Perspectiva Educacional

Editorial Vol. 65 n°1

Sandra Catalán Henríquez — 2026-03-31

Mathematical Talent in Intellectually Precocious Students: Manifestations and Variability in Assessment

María Leonor Conejeros Solar — 2026-03-31

This article examines the presence of mathematical talent in kindergarten children identified with intellectual precocity. Within the field of high abilities, intellectual precocity is understood as an early manifestation of above-average cognitive development, whereas mathematical talent is conceived as a specific competence expressed through outstanding mathematical reasoning and performance. From this perspective, the study explores whether children previously identified as intellectually precocious also demonstrate high levels of mathematical competence in early childhood.

The theoretical framework emphasizes that mathematical talent is a complex construct that cannot be reduced to school achievement alone. It involves cognitive ability, abstraction, flexibility, creativity, problem solving, and early sensitivity to numerical and logical relationships. The authors underline the relevance of identifying mathematical talent in preschool years, since this stage offers important opportunities for stimulation and intervention. At the same time, they note that early identification is difficult because many traditional measures fail to capture the diversity and specificity of young children’s mathematical thinking.

The study is part of a broader longitudinal investigation on intellectual precocity in children from the Valparaíso region of Chile. The research design is exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-experimental. From an initial sample of 787 preschool children, 116 were identified by parents and teachers as showing characteristics associated with intellectual precocity. After the selection process, the final sample for this phase consisted of 54 kindergarten children. To evaluate their mathematical performance, the researchers applied the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3), an instrument that assesses both informal and formal mathematical skills and yields a Mathematical Competence Index adjusted to age norms.

The results show that mathematical competence among these children is not uniform. Although the group mean was above the normative average, individual scores varied considerably. In distributional terms, 17% of the children were classified at a very superior level, 9% at a superior level, 17% above average, 48% at an average level, 7% below average, and 2% at a poor level. These findings indicate that identification with intellectual precocity does not automatically imply equally high mathematical talent in all cases. Rather, the results confirm the heterogeneous nature of early development and the need to distinguish between general cognitive precocity and specific domain performance in assessment processes.

The study also found differences associated with sex and school administrative dependency. Boys obtained higher average scores than girls in overall mathematical competence as well as in informal and formal mathematics, whereas girls showed less variability in their results. In relation to school type, children attending municipal schools obtained the lowest scores, while those in private schools achieved the highest averages, and those in subsidized private schools showed the greatest dispersion. These differences suggest that contextual and educational factors may influence the development and expression of mathematical abilities.

In conclusion, the article argues that mathematical talent in intellectually precocious children is heterogeneous and shaped by individual and contextual variables. It highlights the importance of early and multidimensional assessment processes that make it possible to identify specific talents and provide timely educational support.

Comparison of educational and learning capitals in students with and without high intellectual ability from the Actiotope Model of Giftedness

María de los Dolores Valadez Sierra — 2026-03-31

The ACTIOTOPE model of giftedness is based on the idea that giftedness is not an inherent trait, but rather the result of successful adaptations to environmental determinants. It introduces the concepts of educational and learning capital, which are fundamental resources that facilitate excellence. The Questionnaire on Educational and Learning Capital (QELC) provides an understanding of the resources that contribute to academic and professional success. It has been validated in several countries, demonstrating its cross-cultural applicability. For example, in Mexico, the results showed that the original factor structure presents an absolute fit and low levels of error. Research has shown that educational and learning capital are important predictors of academic performance, highlighting the importance of environmental and personal resources in fostering academic excellence.

The QELC consists of subscales that measure the five forms of educational capital (economic, cultural, social, infrastructural, and didactic) and the five forms of learning capital (organismic, actional, telic, episodic, and attentional). It is not only a research tool, but also a practical instrument for educators, helping to identify students who could benefit from additional resources or support, enabling educators to create personalized learning environments that foster excellence. The objective of this study was to compare the Educational and Learning Capitals of students with high intellectual ability and those without high intellectual ability in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades of primary school and the first through third grades of secondary school. The study was descriptive and cross-sectional. A total of 354 students participated, including those with high intellectual ability (N = 178) and those without high ability (N = 176), all from public schools. A Student's t-test for independent samples was performed, and the effect size was calculated. The results indicate significant differences in educational and learning capital. In relation to the educational capital subscales, differences were found in the economic, cultural, social, infrastructure, and didactic subscales, where students with high ability obtained higher scores than students without high ability. The effect size is large in educational, economic, and infrastructure capital and medium for the rest of the educational capitals. On the other hand, with regard to Learning Capital, significant differences were found in this and in Organic, Actional, Episodic, and Attentional Capital, where students with high abilities obtained higher scores. A high effect size was observed in Organic Capital, and a medium effect size in Learning, Actional, Episodic, and Attention Capital. Only in Telic Capital were no differences observed. The findings confirm the relevance of the ACTIOTOPE Model as a guiding framework for the comprehensive care of gifted students, offering clear guidelines for coordinated intervention in the academic, social, and family spheres, avoiding fragmented approaches and favoring a systemic view of development. In particular, the data highlight the need for dynamic interaction between both types of capital, which drives excellence and positive adaptation among students.

A School in Reconstruction: Giftedness in the Pedagogy of a Rural School

Valeria Fernández-Santana — 2026-03-31

This article derives from a research study focused on didactics and the recognition of gifted students in a rural educational setting located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia. The study sought to understand students’ formative pathways and to reflect on the implicit ideals and meanings they themselves assign to their school trajectories. The research was conducted in a rural educational center (Centro Educativo Rural) undergoing processes of transformation in both its infrastructure and its pedagogical practices, which made it possible to examine how institutional expectations, classroom dynamics, and forms of recognition shape the construction of children’s educational experiences.

The study adopted a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach aimed at interpreting the lived experiences of students and the educator within the school context. Qualitative techniques were used for data collection, including participant observation, self-nomination scales, peer nomination, semi-structured interviews, and workshops.

The findings reveal tensions surrounding the construction of the ideal school subject, represented in the figure of the “child-pupil.” Although the institution is undergoing a process of reconstruction, both physically and methodologically, practices persist that continue to orient the recognition of abilities toward traditional performance-based criteria. In particular, the recognition of High Abilities tends to be associated mainly with achievement in mathematics, making this field the dominant reference for identifying students with greater potential. This restricted perspective limits the visibility of other forms of talent and reduces students’ opportunities for recognition and development.

Based on the analysis of classroom dynamics and students’ narratives, three forms of methodics shaping the observed pedagogical practices were identified. The first, termed schooling-oriented methodics, encompasses actions aimed at molding the subject so that they conform to the institutional ideal of the expected pupil, privileging compliance with rules and academic performance. The second, termed pedagogical methodics without territory, refers to situations in which teaching content, strategies, and methods fail to establish meaningful connections with the students’ context and lived experiences, thereby producing a loss of meaning in the learning process. The third, termed chaotic pedagogical methodics, emerges in spontaneous moments in which children explore, invent, and express themselves freely, revealing forms of learning and capacities that rarely find recognition within school structures.

In this sense, the study concludes that the hegemony of a single performance criterion as a basis for recognition limits the visibility of other talents and calls for the promotion of capacity-based pedagogical methodics to broaden possibilities for training and recognition in rural contexts.

Giftedness in School: A Neglected Area in Teacher Training. A Systematic Review

Carmen Espinoza — 2026-03-31

This study reviews the literature on educational policies and initial teacher education related to students with high abilities in Latin America, with particular attention to Chile.

This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines. A search strategy was implemented across Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO, covering publications from July 2020 to July 2025. Two Boolean search equations combining descriptors related to gifted education, teacher preparation, and Latin America were applied. Studies were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria considering educational level, study design, thematic focus on high abilities, geographical scope, year of publication, and language. Only empirical studies examining educational policies or initial teacher education processes related to high-ability students in Latin America were included. From an initial pool of 105 records, duplicates and ineligible studies were removed, resulting in a final corpus of 12 articles.

The selected studies were analyzed through a descriptive systematic synthesis. Titles and abstracts were independently screened by the research team, followed by full-text reviews of eligible articles. Relevant information was extracted using a structured analytical matrix that included study characteristics, features of teacher education programs, pedagogical strategies for supporting high-ability students, descriptions of training experiences, and references to policy frameworks.

The findings reveal several converging patterns across the Latin American context. First, although most countries formally recognize inclusive education in policy discourse, explicit provisions for high-ability students remain scarce, fragmented, or inconsistently implemented. Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico show more developed policy frameworks, including guidelines for identification and educational support. Nevertheless, implementation remains uneven and often constrained by limited institutional resources and insufficient teacher training. In contrast, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Argentina display fragmented initiatives that frequently depend on isolated programs or private-sector interventions rather than comprehensive national strategies.

Most importantly, the review highlights a gap in initial teacher education across the region. None of the analyzed studies report a systematic incorporation of gifted education into undergraduate teacher training curricula. Instead, professional development opportunities tend to occur after teachers enter the profession and are usually voluntary, sporadic, or dependent on individual initiative. This lack of formal preparation contributes to misconceptions among teachers, including the belief that high-ability students do not require differentiated pedagogical support.

From a theoretical standpoint, the findings are interpreted through the Actiotope Model of Giftedness, which conceptualizes talent development as an interaction between individual resources and environmental conditions. Overall, the review identifies a gap between inclusive policy discourse and educational practice in Latin America, underscoring the need for stronger policies, systematic teacher preparation, and sustained research in the field. These findings also highlight the urgency of incorporating gifted education into preservice teacher training as a relevant dimension of educational equity, inclusion, and pedagogical responsiveness across diverse school contexts today.

Beyond the curriculum: effects of an enrichment program on high-ability university students

Juan Francisco Flores Bravo — 2026-03-31

Attention to gifted students in the university context is a nascent field of study, which has led to a limited availability of educational proposals tailored to their characteristics and needs. As a result, higher education still faces significant challenges in creating conditions that favor the full development of this population. Given this situation, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the INGENIOUS program, an extracurricular enrichment proposal aimed at highly gifted university students, designed to enhance their talents and personal well-being through formative and enriching experiences. The program was implemented in a public higher education institution in Mexico, with the participation of 87 students identified as gifted, of whom 46 formed the experimental group and 41 the control group. Standardized instruments were used for evaluation: the CREA Creative Intelligence Test (Corbalán et al., 2003) and the Study Habits Inventory (IHE; Fernández, 2014), in addition to ad hoc instruments designed to assess the fulfillment of expectations and participant satisfaction. The methodological approach was mixed. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a split-plot ANOVA analysis was applied to identify intra- and intergroup changes in creativity and study habits. Effectiveness was evaluated using Student's t-test for paired samples, analyzing the fulfillment of expectations in three dimensions: personal, academic, and social. Frequencies were also calculated to assess satisfaction with the workshops, and a phenomenological discourse analysis was performed to interpret the participants' verbalizations.

The quantitative results showed significant effects on creativity in the experimental group compared to the control group. In terms of study habits, significant differences were observed in the interaction in all dimensions: “Study environment conditions,” “Study planning,” “Use of materials,” and “Content assimilation.” Regarding effectiveness, significant improvements were identified in the three dimensions of expectation fulfillment in the experimental group, along with a positive assessment of satisfaction with the program.

The qualitative analysis identified six thematic categories: 1) gradual impact and progressive growth, 2) personal and professional development, 3) positive assessment of the program, 4) acquisition of new knowledge, 5) reflections on the experience, and 6) fulfillment of expectations.

Overall, the findings support the efficacy and effectiveness of the INGENIOUS program, as well as providing empirical evidence of the need for universities to design and implement specific proposals that respond to the characteristics and demands of gifted students.

Being a Gifted Student at University: Significance, Challenges, and Opportunities from a Pioneering Experience in Chile

Valeria Paz Fuentes — 2026-03-31

Educational attention to Intellectual Giftedness (IG) has historically been concentrated in childhood and adolescence, both in research and in the development of public policy. In contrast, their presence and needs in Higher Education have received limited attention, contributing to making this population invisible within the university context. This situation becomes particularly relevant when considering that a significant proportion of university students may present high abilities without having been identified or having received specific support throughout their educational trajectories. Moreover, in the Latin American context, and particularly in Chile, research on university students with IG remains scarce, as do institutional initiatives aimed at their recognition and support.

Within this context, the present study seeks to understand how university students with high abilities make meaning of their educational experiences and re-signify their identities through their participation in a pioneering support program implemented at a Chilean university. Specifically, the study explores three central dimensions: the re-signification of educational trajectories in light of the recognition of IG, the challenges these students face in their university experience, and the opportunities that emerge from the institutional recognition of their abilities.

To address this objective, a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was conducted, aimed at understanding the meanings that students themselves attribute to their experiences. The sample consisted of 16 university students belonging to the Núcleo Program at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews and a focus group, allowing for the exploration of both personal experiences and shared meanings among participants. Subsequently, the data were analyzed through thematic analysis.

The findings show that the university experience of students with IG is characterized by a combination of strengths and tensions. Among the strengths, participants highlight autonomous learning, intrinsic motivation for knowledge, and the ability to integrate and understand complex content with ease. However, several challenges associated with their educational experience also emerge, such as high levels of self-demand, lack of interest in learning perceived as insufficiently challenging, difficulties with academic discipline, and tensions in the construction of personal and academic identity. Likewise, several participants reported having felt different from their peers throughout their educational trajectories.

A relevant finding of the study is that the institutional recognition of high abilities, through participation in the university program, promotes processes of re-signifying educational trajectories and reconstructing identity. For many students, late identification allowed them to reinterpret previous experiences of mismatch, misunderstanding, or lack of challenge, providing new meaning through the understanding of their cognitive and socio-emotional characteristics. In addition, the program is valued as a space for meeting peers with similar interests, for educational enrichment, and for personal validation.

Overall, the findings highlight the need to advance toward university policies and practices that recognize the cognitive diversity of the student body and integrate support for students with high abilities within the frameworks of inclusive education.

Actors and dilemmas in the Bilingual Intercultural Education policy in Chile: a collective cases study in the context of “dormant” indigenous languages

Javier Mercado-Guerra — 2026-03-31

The Intercultural Bilingual Education [EIB] policy in Chile is going through a stage of greater openness in the teaching of indigenous language and culture, which includes people with little or no vitality in their native languages. This educational policy has been questioned due to its compensatory and monocultural bias and its failure to promote interculturality among the entire student population nationwide. Characterized as a bicultural rather than an intercultural policy, it is considered to promote a Westernizing paradigm. However, it is worth noting that in areas where the Indigenous people's presence is a minority —as is the case in various areas of northern Chile— the act of state recognition has influenced the formation of ethnic actors, who now bear the responsibility for the educational work and the reconstruction of their Indigenous languages and cultures. This study aims to characterize the social actors that mobilize this educational policy and its main dilemmas and points of tension. A multiple-case design is followed, selecting a group of nine Atacameño, Colla, and Diaguita educational communities located in the Antofagasta, Atacama, and Coquimbo regions in northern Chile. The fieldwork was conducted between 2022 and 2024. Interviews were conducted with state agents, members of indigenous communities, school principals, and indigenous educators from the groups included in the research. The results indicate the presence of three main actors: institutional, business, and ethnic. The tensions and dilemmas identified include the preponderance of state action, the configuration of a space for collaboration, negotiation, and dispute between actors, the absence of systematic critical or autonomous indigenous initiatives, and the growing interference of mining companies in actions related to education in indigenous languages and cultures. A scenario of re-articulation of neoliberal multiculturalism in educational matters is configured, reflected in the current EIB policy. This characteristic corresponds to the neoliberal multiculturalism model upon which this educational policy has been designed and implemented in Chile, where, despite various reforms, it has not been substantially transformed. In the Atacameña area, for example, the strong presence of the mining industry means that critical voices against this type of public-private relationship are few and far between. Something similar happens on a different scale, in the Colla context. In contrast, the Diaguita territory presents a different scenario, where there are some cases of active conflict, but it is also an area where mining is less prevalent. It is necessary to consider the implications of this form of relationship with the mining industry and its potential impact on inhibiting alternative and critical perspectives. Because those perspectives have also proven to be a fertile ground for Indigenous languages and culture revitalization.

The Pedagogy of Death in Early Childhood and Primary Education: a Systematic Review of Teacher Education, Pedagogical Practices and Curriculum Integration

Laura Fornons Casol — 2026-03-31

Background: Death, dying, and bereavement are universal human experiences, yet they remain taboo in many educational contexts. This silence can leave children and school communities without the language, emotional tools, and support needed to understand loss, cope with grief, and develop compassionate attitudes toward end-of-life issues. In recent decades, “death education” has emerged as a field that seeks to normalize pedagogical approaches to mortality, integrating socio-emotional learning, ethics, and citizenship education. However, the extent and characteristics of research focused on Early Childhood Education and Primary Education remain unclear.

Purpose: This study systematically reviews the international scientific literature on the pedagogy of death in Early Childhood and Primary Education, identifying publication trends, methodological approaches, focal topics, and gaps that limit the consolidation of evidence to inform teacher education and school practice.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidance. Searches were performed in Web of Science Core Collection using the terms “death education”, “pedagogy of death”, and “didactic of death”. Records published between 2014 and 2024 were screened in two stages (title/abstract and full-text) against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria focused on educational settings and on interventions, programmes, curricular proposals, or pedagogical approaches relevant to Early Childhood and/or Primary Education. After duplicate removal and eligibility assessment, 19 articles were included for qualitative synthesis. Data were extracted on bibliographic characteristics (year, country, authorship), study design, participants and settings, and thematic focus.

Results: The evidence base is limited in size and unevenly distributed. Publications are concentrated among a small number of authors and countries, suggesting a field that is still emergent rather than widely consolidated. Methodologically, the literature is dominated by narrative and systematic reviews and by qualitative or descriptive designs; rigorous empirical evaluations of educational programmes are scarce, and outcome measurement is rarely standardized. Thematically, studies frequently address conceptual foundations of death education, classroom strategies for discussing death and grief, and the role of schools in supporting bereaved children. However, there is comparatively less research on teacher preparation, institutional policies, ethical guidance, and systematic curriculum integration. Where implementation is discussed, it tends to depend on isolated initiatives, individual teacher commitment, or context-specific projects rather than stable, whole-school frameworks. Overall, the findings point to a mismatch between the recognized educational need to address death and bereavement and the limited availability of evaluated, scalable pedagogical models for these schooling stages.

Conclusions and implications: Research on death education in Early Childhood and Primary Education remains fragmented, with insufficient empirical evidence to guide practice at scale. Future studies should strengthen theoretical articulation (linking death education to socio-emotional learning, inclusive education, and community care), develop and evaluate age-appropriate interventions with clear outcomes, and expand attention to teacher education and professional development. Policy and curriculum work is also needed to legitimize and normalize pedagogical engagement with death and grief in schools, including guidance for collaboration with families and community services. Building a more robust evidence base may support educators and school leaders in creating caring learning environments that promote emotional literacy, resilience, and compassionate citizenship when children encounter loss.

Formative Classroom Research: Teachers and Students as Co-researchers in the Educational Process

Guillermo José Manuel Jorge Williamson Castro — 2026-03-31

In school systems dominated by a hegemonic curriculum, classroom practice is often steered toward validated cultural objects and the measurable achievement of standardized learning outcomes. This context tends to constrain innovative methodologies. The article argues that formative classroom research—understood as inquiry embedded in everyday teaching—offers a viable path to pedagogical innovation because it breaks with transmissive teaching and invites teachers and students to become co-researchers in the educational act.

To examine how these roles are enacted, the authors conduct a case study of the “Proyecto Nuestra Escuela Pregunta Su Opinión” (NEPSO), a self-managed pedagogical community linked to the Universidad de La Frontera in Chile. NEPSO promotes project-based learning (PBL) oriented to research, in which students choose topics grounded in their interests and local concerns while teachers articulate those inquiries with curricular objectives. Data were generated through a semi-structured digital questionnaire with closed and open items, consistent with a mixed evaluative logic. Twenty-one teachers with experience implementing NEPSO between 2006 and 2022 participated, representing urban and rural settings, multiple educational levels and modalities, and diverse institutional types. The analysis combined thematic coding with a focused dialogue with relevant literature, and interpretations were refined through participant checking.

Conceptually, the paper frames classroom inquiry as eclectic and anti-dogmatic: it resists both narrow scientism and purely subjective exegesis, treating truth as socially constructed and open to methodological “bricolage” that combines quantitative, qualitative, participatory, and discourse-based routes.

Findings highlight a shift in classroom roles. Teachers describe students as co-protagonists who propose research questions, carry out methodological stages, analyze data, and communicate results. This agency is not framed as solitary independence: it requires scaffolding and sustained formative feedback from teachers, as well as openness to interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues. Reported student learning extends beyond content knowledge to higher-order and socioemotional capacities—critical thinking, inquiry, leadership, communication, teamwork, and autonomy—often activated through authentic tasks such as designing and applying surveys, organizing and graphing data, and engaging community actors.

A distinctive contribution is the emphasis on territory. Teachers perceive that student-selected topics frequently align with concrete community problems, enabling students to see themselves as capable of improving their surroundings and understanding cause–effect relationships in their social and physical environments. The authors connect this to democratic and pragmatic traditions that value experience, usefulness, and the social construction of knowledge.

Teachers also identify constraints. Implementation may face resistance from technical-pedagogical teams and peers who fear losing time needed to “cover content,” especially under pressure from national standardized assessments. Large class sizes complicate the intensive feedback demanded by formative assessment.

Some participants question the over-privileging of opinion surveys as a primary instrument, arguing for methodological diversification (e.g., interviews) to capture richer perspectives.

Overall, the article concludes that formative classroom research via research-oriented PBL can enrich the prescribed curriculum, strengthen relevance to local territories, and protect student motivation and school engagement—potentially contributing to dropout prevention. However, these benefits depend on supportive working conditions and on initial teacher education that prepares educators to research with students and to sustain robust feedback and evaluation practices.

Virtual and face-to-face learning in elementary pre-service teacher education

Sebastián Escobar González — 2026-03-31

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic brought about profound changes in education systems worldwide, forcing higher education institutions to move much of their teaching activities to virtual environments. This process highlighted a number of structural problems, including digital access gaps, difficulties in sustaining practical learning experiences, and the socio-emotional challenges associated with lockdown. In the case of initial teacher training, these changes were particularly significant, given that the preparation of future teachers requires constant articulation between theoretical knowledge, practical experiences, and pedagogical interaction processes. In this context, the present study aimed to analyze the experience of students in the Primary Education program regarding their training process during the pandemic, considering the tensions and lessons learned from alternating between virtual and face-to-face modalities.

From a methodological point of view, the research was developed under an interpretive paradigm and was configured as a case study aimed at understanding the perceptions of teachers in training regarding their educational process in the context of a health emergency. The sample consisted of 24 Primary Education Pedagogy students belonging to a private university in Santiago, Chile, selected through a non-probabilistic, intentional sampling. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted virtually, which were transcribed in full and analyzed using conventional content analysis. This procedure made it possible to identify recurring discursive patterns and construct analytical categories based on the experiences reported by the participants.

The results of the study are organized into four main trends. First, students describe various difficulties associated with learning in a confined context, such as concentration problems, loss of academic routines, low motivation, and domestic conditions that are not conducive to study. Second, critical perceptions are identified regarding the impact of virtuality on teacher training, particularly in relation to the reduction of opportunities for practical learning, the manipulation of teaching materials, and the development of pedagogical skills linked to classroom teaching. Thirdly, participants make comparisons between virtual and face-to-face learning, particularly valuing opportunities for direct interaction with teachers and classmates, as well as the collaborative spaces that are typical of the face-to-face university environment. However, they also recognize some benefits of online education, such as access to recorded classes and the accelerated development of digital skills.

Finally, the findings suggest that the pandemic had ambivalent effects on initial teacher training. On the one hand, there are limitations related to the loss of spaces for pedagogical interaction and practical experiences that are fundamental to professional learning. On the other hand, the emergency context favored the development of digital skills and a greater willingness toward pedagogical innovation. Consequently, there is a need for teacher training institutions to strengthen strategies that integrate the use of educational technologies without neglecting the practical and collaborative experiences inherent to the teaching profession.

The work of teachers in a prison context: Assemblage between socio-technical devices and labour subjectivities

Sebastián Toro Ocaranza — 2026-03-31

In recent years, education for young people in prison has been increasingly questioned for its limited ability to provide meaningful learning opportunities. Adolescents deprived of liberty often enter detention centers with interrupted educational trajectories, significant learning gaps, and histories of school exclusion. These conditions are intensified by institutional constraints such as restricted instructional time, scarce resources, and the tensions between educational aims and the custodial logic structuring daily life. Consequently, prison education frequently reproduces inequalities rather than transforming them.

While previous research has examined factors such as school organization, resource scarcity, and students’ socio-educational backgrounds, less attention has been paid to how public policies interact with the teachers who implement them. Specifically, there is limited understanding of how policy instruments operate in everyday practice and how educators interpret, negotiate, or adapt them within highly regulated institutional contexts. This relationship is crucial because teachers are the main agents who translate policy frameworks into pedagogical action inside detention centers.

This study analyzes the relationship between the sociotechnical devices embedded in public policy and the labor subjectivities of teachers working in a school within a Juvenile Detention Center. Sociotechnical devices refer to the material, organizational, and normative arrangements through which policies are enacted, such as curricular frameworks, administrative protocols, and security regulations. Labor subjectivities denote teachers’ understandings of their professional role, values concerning education in custodial settings, and the meanings they attribute to their work with incarcerated youth.

A qualitative design based on focused ethnography was employed to explore these dynamics in a specific institutional setting. Data were gathered through participant observation, semi-structured interviews with teachers, and analysis of institutional and policy documents guiding educational work in the center. The analysis followed Grounded Theory procedures to identify emerging categories and relationships between policy mechanisms and teachers’ professional orientations.

The findings reveal three main types of sociotechnical devices shaping educational practice: (1) educational devices, including curricular and pedagogical frameworks aimed at supporting learning processes; (2) operational/managerial devices, encompassing administrative routines and management mechanisms regulating teaching work; and (3) security devices, defining the regulatory and custodial norms that structure daily life within the institution. These devices intersect with three teacher subjectivities identified in the field: Committed, Laissez-faire, and Punitive, each expressing different interpretations of the school’s educational mission, relationships with students, and pedagogical orientations.

The interaction between these devices and subjectivities generates diverse work experiences, characterized by varying degrees of alignment, tension, and contradiction among teachers. These findings demonstrate that educational practices in detention contexts emerge not merely from macro-level policies or institutional constraints but from the ongoing negotiation between policy frameworks and teachers’ subjective engagement with their work. The study concludes by discussing implications of improving policy design and institutional conditions to strengthen the coherence between public policy, school organization, and teachers’ professional practices in juvenile detention education.

Participatory Action Research: a teacher professional development tool for moving towards a more inclusive education

Susana Domínguez Santos — 2026-03-31

Inclusive education has become a priority axis of international educational policies. This approach requires profound transformations in school cultures, recognizing diversity as a value. In this context, teacher professional development is key, and collaboration among teachers has been identified as an effective strategy for advancing towards more inclusive schools. In this sense, Participatory Action Research (PAR) is presented as an appropriate methodology to promote professional and inclusive development, by integrating theory and practice in reflective and collaborative processes. This study examines the perception of a group of teachers participating in a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project (contract ref. 2023/075) regarding its implications for their professional development towards inclusive education, in a public school in Chile.

A qualitative descriptive-interpretative approach was adopted, focused on understanding the experiences of teachers in a Chilean public school. Thirty-two professionals (30 teachers and 2 school leaders) participated in a PAR experience carried out during the 2023–2024 academic year. Data collection included group field diaries, open-ended questionnaires, one in-depth interview, and records of the sessions. The analysis was conducted through open coding and content analysis.

The results show that PAR promotes cooperation and cohesion among teachers, encourages pedagogical innovation, strengthens professional autonomy, and facilitates the creation of a common language—elements that may contribute to more inclusive education. In addition, valuable practices driven by the professional commitment of teachers were identified. Participation in the PAR process made it possible to make visible the activation of joint reflection towards more collaborative ways of working. Professional relationships were strengthened, a shared vision regarding the challenges faced by the school was developed, and teacher autonomy was consolidated as a driver of change. Among the main challenges identified are the lack of time and the need for a shift in how teacher training is conceived, moving from the transmission of traditional models to more active and participatory approaches.

The experience shows that innovation and inclusion do not depend exclusively on external resources, but on teachers’ capacity to create alliances, share knowledge, and build contextualized proposals. In this sense, PAR functioned not only as a methodology but also as a pathway to strengthen teachers’ agency towards the construction of a more inclusive culture in the school.