THE CONTRIBUTION OF ANDRAGOGY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCIES ASSOCIATED WITH POLYMATHY: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
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Technological transformation with cross-disciplinary integration brings with it the automation of routine and specialized tasks, increasing the need for professionals capable of integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines, adapting to change, and engaging in lifelong learning. Polymathy has re-emerged as a relevant approach for understanding intellectual profiles capable of tackling complex problems; however, andragogy, self-directed learning, and polymathy have been studied separately, with little evidence integrating these three constructs into a single conceptual framework. This systematic review, using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, analyzes the contribution of andragogy to the development of polymath-related competencies in adults. The Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis Online, and Google Scholar databases were searched, considering articles in Spanish and English published between 2000 and 2026. A thematic analysis was conducted related to autonomy, self-directed learning, metacognition, lifelong learning, interdisciplinarity, creativity, and knowledge transfer. Sixty studies were identified. Andragogy fosters the development of educational environments oriented toward autonomy, intrinsic motivation, and problem-based learning—conditions that facilitate self-directed learning. This, in turn, strengthens competencies such as metacognition, self-regulation, lifelong learning, interdisciplinary integration, and knowledge transfer across domains. The main contribution of andragogy is to create educational conditions that promote self-directed learning and the strengthening of transversal competencies associated with polymath profiles. An integrative conceptual model is proposed that articulates andragogical principles, self-directed learning, and transversal competencies as a basis for explaining the progressive development of a polymath profile, outlining an agenda for its empirical validation.
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