Cultural differences in complexity reasoning in higher education

Abstract

The transformations experienced, the increase in socio-educational inequalities, the lack of diversity, and the gender gap, both in academic and professional fields, highlight the need to deepen training and education in STEAM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). This paper identifies two key areas to promote the visibility of women in STEM disciplines: national culture and complex thinking. To this end, a survey instrument was applied to 684 university students from four different countries: Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Spain. The instrument sought to measure the different dimensions that make up complex thinking (critical, scientific, innovative, and systemic). A multiple analysis of variance was carried out to compare differences between countries, and an analysis of possible connections with cultural dimensions that might be appropriate. Simple boxplots were also created to visually inspect the behavior of the different samples for each dimension. The results obtained, based on national culture point to a clear direct relationship with all components of complex thinking.