Vinculación universidad y sociedad

Implementation of the Methodological Strategy of Field Schools in Honduras. An Approach Based on Good Practices

Santos Marcelino Espinal Valladares — 2025-08-28

This article describes the implementation of the Agricultural Field Schools (ECAs) methodology in Honduras at the National University of Agriculture (UNAG) through the Academic Directorate of the University-Society Linkage System (DASVUS), as a strategy to strengthen local development and promote good practices. Through a focus on good practices and the impacts generated in different communities. The research focuses on projects related to sustainable livestock, food and nutritional security, and vocational training, which have been developed in collaboration with producer organizations, NGOs, local governments and others. The results obtained show the effectiveness of this methodology to strengthen the capacities of producers, improve productivity and promote the adoption of sustainable technologies, thus contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Problems and Challenges in the Community of El Tamarindo, Darien, Panama:

Randall Rodríguez — 2025-08-28

This study addresses the problems and challenges faced by the community of El Tamarindo in Darién, Panama, from a comprehensive perspective that considers social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects. It contextualizes the community's situation, characterized by infrastructure limitations, access to basic services, and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. The research is based on a sustainable community development approach, promoting residents' active participation in identifying and analyzing challenges. Through semi-structured interviews and participatory techniques such as social mapping, brainstorming, discussion groups, life histories, and participant observation, it was possible to understand the needs and priorities of the community. The combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches allowed for a deep and holistic understanding of reality, generating concrete and sustainable proposals to address the problems identified, and to promote equitable and sustainable development that improves the quality of life of its inhabitants.

Body and Dance Movement in the Social Environment

Verónica Ruth Quintero Moreno — 2025-08-28

In dance, body posture is fundamental, it allows the body to perform the dancer's own movements and move using the skeleton covered with muscles, joints, nerves and ligaments, concentrating each of the attractive movements taking care not to injure itself. This is achieved with perseverance in practical trials without falling into the overreaching abuse of time. Recognizing the human body fosters in the dancer the individuality of his physical and material structure that is mainly composed of the head, trunk and limbs, knowing that the arms are the that the arms are the upper limbs and the legs the lower limbs. As well as the development of self-esteem and identity as an individual in community.

Bond with the dancer, which inspires and promotes the social sense and strengthens the cultural identity that expresses customs, beliefs and traditions of our peoples.

Sustainable Tourism Development and its Impact on the Economic Growth of the Province of Los Santos, Panama

Ilka Juliao — 2025-08-28

In recent decades, sustainable Tours in the province of Los Santos has gained increased importance due to the growing demand for alternative activities to conventional tourism. This type of tourism is characterized by conveying an image of nature, well-being, and health consciousness, aspects highly valued by residents of urban areas. Additionally, rural tourism has proven to be an effective tool for promoting sustainable tourism development, experiencing growth driven by new rural development policies implemented through various initiatives.

Educating with Purpose

Delia Consuegra H. — 2025-08-28

This article analyzes the application of gamification and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as didactic tools in inclusive learning, with special emphasis on higher education. Through a mixed methodology, which included student surveys and documentary analysis, the perceptions, motivations and results of the incorporation of gamified strategies in educational contexts were evaluated. The findings indicate that, although 95.5% of students had no previous experience with gamification, 67% perceive that it can improve their academic performance. Elements such as stories, narratives, and missions were the most attractive. Gamification, supported by ICT, represents an effective strategy to foster inclusive environments, increasing student participation and engagement.

Between the Community Mission and the Bureaucratic Cage

Felipe González Ortiz — 2025-08-28

Taking the Intercultural University of State of Mexico as an example or case study, the conflictive relationship between its academic mission and the rigor of university administrative regulations is problematized. This contradiction is shown between the mission expected of university to train professionals and intellectuals committed to their languages and communities of origin, and the administrative structure that subjects its substantive activities (including community ties) and academic actors to rigorous regulations that prevent it from carrying out that mission without friction. This situation of double bind crystallizes in an institution trapped between the enunciation of its commitment to the indigenous community and the bureaucratic rules of its government structure.

Inclusive Agritourism and Guiding for Visually Impaired Individuals

Johana Olaya-Reyes — 2025-08-28

In Ecuador's fertile Los Ríos province, an area experiencing significant agricultural growth, the community service project "Enjoying Tourism with the Eyes of the Soul" was launched. Hosted at the Technical University of Babahoyo's Self-Sustainable Integral Farm, this initiative prioritized environmental education, sustainability, and inclusivity. This paper evaluates the project's outcomes, specifically focusing on its impact within inclusive tourism.

The project ran from December 2021 to August 2023, completing 19 activities and engaging 625 beneficiaries, 77 students, and 6 faculty members. This community service endeavor directly built upon the foundational research of the "Sensory Agritourism at UTB's Integral Farm: Design of Guiding Based on Sensory Perception and Promotional Website" project. The knowledge gained from that research was then applied practically through this service project.

Our evaluation methodology for results and impact measurement focused on assessing the achievement of specific objectives and tracking key indicators of accomplishment and effectiveness. A primary finding es that the community service project successfully implemented guided agritourism tours for individuals with disabilities. However, areas for further improvement have been identified.

Rainwater Harvesting and Storage for Solving the Lack of Potable Water in Educational Centers

Carlos Antonio Villarreal — 2025-08-28

Water is life. It's life that flows. Water is critical to the planet, and it's even more so for the 2.1 billion people around the world who don't have access to it, it's safe to drink, or it's been safely treated.

With the Rainwater Harvesting project, schools in rural areas have access to water suitable for human consumption, since the system stores more than 10,000 liters of water and has filters and chlorinators, which purify it. This process is certified by the Ministry of Health, so it has been minimized that diseases occur among the beneficiaries. "Water is important for our children to develop healthily and have a disease-free life. Thanks to this project, our children have a healthy and joyful life in our schools."

Beyond the evident institutional planning and the comprehensive approach that must be given to water, it is necessary to develop projects that offer solutions and, at the same time, generate changes in the use and perception of water. That is why, following the route proposed by international organizations that have studied this serious situation for years, it is considered to take advantage of the resources provided by nature to create a palliative that reduces the negative effects of the lack of water.

Interdisciplinary Proposal for Medicinal Trail Design for the Benefit of Natural Heritage-Tree City

Nubia Ávila — 2025-08-28

The project Design of a Medicinal Trail in the City of the Tree was coordinated by the Historical and Cultural Tourism program at the Regional University Center of San Miguelito between April and September 2022. It arose in response to growing concern over environmental degradation. The primary objective was to develop an interdisciplinary proposal for a medicinal trail that would promote both conservation and educational enjoyment of the natural heritage of the City of the Tree. The project was based on a non-experimental, descriptive, and observational research design. Direct beneficiaries include tourists, local community workers near the City of the Tree, the Office of the Vice-Rector for Extension at the University of Panama, and students from the Central Campus of the San Miguelito Regional Center, who may engage through community service, internships, or thesis work. The findings highlight the City's significant tourism potential, although it currently lacks essential infrastructure, such as accessible trails and structured tourist activities.

Interplay of Art and Knowledge During Artistic Production in the University Setting and the Support of a Constructive Guide

Félix A. González-Sanjur — 2025-08-28

In order to investigate the relationship between art and knowledge during artistic production and taking into account that the university is the scenario where this is developed, first, we proceeded to explore this relationship, according to the students, and second, to conduct an experimental workshop through which we could demonstrate how knowledge and art could be related in an intentional way through the implementation of a guide that would contribute to build the work from knowledge. This workshop resulted in an articulation that allowed the artistic proposal to be based on knowledge and the possibility of containing conceptual value. This implies pointing out the existence of a systematic or at least reflexive construction supported by objective questioning during the processes that formulated the message embodied in the image. It is not lost sight of the fact that many works can arise from leisure and deserve the qualification of art, without necessarily being the result of a process that involves the development of structured knowledge; but, if we attend to artistic production as part of the university context, special emphasis must be made on the participation of knowledge, in this way, one of the contributions of the universities is evidenced by contributing to its construction, without this meaning to restrict creative freedom, but rather, to give it a structure so that it can be manifested.

Socio-Environmental Reality of the Juan Díaz River Basin

Edilcia X. Agudo A. — 2025-08-28

This report presents relevant information and knowledge generated within the research framework on the socio-environmental reality of the Juan Diaz River Basin and its impact on the quality of life of the residents of the Juan Díaz and Don Bosco districts. Documentary research, participatory action research, surveys, and recorded interviews were employed to determine the residents' perception of socio-environmental problems, including floods, waste, sewage, water pollution, deforestation, among others

The main causal factors are anthropogenic actions, changes in land use, unplanned urban development, and industries that discharge their waste into the Juan Díaz River. Mangroves and wetlands are severely affected.

Community Geographic Strategies for Data Collection in Outreach Projects Facilitating Child Participation

María del Rosario Domínguez Medina — 2025-08-28

The objective of this study was to design community geographic strategies that integrate participatory data collection methodologies, focused on the child population, to strengthen university extension projects in rural contexts. A descriptive and participatory research was developed in El Caracucho Primary School, La Pitaloza, Herrera province, with the participation of twenty-five students and a teacher. The methodology included community meetings, practical training workshops on the use of iconographies and social cartography, and the collective elaboration of illustrative community maps of the territory. The results showed that the active participation of the children, through geographic tools adapted to their cognitive capacities such as maps and emojis, made it possible to identify relevant local problems, such as the fear of agrochemical spraying. The visual evaluation with iconographies reflected a high level of satisfaction and motivation among participants, validating the effectiveness of the strategies implemented. In addition, the dependence on the public education system and the existence of deficiencies in basic infrastructure were confirmed, highlighting the importance of continuing to develop inclusive and participatory methodologies in data collection for extension projects.

These findings strengthen the link between the university and the community and open the opportunity for future scientific research in rural settings.

Psychological Narratives of Panamanian Families

Ana Gabriela González — 2025-08-28

This essay explores family dynamics in Panama, focusing on how they influence individual development and the socialization of young people. Through interviews with five subjects from the Panamanian upper middle class, parenting patterns, values, and expectations that shape family identity are identified. The importance of communication and conflict resolution in the family context is highlighted, as well as the pressure that some values ??can exert on individuals, such as the expectation of continuing education. In addition, the refusal of young people to form their own families is addressed, reflecting changes in traditions and gender roles. The theoretical framework is based on psychological narrative concepts to understand how family stories give meaning to individual experiences.

Editorial

Ricardo A. Him Chi — 2025-08-28