Práxis Educativa

Neoliberal fascism and the commodification of North American universities: repression of academic freedom and student resistance movements

Henry Armand Giroux — 2024-11-25

This article analyzes the impact of growing authoritarianism on universities and the role of student dissent in a global context of educational commodification and repression of academic freedom. Starting from the concept of “neoliberal fascism,” it examines how far-right governments, billionaires, and corporate elites are attacking the critical functions of universities, reducing them to mere centers of conformity and intellectual repression. Using examples of student protests on college campuses in the United States, such as demonstrations against Israeli violence in Gaza, the text discusses how violent repression and the criminalization of dissent are used to silence movements that question the hegemonic order. In particular, it explores the impact of authoritarian discourse in politics to justify state violence against students who denounce the occupation and Palestinian genocide. Furthermore, the text argues that this attack on academic freedom and critical thinking is part of a broader strategy to shape universities into a pedagogy of obedience, aligned with neoliberal and fascist interests. The conclusion is that student resistance and the political education of teachers and students are essential elements to challenge the commodification of universities and preserve their role as spaces for free and emancipatory thought.

Keywords: Student movements. Academic freedom. Neoliberalism. Public university.

The child body and the adult body in research with children

Gisele Brandelero Camargo — 2025-01-15

Through an investigation conducted from 2018 to 2020, aimed at understanding children’s perspectives on their experience transitioning from Early Childhood Education to the early grades of Elementary School, this text presents the concept of the child body in relation to the adult body in research with children. The research was carried out in two educational institutions: a Municipal Center for Early Childhood Education and a school for the early grades of Elementary Education, located in Ponta Grossa, state of Paraná, Brazil. It used a qualitative approach with an ethnographic interpretative framework and adapted data collection tools to the investigation contexts: participant observation, individual interviews, and monitored visits. Drawing from the theoretical approach of Childhood Sociology, which views the child body as a competent, creative subject and culture producer, this article aims to broaden the reflection on the concepts of the child body and the adult body, supporting the legitimacy of children’s voices and their varied forms of participation in educational research contexts. The research yielded some results and reflections, such as the finding that children enjoy and welcome changes inherent to their school contexts; and that the child body, as they move from Early Childhood Education to the early grades of Elementary School, is both a space for their experiences, and a space for their interpretations and social actions. Through this investigation, the position of less adult is advocated as an ethical way of relating the adult body and the child body in the data production process when conducting research with children.

Keywords: Child body. Adult body. Research with children. Less adult.

Being a teacher in public schools in Honduras. A biographical-narrative study

Víctor Manuel Zelaya Portillo — 2025-01-22

In this article, seven teachers describe the meanings of their work as teachers in public schools in the Honduran educational system. The paper presents qualitative research carried out using the biographical-narrative method. The instruments used to collect information were semi-structured interviews and life stories. The results show that the teaching vocation arises from the desire to contribute to the country's development. On the other hand, the teachers explain the difficulties faced while carrying out the educational practice to the lack of governmental support, which deteriorates the teaching system. In addition, it becomes necessary a constant preparation to provide higher-quality education. The discussion agrees with other international studies and concludes that the State must commit itself by providing tangible support to promote teacher training based on social justice.

Keywords: Teachers. Education. Honduras. Social justice. Narratives. Teaching practice.

Pedagogical-Ecological Strategy for Enhancing Executive Performance with Transfer to Intellectual and Personality Development in Vulnerable Children

Oscar Armando Erazo Santander — 2025-01-24

Intervening in executive processes such as planning, working memory, and inhibition in children from vulnerable backgrounds, using pedagogical and ecological strategies, may enhance intellectual abilities and personality development. A quantitative study was conducted with a pre-test sample of 102 students and a post-test sample of 64 children aged 8 to 10. The Banfe-3, K-BIT, and CPQ instruments were applied. The results revealed significant improvements in executive functioning, intellectual capacity, and personality regulation among children in a vulnerable institution. Executive functioning improved from mild impairment to low-normal levels, IQ increased from low average to average, and personality traits showed better anxiety regulation, reduced extroversion, and normalized psychoticism. These findings suggest that it is possible to enhance executive performance, intellectual skills, and emotional and behavioral regulation in children from vulnerable contexts, even when adverse conditions persist.

Keywords: Executive functions. Intelligence. Personality. Childhood. Vulnerability.

From scarcity to the power of playing: body/motion in teacher education – a state of knowledge

Daiana Camargo — 2025-01-28

In this article, academic production in the context of Graduate Studies in Education is analyzed, focusing on studies that address play, body, and movement in the training of Early Childhood Education teachers. The objective was to verify how the theme is addressed in training spaces, specifically in the Pedagogy course. This study is characterized as a bibliographic review of the State of Knowledge type (Morosini; Kohls-Santos; Bittencourt, 2021). Scientific productions from 2006 to 2016 were consulted, refined using descriptors, categorized, and analyzed. The results indicate that the theoretical framework of the research reflects the influence of studies on the body originating from Physical Education, classic studies of Early Childhood Education, and themes such as children’s participation and agency, highlighting the existence of a gap regarding the child’s body/movement as a focus in Pedagogy.

Keywords: Body/movement. Play. Early Childhood Education teachers.

30 years of PPGE-UEPG (1994-2024): experience space and horizon of expectations

Névio de Campos — 2025-02-07

The 30 years of the Postgraduate Program in Education at the State University of Ponta Grossa (PPGE-UEPG, acronym in Portuguese) are portrayed with a two-fold purpose. On the one hand, it is sought to clarify its history by setting different acts, as follows: foundation (1993-1994), refoundation (2001-2002), reformulation (2003-2004), consolidation (2010-2011), and expansion (2011-2024). On the other hand, a discussion on the PPGE’s current challenges is proposed, referred to as the projection act. The research was developed by surveying PPGE minutes and documents, interviewing former coordinators and the current PPGE coordinator (2019), and analyzing the following material: documentary “PPGE 30 Years” (2024), National Postgraduate Plans, UEPG Teaching Policy Regulations (2013), UEPG Teaching Policy Regulation Minutes (2023), Minutes of the Regulations for UEPG Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Programs (2024), the General Law of Universities (2021), as well as works by Helenice Rodrigues da Silva (2002), Pierre Bourdieu (2013), François Dosse (2013), Reinhart Koselleck (2006, 2014), and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (2015) are used to address both the experience space and the problematization of the horizon of expectations of PPGE-UEPG

Keywords: PPGE-UEPG. Experience space. Horizon of expectations.

Authoritarian neoliberalism and accumulation by legitimization in Mexico. The Educational Reform (2013)

Jesús Bojórquez Luque — 2025-03-11

After the last crisis of capitalism, that of 2008, originated by the real estate crisis in the United States, whose effects were global, according to critical theory, an authoritarian neoliberalism emerged, with States imposing a series of economic adjustment policies, in order to strengthen the mechanisms of capital accumulation. These policies are implemented after the construction of accumulation strategies by legitimization, through propaganda articulated by the economic and political elites. This essay analyzes and reveals how the process of legitimization occurred in the implementation of the Education Reform in Mexico in 2013, under a context of authoritarian neoliberalism, in order to control the teaching profession and consolidate the precarious labor conditions of the neoliberal model. A qualitative methodology based on documentary research focused on academic texts such as scientific articles, theses, books and press reports was used.

Keywords: Neoliberalism. Authoritarianism. Education.

Persuasive techniques in initial teacher education for Science Teaching: propositions based on the Aristotelian conception of rhetoric

Crisóstomo Pinto Ñgala — 2025-03-11

The impact of the escalation of disinformation, scientific denialism, and ideological polarization on Science Teaching highlights the need to develop strategies that foster trust in science and critical reflection. This study examines the integration of the principles of the Aristotelian conception of rhetoric in initial teacher education, focusing on the development of persuasive techniques for circumstances that require “practical wisdom.” This qualitative, exploratory, and interpretative field research combined theoretical review, documentary analysis, and participant observation in Biological Sciences undergraduate students’ teaching in Elementary School. The results indicate the Supervised Internship in Biology as a favorable space for the construction of teaching knowledge grounded in ethical, epistemological, and dialectical commitments, integrating persuasive techniques into instruction. It is argued that the incorporation of Aristotelian rhetoric principles strengthens the professional ethos and enhances Science Teaching, especially in contexts permeated by the discredit of scientifically proven information and political polarization. This study contributes to the educational field by highlighting formative strategies that prepare teachers for the complexities of teaching, emphasizing the importance of promoting a culture of persuasion as opposed to coercion.

Keywords: Science Teaching. Disinformation. Methodical persuasion.

Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the training processes carried out in the triethnic and indigenous communities of Pueblo Rico, Colombia

Claudia Marcela Mejía Hernández — 2025-03-21

The ethnic and indigenous communities of Pueblo Rico, Colombia, are considered a priority population in the implementation of rural education projects to promote the productive and agricultural capabilities of the municipality. This article describes the socioeconomic and environmental impacts derived from an inter-institutional agreement that sought to strengthen the economy and rural development in the municipality, taking into account four axes of intervention: citizen participation, gender equality, peasant economy and cultural identity. 341 social actors participated, including students, teachers, parents, and indigenous and community leaders. The project showed a significant impact in strengthening the productive capacities of vegetable and animal crops, through the creation of productive units that integrate members of the community, promote the participation of women in agricultural production activities, strengthen the identity cultural and facilitate interethnic coexistence.

Keywords: Crop Production. Rural Education. Ethnic Distribution.

Thesis advice in postgraduate programs. Narrative of students and supervisors

Sonia Fiorella Callupe-Becerra — 2025-03-26

The objective is to interpret the experiences of postgraduates and supervisors from the Graduate Unit of the Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad Nacional Hermilio Valdizán, Huánuco, Peru, in relation to advice in the preparation of the postgraduate thesis. The interpretive paradigm, qualitative methodological perspective, and hermeneutic phenomenological method were used; six postgraduates and four advisors were interviewed in depth. The interviews were processed with Atlas.ti 23 and the following categories emerged: postgraduates' conception of advising, characteristics of a good advisor, criteria for choosing the advisor, pleasant and unpleasant experiences of advising, postgraduates' recommendations to advisors, reasons for changing advisors, basic aspects to complete the thesis, advisors' conception of thesis advising, reasons for advising, advisors' feelings when postgraduates manage or fail to support the thesis, recommendations to postgraduates.

Keywords: Thesis supervisor. Thesis advisor. Graduate thesis.

How do Spanish teachers in the Integral Teacher Training Program teach Science? Analysis of didactic proposals

Vanessa Ortega-Quevedo — 2025-04-01

Scientific education is necessary to educate people who understand the natural environment, are able to make decisions and act to promote sustainable development. The aim of this study is to find out what early-career teachers plan for science in their teaching proposals and what innovative approaches they consider in order to foster science education. To this end, a mixed analysis was carried out, including content analysis and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the learning situations elaborated by teachers who participate in the Comprehensive Teacher Training Program (CID, acronym in Spanish) in the Community of Madrid. The results show that advances in research in the didactics of experimental sciences are not having a significant impact in classrooms.

Keywords: Science teaching. Scientific literacy. Comprehensive Teacher Training Program.

Ethics, reflexivity, and “ethically important moments” in research

Marilys Guillemin — 2025-01-21

Abstract: Ethical tensions are part of the everyday practice of doing research—all kinds of research. How do researchers deal with ethical problems that arise in the practice of their research, and are there conceptual frameworks that they can draw on to assist them? This article examines the relationship between reflexivity and research ethics. It focuses on what constitutes ethical research practice in qualitative research and how researchers achieve ethical research practice. As a framework for thinking through these issues, the authors distinguish two different dimensions of ethics in research, which they term procedural ethics and “ethics in practice.” The relationship between them and the impact that each has on the actual doing of research are examined. The article then draws on the notion of reflexivity as a helpful way of understanding both the nature of ethics in qualitative research and how ethical practice in research can be achieved.

Keywords: Research ethics. Reflexivity. Research practice.

ChatGPT as a catalyst for Critical and Creative Thinking

Rosa Sandra Paiva — 2025-01-27

To address the current demands for the development of skills and dispositions in Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT), the CCT Learning Model was designed using a Generative Artificial Intelligence model—ChatGPT—for high school students. The Model (CCT_GenAI) encompasses six stages, in which ChatGPT acts as a mentor, tool, and simulator. This study aims to characterize the students through the application of a Critical and Creative Thinking Test and a Scale of Critical Thinking Dispositions, and to understand how skills and dispositions evolve after implementing the CCT_GenAI model. The study was conducted in Portugal, involving 23 12th-grade students. The students demonstrated a high initial level of CCT skills and dispositions, as well as a moderate improvement in skills and a significant increase in dispositions, particularly among students with lower initial scores.

Keywords: Problem solving. Critical and Creative Thinking Learning Model. Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Ethics in educational research: limits and challenges in the face of Artificial Intelligence

Anita Helena Schlesener — 2025-01-15

This article presents reflections on ethics in the field of educational research, examining both regulatory frameworks and the new dimensions the issue assumes with the integration of new digital technologies, primarily Artificial Intelligence (AI). The theoretical and methodological premise is based on critical thinking, emphasizing that ethical issues entail a political dimension rooted in social and historical conditions. The text revisits current debates on AI in educational research and questions the necessity of institutional regulatory frameworks to guide scientific research in the Humanities, particularly in the field of Education.

Keywords: Research ethics. Ethics in educational research. AI in educational research.

Faculty influences on academic integrity at postgraduate level – views from Spanish universities

Antoni Cerdà-Navarro — 2025-03-03

This paper uses a survey methodology to explore the diverse views of Spanish university faculty teaching postgraduate students on academic dishonesty. A total of 489 professors and lecturers were surveyed. The results were analysed and split into four clusters reflecting faculty views on preventing and addressing dishonesty. The largest cluster (39%) thought it is essential to detect dishonesty and impose strong sanctions when misconduct occurred. A smaller group (15.7%) believed the university system was not responsible for academic dishonesty. Additionally, 78.7% agreed that technological factors were the main cause of breaches, as technology allows students to act dishonestly with ease. The findings highlight the need for a shared understanding of the role the whole academic community has in developing a culture of academic integrity, where all faculty recognize that promoting academic integrity is part of their responsibility.

Keywords: Postgraduate. Academic Dishonesty. Institutional Factors.