in the administration conditions of the two measurements, and psychometric limitations of the objective test, the findings should be restricted to the group and context studied and do not allow a definitive causal relationship to be established between the implemented strategy and the observed differences. Area of Study: Education. Specific area of study: Mathematics Education and Educational Technology. Type of study: Original article.