Systematic Review on Research Seedbeds in Latin American Higher Education

Abstract

This systematic review analyzes the academic literature on research seedbeds in Latin American higher education, understood as formative devices aimed at scientific initiation, the development of research competencies, and the early participation of students in knowledge-production practices. The objective was to analyze the conceptual approaches, methodologies, formative impacts, organizational models, and institutional strengthening strategies described in recent literature. A search was conducted for documents published between 2010 and 2025, following the general guidance of PRISMA 2020. After the identification, screening, and eligibility process, 22 documents were included in the qualitative synthesis. Findings were organized through inductive thematic analysis into five axes: conceptualization, methodologies, formative impacts, organizational models, and institutional strengthening strategies. The results show that research seedbeds are conceived as spaces for early training that articulate faculty mentorship, student participation, collaborative work, and academic production. However, the available evidence is heterogeneous and mainly concentrated in qualitative studies, case studies, systematizations of experiences, and documentary analyses, with limited use of comparative or longitudinal designs. The literature reports contributions to the development of research competencies, academic identity, motivation, and participation in learning communities; however, these effects depend on specific institutional conditions, such as curricular integration, tutor training, resource availability, monitoring mechanisms, and formal recognition. The review concludes that research seedbeds should be understood as situated formative devices whose sustainability requires moving beyond individual voluntarism toward evaluable, comparable institutional models adapted to the diversity of Latin American higher education.