SARA
REAL CASTELAO

Current Position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy at the University of León. PhD in Psychology from the University of Oviedo (2011). I am an active member of the Research Group on Cognition and Learning in Writing and Reading (CAEL) at the University of León, recognized as a Consolidated Research Unit by the Junta de Castilla y León (UIC 309). Within this group, my work focuses on researching and implementing programs addressing modulating variables in the process of acquiring written competence. After earning my doctorate, I conducted a research stay in 2014 at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Esmeraldas campus (PUCESE), initially planned for one year but shortened to six months upon being hired as a full-time professor. Subsequently, I was appointed Director of Research and Postgraduate Studies, expanding my research functions to teaching, management, and community engagement, which strengthened my skills in knowledge transfer. I held this position until 2016, when I returned to Spain due to an earthquake, though I continue collaborating with this university as a guest lecturer in online programs. Since 2017, I have worked as a professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), where I also supervised master's theses in postgraduate programs in Special Education and Educational Psychology. Later, between 2018 and 2023, I worked at the Ponferrada Associate Center of the National Distance Education University (UNED) as Academic Deputy Director and Secretary, undertaking academic management responsibilities, and as a teaching tutor with venia docendi in psychology and pedagogy courses. I was also responsible for the COIE (University Orientation and Employment Center) and for training in methodology and new technologies for students, teaching staff, and tutors. I have participated in 19 research projects, acting as the principal investigator in two of them, as well as the project that originated my doctoral thesis. I have published articles in indexed journals within my field of expertise and related areas, along with books and book chapters. I have presented more than 70 works at national and international conferences and accumulated approximately 2,000 hours of teaching experience in undergraduate and master's programs, as well as supervising over 30 master's theses. I maintain ongoing professional development through specialized courses and seminars that enhance my skills for application in both teaching and research. My activity as a researcher and educator began during the first year of my undergraduate studies, driven by a passion for teaching and research that led me to join the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Psychology in 2001. To date, I have maintained an active career across the three key areas of higher education: teaching, research, and knowledge transfer to the community, while also taking on management responsibilities. I am committed to the constant effort required to improve higher education.