The professional improvement of the teacher in educational prevention of child labor

Mendive. Journal on Education, july-september 2022; 20(3): 953-969

Translated from the original in Spanish

Original article

The professional improvement of the teacher in educational prevention of child labor

La superación profesional del docente sobre la prevención educativa del trabajo infantil

Aperfeiçoamento profissional do professor na prevenção educacional do trabalho infantile

Marilis Feriz Otaño¹http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7700-2168
Raida Rodríguez Rodríguez¹http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0684-6731
Osvaldo Echevarría Ceballos¹http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5567-529X

¹University of Pinar del Río "Hnos Saíz Montes de Oca". Cuba. marilis.feriz@upr.edu.cu, raida.rodriguez@upr.edu.cu, osvaldo.echevarria@upr.edu.cu

Received: April 7^th, 2022.
Accepted: June 9^th, 2022.

ABSTRACT

Society, faced with its constant transformation, demands professionals to permanently improve their preparation, with a view to showing a general culture, which is reflected in their professional performance, for which professional improvement constitutes a way to achieve such purposes. As a consequence of the current economic conditions, social problems arise and/or proliferate that require timely identification and attention from educational prevention, as is the case of child labor; In this way, educational prevention constitutes a challenge for teachers of pedagogical careers, based on the complex social scenarios that affect the educational context. The article aims to expose the diagnosis of the initial state of the professional improvement of teachers of pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor. The teachers of the General Pedagogical Training discipline were selected as a sample. The dialectical-materialist method was assumed as a general method, and theoretical methods were also used, such as historical-logical analysis, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, hypothetical-deductive, modeling and systemic-structural-functional; among the empirical ones, document analysis, observation, interview and the technique of methodological triangulation were applied; Statistical methods, frequency distribution analysis, calculation of indicator indices were also used. As a result, the diagnosis and the regularities of the process of professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor were obtained. Keywords: diagnosis, educational prevention, professional improvement, child labor.

Keywords: diagnosis; educational prevention; professional improvement; child labor.

RESUMEN

La sociedad, ante su constante transformación, demanda de los profesionales perfeccionar de manera permanente su preparación, con vistas a mostrar una cultura general, que se refleje en su desempeño profesional; para ello, la superación profesional constituye una vía para lograr tales propósitos. Como consecuencia de las actuales condiciones económicas surgen y/o proliferan problemáticas sociales que requieren ser oportunamente identificadas y atendidas desde la prevención educativa, como resulta ser el caso del trabajo infantil; de esta forma la prevención educativa constituye un reto para los docentes de las carreras pedagógicas, a partir de los complejos escenarios sociales que inciden en el contexto educativo. El artículo tiene como objetivo exponer el diagnóstico del estado inicial de la superación profesional de los docentes de las carreras pedagógicas sobre la prevención educativa del trabajo infantil. Se seleccionó como muestra a los docentes de la disciplina Formación Pedagógica General. Como método general se asumió el dialéctico-materialista y fueron utilizados, además, métodos teóricos como el análisis histórico-lógico, análisis y síntesis, inducción y deducción, hipotético-deductivo, la modelación y el sistémico-estructural funcional. Entre los empíricos se aplicaron el análisis de documentos, la observación, la entrevista y la técnica de la triangulación metodológica; se emplearon también métodos estadísticos, el análisis de distribución de frecuencias, cálculo de índices de indicadores. Se obtuvo como resultado el diagnóstico y las regularidades del proceso de superación profesional de los docentes de las carreras pedagógicas sobre la prevención educativa del trabajo infantil.

Palabras clave: diagnóstico; prevención educativa; superación profesional; trabajo infantil.

RESUMO

A sociedade, diante de sua constante transformação, exige dos profissionais a melhoria permanente de sua preparação, com vistas a mostrar uma cultura geral, que se reflete em seu desempenho profissional; para isso, o aprimoramento profissional constitui uma forma de atingir tais propósitos. Como consequência das condições econômicas atuais, surgem e/ou proliferam problemas sociais que exigem identificação e atenção oportunas da prevenção educacional, como é o caso do trabalho infantil; Dessa forma, a prevenção educacional constitui um desafio para os docentes das carreiras pedagógicas, a partir dos complexos cenários sociais que afetam o contexto educacional. O artigo tem como objetivo expor o diagnóstico do estado inicial do aperfeiçoamento profissional dos professores das carreiras pedagógicas sobre a prevenção educacional do trabalho infantil. Os professores da disciplina de Formação Pedagógica Geral foram selecionados como amostra. Assumiu-se o método materialista-dialético como método geral, e também foram utilizados métodos teóricos, como análise histórico-lógica, análise e síntese, indução e dedução, hipotético-dedutivo, modelagem e funcional sistêmico-estrutural. Entre as empíricas, foram aplicadas a análise documental, a observação, a entrevista e a técnica de triangulação metodológica; Métodos estatísticos, análise de distribuição de frequências, cálculo de índices indicadores também foram utilizados. Como resultado, obteve-se o diagnóstico e as regularidades do processo de aperfeiçoamento profissional dos docentes das carreiras pedagógicas sobre a prevenção educacional do trabalho infantil.

Palavras-chave: diagnóstico; prevenção educativa; Profissional avançado; trabalho infantil.

INTRODUCTION

The current world, regional and national socioeconomic order is mediated by continuous crises in all spheres, giving rise to the emergence, proliferation or deepening of social problems, which have a clear reflection in the human relationships that are established within the family, the school and society as a whole. It is up to each institution to seek alternatives based on the elimination or reduction of the consequences of these problems in the most vulnerable sectors, as is the case of children and adolescents.

The 2030 Agenda promotes the need to achieve levels of inclusion, equal opportunities, education for all, as well as the elimination of all forms of child labor and the role of teachers to achieve results in such purposes. In order to be in tune and as part of the Cuban social and educational policy, a process of permanent transformation in education is carried out to reach ever higher levels of quality and the teacher is resignified as a key actor in the process described.

In Cuba, through the Postgraduate Education Regulations of the Republic of Cuba, the necessary attention to the demands of improvement is promoted through its principles, in close connection with the demands of society, so that professionals be able to solve the conflicts that arise in the development of their profession (Ministry of Higher Education, 2019, p. 14). The foregoing imposes on the teacher of pedagogical careers the updating and contextualization of their preparation permanently, in accordance with the historical nature of education and the dialectic of life, for which professional improvement constitutes an ideal way to expand and perfect theoretical-methodological and attitudinal knowledge about problems that arise in the school institution or are generated outside of it, but that affect the learning or behavior of students, which is addressed from educational prevention.

Currently, educational prevention is a challenge for teachers, particularly those in pedagogical careers, based on the diverse and complex social scenarios that affect the current educational context. The researchers direct their gaze towards a comprehensive prevention process on the edges of prevention, such as school violence, child abuse, child victimization, human trafficking, among others, and highlight the need to overcome the teachers of the various educational levels, for its role in the direction and execution of educational prevention. In order to be consistent with Cuban educational policy, it is necessary to delve into the prevention of the social phenomenon known as child labor, suggesting a proactive look, to avoid its appearance or proliferation, by taking into account the current conditions in which child labor takes place. Based on the current economic conditioning of the country, as a consequence of the economic blockade, the crisis situation generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the combination of factors such as the existence of self-employment, sociocultural inequalities from income, presence of dysfunctional families, among others, favor the emergence and/or proliferation of child labor, with isolated manifestations of minors performing activities that can be considered work in social practice. Hence the need to update and contextualize the preparation of teachers of pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor, as another of the social phenomena to be known, in order to teach the contents learned to future education professionals, those who, once they graduate, they direct and execute the preventive work.

Despite the fact that current conditions are conducive to the emergence or proliferation of social phenomena that require educating in anticipation, the social phenomenon of child labor violates the most basic human rights, the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, in the Labor Code and in the principles of the labor and educational policy of our socialist society, before which they maintain "zero tolerance" against such manifestations. There is a broad legal apparatus of protection for the younger generations, weighted from institutional education, based on educational prevention and quality educational work, in which the teaching staff of the pedagogical careers plays a guiding role on the compliance with international and national legal instruments that protect minors from work.

Therefore, the teachers of the pedagogical careers have as part of their functions to teach and guide the theory and practice of the contents on educational prevention in a general way and in a particular way on the social problems that may emerge as a result of the current economic and social context, as is the case of child labor. According to Alfonso et al. (2014), "new demands are made on the `teaching function' itself, where the teacher assumes a double condition in the exercise: he must be the protagonist and researcher of his practice and a promoter of culture and the transformation of social reality in which he works" (p. 53). The teacher is assigned, increasingly, diverse and complex tasks, which require a greater intellectual and personal effort to fulfill them, as is the case of the tasks associated with prevention, which are in correspondence with their professional performance, for which professional improvement is required, as a way to expand, update and contextualize their preparation; As a result, a qualitatively superior pedagogical process will be returned.

Professional improvement, considered by Bernaza et al. (2018) as a pedagogical process, must take into account certain particularities, which must distinguish the process of professional improvement of teachers from pedagogical careers. Researchers like Tejera (2017); Castro (2017) and Bernaza et al. (2018) recognize the need for the theory-practice nexus, in addition to the necessary systemic approach to professional improvement, by contributing to the understanding that processes in society do not occur in isolation, but rather in an integrated manner, in systems that foster multiple interactions.

Interdisciplinary, according to Bernaza et al. (2018) and from the Postgraduate Education Regulations (2019), is taken into account as a methodological element in professional improvement. On the other hand, Borges (2015) considers the importance of intersectorality, by enriching the content of the postgraduate course, contributing to specialization and strengthening interdisciplinary ties, elements that favor collaborative learning.

As for how to implement the professional development of teachers in pedagogical careers, it is necessary to know the Postgraduate Education Regulations (2019), which conceives as main organizational forms: the course, the diploma and training; In addition, it presents other secondary ones such as: the seminar, the workshop, the specialized conference, the scientific debate, the self- preparation, the consultation. Likewise, it establishes as modalities of full-time and part-time dedication and study: face-to-face, semi-face-to-face and distance learning (Ministry of Higher Education, 2019, p. 16). The process of professional improvement of the teacher of the pedagogical careers must take into consideration the combination of the proposed organizational forms and the study modalities, in such a way that committed teachers and motivated by improvement can access them, as a way for improvement of their professional performance.

In the process of professional improvement of teachers in pedagogical careers, the relevance they acquire from technologies stands out, as they become an invaluable new medium in terms of teaching-learning processes in Postgraduate Education. In this regard, Luzbet and Laurencio (2020) highlight that "virtual environments are training spaces that do not require attendance or specific and rigid schedules to materialize" (p. 4). Professional improvement on the educational prevention of child labor must be conceived in terms of taking advantage of educational technologies and technological resources, by favoring the participation of a greater number of teachers, self- planning the time and place to access their improvement.

The objective of this article is to present the results of the diagnosis of the initial state of the professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

At the time of the diagnosis, school year 2017-2018, the population was made up of 976 teachers of the pedagogical careers of the University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca" and 49 teachers of the General Pedagogical (FPG) Training discipline were selected. The procedure in the selection of the sample corresponds to a non-probabilistic sampling, intentionally, by taking into consideration as a selection criterion that:

- The teachers of the FPG discipline are in charge of the pedagogical and psychological training of future education professionals; and in the academic year groups.

- Because the FPG discipline is the one that, in the "E" curriculum, has within its contents the theory and practice of educational prevention, the Cuban preventive paradigm, the levels of prevention, as well as the risk factors and protectors of the educational context.

A sample of eight experts was taken into consideration, who works as prevention specialists: three from the Ministry of Education (MINED), three from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and two from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS).

To guide the research, the authors used scientific methods. The dialectical-materialist method, typical of the Marxist-Leninist Philosophy, was assumed as a general method in the investigation , allowing to reveal the existing contradiction between the scarce presence in the professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers of contents related to the educational prevention, with an emphasis on child labor and the need for professionals to be able to meet the demands of improvement, in close connection with the demands of society (prevention of child labor) to solve the problems that arise in the development of their profession. Other methods present in the research were theoretical, empirical and statistical.

The historical-logical analysis allowed the study of the process of professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor in its real trajectory through its history; the different theories, approaches are taken into consideration and it allows to establish their regularities.

The analysis and synthesis were used in the study of the theoretical-methodological references, submitting it to the analysis of its components and relationships, as well as in an integrated manner. It is present in all the research, by allowing to establish the multiple relationships that take place in the process of professional improvement of teachers of pedagogical careers.

The induction-deduction made it possible to work with the theoretical-methodological references, to go from the general to the particular, and vice versa, during the investigation, to make inferences, establish causes and consequences in the processing and interpretation of the results; allowed to identify the regularities and reach conclusions in relation to the process of professional improvement on the educational prevention of child labor.

The hypothetical-deductive allowed, based on logical inferences, to ask scientific questions and research tasks, establish predictions, forecasts, trends and reach conclusions.

The modeling was used to reproduce and study new relationships and qualities of the process of professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor, to objectively represent reality.

The systemic-structural-functional was used to determine the components, the structure, the relationships and the functions revealed by the subjects and sectors participating in the process of professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor.

The document analysis was applied to resolutions, instructions, plans and balances of professional improvement, methodological work, research projects, study plans and discipline programs, to obtain information and make inferences about the process of professional improvement of teachers of pedagogical careers on educational prevention, particularly towards child labor.

The observation was made to the classes and the organizational forms of improvement, in order to appreciate, in practice, the treatment that is offered to the contents of educational prevention in general and to child labor in a particular way.

The interview was applied to teachers and managers to obtain information about how the process of professional improvement of teachers of pedagogical careers is planned and organized, the preparation they have on the educational prevention of child labor; as well as knowing their opinion on the relevance of the topic and their willingness to participate in the organizational forms proposed for improvement.

In addition, eight experts were interviewed, who work as prevention specialists in the Ministries of Education, the Interior, and Labor and Social Security of the province of Pinar del Río, to obtain information about prevention and care policies established in relation to preventive work and, in particular, on child labor, as well as the working relationships with the rest of the bodies and organizations of society to face the social problem of the prevention of child labor.

In addition, the methodological triangulation was carried out, which allowed contrasting the information obtained from the application of the different scientific research methods, to analyze it and interpret it comprehensively, so that the regularities of the process of professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor.

Statistical methods were used to interpret and assess the data obtained, such as frequency distribution analysis, calculation of the most relevant values (index of indicators and dimensions, mean value, percent).

RESULTS

The instruments applied to the sample allowed obtaining data, which once processed, analyzed and interpreted, made it possible to offer the following results.

In the study plans, from "C" to the current "E", the treatment of the term educational prevention has been irregular, mostly with an implicit preventive approach as part of the role of the teacher. Contents that are part of educational prevention are progressively introduced from the "C" curriculum, taking into account attention to diversity, attention to special educational needs, associated or not with disability, with emphasis on careers in Childhood Education.

In the General Pedagogical Training discipline programs, the development of topics on prevention has been insufficient, appreciating an unequal treatment of educational prevention for Early Childhood Education careers (Special, Speech Therapy, Preschool and Primary), more than for the rest of the careers. The term prevention, from the contents of most subjects, is associated with health issues: prevention of addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, nutrition issues, road safety; with specificities from Special Education, Speech Therapy, Preschool and Primary, where prevention is addressed from dissimilar disabilities and affective-behavioral disorders.

From the "D" Curriculum in the program of the General Pedagogical Training discipline for all careers, prevention was conceived as the content of teaching, fundamentally associated with the use of substances harmful to the body, such as drugs and the treatment of health problems in the school environment, fundamentally from the subjects of Organization and school hygiene and Health and sexuality. In the subject of Psychology, corresponding to Plan "D", within the theme of the school group, attention to diversity, prevention, risk factors and social disadvantages appear as content elements; however, the methodological orientations do not make it explicit about prevention and in relation to the Program's bibliography, being limited to attention to diversity in a general way. The behavior is unequal from this subject in Early Childhood Education careers, to which more hours are dedicated, based on the specificities that Special Education acquires.

In the current "E" curriculum, the issue of prevention in the educational context has been made explicit, the levels of prevention, the risk and protective factors from the Pedagogy subject, which until now could only be inferred and appears intentional for all careers; however, the theoretical and methodological content to address the subject is restricted, as well as the referenced bibliography. From the subject of Psychology, it is oriented towards attention to diversity and diagnosis. In the rest of the programs of the subjects of the Didactic discipline, anatomy and physiology of development, for the careers of Early Childhood Education, the preventive approach is placed, with emphasis on each area of development and for the rest of the careers; the treatment of the issue of educational prevention in a general way from these subjects is reduced. In general, educational prevention is not focused on the prevention of child labor as a social problem with the possibility of emerging.

From the plans and balance reports of the methodological work, both in the General Pedagogical Training discipline, and in its subject groups, the development of topics based on didactics, curricular strategies, normative documents and, to a lesser extent, have prevailed. The issue of educational prevention has been addressed towards general issues. The treatment is unequal for the Special Education and Speech Therapy careers, who emphasize prevention from the particularities of certain disabilities. In general, in the methodological activities, such as: methodological meetings, methodological classes and demonstrative classes, there are no examples of activities aimed at preparing teachers to assume a proactive professional mode of action that enhances their theoretical-methodological and attitudinal knowledge about educational prevention of child labor.

With respect to the main organizational forms of professional improvement, where teachers of the discipline participate, two activities (improvement courses) were observed in the last three years, an improvement course on educational inclusion (General Pedagogical Training department) and another on attention to diversity (Special Department), both with a preventive nature, but not towards child labor. Other forms of organization of professional improvement have not been intended to address the issue; In addition, these courses have not witnessed the participation of specialists from other sectors of society that favor intersectorality, the principle of prevention.

With respect to the Academic Training programs, the Postgraduate Specialty program: Teaching in Psych-pedagogy has several lines of professional training that contribute to educational prevention, among them: school-family-community integration strategy; however, the term prevention does not appear explicitly intended and, although the contents mostly contain a preventive approach, it is not promoted in the courses or trainings for the preparation of teachers on the theory and methodology of preventive work. However, several of the final works of the completed editions have addressed preventive issues from different areas.

The Master's program in Special Education, belonging to the department of the same name, emphasizes prevention from each area of development and proposes as one of its lines of research prevention in the education of children, adolescents and young people, but so far it has not educational prevention has been intended towards child labor and, although attention to students with special educational needs associated or not with disabilities is proposed in a general way, the contents continue to focus on the various disabilities.

General Pedagogical Training teachers are associated , it is observed in those belonging to the Special Education department: " Comprehensive and community speech therapy " and "Initial and permanent training of teachers for attention to diversity", which emphasize the preventive work of the different disabilities and affective-behavioral disorders, leaving less treatment of educational prevention towards social problems with the possibility of emerging as a consequence of the current economic and social situation, with reflection in the educational context. For its part, in the project "Initial and permanent training of the educator", belonging to the Department of Preschool Education, the explicit directionality towards educational prevention is insufficient. The General Pedagogical Training department has two projects: "The formation of values of future professionals from the educational sciences", which has an implicit preventive approach, and "Count on me", in which the present study is framed and has a declared preventive approach, by researching on social issues such as school and family violence, bullying or harassment, suicide and child labor.

In the observation made to classes, the existence of dispersion was evidenced in terms of the terms used from prevention, to identify negative situations that can influence the normal development of personality, such as: warning signs, risk factors; These referred in a general way to students and to a lesser extent to their presence in families, communities, educational and sociocultural institutions. Warning signs were not exemplified aimed at the teacher's perception of social problems that occurred outside the school with an impact on the comprehensive education of students, as is the case of child labor, leaving limited knowledge on this matter.

In the interview with the teachers, it was found that, although the teachers of the General Pedagogical Training discipline have theoretical and methodological knowledge about educational prevention in a general sense, even 16% have a certain degree of specialization in certain areas of personality development ( learning difficulties, physical-motor limitations, mental retardation, autism, affective-behavioral disorders, disabilities, among others) have little theoretical-methodological knowledge about the educational prevention of child labor.

The interview carried out allows us to know that 100% of the teachers declare the pedagogical and social relevance of the subject, expressing their willingness to participate in the improvement activities in this regard, arguing its impact on the improvement of professional performance and favor the professional modeling of ways of teaching performance consistent with the role of the teacher aimed at the educational prevention of child labor.

For their part, the managers interviewed (9) recognize the insufficiencies in the directionality of professional improvement towards contents of educational prevention, especially towards current social problems that may emerge as a result of the constant international crises, with repercussions at the national level and reflection in the integral formation of the new generations. The main organizational forms of improvement have been associated with face-to-face courses and delving into prevention from certain areas of development and attention to diversity.

100 % of the directors interviewed recognize the need to surpass the teachers of the pedagogical careers on the educational prevention of child labor, due to the influence they exert on the training of future education professionals of the various educational levels, guiding them from the pedagogical process in the direction and execution of preventive work, providing them with theory, methodological tools and the formation of attitudes of awareness and rejection of such manifestations; that places them in a better position, based on knowledge, to fulfill the role of professional educator. They also consider relevant the exchange between teachers of the various disciplines and with other sectors of society, to exchange and update work policies on prevention.

The eight experts interviewed consider it pertinent that the teachers of the pedagogical careers update the preparation on the prevention of any harmful phenomenon in the students; They suggest the need to increase the perception of risk, timely identify risk factors, attend to cases that may arise in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral manner. They also refer to the need for teachers to occupy the idle time of students, where all the activities that are planned, in and from school, enhance the comprehensive development of the new generations, weighing education in interrelation with the system of influences educational institutions, fundamentally the family and the community, as well as with prevention specialists, to prevent them from committing indiscipline or acts that the law classifies as crimes.

The results of the methodological triangulation allowed the identification of the following regularities:

- From the study plans analyzed, prevention has been conceived as the content of teaching, fundamentally associated with attention to diversity, special educational needs, associated or not with disability, with emphasis on Early Childhood Education careers; For the rest of the careers, it has been addressed, for the most part, to health issues: sexual, addictions, among others.

- In the study plans, the extension of current social problems, contextualized in the Cuban reality, which are oriented from the theory and practice of educational prevention, is insufficient; it is not visualized towards the phenomenon of child labor.

- Limitations are found in the theoretical, methodological and attitudinal preparation of teachers to teach how to identify risk factors and warning signs of manifestations that can be considered child labor; as well as to use protective factors and education channels to mitigate or compensate risks.

- There is little directionality of professional improvement towards the preparation of teachers on current social problems, which need to be addressed from educational prevention, as is the case of child labor.

- In the organizational forms of professional improvement where teachers participate, there is little presence of specialists from other sectors of society, who can contribute to updating work policies and procedures related to educational prevention, particularly on the prevention of child labor; as well as the organizational forms of improvement are developed in the face-to-face study modality, without taking advantage of others (blended and distance learning).

- Among the didactic components used in the organizational forms of professional improvement, the traditional ones continue to prevail; The potential of methods that favor collaborative learning are not exploited and the media do not take advantage, as much as possible, of educational technologies and technological resources.

- From the methodological work, the intentionality of the preparation of teachers towards issues of educational prevention on social problems and, in particular, towards child labor has not been addressed.

- The educational prevention of child labor has not found, since the professional training of teachers in pedagogical careers, due scientific attention, if we take into account that preventing is avoiding, it is anticipating a problem so that it does not appear, or once it arises, possess knowledge and resources to offer adequate care.

DISCUSSION

The results obtained from the application of the research methods and the review of the bibliography on the subject confirm the need for teachers of pedagogical careers to update the theoretical-methodological and attitudinal knowledge on educational prevention, directed towards child labor, through professional improvement as a way to update, improve and contextualize their preparation, with a view to broadening their preparation and improving professional performance.

Professional improvement becomes a solution path to the extent that it contemplates in itself the teaching-learning process, creativity, research, communication, among other training and development processes. As a process, according to Añorga (2000) "has the purpose of updating and perfecting current and/or prospective professional performance, addressing insufficiencies in training, or completing knowledge and skills not previously acquired and necessary for performance" (p. 21). When referring to professional performance Añorga and Díaz (2002) point out that:

It is the process that is developed through the relationships of a social nature that are established in the application of methods for the fulfillment of its work content, in correspondence with the objectives of the pedagogical activity in which it participates and the achievement of a result that evidences the professional, institutional and social improvement achieved, the attention to the education of their work competence and the full communication and individual satisfaction when executing their tasks with care, precision, accuracy, depth, organization and speed (p. 52).

One of the findings of the study is that, until now, the prevention of child labor has not been an explicit part of the initial training curricula. Nor has it been intended from the direction of professional improvement towards teachers of pedagogical careers, so the need to overcome them in this sense is evident, so that they can teach and guide the theory and practice on the particularities of the educational prevention of child labor in the pedagogical process, which they develop with future education professionals, and those in the exercise of their profession, can identify and attend in a timely manner the cases that manifest themselves in the school, in addition to conducting the education of the system of educational influences on the main risk factors and warning signs that could indicate the emergence or presence of the phenomenon studied.

It is considered pertinent to underline that professional improvement, as a process of social education, contributes to offering answers to the demands of society, one of them being the educational prevention of child labor, for which it becomes a challenge for Higher Education and Professional improvement is the way to contextualize the teacher's preparation to social demands, by expanding, updating and re-signifying theoretical-methodological knowledge and attitudes inherent to professional performance, while managing to transform the pedagogical process that they develop with future professionals of education and the transformation of the subjects that participate and the environment is achieved.

The process of professional improvement projects its results towards the social context, since to the extent that the teacher is transformed, the family and social context in which he interacts will also receive an impact; that is, a change, as a consequence of the constant interrelationships that occur in the professional's socialization. Aveiga et al. (2018) state that professional improvement favors the development of those who participate and is reflected in the personal, work, family, professional and social aspects. In this way, self-improvement contributes to empowering teachers in their professional performance and for life, placing them in a position based on knowing, knowing how to do and knowing how to be, with which they are in better conditions to instruct and educate others either in the school institution itself, or in the dissimilar contexts where it participates.

Directing professional improvement towards the educational prevention of child labor is crucial for the role of the teacher, since prevention is developed at each educational level; it is designed from early childhood to middle level education of pedagogical teaching and technical- professional education. In this regard, Gutiérrez and Santos (2000) state that "Saying that prevention is a pedagogical issue is the same as affirming the need for the science of education to be first preventive and then corrective" (p. 598). Hence the need to conduct a proactive pedagogical process, from all its components.

Professional improvement contributes to the transformation of social practice so that, in advance by perfecting the preparation of teachers for pedagogical careers, the acquired knowledge can be transmitted, actively, in the pedagogical process that they develop with future professionals. The education; those who will graduate in better conditions, from knowledge, to educate the system of educational influences, in order to minimize the emergence of activities that can be considered child labor or, once they appear, to be able to identify them in a timely manner and attend to them together with the sectors, bodies and agencies involved in prevention work in society.

The foregoing indicates the necessary participation of sectors that in society assume as part of their missions the social and educational prevention of the new generations, which in the present investigation are taken into consideration, for which intersectoral, interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary relationships are favored collaborative learning, providing as a result a more comprehensive vision of educational prevention on child labor.

Intersectoriality, Castell-Florit and Gispert (2012) point out, "is based on the application of scientific knowledge to the solution of practical problems through a culture that provides methods and means to interact with the social and physical environment, in order to improve living conditions" (p. 3). The mentioned authors carry out the analyzes of the intersectorality in the medical sciences, but they are applicable in the professional improvement on the educational prevention of child labor for the teachers of the pedagogical careers, since the prevention requires the participation of the sectors of the environment. , as is the case of the Ministries of the Interior, Public Health, Labor and Social Security, Justice; in addition to the participation of Bodies and organizations of Popular Power, culture, sports, among others. Intersectorality favors relations between the sectors of society that have specialized knowledge about a common topic, where each one contributes their knowledge and, through the relationships that are fostered, builds a new, more comprehensive knowledge, from different angles, which favors more accurate solutions to the problems of education.

In this regard, Rivera and Gómez (2016) warn that:

Prevention must be assumed, from the educational institution and the care modalities, to the municipal and provincial level with a multidisciplinary, intersectoral, comprehensive and systemic approach, in which the educational and social nature of the actions, the involvement of families, as well as the permanent coordination with bodies, agencies and organizations, from educational institutions (p. 20).

In the analyzed bibliography, researchers such as Santamaría et al. (2017) highlight that the quality of education is related to the preparation of teachers and propose to develop a preventive pedagogy that offers theoretical and practical elements to avoid the emergence of difficulties in students, either in their learning, specific areas, or in his conduct ; In addition, they consider the need to carry out joint work involving specialists from various sectors of society and social organizations. These considerations show how it is increasingly impossible to analyze and solve human problems from a single science.

For his part, Rodríguez (2016) states that "interdisciplinarity, by its essence, implies forming values and attitudes in students and a globalizing world view" (p. 138). From this perception, attitudes are included, an element that must accompany professional improvement, so that participating teachers reproduce, through their behavior, the theoretical-methodological knowledge they possess about the educational prevention of child labor, in all contexts where unfold.

According to Cepeda et al. (2017) "interdisciplinarity shows the links between different disciplines and reflects a correct scientific conception of the world, demonstrates how phenomena do not exist separately by interconnecting them" (p. 242). Interdisciplinarity, a source of knowledge in the development of professional improvement, gives teachers the possibility of analyzing the same phenomenon from the scientific perspective of other sciences, which allows them to integrate what they have learned to explain the facts; In addition, it confirms that the education of the individual ( bio - psycho -social) cannot be explained from the knowledge provided by a single science, hence, more and more, the teacher has to update his preparation to be in a position to manifest a performance professional according to the functions and responsibilities assumed by their role.

Collaborative learning, according to Vaillant (2016) "is the fundamental strategy of current approaches to teacher professional development and its essence is that teachers study, share experiences, analyze and investigate together about their pedagogical practices in a given institutional and social context." (p. 10). Assuming collaborative learning in professional improvement allows, through the interaction between its members, to achieve greater commitment, individual and collective responsibility, the ability to learn from the experiences of others, which refine the conception about what is learned.

Therefore, the teachers of the pedagogical careers must intend the formation of values and attitudes of sensitization and awareness, which contribute to the rejection of the manifestations of child labor, since the phenomenon constitutes the most elementary violation of human rights, due to its negative consequences effects on the individual and social personality of students, families and society.

The above re-signifies the responsibility that teachers of pedagogical careers have, with the improvement of their preparation on theoretical-methodological knowledge and the formation of attitudes on the educational prevention of child labor, so that future education professionals can prevent and timely identify which minors are engaged in activities considered work or combine them with school, which is detrimental to the physical, psychological and social health of children and adolescents, with a clear negative impact on the teaching process- learning and the integral formation of his personality.

Educating in anticipation requires a correct direction of professional improvement that anticipates the emergence of problems. In this regard, Aveiga et al. (2018) states that:

It is not enough to prepare specific professionals, it is essential to start from a direction of professional development that promotes the proactive and creative appropriation of a general, scientific-technical culture and provides teachers with strategies to think, act, and continually improve themselves in the context of their social - labor relations, which constitutes a challenge to postgraduate didactics (p. 212).

Therefore, in the direction of the overcoming process, it is necessary to consider the preventive nature that the process itself acquires, by allowing to anticipate, creatively and wisely, the difficulties that may appear, prepare beforehand, educate in anticipation; This requires starting from precise diagnoses of the real needs of teachers, both from knowledge and from the possibilities of assuming improvement, taking into account personal motivation, responsibility, even elements of a cultural, economic and social nature, contributing to form in advance the knowledge, skills and attitudes that need to be perfected for professional performance in accordance with their role and with contemporary social demands.

In order for professional improvement to acquire a proactive character, it is necessary to have diagnosis as an ally. In this regard, Santiesteban et al. (2020) affirm that "the objective of professional improvement... takes into account for its projection and concretion the diagnosis..., as well as the needs of the professional in order to solve the demands of the context" (p. 58). It is necessary to diagnose in advance what demands the environment in which we live has and design innovative and creative organizational forms of improvement, where distance education and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are promoted, so that teachers access to their improvement, depending on their time, their motivation, while developing their skills with educational technologies, issues of order in the world and in Cuba. Barnacle et al. (2020) state that "it is essential to use the technological tools that are currently available to enhance the development of postgraduate activities and Distance Education "(p. 18).

In recent decades, an increase in research studies that place prevention in the spotlight towards various social edges and even as a competition to be dominated by the directors of the school institution can be seen; according to Reyes et al. (2021), "prevention is inherent to the process of school management and constitutes a skill for the successful performance of an education manager" (p. 179). The researchers point out that, regardless of whether prevention is part of the pedagogical process, it must be guided in a planned way, controlled and evaluated in order to redirect it in the achievement of the proposed objectives, which is feasible through professional improvement.

The study allowed to know the results of the diagnosis of the initial state of the professional improvement of the teachers of the pedagogical careers of the University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca", on the educational prevention of child labor. Therefore, the need to prioritize improvement based on the educational prevention of child labor is verified, which has not yet been focused from methodological work or from the various forms that professional improvement assumes; For this, it is planned to propose as a scientific result, which contributes to its solution, a strategy of improvement where organizational forms are contemplated, whenever they allow it, making use of the various study modalities, the Moodle virtual platform and educational technologies, in addition to guide the participation of teachers from multiple disciplines and specialists from sectors of society who, as part of their missions, assume prevention.

Professional improvement becomes the ideal way to improve the preparation of teachers for pedagogical careers, contextualizing it towards educational prevention on child labor, which must take into account elements addressed such as intersectorality , interdisciplinary and collaborative learning; In addition, the organizational forms are planned and organized taking into consideration the various study modalities and the use of educational technologies and technological resources, since these favor the motivation , creativity and self- programming of the teacher for their own learning.

The process of professional improvement acquires a proactive character to the extent that it favors being prepared before the problem arises, allowing education to be conducted as the main axis of prevention towards all educational influences and sectors that intervene in society; all this, in order to jointly make decisions and carry out actions that reduce the causes and conditions that lead to the initiation of minors in activities considered as work, which would cause vulnerability of the rights of the child, physical, psychological and social damage.

The relevance of the study lies in its correspondence with the transformations that take place in the Third Improvement of Education, narrows the university-educational practice relationship and contributes to the formation of attitudes such as awareness and awareness with a social problem that affects the comprehensive training of the new generations, in addition to contributing to the improvement of the professional, human and social performance of the teacher of the pedagogical careers. At the social level, the study is preventive and projective, since it is directed towards a social phenomenon that can arise and/or proliferate in the current socioeconomic conditions that take place today, with an impact on the educational context, and that is convened from educational sciences for proactive analysis.

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Conflict of interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Authors contribution

All authors managed the information, reviewed the writing of the manuscript and approved the version finally submitted.

This work is under a licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Copyright (c) Marilis Feriz Otaño, Raida Rodríguez Rodríguez, Osvaldo Echevarría Ceballos