El modelo de naciones unidas como estrategia para fortalecer el pensamiento crítico y la ciudadanía en los estudiantes de Manizales

Abstract

This study analyzes the Model United Nations (MUN) as a critical pedagogical device aimed at reshaping political culture within schools in both public and private educational institutions in the city of Manizales, Colombia. The problem guiding this research emerges from the tension between normative frameworks that promote the formation of democratic citizens and pedagogical practices that reproduce hierarchical dynamics, thereby limiting student participation to largely symbolic forms. The primary objective of this study is to analyze how participation in MUN contributes to the strengthening of critical thinking, argumentation, leadership, and civic awareness among secondary school students from the public institutions Instituto Tecnológico de Manizales, Instituto Estambul de Manizales, and Colegio Nuestra Señora del Rosario, as well as the private institutions Colegio Redentorista and Asociación Colegio Granadino. Methodologically, the study adopted a qualitative approach and employed classroom-based action research as its principal method. The data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews and virtual surveys. During the first diagnostic phase (pre-MUN), structured surveys and semi-structured interviews were administered to identify students’ initial perceptions regarding critical thinking, argumentation, leadership, and civic awareness. This phase established a baseline of their understandings and practices related to these categories. Subsequently, following the immersion of both students and teachers in the Model United Nations experience, the evaluation phase (post-MUN) was conducted. During this stage, the same instruments were reapplied to compare and analyze changes in perceptions, discourses, and levels of appropriation of these competencies, thereby enabling an assessment of the impact of the process in accordance with the objectives of the project. The comparative analysis conducted before and after the implementation of the Model United Nations (MUN) reveals significant transformations in school political culture, reflected in the strengthening of student participation, agency, argumentative skills, critical thinking, and leadership. The findings indicate a transition from fragmented and limited perceptions toward an active and experiential appropriation of deliberative spaces, with improvements exceeding 85% across most of the dimensions analyzed. Furthermore, substantial progress was observed in students’ understanding of global issues and human rights, as well as in the consolidation of deliberative practices grounded in dialogue and collective knowledge construction. Taken together, these findings position MUN as an effective pedagogical strategy for fostering critical citizenship by integrating knowledge, experience, and participation within educational contexts.