Juan Carlos Bel Martinez

Juan Carlos Bel Martinez serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Education at the Faculty of Teacher Training, University of Valencia. His academic credentials include a PhD in Specific Didactics (Didactics of Social Sciences) from Universitat de València with extraordinary doctoral award, a degree in Primary Education Teaching from Universitat Jaume I of Castellón, and a Master's Degree in Research in Specific Didactics from Universitat de València.

Bel Martinez has established himself as a prominent researcher in historical imagination and historical thinking within Primary Education contexts. His scholarly work focuses on analyzing teaching materials, particularly textbooks, to understand how they foster historical consciousness among young learners. He has conducted research stays at the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Universidad de Valladolid, demonstrating international academic engagement. His research has been recognized with a six-year research period assessed by CNEAI, reflecting significant scholarly contributions to the field.

His publication record reveals a strong thematic focus on historical imagination, with recent work examining women's representation in history textbooks (2025), methodological approaches to studying historical imagination (2024), and systematic reviews of social science textbook research in Spain (2024). His work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with practical classroom applications, particularly examining how visual materials in textbooks contribute to historical understanding.

• Extraordinary doctoral award
• Six-year research period assessed by CNEAI

As an active academic, Bel Martinez collaborates extensively with colleagues at the University of Valencia, especially with Juan Carlos Colomer Rubio and Rafael Valls Montés, while also working with researchers from other Spanish institutions. His research methodology combines qualitative approaches like discourse analysis with quantitative methods to examine teacher perspectives and curriculum content within Spain's educational framework. His work continues to expand the understanding of how historical narratives are constructed and transmitted to primary school students through educational materials.