Social and Cultural Capital

Bourdieu proposes a reconciling theory, a balance between structuralism and human agency. He argues that human beings are part of a structure (the objective part) that determines our position as agents in the world (habitus), but that within this world each has the possibility of obtaining the different existing capitals (social, cultural, economic and symbolic) and in this way learn the new sets of rules to move to different positions or social fields.

This theory is not completely alien to the proposals of cultural reproduction enunciated by Marx and Freire. Recognizes that there is a ruling class that establishes the rules, that is, the conditions necessary for their children to maintain their status, as well as what is not worth teaching and points to schools as institutions that facilitate this reproduction. Teachers share homogenized content because they were previously homogenized in their training.

Somehow, I think that in my own experience I have been a participant in the doctrines of this theory; since access to better educational resources and experiences abroad opened the doors to better job opportunities than many people I know. What I do believe that this theory does not address are the inequities that exist in different societies; the political, social, economic, race and gender factors that still exist in societies (especially in Latin American ones) and that generate an imbalance in access to the capitals present in the habitus.

Critical Pedagogy

Critical pedagogy is not a theory in itself, but it is the application of critical theory in pedagogy. This is an emancipatory approach. According to Freire, we are all involved in oppressive structures, directed by classes or dominant groups. Education has an intrinsic liberating action.

The change occurs with the dialogue; man was created to communicate with other men. Freire believes that words can become a transforming element of society. Freire is contrary to the conception of education where knowledge is deposited in students, being a domesticating instrument. He affirmed that education is an instrument for liberation and that in order to be liberated, those who were under oppressive control had to achieve an awareness of how the different contexts of gender, politics, race and social class play a preponderant role in the construction of your reality.

From my point of view, one of the most interesting elements of Freire's theory is the "fear of freedom." This fear is present both in the oppressed and in the oppressor. The oppressor is afraid of losing the freedom to oppress, while the oppressed have a fear of assuming or possessing their own freedom.

For Doctorate students (and I want to believe that it's not just my case), the transition from being part of a labour system (where there are clear guidelines on the activities to develop) to an environment where those students are responsible for guiding and executing their Research can be scary. Freire's theories apply in this case because once the student learns to use the methods and tools (used by the teachers of the program), they can become the architect of their reality.

Marx and Educational Research

This is a theory exclusively centred on the difference between classes. Marx's concepts of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat explain how the dominant classes determine what should be taught with the intention of preserving their lifestyle (theory of social reproduction).

To better understand this topic, it is convenient to understand that, although equality and equity sound alike, they are not the same thing. Equality focuses on establishing the same starting point for all, equity, on the other hand, tries to provide everyone with a great variety of opportunities and benefits, that is, to provide everyone with the same point of arrival.

The Ecuadorian State has been led by socialist governments for approximately 12 years. They continually proclaim their intention to enable universal access to education, including it as a fundamental element of the constitution of the Republic of 2008. Unfortunately, the problem does not end with providing access to low-income students, but the right conditions must be fostered to facilitate adequate learning. 

The difference of classes can exert an enormous influence on the performance of the students, either by feeding and the availability of resources at home to complement the classes. In my experience as a teacher, I did not notice much difference in the performance of my students caused by the difference in classes, but that is probably due to the fact that the majority of my university's students come from a low economic level. At this point, it would be interesting to make a comparative study with urban universities located in the main cities of the country to determine if there is a real difference.