The role of parents in the education of their children is fundamental. Can we evaluate whether or not it is going well? Gabriela Pilar García Zavala, a student of the second class in the Master of Social Science Research (MICS for its initials in Spanish), delves into these issues in her final thesis project.

Of Peruvian origin and a graduate in psychology from the Catholic University of San Pablo (Peru), Gabriela chose to major in Education and Psychology within the MICS thanks to a grant from the Social Trends Institute. In her final thesis, she seeks to evaluate the Family Education Scale for Adolescents (EEFA-VH). Charo Reparaz and Aurora Bernal, professors within the School of Education and Psychology at the University of Navarra, developed the tool. Withit, this research evaluates general parental competence, parental authority and values ​​education for adolescents.

According to the student, clearly diagnosing how education is being developed makes it possible to "detect problems and propose appropriate interventions." This is especially relevant to her former work at the Catholic University of São Paulo, where she focused on research projects related to family violence and resilience in adolescents.

"In my work, I saw that I needed knowledge in research methods that went beyond psychology to better understand todays’ reality," she explains. "And that's how I would up enrolling in the MICS."

Theoretical and practical knowledge and personal experiences

Gabriela carries out this research thanks to knowledge acquired during her MICS studies. "Courses on social theory gave us the necessary tools to reflect on current social reality and identify its problems," she says. On the other hand, she has also found classes on research methodologies very useful, where she has acquired solid knowledge to start researching.

In addition, she adds that the degree has been a very positive experience since "studying with students from other disciplines and countries greatly enriches the interdisciplinary experience."

Studying at the University of Navarra has also allowed her to start her research career. She participated in the XV International Forum on the Evaluation of Research Quality and Higher Education (FECIES) where she presented a paper on “A proposal for evaluating the Tuning project in Latin America using the Delphi method,” together with Erika Egleontina Barrios González and Ángel Sobrino Morrás, who are professors from the School of Education and Psychology.

The MICS, a degree accredited by the ANECA

The MICS is coordinated by the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) and works in direct collaboration with the Schools of Communication, Law, Education and Psychology, Nursing, and the Humanities and Social Sciences. It is accredited by the ANECA (The Spanish national academic accreditation body).

The Social Trends Institute (STI) is a non-profit foundation based in New York and Barcelona. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of the most important contemporary social trends through research and open debate among experts from various fields of knowledge. STI promotes and disseminates interdisciplinary and international research within five main lines of research, namely Family, Bioethics, Culture and Lifestyles, Governance, and Civil Society.