Teaching Styles among Primary School Teachers in Pasto, Colombia

Understanding teaching styles is a key factor in assessing the quality of pedagogical practices, the impact of teaching on student learning, and the nature of relationships established in the classroom. In the context of primary education in the municipality of Pasto, Colombia, this category gains particular relevance due to the cultural, territorial, and institutional diversity that characterizes the local school system, as well as the multiple tensions teachers face between their pedagogical knowledge, institutional demands, and surrounding conditions. Several authors have emphasized the importance of studying teaching styles as complex and situated configurations that affect emotional climate, equity, and learning outcomes in the classroom (Araujo & Moraima, 2006; González, 2013; Renés, 2018; Carbonero et al., 2017; Bou-Sospedra et al., 2021). This study aimed to identify, characterize, and analyze the teaching styles of primary school teachers in Pasto, based on their training trajectories and school practices, in order to establish their main pedagogical, organizational, and social implications. The research was conducted using a sequential mixed-methods approach that combined qualitative and quantitative techniques. Four phases were implemented: (1) a documentary and theoretical review to conceptually ground the category of “teaching styles” (De León, 2013; Martínez, 2009; Hernández-Valbuena & Abello-Camacho, 2013); (2) classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and the application of a specialized test designed by the research team and validated by expert judgment, based on models such as Grasha’s (cited in Bedoya & Revelo, 2024); (3) the development and application of a Relationship Guide to establish links between teaching style, teacher training, and institutional conditions; and (4) the application of a Pedagogical Implications Test aimed at analyzing the concrete effects of teaching styles on learning, student participation, inclusion, and classroom climate. The sample consisted of 876 tenured teachers assigned to the 47 public educational institutions of the municipality of Pasto. The findings identified four predominant teaching styles: traditional or transmissive (42%), participatory or active (31%), reflective or mediating (19%), and delegative or autonomous (8%). These styles are not viewed as individual traits but as situated configurations influenced by initial and continuing teacher education, classroom structural conditions, institutional culture, and teachers' pedagogical beliefs (Espada et al., 2019; Fernández & Espada, 2017; Lafebre-Quezada & Aldas-Arcos, 2022). It was found that active, reflective, and delegative styles promote meaningful learning, greater inclusion, and student well-being, while the traditional style tends to reinforce rigid and exclusionary schemes. The transformation of teaching styles also depends on continuing education policies (Imbernón, 2010), institutional support (Gómez, 2014; Guillín & Lojano, 2019), and the development of reflective professional communities (Gravini et al., 2009; Valverde-López & Ureña-Hernández, 2021). In conclusion, the study offers a situated characterization of teaching styles in diverse school settings and highlights their direct impact on educational equity, quality, and inclusion. The results provide a useful tool for guiding teacher training processes, professional evaluation, and the design of educational public policies in highly heterogeneous territories such as Pasto.