01.06.2026 Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid and the University of Coimbra Successfully Conduct Focus Groups

Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid and the University of Coimbra successfully joined forces to conduct a series of qualitative focus groups. By supporting each other throughout the fieldwork, the two teams gathered critical insights from Bachelor's students, Master's students, and faculty members. The combined results reveal a powerful disconnect: while students face a daily reality of intense political polarization, discrimination, and media-driven controversies in the classroom, teaching staff are often unaware of the deep impact these hidden dynamics have on the student body.

In a powerful display of academic cooperation, Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid and the University of Coimbra supported each other to conduct a series of qualitative focus groups in May 2026. By bringing students and faculty together in small, trusted sessions, the research teams created a secure space to uncover firsthand experiences of campus conflict.

The findings immediately revealed a striking contrast: while both sides agree that classroom tensions are rising, lecturers frequently miss the sheer intensity of these conflicts. For students, ideological and political polarization is a daily reality, marked by peer-to-peer discrimination, homophobic remarks, and chauvinistic attitudes during group work. While students value the university as a space for free dialogue compared to pre-university schools, they feel heavily burdened by this growing undercurrent of hostility.

The most heated moments occurred when external societal debates invaded academic spaces. A prime example was Spain's highly publicized euthanasia controversy of a 26-year-old woman, which spilled into lecture halls and sparked aggressive, highly personal clashes. The students' palpable frustration made it clear: they care deeply about having a safe learning environment, yet they feel these painful incidents fly completely under the faculty's radar. This powerful disconnect underscores exactly why the NAVINCLASS project is so urgently needed to build supportive classroom dynamics for the future.

Learn here more about the qualitative research at Comillas Pontifical University and Coimbra University.