Collaborative pedagogical advice in secondary school: Action-research experience based on intervention in the motivational and emotional climate of the class

Abstract

Following the principles of the collaborative counseling model (Sánchez, 2000) an intervention program developed at a secondary school in Neuquén is presented. The objective was to implement a way of working that facilitated the reflection and continuous improvement of teachers and classroom climate. For this, an intervention program focused on the motivational and emotional climate was designed, which also wanted to assess its impact on teachers and students. From spaces of reflection the teachers defined problems that they found in their practices and proposed improvement goals. In the meetings, the counselor focused on the different aspects that literature highlights in the generation of motivational and emotional climates (Alonso Tapia & Fernández, 2009; Evans et al., 2009). Thus, teachers were able to confront their beliefs, their perception of didactic performance with the students’ evaluations, which were collected via self-reports and class filming. The final result of the program showed improvements in the emotional sensitivity of the teachers, in their self-efficacy and interest in working collaboratively. Likewise, the students perceived improvements in the class motivational climate and positive changes were observed in academic performance. Currently the international validation of this program in Spain and Argentina aims to analyze how motivational and emotional processes can interact with each other, generating improvements in teaching and learning.