Revista UNES. Universidad, Escuela y Sociedad

Heritage education from research and teaching practice

Andrés Palma Valenzuela — 2025-03-30

A REVIEW OF:

Pastor Blázquez, M. M., & Bernal Bravo, C. (coords.) (2004): Educación patrimonial desde la investigación y la práctica docente. Madrid: Dykinson, 114 páginas, ISBN: 9788410700536, ISBN electrónico: 978-84-1070-053-6, Colección: Collection Innovation in Social Sciences/Colección en Innovación en Ciencias Sociales. Materia: Educación.

Formación de docentes y educación con museos: desarrollo de competencias profesionales para el uso didáctico del patrimonio

Álvaro Chaparro Sainz — 2025-03-30

La formación inicial de docentes permanece, de manera tradicional, como uno de los grandes retos a los que debe hacer frente la sociedad. Constantemente amenazada por informes educativos, reformas de los planes de estudios o evaluaciones docentes, la formación inicial del profesorado se sitúa en un permanente estado de análisis, crítica o revisión. Con todo, la búsqueda pertinaz e inmutable de una mejora de la calidad docente no debe contravenir los aciertos y avances detectados durante décadas de trabajo. En este sentido, este monográfico desea aportar evidencias concretas sobre los avances científicos más recientes producidos en torno al estado actual de la relación educativa existente entre los museos y los docentes en formación.

The museum between the interests and experiences of future teachers. The case of Andalusia

Ramón Méndez — 2025-03-30

Quantitative social research with a descriptive and inferential approach is presented, taking as reference an interpretive paradigm with a socio-critical tendency; in which it is interesting to know the interests and expectations of future Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers, as well as Secondary Education teacher students; in relation to the museum as a learning space in general and as a school educational resource in particular. The teachers' results show an image of the museum linked to its social function. It concludes by thinking about teacher training as the scenario for improving school and museum relations.

Perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of undergraduate education students towards museums as a didactic resource

Sofía Marín-Cepeda — 2025-03-30

Introduction: There is growing interest in the pedagogical potential of museums as learning spaces, despite the fact that recent studies indicate that future teachers have little knowledge in the educational work of these institutions.

Method: In this study, 761 students from the University of Valladolid undergraduate programs in early childhood, primary and social education participated. A questionnaire-based method was used to evaluate the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of these students about museums. The “Attitudes towards Museums Scale” is used for the evaluation of attitudes. A three-phase analysis is developed: a first descriptive phase, followed by an exploratory factor analysis on a first subsample, and a confirmatory factor analysis on the second subsample during the third phase.

Results: Students show a medium-low interest in visiting museums, with experiences that are not very motivating for their education. They conceive museum activities as a resource for the classroom, thinking that they help to form a critical citizenship, to increase cultural knowledge, social participation, motivation and the transmission of symbolic and identity values. Students value that teachers play a relevant role both in the organization and design of the visit to the museum, during the experience, encouraging debate and reflection, and afterwards, collecting information on student learning.

Conclusions: The scale used to evaluate attitude of education students towards museums as an educational resource proves to be a valid and reliable tool.

Museums and exhibition spaces, a distant reality for pre-service Primary Education teachers

Carlos D. Ciriza-Mendivil — 2025-03-30

Introduction: Museums have been trying for decades to be the bastion and driving force of the cultural context in which they are located. However, the younger population does not feel sufficiently attracted or challenged by these spaces. The main hypothesis of this research is that this disconnection among young people can be extrapolated to the perceptions that trainee teachers have of museums.

Method: This study is a descriptive, non-experiential research with a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach. An expert-validated questionnaire with a total of 73 questions was used. The sample consisted of n=215 students with an average age of around 18 years, all of them belonging to the Primary Education, Early Childhood Education and Double Degree of Primary Education and Early Childhood Education.

Results: The results indicate that the pre-service teachers surveyed visit museums once or twice a year and perceive these institutions primarily as spaces related to culture and history, rather than learning, interconnection, or identity. Paradoxically, their limited use does not diminish their perceived value, and pre-service teachers view museums as important spaces in their future teaching careers, particularly for working with sources and participatory activities.

Conclusions: This study confirms the need for heritage education in classrooms that spans all educational stages, with museums playing a significant role. Such an approach would provide meaningful experiences for students and resources for teachers, allowing these spaces to truly serve as useful environments for the development of historical skills and open participation.

Museums and history teaching within formal educational contexts

Álvaro Chaparro Sainz — 2025-03-30

The objective of this study is to ascertain the impact of an intervention proposal designed by teachers participating in a training course on the motivation, satisfaction and learning of secondary and baccalaureate students. The proposal employs the resources of museums to educate students about inequality and alternative historical narratives.

The method is evaluative and employs a quasi-experimental A-B design. The instruments were designed as semi-structured questionnaires comprising both closed and open questions. These were addressed to the teachers participating in the training course and to the students receiving the intervention proposal. The approach is quantitative, descriptive and inferential in nature.

The findings of the initial objective indicate that nearly half of the surveyed teachers have not participated in in-service training programs on the pedagogical utilization of museum resources. However, they demonstrate a willingness to learn about museums' pedagogical programs, yet they refrain from utilizing their resources due to a lack of time to complete the syllabi or conduct the visits during school hours. With regard to the second objective, it can be seen that pupils perceive a significant change after the implementation of the educational proposal in terms of motivation and satisfaction. However, there is no evidence that the content of their learning has been affected.

It is thus recommended that history teachers undergo further training in order to enhance their ability to design didactic proposals that utilise museum resources. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to conduct more evaluative studies of intervention proposals in order to optimise the learning outcomes for pupils.

Transforming the museum through educational action. Experiences developed in the Provincial Museum Network of Lugo

Belén Castro-Fernández — 2025-03-30

Introduction: In line with social museology, the Rede Museística Provincial de Lugo (RMPL) is a benchmark for how to make an institution accessible, inclusive, inclusive, egalitarian and sustainable. Its adaptation to social needs is manifested in a repertoire of educational experiences that work on inequality, territory and functional diversity. This educational model designed for social transformation arises and is reviewed under the protection of its XXII Xornadas Pedagóxicas. The main objective is to analyse these meetings in order to understand the community complicity that the Network has managed to create in its environment, not only in the educational field, but also with organised groups.

Method: The data collection includes existing information on several editions of the Pedagogical Days, and two interviews with people involved in their coordination and organisation. The analysis of these sources makes it possible to (1) identify the themes dealt with in the conferences, (2) reflect on the extent to which the museum has responded to the needs of society and teachers through these meetings, and (3) assess the implications of the conferences for the improvement of educational action between museum and school.

Results: For more than 25 years the RMPL has been holding Xornadas Pedagóxicas (Pedagogical Conferences) aimed at pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers. In the first stage, they were focused on making teachers aware of experiences, resources and new themes that could be incorporated into the classroom. Throughout these years it has consolidated a long educational work committed to the intersectionality of inequalities from a conception of social museum; situated in its context, capable of involving the community and strengthening the feeling of belonging.

Conclusions: The Rede Museística Provincial de Lugo has been generating alliances with the educational community, in which the Xornadas Pedagóxicas are a crucial element for knowledge, innovation and transfer of experiences. To this end, an open perspective has been relevant, networking with other agents such as museums in Galicia and the rest of Spain, universities and social groups of various kinds.

History education and museums for the development of civic competences. Analysis of an experience on migrations in Compulsory Secondary Education

María del Mar Simón García — 2025-03-30

Introduction: Historical education plays a fundamental role in shaping students’ civic awareness. This article analyzes the implementation of the learning activity "Migrating Makes Us Human," designed to promote historical and civic competencies among secondary school students. The proposal connects historical migratory processes with current social issues, aiming to foster critical reflection on this phenomenon intrinsic to human nature.

Method: A mixed-method exploratory design was employed, analyzing the responses of 30 secondary school students (Grade 9) to 56 questions (multiple-choice, open-ended, and an argumentative essay) focused on the analysis of historical sources and museum resources.

Results: A significant lack of prior knowledge was identified. Students also showed difficulties in connecting historical elements with their contemporary contexts. Regarding migratory processes, attitudes of rejection towards migrants predominated, with responses influenced by prejudice and stereotypes stemming from misinformed social and media narratives. In the argumentative essays, most students did not reach the expected level of proficiency. The responses were generally brief, failed to follow the proposed structure, and did not integrate sources to support their arguments.

Conclusions: The learning activity demonstrated its potential to foster historical thinking and awareness. However, the results highlight the need to continue implementing such activities in classrooms to develop students’ historical and civic competencies. This approach aims to promote a deeper and more critical understanding of socially relevant topics, such as migration.

We can do it! Patriarchal roles and invisibility of women at work throughout history

Juan Ramón Moreno Vera — 2025-03-30

Introduction: The world of work is one of the areas where the role restrictions imposed on women by patriarchy are most visible. Usually, feminized jobs are those related to care (whether in the health sector: medicine, nursing) or to the care and education of children and young people (teaching).

Methodology: The research methodology of this study is mixed, analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, which is common in the field of social science didactics. The design of the activities was previously validated by an international focus group of experts in history education, secondary school teachers and museum experts. Students had to complete the activities individually in class, following the question guide to analyze historical sources.

Results: Students’ responses were generally very positive. The assessment of prior knowledge confirms the initial hypotheses about the main stereotypes that exist about the role of women in the workplace. Through the analysis of works of art and museum resources, most students understood that this situation of inequality was based on patriarchal structures and that these unjust situations still exist today.

Conclusions: Most of the participants also respond that the path that has been followed and should be followed in the future is that of struggle and protest through the feminist movement.

Democratic memory and historical consciousness. Analysis of an educative experience on High School through museum heritage

María del Mar Felices de la Fuente — 2025-03-30

Introduction: History education must provide students with intellectual tools to critically analyse sources and develop a historical consciousness that allows them to connect past and present and confront the actual problems.

Method: This study, conceived as evaluative research, shows the results of a learning situation developed with 2nd year Baccalaureate students. Its objective has been to develop historical consciousness by addressing the process of construction and establishment of democracy in our country, during the 19th and 20th centuries. In order to achieve this objective, sources such as texts and museum pieces have been used. The information was analysed from a mixed approach, which integrates quantitative and qualitative techniques.

Results: The results show that students need greater development of skills for searching and processing sources, as well as for preparing informed and argued texts. Furthermore, there is a low level of historical consciousness, since the students do not recognize the democratizing process as a long-term process that continues today. Along with this, discourses contrary to democracy have been detected that require attention.

Conclusions: We conclude that it is necessary to continue working on historical consciousness from themes that connect past and present, using various sources such as museum heritage resources that have been integrated into this experience. Likewise, democratic culture must occupy an essential place in the classrooms, since our diverse and plural society requires identities that are willing to dialogue and coexist.