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Las escuelas latinoamericanas enfrentan demandas desde los entornos en los que operan, que definen escenarios caracterizados por las brechas entre aquello que las escuelas están capacitadas para ofrecer (representado principalmente por los docentes en el aula) y las necesidades emergentes de estudiantes que responden a entornos sociales concretos y muy diversos. Cerrar esta brecha es una prioridad y se estima que para ello es necesario fortalecer las capacidades de los docentes en aspectos como la contextualización de sus prácticas.
Para ello se ejecutaron diversas intervenciones empleando distintos formatos de capacitación y metodologías de trabajo. Se presenta un estudio observacional realizado sobre una experiencia de desarrollo profesional docente que incorporó un componente de investigación-acción, con 21 docentes en servicio. El propósito del estudio fue establecer cómo y cuánto se fortalecieron las habi- lidades y expectativas que componen la competencia de investigación docente en el grupo mencionado.
Se emplearon distintas herramientas para juntar información como pruebas, grupos focales, análisis de testimonios y de textos. Asimismo, se utilizaron complementariamente análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo, con énfasis en este último.
Los resultados dan cuenta de mejoras significativas en las habilidades de problematización, empleo de evidencias y herramientas metodoló- gicas, formulación de hipótesis y estrategias de intervención y redacción científica; así como de mejoras igualmente significativas en la competencia de investigación en general. Los mismos no reportan cambios o mejoras en las expectativas de empleo de la investigación en la enseñanza.
Currently many schools in Latin America face strong demands from their environments, these demands are marked by an increasing and more complex economic poverty, a deeper social inclusion and a lack of social cohesion, which are reflected in an escalated individualism. In addition to these demands, there are other expectationsimposed by the academic and political world. In the academic world, contextualized learning and quality education services are expected, while in the political world, the demands are constituted by more levels of inclusion and ofstudent permanence in schools. Together, these demands define a scenario for education characterized by several gaps:
the ones between the performances of students from public and private schools, urban and rural schools, considering if they are male or female students, amongst others. It is important to highlight one of the most substantial disparity, which is the breach that exists from what the school is able to offer, greatly represented by the teacher in the classroom, and the emerging needs of the students, these needs correspond to particular and very diverse social environments, where every specific demand must be satisfied. To Close this gap, and the others previously mentioned, which are of no less importance, a priority in the political agenda of the governments must be given. To accomplish this major point, it is necessary to strengthen teachers’ abilities to use and manage technologies and toolsthat will allow them to cater to the diversity of students in each of the schools attended, as well as contextualize teaching practices, and adapt them to reach the needs of these specific groups. In order to address these points many interventions, which used various training modes and work methodologies, were executed. However the actionstaken, they have not have the desired outcome until now.
Moreover the evidence resulting from international research specify that to strengthen the skills of the teachers accordingly, it is necessary that the training of in-service teachers should allow the promotion of spaces for reflection and dialog, as well asthe opportunity to question common knowledge and practices. Data obtained from the field report that training given to teachers only generates real changes in teaching practices when these teachers have previously changed their understanding and beliefs of what teaching is to them, aligning them with the new approaches. Thissame data also reports that one of the most effective methodologiesto generate these positive changesis the use of action research.
The following observational investigation composed a study group of 21 in-service teachers attending a professional development that incorporated an action-research component. The purpose of this study is to establish how, and to what extent, the capacities for competitive research were strengthened in the group previously mentioned.
To achieve this, different information collection tools were used for the observation of teaching performance:
Toolssuch astests, focus groups, analysis of testimonies and products. Complementary methodologies were also used for the quantitative and qualitative analysis, giving an emphasis on the latter. The results obtained from the quantitative analysis account for a significant improvement in each one of the seven skillsthat were part of thisresearch, which are presented in the study as a whole.
The results of the qualitative analysis report improvements in areas such as the formulation of problems, the use of evidences and methodological tools, hypothesisformulation and intervention, and scientific writing strategies, as well as important improvement in the capacity to research generally speaking. However, the outcome of this investigation has not created and impact in teachers so that will pursue them to implement and evaluate the use of research in their teaching practices.
