Application and usefulness of grounded theory in spatial and interdisciplinary studies. the case of Peñaflor

The case of Peñaflor

Abstract

The application of theoretical models to understand human phenomena such as the urban-rural gap and formal education from a positivist or qualitative perspective has resulted in rigid and slow-growing bodies of knowledge that hardly cover the complexity of inhabited spaces. To generate a deep understanding, the present work includes the application of Grounded Theory in the study of the formation of educational expectations in high school students in the commune of Peñaflor, Chile, to understand the main factors that influence them. Through two cycles of interviews, one applied to teachers and directors of schools in the commune, and the other to national experts in the study of rural education, an iterative analysis of codes selected from the literature and emerging elements is carried out. The results of the study diverge from urban-rural generalizations, with the commune exhibiting an intermediate behavior both in spatial and educational characteristics that influence the formation of expectations in secondary students and are interrelated in that the characteristics of the commune delimit relevant pedagogical and family aspects. With this, it is postulated that the epistemological approach provided by Grounded Theory allows capturing the complexity of geographic space and the construction of interdisciplinary knowledge.