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Analysis of institutional authors

Martín Domínguez G.Author

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November 24, 2024
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Article
Hybrid Gold

The Beauty of the Unusual: An Architectural Inquiry into the Reggio Emilia Approach

Publicated to: Interchange. 55 (4): 383-403 - 2024-01-01 55(4), DOI: 10.1007/s10780-024-09525-y

Authors:

Martín Domínguez G
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Affiliations

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Author

Abstract

For many years, the Reggio Emilia approach has been in the spotlight of the international debate on early childhood education, attracting countless devoted followers in preschool centres all over the world and inspiring an ever-increasing amount of pedagogical research. At the heart of this educational philosophy, space is considered a ‘third teacher’ and so is carefully thought and arranged, functioning as a key source of educational stimulation and insight. However, although a great number of studies from the field of pedagogy have been carried out to gain a better understanding of Reggio Emilia’s physical learning environments, not so much has been said from the designer’s perspective. This paper tries precisely to fill that gap, not purporting to isolate these fields of knowledge from one another but rather with the intention of setting an original inquiry that brings them closer together. This is made possible thanks to the definition of an innovative critical lens that diverges from previous discussions on the topic. More specifically, the work is triggered by Alfredo Hoyuelo’s statement (La estética en el pensamiento y obra pedagógica de Loris Malaguzzi, Octaedro, 2006, p. 120) in reference to Loris Malaguzzi’s theories: “building pedagogy means dreaming the beauty of the unusual”. Simply by replacing the term ‘pedagogy’ with ‘physical environments’ in that sentence, a novel insight for both architects and educators can emerge, with major implications in terms of conception, design, use and signification of space.
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Keywords

Early childhood educationLoris malaguzziReggio emilia approachSchool designThird teacher

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Interchange due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Arts and Humanities (Miscellaneous).

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-24:

  • Google Scholar: 2
  • Scopus: 1
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-24:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 52 (PlumX).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/85254/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 194
  • Downloads: 572
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (MARTIN DOMINGUEZ, GUIOMAR ELENA) and Last Author (MARTIN DOMINGUEZ, GUIOMAR ELENA).

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Project objectives

Los objetivos perseguidos en esta aportación se centran en profundizar en la comprensión del enfoque Reggio Emilia desde una perspectiva arquitectónica. Se pretende analizar el papel del espacio como “tercer maestro” en la educación infantil. Se busca evaluar la relación entre pedagogía y diseño de entornos físicos de aprendizaje. Se aspira a definir una nueva lente crítica que aporte una visión innovadora y divergente respecto a estudios previos. Se persigue caracterizar las implicaciones del diseño espacial en la concepción, uso y significado del espacio educativo. Finalmente, se pretende acercar los campos de la pedagogía y la arquitectura para generar un diálogo interdisciplinar enriquecedor.
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Most relevant results

El estudio presenta una investigación arquitectónica innovadora sobre el enfoque Reggio Emilia, centrada en la consideración del espacio como un "tercer maestro". Los resultados más relevantes incluyen: la identificación de una perspectiva original que integra el diseño arquitectónico con la pedagogía, superando enfoques previos; la formulación de una lente crítica novedosa basada en la idea de "soñar la belleza de lo inusual" aplicada a los entornos físicos; la demostración de que esta visión tiene implicaciones significativas en la concepción, diseño, uso y significado del espacio educativo; y la contribución a un diálogo interdisciplinar entre arquitectos y educadores para enriquecer la comprensión de los ambientes de aprendizaje en la primera infancia.
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