Towards an inclusive pedagogy: tensions and gaps in university teacher training

In the context of a growing demand for education systems that respond to multicultural realities, attention to diversity has become a key priority in contemporary educational agendas. However, in many teacher education programmes it is integrated only superficially or in a non-systematic manner, particularly in the formal curriculum. This study examines how attention to diversity is incorporated into the curricular plans of university-level teacher training, based on a qualitative analysis of 55 syllabi from a Faculty of Education at a private university in Lima, Peru. An instrumental case study design with a qualitative approach was employed. The corpus was analyzed using a semi-structured documentary analysis guide and coded in Atlas.ti, combining a priori categories (explicit mention of diversity, transversality in competencies and objectives, inclusive methodological strategies, differentiated assessment, and specialized literature) with emergent categories (decontextualized curriculum, terminological vacuity, and technical–administrative overload). The results indicate a partial, superficial and unsystematic integration of the inclusive approach, with a predominance of declarative statements over concrete pedagogical strategies. While some courses demonstrate transformative potential, these are not coherently aligned with a critical approach or a plural epistemic vision. The study concludes that attention to diversity should be embedded in a training methodology supported by coherent, well-articulated actions.