Construction of equity in Ecuadorian higher education policy documents

Equity is considered a key element to ensure universal access to high‐quality education and equal treatment in the higher education system. This study investigates the construction of equity in Ecuadorian higher education through two sets of policy documents—higher education and language policies, both relevant in considering the direction and structure of the higher education sector. The coherence or deficiencies in the construction of equity are important for this concept to be exercised and properly enacted. To this end, five national policy documents related to higher education were selected to be analyzed through a critical discourse analysis lens to determine whether the policy documents are framed with a limited or more expansive interpretation in relation to theoretical elements of equity. Critical discourse analysis was chosen as the main analysis tool since it permits the identification and critical examination of similarities and differences in two or more sets of documents. The study identifies autonomy, identity, and equality as prevalent elements of equity in the general laws regulating higher education and the national educational plan, whereas the language policy documents are more focused on competitiveness and aspects of globalization. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of coherence in policy documents to achieve more equitable practices. 公平被认为是确保高等教育系统中普遍获得高质量教育和平等待遇的关键要素。本研究通过两套政策文件（高等教育和语言政策）调查了厄瓜多尔高等教育中对公平的建构，这两套政策文件都与“考量高等教育部门的方向和结构”一事有关。公平建构的一致性或缺陷对于这一概念的运用和正确制定非常重要。为此，我们选择了五份与高等教育相关的国家政策文件，通过批判性话语分析的视角进行分析，以确定这些政策文件在公平理论要素方面的解释是否存在有限或更为广泛的诠释。批判性话语分析被选为主要分析工具，因为它允许识别和批判检验两组或多组文档中的相似性和差异。本研究将自治、身份和平等视为高等教育一般法律和国家教育计划中公平的普遍要素，而语言政策文件则更关注竞争力和全球化要素。总之，本研究强调了政策文件一致性对于实现更公平实践的重要性。 La equidad se considera un elemento clave para garantizar el acceso universal a una educación de alta calidad y la igualdad de trato en el sistema de educación superior. Este estudio investiga la construcción de equidad en la educación superior ecuatoriana a través de dos grupos de documentos de política pública: educación superior y políticas del lenguaje, ambos relevantes al considerar la dirección y estructura del sector de educación superior. La coherencia o deficiencias en la construcción de equidad son importantes para que este concepto se ejerza y se implemente adecuadamente. Con este fin, se seleccionaron cinco documentos de políticas nacionales relacionados con la educación superior para ser analizados a través de una lente de análisis