Conectando con nuestros abuelos para mejorar la educación formal - [Connecting with our grandparents to improve formal education]

Abstract

- This experience arose at the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year, when detecting the need to strengthen human relationships after months of confinement by COVID-19. This circumstance was used to motivate the students in their learning process. Specifically, the objective was to learn and to apply social research techniques facing problems in real and close situations, in which students could develop empathic relationships. Based on theoretical knowledge on qualitative research, 57 students, enrolled in a Market Research course, were asked to carry out in-depth interviews with their grandparents to deal with the problems that arose during the confinement period, with special reference to habitability issues.. Thirty transcripts were obtained and used to carry out the work of the subject. The results show that the experience has been enriching for the students insofar as it has allowed to apply the methods of the subject program to real cases, close, and with social interest. More generally, it is proposed to promote contact with the students' grandparents, given their proximity and their knowledge, to promote the involvement of university education in the Sustainable Development Goals.