University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1992 Linking theory and practice in popular education : conceptual issues and a case of training popular educators in Colombia. Mario A. Acevedo University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Acevedo, Mario A., "Linking theory and practice in popular education : conceptual issues and a case of training popular educators in Colombia." (1992). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2092. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2092 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN POPULAR EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES AND A CASE OF TRAINING POPULAR EDUCATORS IN COLOMBIA A Dissertation Presented by MARIO A. ACEVEDO Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION February of 1992 School of Education © Copyright by Mario A. Acevedo 1992 All Rights Reserved LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN POPULAR EDUCATION CONCEPTUAL ISSUES AND A CASE OF TRAINING POPULAR EDUCATORS IN COLOMBIA A Dissertation Presented by MARIO A. ACEVEDO Approved as to style and content by: "MzUv] % David Kinsey, cjhair Peter Park, Member Dedico este trabajo a los educadores populares que con su labor contribuyen a la construccion de una sociedad mas libre, justa y amable. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In writing this dissertation I received inspiration, assistance and support from many sources. I would like to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to: The members of my committee, Drs. David Kinsey, Robert Miltz, and Peter Park, especially Chairman David Kinsey who as my academic advisor has consistently offered his insights and support throughout my academic program from its beginning to the final corrections of this dissertation. The University del Valle and my colleagues there, especially my compaheros from the Popular Education Program who made it possible for me to find the time and space for my fieldwork. The Institute for Training and Development - I.T.D., particularly Linda Abrams and Dan Moulton, for the generous support - both moral and material - they provided, above all in this last stage of writing. And to the many other I.T.D. friends and fellow students, especially Manolo Sanchez and Don Graybill who inspired me with his enthusiasm and commitment v The Center for International Education and all the friends there, particularly Sue Thrasher, for her friendship and for offering me the opportunity to look at Popular Education from the Highlander perspective. And finally, my deepest gratitude to my wife, companera, and best friend, Kathy Searle, for her constant and enthusiastic help, her understanding and love throughout this process. vi ABSTRACT LINKING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN POPULAR EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES AND A CASE OF TRAINING POPULAR EDUCATORS IN COLOMBIA FEBRUARY, 1992 MARIO A. ACEVEDO, B . A. UNIVERSIDAD DEL VALLE - COLOMBIA. M. Ed . , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS . Ed D . , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by: Professor David C. Kinsey This study examines the gap between theory and practice in Popular Education, discusses the implications, and explores ways in which training can promote better linkages between the two domains. Its central concern is that this discrepancy hinders conceptual development and theoretically informed practice in the field. The specific vehicles for inquiry are 1) a critical assessment of the relation between theory and practice as seen in the literature and in Latin American programs, and 2) an analysis of a training program for popular educators to illustrate options for linkage. Initially the author presents the characteristics of Popular Education as seen from the perspective of practitioners in the reports of their regional meetings, from a comparative study of 17 Popular Education Programs, and from the literature on Popular Education. He also critically reviews the literature and perspective of vii researchers to identify divergences between theory and practice, to assess problems that result, and to find alternative strategies for linkage. The study next focuses on training in order to analyze how the gap between theory and practice can be either widened through an "instrumental" approach to training, or narrowed through a "holistic" training strategy. Then the Training Program for Popular Educators at the University del Valle of Colombia is introduced as a program that attempts to implement a holistic training strategy. This case study is based on documents produced during its design and implementation, interviews, and participant observation of the author. It is used to understand how such a program can mediate between the theory of Popular Education and the practice of its participants as popular educators on the community level. The attributes of Popular Education are used as criteria for analyzing this strategy and examining how it put principles into practice. Problems encountered were obstacles in assessing the pertinence of these principles within the context of the program, constraints presented by the University, and habits or attitudes of teachers and participants affecting the adoption of important principles. viii Finally, there are concluding observations on Popular Education theory and suggestions for how training programs and further research can contribute to the need for linking theory and practice. IX TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT LIST OF FIGURES x ii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION 1 Problem and purpose of the study 1 Preliminary conceptual framework 8 Research methodology 19 Analysis of the information 25 Organization of the study 26 II TOWARDS A CHARACTERIZATION OF POPULAR EDUCATION 29 Encounter of popular educators from the Colombian South-West 32 First Andean workshop of Popular Education methodology 3 8 Encounter of popular educators from Latin America and the Caribbean 4 3 A comparative study of Popular Education projects 46 Characteristics of Popular Education 50 III PROBLEMS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE OF POPULAR EDUCATION 57 Typologies of Popular Education programs .... 58 The gap between theory and practice 68 Popular Education and political parties .... 76 The role of the popular educator 81 IV TRAINING POPULAR EDUCATORS: LINKING OR DETACHING THEORY AND PRACTICE? 88 Instrumental Training: Characteristics and its effects 89 Towards a holistic model for training popular educators ..... 90 x V THE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR POPULAR EDUCATORS AT THE UNIVERSITY DEL VALLE: A CASE STUDY 99 Historical background of the program 102 Participatory curriculum design 105 Characteristics of the program 110 Program organizational structure 120 VI ANALYSIS OF THE PROGRAM: A CASE OF HOLISTIC TRAINING? 126 An integrated pedagogic model 130 Analysis of the program's components 136 The R.A.T.: Linking teaching to research. 138 CIPAS: Organization for collective learning and action 140 U.F.P.s: Integration of training contents and activities 143 Workshops: Linking theory and practice . 146 Content sequence: Remains of a collection- type model 149 Program institutional contexts: Barriers or challenges? 151 VII SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 159 Summary and conclusions 159 Recommendations for linking theory and practice 164 Recommendations for the training program .... 175 Suggestions for further research 179 BIBLIOGRAPHY 183 XI LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Stages of the Curriculum Design 107 2. Flowchart of the Program 124 3. Comparison between two pedagogic models . 134 xii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Problem and purpose of the study The central concern of this study is the discrepancy observed between discourse and action in the field of Popular Education and its resulting problem of lack of theoretical development. Specifically, the study attempts to identify areas of need and approaches for linking theory and practice, through two complementary and reinforcing research procedures: a) the critical assessment of the relationship between theory and practice and b) the analysis of a Training Program for Popular Educators which could represent an opportunity to strengthen Popular Education Theory and to disclose paths to adjust existing gaps between theory and practice within the field. Many popular educators, like Parajuli [1986], recognize that although the practice of Popular Education has advanced, its theoretical formulation has lagged behind. The lack of theoretical rigor is - according to those scholars - one of the main problems in this field and creates the risks of Popular Education being coopted by interests contrary to those of the popular sectors. 1 : The description and analysis of common general c^aract er"istics as , extrapolated from practical experiences, has constituted, to a large extent, the basis for deriving a theory. However, at this point some important questions arise * Is actual description of some characteristics of Popular Education programs an appropriate way to construct a theory? * What are the implications of this approach to theory building for the rationalization and improvement of the practice of popular educators? * What are the reasons for