Improving coexistence through participatory action-research

Resumen

Despite the time gone by and carried out research for the last decades, perceptions on ways of working which are still present in many school contexts are characteristic from an old-fashioned
industrial society which is not the case anymore. It is usually stated that educational systems are doomed to go one step behind however, it would not be so if some advances backed up by acceptable and reliable research were taken into account. Those would help to understand educational phenomena and improve the conditions in which education takes place at schools to reach established objectives. Thus, the case study which is presented here is incardinated in an action research (AR) process at Compulsory Secondary Education. Its main goal is to gather information on the demands and needs of the different agents involved in secondary schools to work on those necessary aspects to lessen disruptive behaviour, encourage a positive environment in class and at school, and improve not only teachers’ efficiency but also their relations with students. In this paper it is described the conducted piece of research: data and most relevant conclusions regarding the aforementioned topics; i.e. the necessity of having professionals to help and advice teachers to work certain aspects such as social abilities or democratic management.