Abstract:

The social relationships that are formed in classroom groups are considered to be a factor of great impact on the development of interest in an academic activity, which could have a positive influence on the learning process of students. For this reason, the need to analyse social roles and individual interest is consolidated, understanding this concept as the conjunction of positive feelings, personal value and willingness to commit to an activity, subject or object. In order to determine the relationship between social roles within the group and individual interest in the Expression and Communication module of the Higher Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education, a sociometric study was carried out using Sometics software and the analysis of the results of a questionnaire on individual interest in the aforementioned module. With the Sometics software, a sociometric test was applied which allowed us to identify popular, expelled and isolated students within the group. The individual interest questionnaire used a five-point Likert-type scale to measure the degree of agreement of the students with the items related to positive feelings, personal value and willingness to remain committed to the module. The sample consisted of a group of 22 students from the Bárbara de Braganza Secondary School (Badajoz). The results of the sociometric study revealed three popular students, two expelled students and two isolated students. The average score obtained in the dimensions of individual interest is very similar in the identified roles: popular students (positive feelings: 4.44; personal value: 4.77 and willingness to remain committed: 3), expelled students (positive feelings: 4.3; personal value: 4 and willingness to remain committed: 2.83) and isolated students (positive feelings: 4.83; personal value: 4.5 and willingness to remain committed: 2.33). From the data obtained, it can be concluded that in the group of students analysed, there is no direct relationship between social roles and individual interest in the Expression and Communication module of the Higher Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education.

Keywords:

Social roles, individual interest, sociometric study, higher vocational training cycle.