Identification and analysis of processes to improve student coexistence in primary schools in Catalonia

Abstract

The improvement of student coexistence in many schools is a very important issue to which great attention has been devoted in recent years. There is a unanimous social agreement on the idea that peaceful coexistence at school constitutes an end in itself (the formation of civic-minded and responsible citizens) and it is an indispensable condition for learning and school success. The difficulty lies in the achievement of tangible results which go beyond projects and well-meaning statements and which favour learning, enabling the harmonious functioning of the institution while reinforcing the motivation of the participants. This paper presents the results of an analysis and exploration of improvement processes that have been carried out in schools in Catalonia. Consequently, our results represent an attempt to study in depth the field of school innovation processes. To this end, we begin by giving a panoramic view of the main lines of research and innovation implemented over the last twenty years, making it clear that it is advisable to take naturalistic approaches to improvement processes during their performance. The paper then goes on to describe the design and methodology of the study and subsequently analyses the results obtained. All this leads to a consideration of some guidelines or ideas for action.

Keywords: Coexistence, conflicts, primary school, good practices, improvement processes.