How to successfully implement an educational program in the classroom: Barriers and facilitators

Quality of education depends to a large extent on the activities that teachers implement in the classroom. Various international programs have been designed and implemented to promote children's learning in school contexts. Research and management teams design proposals to be implemented by teachers in schools; however, not all of them are successfully replicated. Several studies have focused on identifying the conditions that determine the potential impact of educational programs on student learning. This qualitative study presents an exploratory descriptive design that seeks to analyze the barriers and facilitators related to the implementation of educational programs in classrooms of two regions of Chile. Through semi-structured interviews, information was collected from both classroom teachers and professionals in charge of implementing educational programs. The results were analyzed following grounded theory and indicate the existence of a series of factors that act as barriers and/or facilitators for the implementation of programs from a teacher's perspective. We reflect on the need to consider these elements to promote the success of classroom initiatives.