Initial education of philosophy teachers in Colombia: Association between new public policy requirements and national standardized tests

Abstract

This paper evaluates the association between new public policy requirements for B.Ed. programs in Colombia -1) demand high-quality accreditation, 2) restrict distance modality, 3) restrict multidisciplinary programs, and 4) increase academic credits in education courses and pedagogical practices- and the outcomes of 1387 B.Ed. in Philosophy students in the National Saber Pro test 2016-2018, in 'Education' component. The methodology was multilevel linear regression; the residential region is the level variable, and were included other control variables (gender, age, ethnic minority, socioeconomic index, etc.). The results show that outcomes are associated with pedagogical practices and with non-multidisciplinary programs, supporting new regulations. Students attending on campus programs had better outcomes, but students in distance programs came from regions where there are no programs, so this must be taken carefully. Contrary to the hypothesis, high-quality accreditation was not significant. This should lead to a review of accreditation criteria and its mandatory nature.