Beyond technique: attitudinal dimensions and pedagogical dissonance in the university digital transition

Abstract

This article analyzes the critical role of pedagogical leadership in the digital transition of higher education, focusing on attitudinal dimensions and the pedagogical dissonance of the faculty. The primary objective is to explore how these subjective factors mediate the adoption of emerging technologies and the promotion of active learning. Under a qualitative paradigm with a bibliographic-hermeneutic design, a semi-bibliometric analysis was conducted on 14 current sources (2016-2026), distributed across three fundamental pillars: the affective dimension of leadership, the transition toward the Teacher 4.0, and critical leadership for reflective thinking.The findings demonstrate that university digitalization transcends technical aspects to become a process of identity reconfiguration. The discussion highlights that the management of emotions, subjective well-being, and the shift from "knowing" to "knowing how to be" are decisive factors in mitigating resistance to institutional change. It is concluded that pedagogical leadership acts as a humanized and ethical safeguard that guarantees educational quality in virtual ecosystems. This study contributes theoretically by proposing an emancipatory and critical leadership, projecting future lines of research on the impact of soft skills in the construction of social justice and continuous school improvement in the digital age.