Social relevance: An essential dimension in a critical curriculum of initial educational formation. UNAE Ecuador

Abstract

The text presents the reflection of social relevance from a critical curriculum in initial educational formation - IEF-in Ecuador. It recognizes the context and its problems as sources and praxis as sense horizon. It emphasizes in the relevance as a key criterion as it bases itself in social and professional the institutional responsibility. It contextualizes the dynamics and follow up of curricular evaluation of the IEF in UNAE. It presents an analysis of the degree programs: Basic Education - BE -. and Intercultural Bilingual Education -IBE -. Objective: To investigate the levels of social relevance of the curriculum of IEF. A qualitative methodology searches information through focal group discussions (FGD). Educational authorities and students of both majors constituted these FGs. An instrument, elaborated out of the project To INN was applied. It contemplates five (5) dimensions of analysis of the relevance: 1. Institutional and Political; 2. Social and Citizenship; 3. Professional and Connection with the work world; 4. Pedagogic and Didactic; and, 5. Investigation and Construction of the knowledge. The conclusion is that in both majors the most outstanding weakness lies on the relationship with the work world; the social dimension and of citizenship presents more relevance features for the case of BE; while in IBE the findings are more equitable in the four (4) dimensions.