¿Cómo quieren aprender los niños y niñas?: Demandas de estudiantes de 5° básico acerca de sus ambientes de aprendizaje en la escuela pública chilena

The study aims to understand, from a qualitative perspective, the demands of 5th-grade children regarding learning environments in Chilean public schools. The analysis corpus is built from the open-ended question of the School Coexistence Monitoring System of the Skills for Life Program (JUNAEB): "Would you ask your school principal or teacher for anything?" Using the qualitative content analysis technique, 262 text responses containing demands and/or requests related to the physical and/or psychosocial learning environment were analyzed. The results highlight the need for children to establish close social relationships and interactions with adults who are attentive to the problems and needs that arise in school. Children also demand that adults take on the role of conflict mediators and "ensure justice," as well as provide opportunities for students to decide on their "seat" and to mediate the pace and manner in which school activities are presented. Regarding the physical realm, the importance of designing school environments that meet the basic material conditions for learning is emphasized, such as the maintenance and periodic repair of school infrastructure and furniture, the incorporation of elements (lockers and cameras) to address the issue of "thefts," and the management of environmental factors that improve comfort for learning, such as classroom temperature and lighting.