Maite Marzo Arpón

Dr. Maite Marzo Arpón serves as a Professor at the Faculty of Social Education and Social Work within Ramon Llull University's Department of Social Education and Social Work. She actively teaches undergraduate degrees in Social Education and Social Work alongside master's programs focusing on socio-educational intervention with children/adolescents and social services management. As a core member of the Innovation and Social Analysis Research Group (GIAS) and the Pere Tarrés Chair of Educational Leisure and Sociocultural Action, she bridges academic theory with practical community applications.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Doctorate in Pedagogy, University of Barcelona (2007)
• Postgraduate in Quality Assessment-Improvement Methodology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (2001)
• Master's in Socio-Educational Intervention with Vulnerable Youth, Ramon Llull University (1996)
• Postgraduate in Educational Center Management, University of Barcelona (1989)

Dr. Marzo's research centers on socio-educational actions that strengthen community bonds through leisure-based interventions. She investigates how educational leisure entities cultivate social cohesion, develop employability skills in vulnerable youth, and implement protective frameworks like Spain's Organic Law 8/2021 against child violence. Her work consistently emphasizes intercultural approaches and practical tools for socio-educational practitioners working with marginalized populations.

Recent publications reveal evolving focus from neighborhood cohesion studies toward innovative family support systems preventing child institutionalization. Her 2024 work on deinstitutionalization strategies marks a significant shift toward actionable policy solutions, while earlier research established foundational models for measuring employability competencies and violence-free leisure environments.

She directs substantial research funding from Spanish national ministries:

• Leisure/sociocultural action for social cohesion (EDU2014-57212-R)
• Cultural diversity in leisure centers (PID2021-124284OB-I00)
• Questionnaire validation for employability skills (101/2018/365/1/)
• Violence-free environments in leisure entities (101/2022/149/3/)
• Qualitative research reducing child institutionalization (2022-2024)

Through the GIAS research group and Pere Tarrés Chair, she coordinates interdisciplinary teams developing pedagogical tools for implementing child protection laws in leisure settings, with current projects examining child participation councils and family preservation strategies for high-risk social cases.