Researching educational quality will translate into improvements for the Dominican educational system
During the Seminar on Social Theories III “Investigative practices for reflection on social problems” of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo DomingoGinia Montes de Oca, director of the Ideice research department, highlighted the challenges in research management in the country
SANTO DOMINGO.- The challenges faced related to research on educational quality and its impact on the national educational system were addressed in the Seminar on Social Theories III of the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), a scientific-academic initiative that is developed within the framework of the presentations of thesis progress of the university's Master's Degree in Research Methodology in Social Sciences.
During the activity, Ginia Montes de Oca, director of the research department of the Dominican Institute for Evaluation and Research of Educational Quality (IDEICE), stated that “the future of Dominican education depends largely on the ability to generate and use knowledge about educational quality.”
When giving a keynote talk in which he spoke about educational quality and the proactive dissemination of research findings in the Dominican Republic, he concluded that both “are fundamental to improving the Dominican educational system.” He considered that communicating the findings is essential for them to be used by educational actors.
Meanwhile, Dalul Ordehi, Dean of the Area of Social Sciences and Humanities of the INTEC, corroborated this message by indicating that “social research is essential to achieve greater knowledge of the current context and to provide ideas, practices and elements for innovation in social action and public policies.” The doctor in Psychology addressed the role of research to identify solutions to social problems and understand them in their entirety.
“Research allows us to identify the causes and consequences of these problems, thus helping to establish strategies and public policies aimed at their resolution,” said Ordehi. In addition, he pointed out that through research, concrete data and evidence are generated that support informed decision-making based on reality. Therefore, research on social problems is essential to promote social well-being and promote the sustainable development of a community.
Among the challenges faced by research management, Motes de Oca mentioned the limited funding for educational research, weaknesses in coordination between the different actors who carry out educational research, difficulty in accessing educational data and lack of dissemination culture. of research findings. “In the Dominican Republic, there is some progress in the management of research on educational quality, but there is still much to do,” he said after citing the creation of Ideice in 2008 among the advances.
The third Seminar on Social Theories III presented the teachers' projects that revolve around themes linked to social problems, some in the field of health, from a multidisciplinary perspective; as well as the management of research on educational quality and the proactive dissemination of educational findings and policies.
At the opening Pedro Luis Castellanos, coordinator of the research unit of the Health Sciences Area, gave the keynote lecture “institutional health care practices from a multidisciplinary perspective”, in which he presented the responses to health situations as a whole, but based on the connections that exist between the social actors in the environment. The researcher allowed us to examine the levels to understand the health situation in the populations, the multidisciplinary nature and the intervention strategies, including promotion, prevention, care. His presentation was organized into three moments: the disciplines and their interaction in scientific research; the field of health and the last one on the profile of health needs and problems.
Clara Elena Cruz, PhD in Spanish Studies Linguistics and Literature, addressed the “analysis of the support that parents of deaf children receive in relation to involvement in their comprehensive development in two schools in Santo Domingo.”
Mabel Rondón, psychologist, presented about his research “Under the bridge: analysis of programs and services for homeless adults with mental illnesses in the Dominican Republic”; while Alejandro Balbuena, graduate in Business Administration and Management graduate of INTEC, spoke about “Life in Greater Santo Domingo: the success of migrants from rural Cibao in the main urban area of the country.”
Florilena Paredes, PhD in Spanish Studies: Linguistics and Literature, Presented “Impact of research groups on the development of intellectual capital in the universities of the Dominican Republic.”
“The addiction to "gambling" in young people between 18 and 35 years old in the Santo Domingo Este municipality” was the topic presented by, Alexander Mañan, Industrial Engineer. Similarly, Alvidalis Feliz, Graduate in Education with a mention in Guidance, addressed the topic “The Impact of prolonged use of video games on the school performance of high school students in the Bahoruco province” Carmen Terrero, Law graduate, addressed the “Analysis of the application of educational strategies to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) at the Caritas Feliz school, Barahona.”
Adelaida Florentino, academic coordinator of the Master's Degree in Research Methodology in Social Sciences from INTEC, thanked the attendees and teachers for their participation, which he considered essential to achieve the objectives of the seminar within the framework of the subject of Social Theories III.
He specified the recreation of problems of vulnerable populations, recalling the central conferences that call for reflection, production and dissemination of knowledge. “This space motivates us to redefine the role of the teacher, establish alliances with other entities and professionals, and enter the world of research to address social problems and develop new policies that provide answers to them,” Florentino concluded.
