La investigación como estrategia de aprendizaje y mejora de la práctica docente en la formación inicial de maestros

Research as a strategy for learning and improving teaching practice in initial teacher training

Abstract

The type of active and situated knowledge demanded by schools and other institutions requires professionals who reflect, question and investigate. This article studies the meanings that students of Early Childhood Education, Primary Education and Double Degree, teachers tutoring Final Degree Project (TFG), from the universities of Barcelona and Girona, and practising teachers, attribute to research in school educational practice, as well as the obstacles and opportunities to promote research competence during initial training. This triple perception was accessed through a qualitative research design of an evaluative nature in which different data collection techniques were combined. The results show the centrality of research for the processes of improving educational practice and professional development, and that initial training does not guarantee its acquisition to an optimal degree. Although the completion of the dissertation is interpreted as the last opportunity to learn to do research, and the study carried out has shown that, after completing it, students consider that they have improved in the competence, the level achieved is still far from the desirable level. To achieve this, it is suggested that training in research should be based on a cross-disciplinary approach, and devices are offered to facilitate this.