Original article

Basics on the education of academic talent from the family context

0000-0001-8852-0964Vilma Govea Arias^{1  *}  , 0000-0001-6124-5886Yenisleidy Guijarro Cruz¹  , 0000-0002-4574-720XAriel León Arencibia¹ 

¹UNAH “Fructuoso Rodríguez Pérez”, Mayabeque. Cuba

ABSTRACT

This article responds to the topic: education of academic talent, from the family context. It constitutes a research result of the Project “Education of academic talent in Mayabeque”. Its objective is to support the education of academic talent from the family context. In order to follow up this purpose, the general dialectical-materialist method and the methods of the theoretical level were used: historical and logical; analysis and synthesis; induction and deduction and the system approach. The foundation allowed the construction of arguments that demonstrated that it is possible to support the process of education of academic talent from the family context.

Key words: Education of academic talent; Family context

Introduction

The education of academic talent is a complex challenge today. Society is committed to this task and families, as a fundamental educational agent, play a leading role. Several researches, in Cuba and internationally, report the influence of the variables of the family context in the education of the academic talent of its members.

^{Castellanos (2009}) and ^{Castellanos et al. (2015}) and ^{Simón et al. (2016}), agree in pointing out that families carry out educational actions in the family context to support the development and learning of their sons and daughters. Authors such as ^{Álvarez and Barreto (2020}) demonstrate that family support constitutes a positive influence factor in academic achievement.

^{Fernández and García (2023}) recognize families as the first formative institution, when conducting the education of their members. We agree with these authors when they point out that, in spite of this recognition, the role of families in the attention to talent has been little studied by researchers. However, there is consensus on the importance of preparing families so that they can successfully lead the education of the academic talent of their members.

Educational practice shows the presence of families with a lack of knowledge about the characteristics that identify academic talent in adolescence and therefore it is difficult for them to accompany their members during the academic task and other forms of organization that guarantee their development. They lack appropriate preparation to develop educational actions that support the education of academic talent. On the other hand, it is perceived the lack of pedagogical actions directed to the preparation of the families, on the part of the teachers from a scientific projection.

The arguments stated above evidence a problematic situation and justify the formulation of the objective: To substantiate the theoretical and methodological references that support the education of academic talent, from the family context. The research is governed by the dialectical-materialistic method. In this first stage, it was necessary the application of scientific methods of the theoretical level, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, historical-logical analysis, system approach.

The theoretical value of this research lies in the definition of the education of academic talent from the family context and the determination of its indicators. Thus, it contributes to the study of the role of families in the education of academic talent.

Development

Families and the family context for the education of academic talent.

In the present research, the definition of ^{León (2019}) is assumed in relation to the education of academic talent. However, it is considered appropriate to specify in it, the differentiated nature that this process requires. Thus, the education of academic talent is understood as the complex and differentiated social process, with high cognitive development of students.

It is directed from the identification, stimulation of potentialities, and orientation to their integral development. It leads intelligence and creativity towards a given objective and takes into account the socio-cultural context, its daily relationships and mediating involvement. Thus, its developmental approach and multifactorial character are also appreciated.

It is important to keep in mind that talent emerges as a product of the systematic and continuous application of the content system in a given area. It is conditioned by culture and society. On this basis, the author of this research is able to assert that education by the different educational agents (school, families, community, as well as the different environments) activates the genes of students and makes them develop their autonomy. Consequently, their preparation is needed so that they can participate in the identification, orientation and stimulation of academic talent until they reach the maximum development of their capacities.

Families play a leading role in this process. The teacher must accompany them in their pedagogical performance. The complexity of this education makes the socio-cultural contexts constitute spaces that provide opportunities and/or barriers for the modeling and development of academic talent.

On the other hand, there are criteria in the literature that relate giftedness to the possibilities offered by the economic position of their environment. ^{Castellanos (2009}) states that talent education in different regions of the world shows the differences between developed and underdeveloped countries. For example, it is found in the systematization that situations of poverty or marginality, the cultural capital of families and the devaluation of differences generate inequality and exclusion in Latin America.

It is known that, in Colombia, the results of an investigation showed that there are gifted children in all economic strata. However, an outstanding aspect that was revealed is that the most decisive factor in the education of schoolchildren was the cultural and educational level of their parents. The author visualizes that the protagonism of families exists, even if they do not possess the knowledge. In several regions of Africa, children share the teachings with their parents, uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters, as they often cannot go to school. Japanese families are known to promote active learning rather than passive memorization; study in groups, planning and organizing time, and setting realistic goals create and ensure a quiet study schedule.

These families employ practice and repetition as a path to understanding. In addition, they are strict about discipline and accountability. However, one of the main problems facing Japanese families is gender equity. Still, this society preserves the tradition that the woman is the housewife and must dedicate herself to the care of the children. These elements constitute references to demonstrate the irreplaceable role of the family context in the education of academic talent.

The study conducted by De Souza and Soriano (2004) reveals that the Psychology Institute of the University of Brasilia offered parents a space for the presentation and discussion of information about the myths about giftedness, the socioemotional development of the gifted, the importance of limits, self-concept, and the role of families and school in their formation. The methodology used involves the reading and discussion of texts and videos, accounts of experiences, group dynamics, psychoeducational strategies. These are elements that demonstrate the various options for preparing families to fulfill their educational mission. In this way, it is possible for families to form support networks with family members and teachers, motivate, stimulate, dialogue, set limits and verify the learning acquired.

We agree with ^{Fernández and García (2023}) that research in Cuba is based on the legacy of teachers such as Félix Varela, José Martí, José de la Luz y Caballero, Enrique José Varona, paradigms of pedagogical thought. They showed concern for the development of talent in the country. Félix Varela was an advocate of the development of human talent as the basis for social prosperity. In numerous writings of Marti's extensive work, there are foundations related to families and talent, its definition, recognition and stimulation, for the benefit of the usefulness it offers to society.

^{León (2022}) leads the Project: Education of the academic talent of the students of the IPVCE “Félix Varela y Morales”. This project responds to the importance that the country attaches to the education of talent. Its main objective is to favor the education of the students' academic talent, through educational strategies and actions, from all the contexts that influence this process. Among them, the family context plays a leading role.

The family context

The bibliographic research shows that various authors deal with the influence of the family context on the development of academic talent. It is inferred that the family context is the psychosocial space in which children obtain the distinctive elements of culture and social norms that allow their integration into society.

^{Castellanos et al. (2015}) and ^{Fernández and García (2023}), state that families, play an important role in identifying the level of development achieved in relation to the talent of their children. The success of the education of academic talent depends, in particular, on the work of teachers and families. They confirm the need for the elaboration of pedagogical actions of stimulation, diverse, specific forms of guidance, tutoring and preparation of educational agents.

Families have been studied by philosophers, sociologists, physicians, psychologists and pedagogues. Each science has made important contributions. Thus, the bibliography contains diverse criteria regarding their conceptualization, structure and functioning. In this research, we assume the provision of the law of the family code in Cuba, in full correspondence with the Marti's conception and the definition of ^{Arés (2021}). The life of the human being is worth when he/she can develop in his/her family context his/her attitudes and respond to his/her needs.

In agreement with ^{Castro et al. (2009}), the Cuban conception of families must understand their complex multidetermination. An integral vision of home life, the education of children and the particular influence exerted on them must be built. The ideal of integral human formation, fused in the ideological purposes outlined to the educational system, needs the system character of pedagogical actions to form talented and useful men for the Cuban socialist society and for the world. Likewise, the family group should be studied as a system.

The study that has been carried out and the pedagogical experience show that it is a challenge for teachers to satisfy the cognitive and methodological needs of families. It is a process that requires reflective and strategic thinking. One agrees with ^{Castellanos et al. (2015}) when they assure that families constitute the essential context for the development of skills and talents. It is one of the most powerful educational influences for the transformation of potential into acting talents, due to its condition as the first context of socialization of human beings, and because they contribute basic elements to their education. Among them are knowledge, security, opportunities, traditions and values.

Accordingly, it is considered that family cohesion and the family's appreciation of the student's abilities are fundamental for academic talent. Educational experience and authors such as ^{Castellanos et al. (2015}) demonstrate that the condition, in which the educational process takes place, in the family context, is essential. Other variables of the family context in the development of high abilities are support and stimulation.

As a result of the criteria of ^{Castellanos et al. (2015}), it is interpreted that support allows resolving conflicts and reducing tension in the context. Stimulation is consolidated with the creation of strategies and opportunities of diverse nature that stimulate the development of talent. Communication allows the exchange of information and demonstrates the interest of family members in the development of academic talent.

The reasoning of ^{Manzano and Arranz (2008}), ^{Morales (2009}) and ^{Castellanos et al. (2015}) was studied. This allowed considering in the context of action under investigation, these characteristics can be interpreted as indicators of the education of academic talent, from the family context. Also, the educational styles in these families should be considered. The reflections of ^{Simón et al. (2016}), also constituted sustenances for the definition of the education of academic talent from the family context. For they, state that educational actions in the family context are those carried out by families to support the development and learning of their members.

Taking as a basis: the definition of education of academic talent assumed by ^{León (2019}), with emphasis on the developmental approach, its multifactorial and differentiated character, it was defined that the education of academic talent, from the family context are the educational and developmental actions that are carried out in this context to support and stimulate academic talent.

This implies that families should have basic knowledge about the process, be committed to the academic task, develop assertive intra-family communication, practice the formation of positive human qualities for the good of society, through their exemplarity. In addition, they must ensure satisfactory relationships with teachers and specialists, all of which will allow them to create and develop educational actions for the education of academic talent.

In summary, the consultation carried out and the personal educational practice have shown that families have a leading role in the education of academic talent, but they need the pedagogical accompaniment that the teacher, specialists and other educational agents must provide.

Preparation of families

Authors such as ^{Castro et al. (2009}), ^{Arés (2021}), ^{Morales (2009}), state that families set educational objectives supported by the communication system and role models. However, it is difficult for them to use adequate methods to achieve their objectives. The formation of values and other processes of personality development varies markedly from one family to another. Ways must be sought to make the awareness of family tasks effective. Similarly, ^{Arés (2021}) highlighted the new perspective of the new Family Code, which gives greater protagonism to children and recognizes their participation in social life based on the concept of progressive autonomy.

According to ^{Castro et al. (2009}), the preparation of families implies mastering the characterization of families and students. In this way, it is possible to define the influence of family dynamics in the integral formation of the student. This diagnosis should contain the system of relationships between family members, strengths, protection resources and risk factors. For this purpose, there are several methods and techniques. Among them: observation of family life, questionnaires, projection techniques, participatory diagnosis with parents.

From the educational practice, it is confirmed that families must be prepared with knowledge and recommendations that allow them to change their attitudes towards functionality, in order to strengthen the positive values they have and that these adolescents can be as useful as society expects them to be. In such a way, that they can face the challenges imposed by the education of academic talent in adolescence.

Based on the analysis of the definition of ^{Castro et al. (2009}), the pedagogical intervention in the preparation of families for the education of academic talent is defended. It is agreed that, as a system of pedagogical influences, this preparation builds knowledge, seeks human growth and family performance based on a humanistic and scientific conception.

^{Castro et al. (2009}), ^{Morales (2009}), ^{Castellanos (2009}), agree that there are different ways of preparing families. Among them are: home visits, parent meetings, interviews, reflection groups, mutually beneficial work between the three contexts family-school-community and family education schools.

We agree with ^{Morales (2009}) that the latter have a leading role as a means of strategic deployment and preparation of families. It is confirmed as a space for educational reflection, which guarantees joint action in the development of students' personalities. It is defended then, that the parents' schools have a specific character in the formative aspect, which in this concrete reality faces the psycho-pedagogical formation of the families, to solve the problems that are presented with the education of the academic talent, from the family context.

Consequently, with the analysis carried out in the research, and the conception of orientation workshops for families, by ^{Castro et al. (2009}), it is necessary to take them into account. These are the modality assumed for the preparation of families, strategically conceived as pedagogical actions. They should be flexible, addressing the necessary topics in each family context.

^{Castro et al. (2009}) consider that the methodology for the workshops should be based on the critical and socioparticipatory approach oriented to action, in which all activities are carried out within the daily practical culture, the accumulated popular knowledge is rescued and favors the sensitization of the members with the objectives of each meeting. It should be developed through meetings or sessions. It suggests that each workshop consist of moments: Initial moment; thematic approach; elaboration; closing. This criterion is taken into account in the research, although it is considered in this context that they function as actions. For this reason, these moments are implicitly expressed in the structure designed.

The content system to be developed in the family preparation workshops is based on responding to the needs ascertained in the diagnosis. In this sense, ^{Fernandez and Garcia (2023}) state that the discovery of talented potentialities in one or several members of the family context produces mixed feelings. They refer to the pride of having this potentiality and the fear of not being prepared to meet their special educational needs.

Therefore, the existence of academic talent, in the family context, raises training and orientation needs in terms of: cognitive, volitional, procedural. In addition, they should know the importance of exchange relations with the school, teachers and specialists; the diversity of existing resources for the development of the education of academic talent; the special educational needs (organizational, time, study, information and recognition).

The study in this literature and the educational practice confirm that the family context stimulates its members in learning through various activities or educational actions. For this, they count on strengths such as their cultural tradition, academic preparation and educational styles. It is in the family context where the direct observers of academic talent and its main identifiers are found. Thus, they create or establish specific strategies to teach their members. They must become enablers of the education of academic talent. They face changes, demands and conflicts both in society and within their own nucleus; which impact on the development of the human personality.

^{Fernández and García (2023}) offer suggestions for the development of family orientation in the satisfaction of their special educational needs associated with talent. They suggest assessing the organizational forms proposed to the student, identifying and guaranteeing a balance between study, play, community, cultural, sports and home activities. They consider it important to pay attention to learning strategies that allow them to reflect on problems from different points of view and link them to reality.

It is also necessary for family contexts to work on the search for information: to interpret, use and socialize it. To this end, they should promote the appropriate use of printed and digital sources (databases, internet, social networks, use of cell phones). In this way, they should ensure that they can construct and synthesize information. On the other hand, families should promote the need for acceptance and special personalized encouragement, recognize and manage their emotions, plan and achieve learning goals, accept successes and use them for the benefit of others, differentiate between recognition and rewards, protect their creative potential. Provide access to materials of interest to them, encourage problem solving without fear of failure; assist in planning projects and tasks.

Based on these criteria, the research is based on preparation workshops for families, as part of the actions of a pedagogical strategy for the education of academic talent. These workshops propose a system of contents in correspondence with the above-mentioned arguments and according to the diagnosis made in each family context. For this reason, they include the treatment of the family reality in the daily life of academic talent; intra-family communication in the family context of academic talent; conceptions about the education of academic talent, the formation of values in academic talent; the work of educators and families for the education of academic talent.

In summary, the family context is the primary psychosocial space where students obtain the distinctive elements of culture and social norms that allow their integration into society. Families are the primary educational agents in such formation and have before them the task of providing an efficient response to society. The teacher and the school must establish a quality pedagogical performance so that students learn to the maximum development of their capacities, with an ethical and revolutionary formation.

Therefore, we defend the insertion of the preparation of families in a pedagogical strategy that uses the workshop modality as an action. Families should act with their affective-motivational support and accompaniment from their psychosocial space to lead the academic talent towards the formation of men useful to society.

Conclusions

The education of academic talent from the family context is based on the conception of a developmental education with a multifactorial and differentiated character. It is based on the recognition of the family context as the primary psychosocial space and main educational agent in the integral formation of talented men for society. The study provided arguments that allow asserting that it is possible to support the education of academic talent from the family context.

Referencias bibliográficas

Álvarez, J. y Barreto, F. J. (2020). Clima familiar y su relación con el rendimiento académico en estudiantes de Bachillerato. Revista de Psicología y Educación, 15(2), 166-183, https://doi.org/10.23923/rpye2020.02.19

Arés, P. (2021). Las familias cubanas se parecen a su tiempo. Portal Informativo Cubasi. https://www.cubasi.cu/es/noticia/patricia-ares-las-familias-cubanas-se-parecen-su-tiempo

Castellanos, D. (2009). La determinación social del talento: implicaciones teóricas y educativas. En Talento: Estrategias para su Desarrollo. Pueblo y Educación. (pp. 39-48)

Castellanos, D., Bazán, A., Ferrari, A. M. y Hernández, C. A. (2015). Apoyo familiar en escolares de alta capacidad intelectual de diferentes contextos socioeducativos. Revista de Psicología, 33(2).

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León, A. (2019). Concepción pedagógica para la educación del talento académico de los estudiantes de preuniversitario desde la Física. (Tesis de doctorado. Universidad Agraria de La Habana Fructuoso Rodríguez Pérez)

León, A. (2022). La educación del talento académico de los estudiantes del IPVCE “Félix Varela y Morales”. Proyecto de Investigación y desarrollo. Universidad Agraria De La Habana Fructuoso Rodríguez Pérez.

Manzano, A. y Arranz, E. B. (2008). Contexto familiar, superdotación, talento y altas capacidades. Anuario de Psicología, 39(3), 289-309.

Morales, F. (2009). Estrategia de Orientación Familiar: Una vía para el desarrollo del talento. EnTalento: Estrategias para su Desarrollo. Pueblo y Educación.

Simón, C., Giné, C. y Echeita, G. (2016). Escuela, Familia y Comunidad: Construyendo Alianzas para Promover la Inclusión. Revista Latinoamericana de Educación Inclusiva, 10(1), 25-42

Received: March 06, 2024; Revised: April 23, 2024; Accepted: May 20, 2024

^*Autor para la correspondencia: [e-mail]