Investigative Mentorship and Formative Research in University Students

Abstract

This article examines investigative mentorship and formative research as pedagogical mechanisms to strengthen the scientific autonomy of university students in advanced stages of their degree programs. Drawing from the underlying thesis, it analyzes indicators related to methodological tutoring, monitoring, feedback, thesis completion support, critical thinking, inquiry-based activities, and the integration of theory with practice. A progressive model is proposed that shifts students from an initial state of dependency toward greater autonomy in problem formulation, source selection, methodological decision-making, and data interpretation. The study integrates recent literature and evaluation criteria for academic outputs, highlighting the value of combining surveys with document analysis. No institutional empirical results are presented; the contribution is conceptual and methodological, aimed at establishing a foundation for future interventions and correlational studies in higher education.