Abstract This article is based on an ethnographic fieldwork carried out in a Women’s Prison School in Spain. Based on Goffman’s (2006 [1963]) analysis of stigma, we studied how prison education acts as a mediating structure in the social relations between women and other people, and mitigates or magnifies prison stigma, including the way in which inmates perceive themselves. That is to say, "being students" while still in jail allows them to transcend the depiction of "delinquent", however, performing certain activities outside of jail underlines their condition as such. Two fundamental ideas underlie the following essay: first, that the school institution stands as a "civilizing" place in which to learn "values" and social belonging norms; second, the special significance that this institution acquires when located in so-called marginal contexts, which turn the institution into a place where "second chances are built".

Resumen Este artículo se basa en un trabajo etnográfico de campo desarrollado en la escuela de una cárcel de mujeres en España. Con base en el análisis de Goffman (2006 [1963]) sobre el estigma, el texto analiza cómo la escuela en la prisión actúa como una estructura de mediación en las relaciones sociales entre las mujeres y otras personas, y mitiga o magnifica el estigma penitenciario, incluyendo el modo en que ellas mismas se perciben. Es decir, mientras dentro de la cárcel "ser estudiantes" les permite traspasar el atributo de "delincuente", en actividades desarrolladas fuera de la cárcel, lo subraya. En la argumentación subyacen dos ideas fundamentales: primero, que la institución escolar se erige como un lugar "civilizatorio" en el que aprender "valores" y normas de pertenencia social; segundo, la especial significación que esta institución adquiere cuando se ubica en contextos considerados como marginales, lo que la convierte en un espacio de "segundas oportunidades".

Abstract This article compares two ethnographic studies in a penitentiary context – a male prison in Portugal and a female prison in Spain. Two perspectives are used: 1) a methodological dimension: to be a woman anthropologist influences the conduct of the empiric investigation in female and male prisons, conditions access to the terrain, observation of daily prison life and the relations constructed with interlocutors; 2) an analytical dimension: gender relations are central to perceiving the dynamics constructed between the inmate population in their processes of daily conviviality and establishment of hierarchies, but they must be integrated in the relations of class and gender in which they are inserted. Thus, we defend an intersectional perspective to understand the relational dynamics between the different subjects in the prison – guards, administrators, workers, inmates – and between them and the researchers. In conclusion, we reflect on subjectivity and reflexivity in field work that has particular demands in how we manage emotions, distance and proximity.

Resumo Este artigo compara duas pesquisas etnográficas em contexto penitenciário – uma prisão masculina em Portugal e uma prisão feminina em Espanha – a partir de duas perspectivas: 1) uma dimensão metodológica: ser uma antropóloga mulher tem influência no desenrolar da investigação empírica em prisões femininas e em prisões masculinas, condiciona o acesso ao terreno, observação do quotidiano prisional e as relações que se constroem com os interlocutores; 2) uma dimensão analítica: as relações de género são centrais para perceber as dinâmicas construídas entre a população reclusa, nos seus processos de convivência quotidiana e de estabelecimento de hierarquias, mas elas devem ser integradas nas relações de classe e género em que estão inseridas. Assim, defendemos uma perspectiva interseccional para compreender as dinâmicas relacionais entre os diferentes sujeitos na prisão – guardas, administradores, trabalhadores, presos – e entre eles e as pesquisadoras. No final, reflectimos sobre subjectividade e reflexividade em trabalho de campo que apresenta exigências particulares no modo como gerimos emoções, distância e proximidade.

The Higher Education shows an increasing tendency to constructivism, innovation and active learning. At the Department of Chemical Biological Sciences (DCBS) of the University of Sonora, the faculty of the Organic Chemistry Laboratory applied the Collaborative Method (CM) based on leadership, since 2007. To evaluate the perception of students towards the effectiveness of CM, three tests were applied to 810 students enrolled on Organic Chemistry on the school years between 2007/1-2011/1. Results showed that more than 80% of team members got a grade of 90/100 or higher (Chart 1). The reliability of the tests was 0.993 and 0.953 for the Chart 2 and 3, respectively, according to the Cronbach's alpha using the SPSS 19.0. The performance of the leader (Chart 2) was evaluated through Likert's Scale, obtaining an arithmetic mean of 4.6810±0.6826 based on a 0-5 scale. Besides, practice performance was positive with an arithmetic mean of 2.7887±0.4805 based on a 0-3 scale (Chart 3). According to perceptions of DCBS students, CM based on leadership was an effective alternative because it promoted satisfaction with laboratory practices results and team work dynamics.

En educación superior se observa una tendencia creciente hacia el constructivismo, la innovación y el aprendizaje activo. En el Departamento de Ciencias Químico Biológicas de la Universidad de Sonora (DCQB), los profesores de Laboratorio de Química Orgánica I aplican el Método Colaborativo (MC) basado en líderes, desde 2007. Para evaluar la percepción de los estudiantes con respecto a la eficacia del MC, se aplicaron tres encuestas a 810 alumnos que cursaron la asignatura en el periodo 2007/1-2011/1. Los resultados mostraron que más del 80% de los integrantes del equipo obtuvieron una nota superior a 90/100 puntos. La confiabilidad de los instrumentos fue 0.993 y 0.953 para los Cuadros 2 y 3, respectivamente, de acuerdo con el Alfa de Cronbach utilizando el SPSS 19.0. El desempeño del líder fue evaluado mediante la Escala Likert obteniendo una media de 4.6810±0.6826 con base en una escala de 0-5. Además, el desarrollo de la práctica se calificó positivo, con media de 2.7887±0.4805 en escala de 0-3. De acuerdo con las percepciones de los alumnos del DCQB, el MC basado en líderes fue una metodología eficaz, puesto que favoreció la satisfacción con los resultados obtenidos en las prácticas de laboratorio y con la dinámica de trabajo en equipo.