Lourdes Villardón-Gallego

En un contexto global de transformación social, la formación teológica continua se presenta como una estrategia relevante para fortalecer el capital humano, social y espiritual en comunidades diversas, incluidas las de base confesional. Aunque la educación de adultos ha sido ampliamente estudiada, son escasos los trabajos que aborden las motivaciones iniciales en programas teológicos, particularmente en América Latina. Este estudio cualitativo busca abordar esa brecha mediante el análisis de las motivaciones expresadas por personas adultas que acceden a programas de formación teológica continua en una universidad católica chilena. El estudio se basa en un análisis temático inductivo de las respuestas abiertas de un cuestionario digital (pretest) aplicado a 60 estudiantes de diplomados teológicos. Se identificaron seis categorías motivacionales: formación personal y teológica, vocación ministerial, servicio eclesial, desarrollo profesional, motivación institucional o externa, y otros motivos, esta última subdividida en motivación genérica y exploratoria. Los hallazgos muestran que la decisión de iniciar un proceso de formación teológica responde a una constelación amplia y multifacética de factores vocacionales, espirituales, comunitarios y profesionales, lo que cuestiona los modelos lineales de ingreso a la formación y aporta evidencia empírica inédita sobre la voz del estudiantado adulto en el contexto latinoamericano. Sus implicaciones prácticas apuntan a la creación de itinerarios curriculares diferenciados y estrategias de acompañamiento personalizadas. Se recomienda ampliar la investigación a contextos interconfesionales y realizar estudios longitudinales que permitan observar la evolución de estas motivaciones en el tiempo.

Perceived competence is considered an essential predictor of learner´s performance in language learning. It is therefore important to identify strategies that favor its development. This study aims to analyze whether the perceived linguistic competence of English as a L2 of pre-service teachers improves after implementing Dialogic Pedagogical Gatherings (DPGs), and if so, in which skills have there been improvements. Likewise, the study also pretends to identify which characteristics of the DPGs can favor this evolution. DPG is an educational strategy based on egalitarian dialogue among participants. The research involved 26 university students who participated in 8 DPGs during a whole academic year. Data was gathered qualitatively though an open-ended questionnaire and a focus group. The results show that the participants consider that they have improved their level of English after participating in the DPGs, especially in speaking and reading skills, as well as in pronunciation, listening comprehension, and confidence in using the language. They also identify some characteristics of the intervention as key to fostering this improvement: collaboration among peers, solidarity, reduced groups and classroom climate. The results with respect to this teaching strategy have implications for second language learning.

Discrimination and educational inequalities continually affect lifelong learning opportunities among marginalized groups in the 21st century. In Ghana and many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, children from rural and urban poor communities, ethnic and linguistic minorities and those in displaced situations have experienced discrimination and marginalization in education for decades. However, few studies propose ways marginalized students in Ghana can transform their experiences in school. This paper explores how participating in a dialogue-based intervention named Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs) transformed the educational experiences of marginalized students. An ethnographic-case study was conducted with 8th-grade students in a compulsory school in Southeastern Ghana. Focusing on the personal accounts of seven students, our findings show that the DLGs created affordances for marginalized students to engage in egalitarian dialogue, share their grievances while transforming relationships and attitudes with their peers and boost participants’ self-confidence, eventually transforming their educational experiences. This is relevant for practitioners and stakeholders seeking innovative strategies that potentially transform discriminated and marginalized students’ experiences and potentially keep them in school.

Academic and social-emotional experiences during the university years influence students’ academic achievement and emotional well-being. However, there is insufficient evidence on how the numerical representation of same-gendered persons affects such experiences in each group. The aim of this research was to analyze university experiences within degree programs where there is a large gender gap in students enrolled. The study is descriptive and cross-sectional and uses a mixed approach. An adaptation of the QVAr (questionnaire on academic experiences-reduced version) was administered to 726 students enrolled in degree programs with a large gender gap. Additionally, ten individual interviews were carried out with students belonging to minority gender groups. The obtained results show that, in these degree programs, students’ adaptation and coexistence processes are different, especially in interpersonal relationships between the majority and minority groups. Women in the minority require support from their female classmates in the early years of the degree program. Men in the minority, however, feel like part of the group from the start.

Background: Gender-based violence is a worldwide public health problem that is increasingly occurring at younger ages. This investigation aims to analyze effective interventions to prevent and to face gender-based violence beginning in early childhood in order to ensure quality education for all children through violence-free schools. Methods: This research has conducted a systematic review of interventions that have demonstrated a positive impact on the prevention and reduction of gender-based violence from early ages up to 12 years, inclusive, in schools. An extensive search in scientific databases (WoS, SCOPUS, ERIC, PsycINFO) was conducted from 2007 to 2022. Results: Thirteen articles were selected and analyzed in-depth to identify the success factors of these interventions, which (a) are integrated into the school curriculum; (b) promote active participation of students and community; (c) are based on scientific evidence; and (d) make relevant adaptations to a specific group and context. Conclusions: The programs analyzed have had a positive impact on raising awareness of gender violence, overcoming stereotypes, improving relationships in the classroom and reducing violent behavior, as well as empowering the most vulnerable people.

Over the last decades, many efforts have been made to establish the Basque minority language as a normalized language in the Basque Country. Research has shown that language use, language proficiency and attitudes towards language are closely associated. Likewise, the benefit of interactive learning environments for improving language proficiency is well known. However, the effect of such environments on attitudes towards second languages (L2) has been less studied. This article presents a qualitative study that explores the extent to which the implementation of a particular dialogue-based classroom strategy, named Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs), may transform secondary students’ attitudes towards Basque (L2). The DLGs were carried out with 46 secondary education students in the Basque Country. After implementing DLGs, teachers’ interviews and students’ focus groups were conducted and analysed inductively. Results show that participants reported changes in students’ attitudes towards Basque and they related these changes to the dialogical space they experienced during the DLGs, since this created affordances for them to engage in meaningful discussions when speaking in Basque. Implications of the study are discussed.

The basic competences (such as Information Acquisition and Management; Understanding and Expression of Information and Emotions; Competence to Do and Undertake; Competence to Live Together; and Competence to Be) are necessary to achieve adequate personal, social and professional development. This study develops and validates, through Confirmatory Factor Analysis, an instrument for assessing them. Data were collected from 751 secondary students, with ages ranging from 11 to 18. The results confirm the structure of the instrument, comprising five independent scales. The instrument is valid for its application, either as a whole or separately.

The goal of this study is to determine the extent to which faculty training in cooperative learning (CL) transfers to university teaching, according to students’ opinions. The design was quasi-experimental, with a control group and an intervention group. During two years, 346 first-year university Business School students and 12 university teachers of four disciplines (Business and Economy, Communication, Mathematics and Knowledge Integration) took part in the study. The results show that, after specific training in CL methodology, teachers showed significant improvement in the application of several CL dimensions: social skills, evaluation, reflection, interdependence, interaction and tutoring. In addition, a multivariate analysis of variance was calculated to examine the possible interaction effect of teacher training and disciplines on CL application. The results indicate that training based on participants’ needs and context fosters transference to university teaching. Teachers from different disciplines respond differently when applying CL to the classroom after training, especially in evaluation, heterogeneity, and tutoring. The results highlight the importance of a quality faculty professional development program.

La identidad profesional del profesorado afecta a la forma de ser y actuar como profesor (1). Por ello, es importante trabajarla específicamente en la formación inicial. La interacción, la reflexión y la acción han demostrado ser elementos formativos eficaces para trabajar la identidad profesional en la formación inicial del profesorado. En esta experiencia educativa se han utilizado diferentes estrategias que incluyen dichos elementos con el objetivo de analizar su impacto específico en el aprendizaje y en el desarrollo de la identidad docente. Las estrategias didácticas utilizadas en esta práctica educativa son la metáfora, el diario de prácticas, el aprendizaje basado en la investigación y las tertulias pedagógicas dialógicas llevadas a cabo en una metodología de tutoría entre iguales. La muestra está compuesta por 68 estudiantes del Máster en Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundaria. Los resultados indican que las estrategias metodológicas utilizadas en esta experiencia de tutoría entre iguales han favorecido el desarrollo de la identidad profesional en un clima de aprendizaje positivo. Se puede concluir que promover estrategias basadas en la interacción, la reflexión y la acción ayuda a profundizar sobre la identidad del profesorado. Además, permite un desarrollo de las competencias docentes y un mayor conocimiento de estrategias didácticas específicas que pueden ser transferibles a su desempeño docente.

Family participation and involvement in schools has been reported to be crucial for improving academic achievement and social cohesion, especially among those systematically excluded such as migrants or the Roma population. However, these families often participate less in school life. This hinders any attempt to reverse the cycle of inequality experienced in Europe by the Roma and migrant population, among others. This study focuses on a specific school that has successfully engaged Roma and migrant families. Particularly, this case study aims to identify the characteristics of the relationship that the Roma and migrant families have with the school and the way that parents’ involvement in the education of their children has been promoted. The main results show that the participation of these families has been fostered by a strong collaboration constructed with egalitarian dialogue, trust and confidence-based relationships, and having a shared purpose of ensuring high-quality education for all children.