Analysing “pedagogical practices” through the lens of portuguese academia

The relevance of pedagogical practices in the teaching-learning process is consensual in the literature. In this exploratory study, we intend to analyze how the topic "pedagogical practices" has been discussed in Portuguese academia, specifically within the scope of master's and doctoral dissertations completed and under completion. Using data from the RENATES platform, a national database of all theses and dissertations recorded in Portugal, and using “pedagogical practices” as a keyword, a total of 86 records emerged from the research. A critical analysis of all these records was performed, focusing the scientific areas, the degree, the time of registration, the sector (public/private) and the subsystem (university and polytechnic) associated with each record. Finally, using a content analysis of the thesis titles, it was extracted the main categories associated with "pedagogical practices", providing a comprehensive framework of how Portuguese academia has been studying this topic. These data will be discussed in terms of the educational level, focus of analysis, and key-concepts that were linked to “pedagogical practices” in the doctoral theses and in master dissertations along time.