La investigación educativa interdisciplinaria integrada en el Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE): un aporte de las Unidades Académicas y del INEINA

The project called Perfiles, Dinámicas y Desafíos de la Educación Costarricense (Profiles, Dynamics and Challenges of the Costa Rican Education) in its various working phases it conducts interdisciplinary educational research at an integrated level at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE) (Research and Teaching Center) from Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. This article discusses the importance of taking into account outcomes and products of such research work within the various majors that CIDE offers.

El equipo de investigación: un reto y una realidad

This paper presents the different initial challenges, work processes, team formation and learning content obtained by researchers of the interdisciplinary team of the project called Proyecto Perfiles, Dinámicas y Desafíos de la Educación Costarricense (Profiles, Dynamics and Challenges of the Costa Rican Education) of Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE) (Research and Teaching Center), from Universidad Nacional, in its third phase. There will be an analysis showing how cooperative work and shared leadership as a team made a successful impact in the research process.

Espacios vitales de aprendizaje: su ecología en el sétimo año de la educación pública costarricense

The present article is the result of an investigation between CIDE-UNA to build a desirable profile for teachers that might teach seventh grade in Costa Rican public education schools. This article evidences transparency in the ecology of learning spaces, known as the environment, the actors involved and their complex interrelations. There is also a description of these spaces and their incidence in the permanence and promotion of the students population, in the singular moment in which the educational system imposes them the first and rough institutional changes coinciding with physical transformations and social and familiar relationships.

Talent in first, second, and third graders: teachers’ perspectives vs. educational reality

The article addresses the subject of talent by emphasizing different conceptions about talent and by proposing an approach to this theme, from the point of view of talent in boys and girls. It also provides an analysis of research conducted with first, second, and third graders in public and private schools of the Costa Rican Education System. Using questionnaires and observations of the dynamics of the classroom as measurement tools, this study contrasts teachers` expectations about their students’ talent with the reality of the class environment, pointing out the existing abyss between teachers’ beliefs and their professional practices.

The Support Educational Commitee Participation in the Pedagogical Approach of an Educational Integration

Educational services are essential to social and economical development of people, mainly to the progress of all sectors of society. Establishing actions that can promote the participation of various social groups is essential to improve their quality of life and building more respectful and fair human rights without any discrimination or exclusion. In recent years, the Costa Rican education system has undergone significant changes due to the pedagogical approach of inclusive education in which students with educational needs may require different support and specialized resources for training and development. For this, the Basic Educational Division of the Center for Teaching and Research in Education, generated a concern of investigating the participation of the Committee of Educational Support in the process of educational integration, thus, determine the functions performed in the educational context, under the rules of the 7600 Equal Opportunity Act for people with disabilities, which is the entity that corresponds to regulate access to education by identifying the support required for students with educational needs and, advice and trains, administrative staff in schools both public and private in the country. In addition, there is also a concern for exploring the role of the Special Education teacher for this Committee, as well as learning the perceptions of teachers and parents about the functions performed by the committee.

Proposal for Academic Achievement and Permanence of Students in the 7th Grade (1)

This paper analyzes the impact of change processes experienced by many student populations when completing primary education (1st-6th grade) and starting secondary education (7th-11th grade). Based on the research conducted, this paper describes situations and aspects that may result in conditional factors for the student’s adjustment at this level: time-space changes, as well as organizational and dynamic changes that would set the new educational environment and social context in which this new stage will be developed. Such conditional factors that affect learning in incoming students: programs, teaching methodology, learning styles and new evaluation methods will be discussed. As a result of this research, a proposal is presented to facilitate transition from primary to the secondary education. This proposal includes guidelines for awareness and strengthening of pedagogical mediation, which would contribute to the permanence of students from all types of institutions in the education system.  (1) [Translator’s note: The Costa Rican education system is composed of primary education (1st-6th grade) and secondary education (7th-11th grade).]

A Pedagogical Strategy for Integrated Education of Spanish in the 4th to 6th Grades of the General Basic Education

Language teaching has become a priority in the Costa Rican educational system, considering it as a tool for communication and development of thought. Without language, there is no access to other curriculum disciplinary knowledge. A successful experience conducted some years ago, with students from 4th to 6th grade, was the basis for the design and implementation of a professional development activity addressed to promoting an integration strategy previously adjusted according to the Ministry’s requirements and the existing national regulations. This study is developed in the framework of a qualitative paradigm including research-action and systematization. A purposive sample was selected based on a suitability factor, through which individuals are informed about the strategy, and then the strategy is applied to a group of students from urban-marginal areas. The techniques used include literature review, analysis of curriculum and Ministry’s regulations, application of an in-depth interview, discussions from the course’s participant in a portfolio, and discussions from students to whom the strategy was applied. We analyzed the considerations of teachers and students, as well as the theoretical and regulatory information by triangulation. The study’s conclusion is the necessity of a communicative approach in language teaching and our recommendation is to implement the strategy developed in the Costa Rican classrooms as provided in this paper.

Maleku: A Culture in Danger of Extinction

This paper is about the Maleku, one of the indigenous languages that is still alive in the country; though the linguistic community that uses it, composed of less than 400 people, tends to reduce rapidly. There is a high risk that in the near future this language will disappear. This paper is the result of a research project that proposes the construction and implementation of learning strategies that would help to include the customs, traditions and the native language of the Malekus in the schools, to strengthen the identity and culture of this Costa Rican indigenous population.The research project includes a brief overview of the history and problems of the indigenous Maleku population, and an analysis on the importance of the language and oral expression. It also makes a review of how the indigenous languages in Costa Rican schools are currently taught. It later includes a diagnosis of the current situation of language from the perspective of different members of the Maleku community. This diagnosis is based on the research conducted and it will facilitate focusing on the integration of the Maleku and rural curriculums. Finally, there are some reflections about the bilingual intercultural education.

Proposal for Labor Market Integration of Teachers in Contexts of High Social Vulnerability

The purpose of this paper is to share a proposal for teacher’s labor market integration in contexts of high social5 vulnerability. This paper is the result of a research conducted in a priority attention primary school6 of the central canton of Heredia7. It explored the labor market integration process of teachers, considering the community, family and student reality of a population social risk. The research that supports this proposal is based on a qualitative approach, since the diagnosis process is not intended to provide answers that could be commonly applied to other education centers in similar contexts, but to make an exploratory approach of teachers’ reality and their integration process into education institutions of high social vulnerability. Therefore, although this paper intends to share this experience, it does not aim to unify integration practices, but to be an input in carrying out similar processes.  (5) The concept of high social vulnerability is understood based on Sojo’s approach (2003), which defines it as marginal urban communities in areas considered by the Costa Rican government as priority areas with the greatest social, economic backwardness in the country, and high rates of violence, leisure, unemployment and drug addiction. (6) Translator’s note: The Costa Rican education system is composed of primary education (1st-6th grade) and secondary education (7th-11th grade). (7)A public primary school in the circuit 02 of the Province of Heredia.

Desarrollo social y educación superior

Recibido 12 de abril de 2011 • Aceptado 26 de agosto de 2011 • Corregido 21 de octubre de 2011      El presente ensayo tiene por objetivo reflexionar sobre el quehacer de la universidad pública costarricense y su responsabilidad en la formación para el desarrollo social. Lo anterior, entendido como uno de los múltiples retos que enfrenta la educación superior, de cara a las demandas que la función del conocimiento posee en el presente, y a la relación de estas con el desarrollo autónomo del conocimiento. Su planteamiento, defiende algunos asuntos débilmente abordados en estudios previos, y que se constituyen en elementos esenciales para una formación significativa, funcional y de impacto social, como son: a) La ética en la organización, b) La autoeducación de la universidad, c) La incidencia de las políticas curriculares en las prácticas promovidas, d) La transformación de la cultura docente para contribuir a mejorar la práctica, y e) La construcción del conocimiento para fundamentar criterios, tomar decisiones, solucionar problemas y construir proyectos de vida.

Las maestras y el ensayo como escritura cívica femenina en Repertorio Americano

Recibido 17 de mayo de 2011 • Aceptado 26 de agosto de 2011 • Corregido 9 de octubre de 2011   La escritura femenina, como todas las formas de producción simbólica desde las mujeres, ha existido y se ha desarrollado a pesar del mandato patriarcal de obedecer y callar que pesa sobre el género femenino. No es objetivo en esta reflexión, ahondar en las acciones y las obras de las mujeres transgresoras quienes, a lo largo de la historia y a pesar de, han ejercido esa forma de hacerse presente y afirmarse ante los otros que es la escritura. Mi propósito es identificar a las mujeres, quienes desde el oficio de maestras ejercitaron su escritura, combinaron su rol docente con el de escritoras y en la elaboración de sus discursos cívicos cuestionaron, precisamente, las concepciones de patriotismo y sentimiento cívico dentro del mismo proceso de construcción de una ciudadanía de la cual ellas no disfrutaban.

¡Mamá, que pereza ir al cole…!

Recibido 15 de marzo de 2012 • Corregido 17 de setiembre de 2012 • Aceptado 07 de noviembre de 2012Este artículo, presentado en forma de ensayo, propone en su temática un acercamiento a la realidad que se vive en el sistema educativo a nivel de secundaria; visualiza algunas debilidades en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje, con el objetivo de analizar el rumbo que se pretende dar a la educación costarricense. El planteamiento conceptual se elabora a través de preguntas generadoras, mediante las cuales se repasa la situación actual de los centros de enseñanza, el rumbo por el cual se está llevando a cabo el proceso, la imperante búsqueda de equidad e inclusión en educación, así como la exposición de algunas propuestas para el mejoramiento. Se concluye con una reflexión sobre la necesidad de cambiar el modelo educativo tradicional por un modelo educativo transformador, para la emancipación y liberación de los seres humanos que participan en este proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje.

Distance Education in the Professionalization of People with Disability and Prison Inmates

This paper illustrates the impact of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia  (UNED, by its Spanish acronym) in supporting and professionalizing the vulnerable groups of the Costa Rican society, including prison inmates, persons with physical disability, individuals from remote areas, among others.  This study attempts to answer this type of questions: What kind of support has been provided to these sectors?  What are the challenges faced by distance education universities to succeed?  How does UNED have solved these challenges?  What is the impact of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia on the Costa Rican society for the professionalization of its population?  Documentation and statistics have been used in the study; in addition, two people who graduated from UNED were selected to illustrate the type of cases the University serves.(1) Translator’s note: It refers to the “Costa Rican Distance Education State University”.

POLÍTICA ECONÓMICA COSTARRICENSE: TRANSFORMACIÓN Y DINÁMICA AGROPECUARIA: CASO ESPECÍFICO DE LAS COMUNIDADES COSTERAS DE LA CRUZ, GUANACASTE

El presente artículo aborda desde una perspectiva analítica, las políticas económicas y sectoriales de gobierno, que han afectado el sector agropecuario  en los últimos 20 años, destacándose las principales características que estas  han tenido en los marcos de transformación y ajuste de las estructuras productivas, económicas y sociales; así como su incidencia en los niveles producción, en los productores y en sus comunidades Además de un esfuerzo teórico y reflexivo por explicar la coyuntura económica productiva del agro costarricense, se pretende destacar, cómo este se ha venido transformando en los últimos años, a partir de la aplicación de los Programas de Ajuste Estructural (PAE); su incidencia en el área de la producción de los granos básicos y las transformaciones que se desarrollan luego para el sector, las cuales van a depender fundamentalmente de los recursos sociales e individuales con los que cuenten estos productores.En este contexto, entonces, las políticas de gobierno, en materia económica, inciden en la dinámica productiva de los pequeños productores; de manera que las comunidades aledañas a las zonas costeras se convierten en un referente analítico para un estudio de caso, que posibilita evidenciar precisamente lo anterior, por esta razón se aborda la experiencia de las comunidades costeras del cantón de La Cruz en la provincia de Guanacaste.ABSTRACTS: This article approaches from an analytical perspective, the economic and sectorial policies of the government affecting the agriculture in the last 20 years. It highlights the main characteristics of these approaches that have transform and adjust the framework of the production within the economic and social structures; such as the outcome on the production levels of the producers and their communities. In addition to theoretically and reflectively explaining the economic situation of the Costa Rican farmers, this article also attempts to focus on how this process has been directly impacting the outcome since the restructuring of the programs, its repercussion in the area of production of the basic grains and the end results in which establishes the social and individual resources in which these producers depend upon It is within this context that the govemment policies in economic matters directly affect the profitability dynamics of small producers. In the matter of the coastal communities, as a case study, it is possible to demonstrate precisely what was previously stated. For this reason, the illustration of the coastal communities of canton La Cruz in the Province of Guanacaste is undertaken.

El respeto a la formación de la identidad como un elemento esencial del derecho humano a la identidad de las personas menores

ResumenLa identidad de una persona, adultos/as o niños/as, es un conjunto de características que particularizan a ese ser humano. Desde la infancia y hasta avanzada la edad adulta se van erigiendo rasgos que servirán para afianzar una identidad propia; la mayoría de estas características se toman a muy temprana edad y por lo tanto, debe delimitarse muy bien no solo el derecho que tienen las personas menores de edad a tener una identidad propia y estatalmente resguardada, sino también, se debe valorar y hacer respetar al derecho que tienen a formarla. Los instrumentos internacionales destinados a la protección de los derechos de las personas menoresasí como el Código de la Niñez y la Adolescencia costarricense, no delimitan claramente el derecho a la identidad en general y del todo son omisos en relación con el derecho de los/as infantes a conformar su identidad.Palabras clave: Derechos Humanos de las niñas y los niños, identidad, formación de la identidad, derecho a la identidad.AbstractThe identity of a person, adults or children, is a set of characteristics that distinguish that human being. Traits that will strengthen one’s own identity are erected from childhood to advanced adulthood; mostof these features are acquired at an early age and therefore, they should not only be delimited by the right minors have of their own and state protected identity, but also, their rights of identity formationshould be assessed and enforced. International instruments aimed at the protection of the rights of children, as well as the Costa Rican code of children and adolescents, do not clearly delimit the right to identity in general and are entirely neglectful in relation to the right of infants to shape their identity.Keywords: Human Rights of Children, identity, identity’s training, right to the identity.