Concepciones de profesores de nivel medio superior sobre el uso de la historia de la matemática

En esta comunicación se presentan resultados de una investigación cuyo objeto fue analizar concepciones de profesores de matemáticas de nivel medio superior sobre la inclusión de la historia de la matemática en su práctica docente. Se usó un método mixto para la recogida y análisis de datos. Para detectar concepciones de los profesores, se elaboraron un cuestionario y una entrevista. Los resultados de su aplicación indican que la mayoría de los profesores del estudio no están habituados a considerar la historia de la matemática en su enseñanza; además sus concepciones sobre incluir este recurso están condicionadas por su visión del sistema educativo.

The identity of sociology or what to do when the universe is unknown: qualitative solutions against the quantitative obsession

Social Sciences can, on occasions, be similar to the so called “hard” sciences. However, in many cases, neither the object nor the classical methods fit in with the objectives of the work. The object requires methodological and technical adjustments, which are often avoided by means of an improper rigidity of the object’s needs. These adjustments can even alter the original research idea. The main objective of this article consists of proving that those objects of study, less suitable to be addressed by rigid positivistic strategies, can be approached both scientifically and sociologically. This can be achieved with the use of different strategies and flexible methodologies to ensure validity and reliability standards. This paper will be posed, firstly, a reflection on the epistemological nature of the debate about the rigid-flexible perspectives. Secondly, the strategies and tools used by the research team to achieve the reduction of the uncertainty about the size and characteristics of the population studied will be described. Finally, some of the survey results obtained in this project will be compared to those provided by the FAMILITUR Survey (2008), conducted by the Spanish Institute of Tourist Studies (IET).