Successful Educational Actions Research Articles

Review of the scientific literature on the impact of extending learning time with vulnerable groups

The scientific literature provides evidence of the importance of increasing the academic level of adolescents from vulnerable groups to achieve better well-being and quality of life (INCLUD-ED, 2006–2011). There are so far no systematic reviews of the scientific literature on how the Successful Educational Action (SEA) “Extending learning time” is achieving this. This article fills this gap to have a better understanding of how extending learning time as an out-of-school intervention is achieving social impact. To this end, we have conducted a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), in which seven studies have been selected that provide results on the implementation of this SEA with adolescents at risk of social exclusion. The results show that offering Successful Educational Actions during extending learning time contributes to the improvement of educational achievement by creating learning spaces that foster the development of personal and social skills that make it possible, managing to reduce the risk factors that increase vulnerability in adolescence.

The effect of successful educational actions in transition from primary to secondary school.

While data show improvement in terms of educational access, dropout rates are significant in many countries. In Spain, 28% of students drop out of school without finishing secondary school, more than double the EU average. Thus, extensive research has shown the consequences of the dropout phenomenon, including negative effects on employment, welfare dependency, as well as health and emotional problems. The transition from primary to secondary education is a critical turning point. This situation worsens in the case of refugee and migrant minors who are refugees or with migrant backgrounds. Although there is strong evidence revealing the potential of SEAs to advance educational success for all in different contexts, no research has yet explored the effect of SEAs on enabling a successful transition from primary to secondary education, which could considerably impact decreasing dropout rates. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a secondary educational centre in Spain, this study analyses the impact of the implementation of three SEAs in key aspects related to primary-secondary transitions. Findings show how the systematic implementation of SEAs impacts the ease of the primary-secondary transition: positive relationships between the educational community are promoted, school connectedness across transition is strengthened, and academic support networks are enhanced. The study therefore suggests the benefits of SEAs as strategies that can enhance positive primary-secondary school transitions in terms of students' perception of belongingness, and academic performance.

Roma students’ experiences: practices contributing to participation in post-compulsory education

ABSTRACT Background It is widely recognised internationally that participation in higher education is likely to lead to increased opportunities and resources. However, only a minority of learners from Roma backgrounds continue into post-compulsory education. As important research into inclusion continues, more attention must be paid to the identification of practices that can help break down barriers and support the participation of Roma students in post-compulsory education. Purpose The research sought to gain insight into particular factors influencing the decision-making processes of three students from Roma backgrounds who chose to pursue an academic pathway. Method The setting for this qualitative study was a school in Spain located in a socioeconomically disadvantaged and predominantly Roma neighbourhood whose students had never previously participated in pre-university studies (courses preparing students for university entrance). In-depth interviews were conducted with three Roma students in their last year of compulsory education who were about to move on to pre-university studies, as well as with three significant adults: a Roma mother, a Roma role model working at the school, and the school principal. Findings The analysis of participants’ narratives suggested that, according to their views, the implementation of a set of successful educational actions involving high expectations, the involvement of Roma families, the influence of positive Roma role models and engagement with dialogic interactions contributed to the continuation of these three Roma students on a trajectory towards post-compulsory education. Conclusions The study highlights some noteworthy factors that can be involved in transforming a context from one where access to university is not considered to be an option and towards a new one in which university becomes a real choice.

The Science of Learning and Development: A Commentary

Transforming difficulties into opportunities for thriving is at the heart of this volume on the science of learning and development. This chapter brings the perspective of European research and the Global North and South and discusses some of the challenges included in the call to create the conditions for promoting sustainable and equitable futures for all. Among others, globalizing transformative knowledge by recreating, replicating, and scaling up success stories in education research can overcome methodological or epistemological limitations. Examples of cocreation and interdisciplinary work are included to produce socially relevant knowledge and be effective in tackling the real problems affecting children and youth. Dialogic learning and successful educational actions illustrate how educational success and transformation can happen.

Examination of the Participation of Roma Families in the Educational System: Difficulties and Successful Practices

Discrimination faced by Roma students leads to high rates of academic failure and school dropout while structural barriers continue to hinder their inclusion in the education system. Educational research shows that the engagement of families contributes to inclusion, academic success, and improvement of the quality of education. However, educational barriers and school segregation practices show the traditional deficiency of effective tools to promote family participation among the Roma population. Understanding the barriers that Roma families find to participate in the educational system involves the examination of complex processes and dynamics that we observe in practice and the role of the different actors in the schooling of Roma students. Schools as Learning Communities provide the democratic scenario to develop the type of relational and collaborative conditions that help both educators and families to participate in successful educational actions linked to school performance. The development of family engagement action plans connected to student achievement and the incorporation of the perspectives of Roma families can successfully increase their opportunities and expectations in the education system.

A unidade na diversidade em Paulo Freire: avanços para a transformação educacional

In this article, we relate the concept of unity in diversity, developed by Paulo Freire, to educational actions that promote both academic achievement and improvement in social coexistence in diversity. Initially, we present key concepts elaborated by the author in different publications and we emphasize its relevance. Subsequently, we highlight the concept of unity in diversity and how it underpins Successful Educational Actions (SEA) for Youth and Adult Education, based on the results of a qualitative case study, developed between 2014 and 2016. Finally, we highlight the way that the theory and the comprehension that Paulo Freire offers us remains alive and current, mainly by demonstrating the history that has been built by men and women in favor of humanization and democratic education.

Dialogic Methods for Scalability of Successful Educational Actions in Portugal

One of the pathways to achieve social impact of research is based on a meaningful citizen engagement, especially with main stakeholders, from early stages through all of the project. Scale-up evidence-based educational practices with social impact is a key challenge for systemic change and yet remains understudied in academic literature. This article aims to explore dialogic methods for citizen engagement in educational research, through the case of the scalability of the Successful Educational Actions identified on INCLUD-ED research (FP6, 2006–2011) in 139 schools in Portugal, from 2017 to 2020. Data collection includes document analysis, communicative observation, and interviews. Findings highlight the dialogue maintained not only between schools and researchers but also a multidirectional dialogue between schools that have already implemented research results and schools willing to replicate them and also among government, trainers, and other agents from the community. We identify three features of this multidirectional dialogue: it maintains an evidence-based approach, it is based on egalitarian dialogue, and it is clearly oriented toward the improvement of educational quality for all. The multidirectional dialogue perspective illustrates key methodological issues to take into account during the replicability and scalability of research to enhance its social impact.

Child Well-Being in Times of Confinement: The Impact of Dialogic Literary Gatherings Transferred to Homes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unexpected situation that has forced people to find educational alternatives to support learning and ensure child well-being. The need for practices that “open doors” at home as a way to promote a quality education and to foster an environment of supportive relationships and a sense of community, has led to the in-depth analysis of successful educational actions, particularly the Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs). The aim of this article is to show how the transference of DLGs to the home environment has had an impact on child subjective well-being in times of confinement, promoting a safe and supportive environment for learning, interacting, coexisting and on emotional development at different educational stages, especially for the most vulnerable children. Data collection consisted of a focus group of 10 teachers, 6 semi-structured interviews addressed to families and 6 life stories of students, from 4 primary education centers, 1 high school, and 1 Special Education School. Communicative methodology structured the two-level data analysis, for studying both the elements provided by online DLGs that favor and achieve child well-being, and the elements that may hinder those achievements. The results confirm that DLGs have had a notorious impact on children’s and their families’ well-being. Considering the findings in the development of educational public policies and the possibility of extending “open doors actions” as an option for future learning environments beyond the confinement situation is contemplated. Future research on how these spaces can have an impact on child well-being in upcoming contexts of the new normal in the education domain will be of interest.

Transforming students' attitudes towards learning through the use of successful educational actions.

Previous research shows that there is a correlation between attitudes and academic achievement. In this article, we analyze for the first time the impact of interactive groups (IG) and dialogic literary gatherings (DLG) on the attitudes that students show towards learning. A quantitative approach has been performed using attitude tests validated by previous research. The data suggest that in both cases, the participants show positive attitudes. The social context has an important influence on students' attitudes. The items with higher correlations include group work, mutual support, and distributed cognition. In the case of IGs, group work is much more appreciated, while in the case of DLGs, self-image and self-confidence are the two most clearly valued attitudes. The positive impact of IGs and DLGs on students' attitudes may have potential for teachers in transforming their practices and decision-making within the classroom.

Propelling Children’s Empathy and Friendship

Schools play a crucial role in creating supportive and safe environments, and positive feelings are key in fostering such environments. Schools as Learning Communities, based on the dialogic participation of the whole community, are improving social cohesion. However, the underlying processes leading to such transformations remain underexplored. This article suggests that successful educational actions (SEAs) implemented in a school as a learning community, analyzed in this case study, promote positive feelings such as friendship and empathy, contributing to a safe and supportive environment. The purpose of this study was to analyze how SEAs generate friendship and empathy and their impact in the environment in a school as a learning community in Spain. To that end, the methods used were interviews with 18 students and 10 teachers, and reviews of two documentary films featuring the school. Results suggest that SEAs generate friendship and empathy among many children by promoting mutual support and sharing narratives in such dialogic settings. In addition, developing friendship and empathy contributes to reducing violent behaviors and promoting more inclusive attitudes among many students. This study concludes by providing insights on how SEAs can contribute to safe and supportive environments through fostering friendship and empathy.

Inclusivity, participation and collaboration: Learning in interactive groups

ABSTRACTBackground: Interaction, participation and collaboration are thought to be important factors for supporting successful second or foreign language learning. The use of Interactive Groups (IGs) is regarded as helpful in creating the conditions in which interaction, participation and collaboration are increased to create effective dialogic learning. However, there is limited understanding of the role of IGs in supporting second or foreign language learning.Purpose: The aim of the present study was to explore the opportunities that IGs generated for supporting interaction, participation and collaboration in a situation where students were learning English as a foreign language.Method: A communicative methodology was used to collect and analyse observational and interview data from three classrooms where teaching and learning was organised through IGs, each in a different school in Spain involved in Schools as Learning Communities: Successful Educational Actions (SEAs). Across the three classrooms, there were 58 students, three teachers and 14 volunteers, whose role was to support and encourage communication. The schools served low SES communities. We conducted eight classroom observations and 17 semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed qualitatively.Findings: The thematic analysis suggested that, in the classrooms that were studied, there was evidence that participants and observers felt that IGs promoted effective conditions for the inclusive participation of all learners, created a favourable climate for collaborative interactions regarding the target language and raised learning expectations for all students. In addition, the contribution of the volunteers was identified as crucial to the successful functioning of the IGs.Conclusion: This small scale, qualitative study highlights the potential for IGs to create favourable conditions for the learning of English and other languages as a foreign language. More extensive studies are needed to determine the best way to use IGs for the teaching and learning of foreign languages in other contexts.

How the Psychology of Education Contributes to Research With a Social Impact on the Education of Students With Special Needs: The Case of Successful Educational Actions.

One current challenge in the psychology of education is identifying the teaching strategies and learning contexts that best contribute to the learning of all students, especially those whose individual characteristics make their learning process more difficult, as is the case for students with special needs. One main theory in the psychology of education is the sociocultural approach to learning, which highlights the key role of interaction in children’s learning. In the case of students with disabilities, this interactive understanding of learning is aligned with a social model of disability, which looks beyond individual students’ limitations or potentialities and focuses on contextual aspects that can enhance their learning experience and results. In recent years, the interactive view of learning based on this theory has led to the development of educational actions, such as interactive groups and dialogic literary gatherings, that have improved the learning results of diverse children, including those with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to analyze the social impact achieved by a line of research that has explored the benefits of such successful educational actions for the education of students with special needs. National and European research projects based on the communicative methodology of research have been conducted. This methodology entails drawing on egalitarian dialogue with the end-users of research – including teachers, students with and without disabilities, students’ relatives and other community members – to allow an intersubjective creation of knowledge that enables a deeper and more accurate understanding of the studied reality and its transformative potential. This line of research first allowed the identification of the benefits of interactive learning environments for students with disabilities educated in mainstream schools; later, it allowed the spreading of these actions to a greater number of mainstream schools; and more recently, it made it possible to transfer these actions to special schools and use these actions to create shared learning spaces between mainstream and special schools. The improvement of the educational opportunities for a greater number and greater diversity of students with special needs evidences the social impact of research based on key contributions of the psychology of education.

Evolución de la Parentalidad Positiva: Estudio longitudinal de los efectos de la aplicación de un programa de educación parental

The relation family-school is the ideal context to promote the resources, the facilities and the proposals to forward a successful educational actions. This paper depicts the longitudinal study’s findings of the “Building Everyday Life: positive parenting progamme” to families with children of 0-12 years old. It was run at Principality of Asturias (Spain) from 2011 year, to improve the family dynamics and to face the daily life tasks in a successful way. It was made contact with the participating parents at schools where the programme was carried out, via email or telephone, to evaluate the programme’s effects along these years period, likewise to know the most significative memories and the current training needs of the parent participants. The longitudinal analysis reveals an improvement in family educative guides and resources at the end of the programme, and there is a big drop at the moment. The families refer training needs regards to development stage change, to lifelong learning and in the issues related with the educational counseling and guidance. At present, there is a demand to develop parental education programmes based in the evidences and, being part of the families’ vital projects.

Student teachers volunteering in pre-service programmes in successful schools: Contributing to their successful training

Following recent literature on the field of teacher education, this is considered as key factor in promoting school success. In this regard, most research has been dedicated to clarify which type of education is most effective to train successful teachers in order they can face properly the challenges of modern societies. This article contributes to this ongoing debate by providing the self-reported benefits among student teachers of the Rovira i Virgili University who have served as volunteers in Learning Communities where different Successful Educational Actions (SEAs) are executed. Learning Communities is an evidenced-based project which is widely implemented in schools worldwide. This project is based on the development of SEAs that have been investigated by different European competitive projects. Findings illustrate that these actions are improving children’s academic performance and school climate regardless of the context they are applied. In the present study, based on a mixed-method approach, three different data collection techniques have performed addressed to students teachers: group interviews, semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Results demonstrate the impact of being volunteers in these schools which are summarized on two main facts. First, the quality of the student teacher’s training and professional experience improved through their involvement as volunteers in schools as Learning Communities. Second, this involvement in Successful Educational Actions has a great impact in the improvement of children’s and families’ learning. Drawing on these results a reformulation of teacher education is openly discussed. In fact, research evidences the benefits of construct teacher education programmes based on theories and practices that are scientifically effective to reduce educational inequalities.

Dialogic Model of Prevention and Resolution of Conflicts: Evidence of the Success of Cyberbullying Prevention in a Primary School in Catalonia.

This article analyses the evidence obtained from the application of the dialogic model of prevention and resolution of conflicts to eradicate cyberbullying behaviour in a primary school in Catalonia. The Dialogic Prevention Model is one of the successful educational actions identified by INCLUD-ED (FP6 research project). This case study, based on communicative methodology, includes the results obtained from documentary analysis, communicative observations and in-depth interviews. The evidence collected indicates that the implementation of this type of model can help to overcome cyberbullying; children are more confident to reject violence, students support the victims more and the whole community is involved in Zero Tolerance to violence.

School as Learning Communities: An Effective Alternative for Adult Education and Literacy in Brazil

Women and men, young and adult, who have reached youth or adult life without elementary schooling are part of an important and vulnerable group in Latin America, as for instance Brazil. Integrating the studies that seek to contribute to a qualitative change in Brazilian Adult Education, as a means for overcoming inequalities and in support of most vulnerable groups within the population, this article regards the case of the first Adult Education School in Brazil to transform the learning community. The research was developed between 2014 and 2016 and refers to a qualitative case study using the communicative approach, guaranteed by the use of the Communicative Methodology. Data was collected using four techniques pertaining to the Communicative Methodology: communicative in-depth interview with the school’s Adult Learning and Education coordination; communicative daily-life story with students and volunteers; communicative focus groups with students, volunteers and teachers; and communicative observation in Successful Educational Actions. The results indicate transformative and excluding elements that emerged in the following categories: the school’s characteristics studied, work and life conditions and access to schooling and continuity in school, and interaction within the learning community. Comparing the results that indicate positive aspects of the Adult Learning and Education school transformed into learning communities to results in other studies about other successful Adult Learning and Education schools in Brazil, it can be established that they coincide in some aspects and go beyond others. Although coincidence between studies was observed, they were more intensely noticed in the learning community regarding the following aspects: a) school management oriented towards learning, with contact mechanisms with students that began missing classes, b) appreciation, from the school staff, of teaching and learning processes, specially reading and writing, c) a welcoming environment, bonding between professionals and students, and high expectations towards students. As for the elements identified in the learning community which were not found in the other Brazilian studies, they were: a) enrollment increase over time and decrease in student dropout rates throughout the year, and b) overcoming dramatic situations experienced in the neighborhood and in the school that could initially lead to school dropout.

Participación de Familias en Educación Física

The International Scientific Community identifies the involvement of families in school as a Successful Educational Actions, whose strict implementation leads to the improvement in the academic achievement as well as in the coexistence in the educational context. The aim of this investigation, conducted under the approach of the critical communicative methodology, is to prove how the involvement of the families in education and assessment in the area of Physical Education within the framework of the pedagogical model "Individual Challenges with Shared Responsibility" means an enhancement in all students and their context. The outcomes show an improvement in the academic performance and in the environmental education of students, including those with the greatest barriers. Likewise, this study brings to light the transfer of learning to other contexts and the transformation of the school-family relationship. Besides, it provides evidence on the benefits that it brings to the families that have participated. This study opens up new lines of research into the overcoming of the limitations detected and the improvement of the educational, family and even community contexts.

Dreams of Higher Education in the Mediterrani School Through Family Education

Through Learning Communities, schools and their communities may play a key role in overcoming inequalities suffered by vulnerable populations. Learning Communities implement Successful Educational Actions (SEAs), one of which is Family Education. This action focuses on promoting basic education among community members, in addition to other adult educational and cultural activities. In this context, SALEACOM. Overcoming inequalities in schools and Learning Communities: Innovative education for a new century (2015-2017) is a Marie Curie RISE project to develop interdisciplinary solutions for and with learners most heavily affected by inequalities, including access to higher education and its quality. In this article, we focus on one experience from the Mediterrani School (Spain), where we work through SALEACOM. This school was known as a ghetto school until 2012, when they decided to transform the school into a Learning Community and to apply SEAs. This article analyses the impact of the Family Education programme in relation to families and children’s expectations of higher education and how these expectations affected children’s results. Family Education started in the Mediterrani School in the academic year 2012-2013, when the school and families conducted adult training courses. Three years later, family education had a massive response from the community, when 63 community members, 41% of the Roma enrolled in training courses. Since then, all courses are established according to the community’s decisions through their active participation. Following a communicative methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a communicative orientation among some of the participants in these adult courses. The communicative analysis showed that Family Education allowed the participants, and the members of community expected continued education throughout life and access to the university. The Adult Education promoted in the Mediterrani School can have a transformative effect on educational outcomes, opening possibilities for personal and social change.

Good practices as the state of the art of music education: A literature review

This article contextualizes the origin of the expression ‘good practice’ in economy. The orientations in education developed from it are studied. The meanings assigned by different authors and their consequences in education are analysed. Finally, the presence of the expression, its meaning and use in music education are analysed. Furthermore, literature on successful educational actions is reviewed and its use in music education.

Comunidades de aprendizaje: actuaciones para el éxito académico y la transformación educativa

Schools as learning communities invite us to think about a school that bases its actions on scientific evidence, pursuing academic success of all students and promoting social cohesion. A school that goes beyond the walls of the school itself, and is able to transform the reality in which it is included. In short, they open the doors to a community that dreams the best education for all students, and that makes this dream possible from the implementation of successful educational actions.