Regina Gairal-Casadó

La literatura científica ha evidenciado que las expectativas del personal educativo de centros residenciales influyen de manera significativa en las trayectorias académicas de los niños/as y adolescentes en situación de tutela. No obstante, persiste una falta de conocimiento sobre cómo la participación directa en programas de divulgación científica inclusivos puede transformar las percepciones de educadores y educadoras hacia niños, niñas y adolescentes que residen en centros de protección, así como sobre el impacto de estas percepciones en sus itinerarios educativos. Este artículo analizó el efecto de un proyecto de educación científica, financiado por la Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FECYT), en las expectativas del equipo educativo de varios centros residenciales. El proyecto acercó contenidos científicos actuales a los y las jóvenes mediante encuentros dialógicos y talleres impartidos por investigadores e investigadoras en activo de distintas disciplinas. Se utilizó una metodología cualitativa de carácter comunicativo, que incluyó entrevistas tanto con el personal educativo como con los y las adolescentes participantes. Los resultados muestran que, inicialmente, los y las educadoras albergaban expectativas limitadas respecto a la capacidad del alumnado para involucrarse con contenidos científicos. Sin embargo, tras observar su participación activa, pensamiento crítico e interés por el conocimiento, el equipo educativo informó de un cambio en sus percepciones, reconociendo el potencial académico de quienes participaron valorando su implicación en el diálogo científico. Estos hallazgos sugieren que los programas de educación científica inclusiva no solo ofrecen oportunidades significativas de aprendizaje para jóvenes en el sistema de protección, sino que también contribuyen a cuestionar y transformar prejuicios entre el personal educativo, favoreciendo entornos de aprendizaje más equitativos y potenciadores.

There is a large body of scientific literature documenting educational inequality affecting children in care and unequal access to supportive environments and role models linked to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). However, fewer social impact studies have been conducted to show how to overcome this barrier. This research introduces an extended learning time intervention based on dialogic scientific gatherings (DSG) around different STEM topics followed by training sessions with scientists on human evolution, palaeo-ecology, physics, and chemistry. The study was carried out in a residential care environment involving adolescents ( N = 9) aged 17–19 years old and social workers ( N = 5), and it is framed within communicative methodology (CM) through communicative semi-structured interviews conducted with all participants involved in the project ( N = 14). From the participants’ voices and their social workers’ perceptions, the results allow us to assert that adolescents in care are also interested in science when successful evidence-based actions are implemented. This research describes specific actions that can contribute to overcoming educational inequality by opening up possibilities for access to STEM careers for adolescents in care.

Research on the effects of social media has evidenced their influence on public opinion concerning health issues. However, there are scarce analyses that pay attention to this influence when health advice generalizes certain groups’ sexual practices. This generalization occurred with monkeypox, men who have sex with men, after two World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations launched in 2022. Therefore, this is the issue that will be deeply explored in the article. Drawing on the methodological strategy of social media analytics (SMA), 2313 tweets have been reviewed focused on people’s reactions in front of WHO’s statements of July 2022 about monkeypox and men who have sex with men behaviours. Findings illustrate that there is positioning against the generalizations caused due to WHO’s statement creating a public discourse against the stigma of homosexual and bisexual men. This positioning is directly linked with people’s claims to follow the evidence and valid claims on public health issues. Using social networks for claiming the use of rigorous data and evidence may contribute to a significant change in public opinion and health organizations.  

In linguistically diverse contexts, language learning and the building of quality relationships are key – and intertwined – educational goals. These aspects are particularly important in learning c...

Dialogic popular education developed by La Verneda-Sant Martí School for Adults in Spain, influenced by the work of Paulo Freire, has had a range of significant social and educational impacts. Starting with an emancipatory approach to eradicate oppression, this dialogic popular education resisted and has transformed aspects of the Spanish educational sphere despite ongoing hindrances and difficulties. This article presents a path of events, a history of interventions and findings from research on how dialogic popular education has affected and changed educational practices as well as how research is approached elsewhere in Europe. In addition, it presents ways in which a radical commitment to social change can be combined with scientific standards in the pursuit of achieving a better society for all.

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