GIES10 Research Lines

The main research objective of the group is to analyse, implement and evaluate educational programmes in different community and school contexts, integrating artistic practices and physical activity as key areas of intervention to promote inclusion, health and well-being. This work is grounded in empirical evidence, interdisciplinarity and a commitment to socio-educational transformation.

Education

Educator Training

One of the group’s priority objectives is to contribute to the continuing professional development of educators in both formal and non-formal contexts, fostering deeper reflection on teaching and educational practice and promoting processes of change and improvement in the settings where programmes are implemented.

In school contexts, the aim is to adapt the curriculum to the social needs and demands of each specific context, taking into account its possibilities and resources. The objective is to develop educational proposals based on a strategy of educational and cultural development and transformation at the local level, with the active involvement of the entire educational community. To this end, the group adopts a training strategy based on the principles of collaborative action research. The educational community engages in reflective and critical analysis in order to interpret data, give meaning to the educational process and provide curricular solutions.

Programme Evaluation

In our context, there is still limited tradition in programme evaluation. Educational programmes are often designed with great enthusiasm, but their effectiveness is not always systematically assessed.

Our objective is to evaluate implemented programmes systematically through scientific methods, taking into account their aims, effects and outcomes. This allows decisions to be made during programme implementation, while also considering the possibilities for replication. Programme evaluation also helps to generate knowledge about what has been achieved and how a given competence has been developed, provide public information on the outcomes obtained, demonstrate the value of the programme, assess its usefulness and effectiveness, understand its scope, identify its possibilities and limitations, determine which dimensions it addresses and which it does not, and promote critical reflection on a given situation.

Physical Activity

Performance and Health

We investigate the relevance of intrinsic factors, such as anthropometric, genetic and psychological variables, and extrinsic factors, such as training and equipment, in relation to the occurrence of sports injuries. This knowledge makes it possible to develop intervention programmes aimed at minimising, or even preventing, injuries in athletes. At the same time, it contributes to optimising sports performance while safeguarding athletes’ health.

Physical Activity and Health

The relationship between physical activity and health is of great importance in Western societies, particularly in Galicia, where sedentary lifestyles are increasing considerably, together with the diseases associated with them.

This suggests that problems such as obesity are not only due to patterns of overconsumption, but also to insufficient physical exercise, which is having a significant impact on a large part of the population.

The need to analyse healthy habits during school age is supported by numerous studies showing that regular physical activity is one of the most important habits, given its clear benefits for both physical and psychological health.

Health

Health Education

In a very short period of time, health education has become one of our social and personal priorities, whether due to the need to acquire healthier lifestyles that prevent disease and extend life expectancy, to reduce costs for the healthcare system, or to promote quality of life for all.

However, the current situation remains very different. Despite existing concern, there is evidence of a global health crisis caused by several factors: the abandonment of self-care practices, such as physical activity and adequate nutrition; the expectation that new technologies will provide “miraculous cures”; the lack of importance given to prevention because treatment options exist; the investment of resources in centres that solve health problems rather than in health promotion; and the prevalence of diseases such as cancer, traffic accidents or cardiovascular diseases, often linked to the absence of healthy lifestyles.

Physical and Emotional Well-Being

Physical and emotional well-being is a fundamental dimension for understanding people’s holistic development, as it encompasses factors related to health, psychological balance, social participation and the contextual conditions in which everyday life unfolds.

It is therefore a broad and multidimensional concept, referring both to social and community variables and to physical, emotional and cultural dimensions. For this reason, when designing programmes in different areas, it is important to consider the social and cultural dimension, recognising both individual and collective responsibility in the promotion of healthy habits, inclusion and well-being.

Within this framework, our research focuses on the contributions that regular physical activity, sport and artistic practices can make to people’s physical and emotional well-being, taking into account not only individual characteristics but also the community and contextual realities of different groups.