Iván Rodríguez Pascual

La participación de la población infantil en el ámbito de los métodos cuantitativos de investigación

Why should we question the role of boys and girls of different ages in surveys and other quantitative research techniques? The objective of this text is to address the methodological problem of the adequacy of quantitative methods to the characteristics of a developing informant. From our point of view it is important to avoid discussing the limited characterization of these informants because they are (poorly) conceived from an inflexible developmental perspective instead of dealing with the real problem: the technical limitations of our techniques and instruments. We conclude that it is necessary to avoid the adult bias hidden under technical arguments emphasizing methodological adaptation, particularly when working with informants of short age.

Diversidad familiar : una experiencia docente en el Grado de Trabajo Social

The study about family change, family diversity, and the implications for care and Social Services fields, are central topics in the academic training of Social Workers. The present paper shows an innovative educational experience characterized by an interdisciplinary and cross-curricular approach. The main purposes of this paper are: (1) to describe an educational and research activity carried out in the Social Work Degree; and (2) to present the research results obtained in the activity. A group of 216 university students collected data about a sample of 258 subjects (age range: 22 to 85 years) using a questionnaire focused on the concept of family and the acceptance of new models of families. Results obtained showed that the concept of family was mainly based on both functional and relational criteria, and also a high level of acceptance of the different types of families, but with differences associated to the subjects’ profile. For students, this activity promotes the awareness of both the importance of social research for the practice and the existence of prejudice about nonconventional families.