El Pesta alternative educational project in Ecuador: critical approach to the impact on the personal and professional development of its former students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-1240

Keywords:

Alternative education, educational projects, alternative pedagogies, personal and professional development, freedom, equity, social justice, collective identity

Abstract

Introduction: Alternative education is a movement focused on autonomy, participation, and social justice. This study focuses on the personal and professional impact of the alumni of the El Pesta educational project in Ecuador, founded in 1977 by Rebeca and Mauricio Wild, which promoted non-directive education. Methodology: Interviews and questionnaires were conducted with 18 former students, using an inductive analysis to develop a flexible categorical system to explore the participants' perceptions of their educational experience in El Pesta. Results: The former students describe their time at El Pesta as an experience that promoted freedom, play and autonomy. Critical aspects were also identified that invite a rethinking of this type of educational projects. Discussion: The study reveals a strong collective identity among the alumni/ae and a lasting influence of the project on their personal and professional lives. Challenges and areas for improvement are discussed for alternative education projects to promote greater social justice and equity. Conclusions: The results highlight the contributions of El Pesta to quality education, but also highlight outstanding issues for these projects to fully develop under social justice criteria.

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Author Biographies

Aitor Garagarza Cambra, University of the Basque Country

D. from the University of the Basque Country-Euskal Herriko Unibertsiatea. Her thesis focuses on childhood and community development in the context of alternative education. In addition, she has participated in the International University Congress, has also developed research on community development and is part of the faculty of the area of Theory and History of Education, Department of Educational Sciences of the Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Anthropology of the UPV/EHU.

Israel Alonso Sáez, University of the Basque Country

Social Educator, Pedagogue, Doctor in Pedagogy (2015). Associate Professor of the Department of Didactics and School Organization in the Degree of Social Education at the University of the Basque Country. I have published more than 70 articles, books and scientific book chapters in different lines of research focused on education and socio-educational action. I have participated in 24 projects and 3 research contracts. In several of them as principal investigator. I am a member of the research group KideON: Socio-educational inclusion (IT1342-19) in the Basque university system. I have directed four doctoral theses, one of them focused on alternative education projects.

Miren Aguirregoitia-Güenechea, University of the Basque Country

Social Educator from the University of Deusto, Degree in Pedagogy from the Complutense University of Madrid and Official Master's Degree in Development and International Cooperation from the UPV/EHU. Experience of more than 10 years in socio-educational intervention with different groups and social organizations and in Education for Social Transformation in different NGODs and Latin American countries. In 2018, she joined as a teacher at the UPV/EHU and currently, she continues as a working professor in the Department of Educational Sciences teaching classes in the Degrees of Social Education, Pedagogy, Early Childhood and Primary Education. She is developing her doctoral thesis within the Program “Education: School, Language and Society” researching the pedagogical practices of rural schools in the Basque Country, the ‘Eskola Txikiak’.

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Published

2024-10-09

How to Cite

Garagarza Cambra, A., Alonso Sáez, I., & Aguirregoitia-Güenechea, M. (2024). El Pesta alternative educational project in Ecuador: critical approach to the impact on the personal and professional development of its former students. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 9, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2024-1240

Issue

Vol. 9 (2024)

Section

INNOVATING IN AVANT-GARDE EDUCATIONAL FORMS

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Copyright (c) 2024 Aitor Garagarza Cambra, Israel Alonso Sáez, Miren Aguirregoitia-Güenechea

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