• The researcher from the Department of Education and IESED-Chile, Dr. Ilich Silva-Pena presented at the Second Virtual Cycle of Seminars of Ibero-American Researchers, whose theme was “Initial Steps in the Preparation of a Thesis Project”.

As part of the Second Virtual Cycle of Seminars of Ibero-American Researchers organized by the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colo (UPTC), the researcher of the Department of Education and IESED-Chile, Dr. Ilich Silva-Pena offered a Chair via Zoom in the Doctorate in Education Sciences of the Colombian public institution, with the topic “Initial steps in the elaboration of a thesis project”.

In his presentation, Dr. Silva-Peña referred to the meaning of the doctoral thesis: “My reflection is based on the fact that the thesis accompanies you for a good time of your life or even if it is not so long compared to the totality of life, it is a very significant process,” he said.

He explained that “one falls in love with the thesis, fights with the thesis, abandons the thesis; from the outside, for someone who has not experienced the process of making a thesis, it seems funny because it is like it comes to life when one talks about it. The thesis has so much life that sometimes generates jealousy of our partner and our children because we give it an important space in our daily work. We invest time in the thesis or it steals our time”.

He also said that many times, as director, he thesis “I think about what is the first formal investigation, of course, it is possible that it is not the first investigation, but it is the first that we carry out in the formality of the academic field”.

In that sense, he assured that “the thesis is a creative challenge, to look for a new finding, to show something new; It challenges writing, thinking. The companion thesis will be for a while, with a contradictory accompaniment, with ups and downs, with treble and bass“.

Finally, the researcher stressed that “it is important that the relationship we establish with our fellow thesis be one of affection, with passion but not with obsession; no thesis is more important than your life: The thesis is part of your life, not your life.”

The activity also featured the presentation of the Investigador of the Incitema Group (UPTC), Dr. Alfonso Lopez Diaz, and was moderated by the GFDE Group researcher of the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas de Colombia, Dr. Blanca Ortiz Molina

Dr. Silva-Peña’s full presentation can be reviewed here