Oxel Azkarate: “Based on students’ self-perception, we offer a tool to measure the characteristics that influence the profile of the Cooperative Person”
Oxel Azkarate: “Based on students’ self-perception, we offer a tool to measure the characteristics that influence the profile of the Cooperative Person”
Oxel Azkarate: “Based on students’ self-perception, we offer a tool to measure the characteristics that influence the profile of the Cooperative Person”
The dissertation “Creation and validation of the KOOPHEZI-i tool to measure the profile of the Cooperative Person among young students,” defended by Oxel Azkarate in March on the Eskoriatza campus, earned the cum laude designation. We spoke with the author about his research.
On March 23, Oxel Azkarate (Arrasate, Gipuzkoa, 1982) defended his doctoral dissertation, “Creation and validation of the KOOPHEZI-i tool to measure the profile of the Cooperative Person among young students” (original title in Basque, “Pertsona Kooperatiboa profila ikasle gazteetan neurtzeko KOOPHEZI-i tresnaren sorkuntza eta balioztatzea”). The defense took place on the Eskoriatza campus. We asked Oxel Azkarate about his work, which earned the cum laude designation.
What does it mean to be a “Cooperative Person”?
Briefly, and using the definition that we developed in this research, the Cooperative Person is someone who has individual, cooperative and community values and attitudes that take into account both the human being and society; the self-aware person, the person who exercises mutual belonging, the socio-community entrepreneur; the person who thinks and acts for social transformation based on solidarity and innovation.
How can we measure these characteristics?
We propose to carry out the measurement using a psychometric tool: a questionnaire that collects information about students’ self-perception, keeping in mind that we understand the profile of the Cooperative Person as a multivariate construct. This tool, which is called KOOPHEZI-i, measures the profile of the Cooperative Person using 10 different variables: self-efficacy, internalized morality, cognitive need, interdependence of objectives, cognitive empathy, assertive communication, social justice, benevolence, social entrepreneur, and positive view of human beings.
Why is it important to develop the values associated with the Cooperative Person among young people?
Because the values associated with the profile of the Cooperative Person can be important in both the personal and professional development of youth; they are important for life. For example: learning to be yourself, learning to learn, building positive relationships in cooperation with others, and thinking and acting for a transformative conception of the world based on solidarity and innovation. These are also characteristics that are necessary for the humane and sustainable development of the community. In fact, the multiple crises identified in the context of the 21st century have brought to the forefront the complex challenges that people and society in general face today (climate change, ecological collapse, automation, digitalization, greater and greater economic and social inequalities…). All of these require social transformation and/or social innovation based on cooperation among different individuals, institutions and communities. More and more voices are speaking of the need for more humane and/or democratic values. In this sense, we believe that it can help to value the values, attitudes and skills associated with the Cooperative Person and to enable educational strategies for their development. In this case, we focused on young students, but at the same time, we tried to highlight the importance of creating an educational approach with a vision that is both lifelong and for the whole community.
How can we encourage cooperation among young people in schools and universities?
We want to answer this question based on research, which is why we created the KOOPHEZI-i tool. That is, in schools and universities, students are offered different contexts, interactions and experiences, whether through cooperative, collaborative or service learning (to name a few). But what impact do these activities have on the student body? What didactic models or methodology can be most useful for developing the profile of the Cooperative Person? We believe that by continuing this research and creating other research questions and hypotheses, it may be possible to answer these questions.
What sample did you base your research on?
For this dissertation, the sample used to analyze the reliability and validity of the KOOPHEZI-i tool consisted of 2,290 students, 49% of whom were women and 51%, men. High school students (age 16-17) accounted for 40% of the sample, and the remaining 60% were students in vocational training or university degree programs (age 18-22). Data were collected over two academic years, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.
What are the main conclusions you’ve reached? Any contribution you’d like to emphasize?
Given that in the review of the literature carried out during these years we found no well-grounded theories that define the profile of the Cooperative Person, nor any instrument to measure it, the main conclusion (understood as a contribution) would be first, to establish a definition and characterization of the Cooperative Person, and second, to identify and specify the key variables for the development and assessment of that profile from an educational perspective, following the Well-Grounded Theory methodology. Additionally, from this work, a reliable tool to measure the profile of the Cooperative Person among young (age 16-22) students has been created and validated, following the criteria established by the standard model established internationally for the creation of psychometric tests.
What new lines of research have opened for the future from this dissertation you just defended?
I think this line of research offers different possibilities. First, there may be avenues of research related to the use and development of the KOOPHEZI-i tool: conducting longitudinal quantitative research, for example, making adaptations to other contexts (tools to adapt to other age ranges, cultures, languages…), or using them in conjunction with other tools that analyze student profiles, developing a short version of the questionnaire for that purpose. And developing mixed research designs to better understand the data and results, to deepen our understanding. Another avenue might be education about the profile of the Cooperative Person, that is, the development and measurement of design processes, the implementation and measurement of intervention projects for the development of the Cooperative Person in collaboration with participants from the educational community. Finally, it’s worth pointing out that we believe it could be interesting to deepen our understanding of the Cooperative Person or the person as a whole in other contexts (language, culture…) as well.
For whom do you consider this research to be particularly useful?
Briefly, the development of the profile of the Cooperative Person among students is offered to educational institutions that have in their mission, or that are interested in, a tool to diagnose their educational offerings, that is, a tool to measure their impact on the profile of the Cooperative Person (entry-exit) based on student self-perception.