SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE STUDENTS OF THE BACHELOR OF NUTRITION ABOUT THEIR ROLE AS EDUCATORS

Abstract

The main goal of this work was "to know the social representations that the students of the Bachelor Degree in Nutrition of the San Salvador Academic Department of the Catholic University of Santiago del Estero (DASS-UCSE) have regarding their role as educators." This research has a qualitative and flexible approach. Via focus groups mediated by digital technology, students of the Bachelor Degree in Nutrition program were interviewed to learn their thoughts, knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding their role as educators in particular and as Graduates in Nutrition in general. The data analysis was carried out following Tylor and Bogdan's (1984) proposal, where all the categories and subcategories with their relationships were described. Regarding the attitudes, information and field of representations on Food and Nutrition Education (Educación Alimentaria y Nutricional, EAN) underlie certain conceptions of person, education, food, nutrition, health and healthy eating, determined by the social context, but which in turn materialize in practices that modify the objectified structure. Food and nutrition education is presented as a contextualized and omnipresent practice in all scenarios of professional concern, with objectives and purposes, in the three levels of prevention as promoters, in the preventive role of diseases and as nutritional therapists. Assessments, concerns, challenges, self-perceptions and hopes arose denoted the type of training of students at DASS-UCSE. Likewise, it provided tools for reflection on the teaching practice to respond to the real characteristics of the students since academic training becomes the cultural background of social representations.