III Colloquium: Research Experiences inthe Professional Settings of Social Sciences

DOI del artículo: https://doi.org/10.26620/uniminuto.inclusion.11.3.2024.2-5

Transformations of the social structure and the social sciences are situated in scenarios and places that allow us to understand the phenomena and situations that occur in social realities.

Therefore, its object of study is diverse due to the multiplicity of theoretical assumptions from which each social science approaches it. Furthermore, it is a field of knowledge that deals with the study of the social as individual and collective human activity, and its interrelationships (Ruiz and Benítez, 2016). It is worth noting that, prior to the 19th century, social realities were not considered to be the subject of scientific knowledge, as was the case with the natural sciences, which gives "an idea of the historical conditions of inequality and epistemological doubt that the social sciences carried with them in their origins" (Ruiz and Benítez, 2016, p. 24).

In addition to all this, it is important to understand the concept of social sciences, and the definition that best fits is that proposed by the National Science Foundation, which understands them asA todo esto, es importante conocer el concepto de ciencias sociales, y la definición que mejor se ajusta es la propuesta por la National Science Foundation, que la entiende como

intellectual disciplines that study man as a social being through the scientific method. It is their focus on man as a member of society and on the groups and societies he forms that distinguishes the social sciences from the physical and biological sciences (Gross et al., 1986 cited in Fernández and Zincke, 1993, p. 68).

Thus, social reality is signified and transformed based on the co-construction that takes place among all actors involved in the study of the social, including both researchers and the subjects participating in the studies. Therefore, research seeks “an understanding of reality as the result of a process of construction based on the logic of the various social actors, with an inside view, in order to rescue the uniqueness and partialities inherent in social processes” (Montufar, 2021, p. 79).

The research seeks “an understanding of reality as the result of a process of construction based on the logic of the various social actors, with an inside perspective, in order to capture the uniqueness and partialities inherent in social processes” (Montufar, 2021, p. 79).

This requires a holistic reading of the social context under any approach that guides the process of research, whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed, since it is this reality of the context that is the “starting point for scientists, who, through research, are able to arrive at science when they observe, discover, explain, and predict what leads them to a systematic understanding of reality” (Montufar, 2021, p. 79). It is precisely in this context that social phenomena are identified that need to be questioned and understood in order to find possible solutions that contribute to improving the quality of life of individuals.

The importance of social science research is, therefore, the reflective and creative process that allows us to address problems present in social reality in order to contribute to the well-being of society. Thus, it is “necessary to recognize that the method, far from being unique, involves a creative variety of techniques that arise from different epistemological approaches” (Abello, 2009, p. 214). This requires researchers to adopt ethical positions that ensure the validity of the research process in the social sphere.

Metodology

Regarding its importance, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios – Bello Campus, specifically the Research Group on Social Construction and Transformation Processes – TRAYECTOS –, the Interdisciplinary Group for Social Studies – GIES –, and the COMUNICARE Research Group, joined forces to organize an academic event entitled: “III Colloquium: Research Experiences in the Professional Practice of Social Sciences,” which aimed to highlight the research experiences of teachers, students, and professionals in the social sciences in their different fields of research and intervention

The academic event was organized around two thematic panels, namely:

Thematic Panel 1. Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Sciences

This panel discussed the following topics: Epistemologies of the social sciences; Family, Childhood, and Adolescence; Mental Health and Society; Human Mobility and Interculturality; Participatory Processes and Social Change; and Strategic Communication Processes. The presentations and their objectives are described below:

1. Title: ASTRO-TECH: Teaching astronomy through digital learning.

Objective: to create a digital primer that introduces astronomy from a pedagogical and didactic perspective, translating this technical content into a transmedia product that establishes a main introductory line for astronomy.

2. Title: Elective I Paulo Freire pedagogy of transformation: its effects on the subjectivity of teachers in postgraduate training.

Objective: to understand the effects of Paulo Freire’s effective pedagogical course on the subjectivity of teachers in postgraduate training—Master’s degree in education (VIR) Ibero-American University Corporation, Bogotá

3. Title: Children’s perceptions of the parenting styles of their families living in informal settlements.

Objective: To analyze children’s perceptions of the parenting styles of families living in the informal settlements of Los Cacaos and Nuevo Amanecer, in the jurisdiction of Barbosa, Antioquia.

4. Title: Social determinants of health from a gender perspective in Venezuelan immigrant families living in Medellín, Colombia.

Objective: to analyze the social determinants of health that affect Venezuelan migrant families based on the perceptions and knowledge of immigrant women living in the city of Medellín, Antioquia.

Thematic Table 2. Social Construction, Identity, and Territory

This panel discussed the following topics: Social and Political Management; Subjectivity and Identity Construction; Territory and Community. The presentations and their objectives are described below:5. Title: The ecological path: a dialogue between social sciences, ecology, and mathematics.Objective: to bring students at El Pedregal Educational Institution (Medellín, Colombia) closer to caring for nature through the transformation, recovery, and promotion of their green space, which allows students to explore spaces other than classrooms and take ownership of their environment.

6. Title: Rural women and participation in Medellín.

Objective: to identify the processes of participation of rural women in Medellín within the territory.

7. Title: Social and community organizations: a strategy for rebuilding the social fabric, case study of Comuna 11, Bello-Antioquia.

Objective: To understand the organizational and participatory processes of social and community organizations in Comuna 11 of the municipality of Bello-Antioquia and their relationship with social organization networks.

8. Title:Impact of the Peace Chair on the construc-tion of citizenship in Ciudad Bolívar.

To determine the impact that the implementation of the Peace Chair has had on the construction of peace and citizenship in educational institutions in Ciudad Bolívar.

9. Title: Remembering fabrics: reflections and tensions in knowledge-building processes in Granada, Antioquia.

Objective: To present the methodological report of an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and interinstitutional research project that sought to support community strengthening in Granada, Antioquia.

The papers presented reflect a wide diversity of topics, methodologies, and contexts, allowing for an interdisciplinary reading of the social phenomena investigated in the different professional settings of the social sciences derived from research and intervention experiences.

The evaluation process for the papers presented at the “III Colloquium: Research Experiences in the Professional Practice of Social Sciences” consisted of two phases. The first phase involved receiving and evaluating the abstracts of the papers, which were 3,000 words in length. An article evaluation rubric was used, which considered the structure of a research article, as outlined by the journal Inclusion and Development, as well as the relevance of the paper to the themes of the academic event.

In the second phase, articles were required to comply with the journal’s editorial criteria, for which a scientific committee reviewed and evaluated the articles according to criteria of form and content. In other words, it was ensured that the research articles complied with the standards for authors established by the journal. In addition, the relevance of the topics and the scientific rigor of the articles were evaluated, reviewing the methodology, background, and results, with each evaluation being carried out by a professor who was an expert in the subject.

The importance of social science research is, therefore, the reflective and creative process that allows us to address problems present in social reality to contribute to the well-being of society.

The members of the scientific committee were:

Jair Eduardo Restrepo Pineda Doctor in Analysis and Evaluation of Political and Social Processes

Ruth de Jesús Muñoz Mesa Master’s Degree in Peace, Development, and Citizenship

Glenny María González Ruíz Master’s Degree in Social Sciences

Eliana Andrea Jiménez Ortiz Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development and Environment

Yunia María Manco López Master’s Degree in Family and Couples Therapy

Daniel Jaime Gómez Gómez Master’s Degree in Education and Human Development

Shirley Viviana Cataño Pulgarín Master’s Degree in Psychosocial Interventions and Master’s Degree in Literature

Martha Lucía Correa Ramírez Master’s Degree in Education

José Julián Herrera Pulgarín Doctor of Education

Natalia Restrepo Maya Master’s Degree in Humanities

Gloria Andrea Mayorga Martínez Master’s Degree in Public Policy

Yohanna Castro Rodelo Master’s Degree in Family Therapy

That said, the papers submitted to the journal Inclusion and Development in article format as a special issue, Vol. 11 # 3 – 2024 corresponding to the “III Colloquium: Research experiences in the professional settings of the Social Sciences,” is a type of publication in the form of proceedings of the III Colloquium, which can be considered as a research product by the authors.

References

Abello Llanos, R. (2009). La investigación en ciencias sociales: sugerencias prácticas sobre el proceso. Investigación y desarrollo, 17(1), 208-229.

Fernández, J. C., y Zincke, M. (1993). Las ciencias sociales: concepto y clasificación. Aula: revista de pedagogía de la Universidad de Salamanca, (5), 67-72.

Montufar, et al., (2021). Importancia del contexto social para la investigación. Revista científica del sistema de estudios de postgrado de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, 4(1), 77-84.

Ruiz, H., y Benítez, L. (2016). Metodología de la investigación social I. Cengage learning.

Derechos

Artículo de revision