Introduction

“Reality is defined with words. Therefore, he who controls words controls reality." Antonio Gramsci, (1891 - 1937),

Italian philosopher

The objective of the article is to present and substantiate a technique to define academic concepts that have been useful to master's and doctoral students as an alternative that contributes to the precision of thinking.

The Thought

Human life is impossible without thinking as well as without feeling and of course without acting. Thinking, feeling, and acting constitute a dynamic unity that allows human beings to grow fully. Any attempt to overvalue one over the others, or separate them, leads to a limited, reductionist, and therefore incomplete interpretation of the human dimension (^HEGEL,2010; ^{FERREIRO, 2022}; ^{VIGOTSKY, 1977}; ^{WITTGENSTEIn, 2012}).

In the multifaceted relationship that man establishes with his environment, human cognitive activity and thought appear which allows him to know the objects and phenomena of reality. Thought is the result of the influence of reality on the human brain, in its cerebral cortex or neocortex as it is also called (^{LURIA, 1984}; ^{FERREIRO, 2022}).

Thinking allows us to know the essential links of objects and their characteristics, through the extremely complex operations that are commonly grouped under the definition of reasoning.

Through thinking we generate ideas, we relate them, we define concepts, we formulate theories, we discover laws, we invent procedures, we identify and solve problems, and we have our mental representations of the phenomena of objective and subjective reality.

Each of the activities “requires” mental operations and functions that make them possible, for example, analysis and synthesis, abstraction and generalization, comparison, and evaluation, etc. But first, it is necessary to specify the object of study, in other words, what we are “talking about”, what ideas appear in the mind about the object in question, and how we express it; Scientists call these concepts ^{(FERREIRO, 2018}; ²⁰²²).

The Concept

The concept is the basic form of human thought, a minimum unit of knowledge, which expresses the general and essential characteristics of things and phenomena (facts, events, happenings, processes) of reality, which distinguishes an object from another to use it consistently (DE GOTARI, 1972; ^{WITTGENSTEIN, 2012}; ^{COPI AND COHEN, 2005}).

The concept is human thought expressed with terms, that is, with words. The concept is in turn a unit of “meaning” of knowledge of reality. The concept is to human thought what the cell is to the organism and the atom to matter, that is, its structural and functional unity.

The concept is obtained from the analysis and generalization made of a countless number of isolated facts, making abstractions from the secondary, non-essential properties, and prioritizing the fundamental characteristics that characterize it as such and distinguish one from another. others, in the environment of a specific culture (^{FERREIRO GRAVIE, 2012}, ²⁰¹⁸, ²⁰²⁰).

The concept is in addition to a result, a mental process, an intellectual activity of a theoretical nature, which allows us to specify and delimit the object of knowledge in depth either because we are interested in it or we need it to make a decision, solve a problem, consider a project or well, among many other things, understand the situation we face, give it meaning and meaning (^{FERREIRO GRAVIE, 1980}. ¹⁹⁸⁶).

The notion or construct, as the concept is also called, is a manifestation in our mind of the element of reality that we need to name and distinguish from others so that we can use it in what we do. The concept as a recreation in our mind of reality and as part of it is dynamic and evolves according to time and the environments of belonging. Hence, the way we express concepts changes according to the historical and cultural moment. But also, to the extent that when we communicate it we express it.

The concept is the basic unit of human thought that expresses the general and essential characteristics of the things and phenomena of reality, which allows one object to be distinguished from another to use it consistently, regardless of whether they are concepts of specific objects, such as that of “chair”, or of traits or qualities such as “beauty” and both one and the others can be defined, that is, expressed through words. In both cases, we turn to words to express the mental representation or reference that we have of them (^{WITTGENSTEIN, 2012}).

The Definition of Concepts

Writing is a form of language, it is an instrument to express thought and build the knowledge and feelings associated with the object of study, in such a way that the structure of the mind, human consciousness, is shaped by the activity and communication of the person who learns and grows. Writing is much more than a complex motor skill, it is a type of social and cultural language, which transcends the here and now and is key to the development of thought, feelings, and human behavior. As Wittgenstein, the great philosopher of language, said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world” (^{WHITE ROGER, 2006}; ^{WITTGENSTEIN, 2012}).

According to ^{Luria (1984}), “Written language is the essential instrument for thought processes including, on the one hand, conscious operations with verbal categories, allowing, on the other hand, to return to what has already been written, it guarantees conscious control over the operations that are carried out.”. All this makes written language a powerful instrument to specify and elaborate the thought process” (LURIA, p.189).

The definition of terms, that is, concepts, is the expression, verbal or written, of the idea or object, of its meaning, which distinguishes it from any other no matter how close or similar it may be, to differentiate it and “treat” it as such, what it is.

Furthermore, the definition of the term is required so that the concept as such exists, has recognition, and helps in the understanding and transformation of reality.

The definition of concepts helps us to understand in essence, in-depth, what is being studied and investigated. At the beginning of a topic or research process, it is necessary to specify the definitions of the concepts involved in the study because this helps considerably to know not only what we understand as such but also, among other things, to express it, to communicate to others what we understand. in this regard ( ^{VIGOTSKY, 1977}; ^{HEGEL, 2010}; ^{BRUNER, 1990}; ^{DAVIDOV, 1972}).

The definition of concepts is essentially a written or verbal representation of an aspect of reality given by a person or group of experts. Hence, there can be as many definitions of a “concept” as there are verbal representations that can be constructed (^{GRAMSCI, 2000}; ^{FERREIRO, 2022}).

The Types of Concept Definitions

There are in the literature, among others, two types of definitions, verbal representations, of concepts. One is the conventionally called “Conceptual” definition and the other is called the “Operational” definition; or “Job definition”. But in both, there must be the essential, the invariant characteristics, the totality of what is common to the object of definition that distinguishes it even from what is closest and most similar.

Conventionally, we know as “conceptual” definitions those given by experts on the subject and the discipline and which we usually find in recent scientific articles or textbooks, or classic works, while we understand “operational” definitions as those that we develop each time one of us to the extent that we process information about a topic, make observations and exchange ideas with others, all of which helps us form in our minds what we understand by the object in the process of construction.

Techniques to Define Concepts.

There are several ways to define concepts, including:

Job definitions

A concept can be defined in different ways; in other words, what is meant by this or that thing can be expressed in different ways. The form suggested below is known as “Operational definition”, from “work”, which allows us to express, to each of us with our words, but with scientific rigor, the very essence of an object, fact, phenomenon, etc. of reality.

The operational definition of a concept allows us to specify what we understand by such a thing, to understand it in depth given the variables and the perspective that we take as reference, and what is most important to communicate precisely what we are calling or recognizing by the said object under study.

There is no concept of everyday life for which we do not have a mental representation. For example, each one has a concept of friendship, of a friend, of a colleague, of a brother, or of family, couple, love, or democracy. When expressing each of them we define it and name the defined object, that is, expressed, “concept”. Each one of us, to the same extent that we delve into a topic under study, can be able to express it if we follow certain suggestions to do so with the academic and scientific precision that is required (^{FERREIRO, 2020}).

School, academic, and scientific work requires the precision of the concept that is studied or investigated through writing, which is a form of language, a system of signs, a psychological tool, and an instrument. We propose the three- color technique, also recognized as the RFG strategy, alluding to its creator, Dr. Ramón Ferreiro Gravié from Nova Southeastern University, to teach doctoral students how to define, in their own words, each term involved in their thesis. This technique also contributes to the cognitive independence of the subject who applies it and to the development of cognitive operations and functions that help to specify the essence of the object of study through written or verbal language (^{FERREIRO, 2012}, ²⁰¹⁸, ²⁰²⁰, ²⁰²²).

RFG technique of the three colors to define concepts.

The operational definition of a concept involves three important steps:

The three steps are equally important, although they must be completed in that order, and at the end review and improve the wording of the prepared statement.

Quality Criteria

Among the quality criteria or indicators of a good operational definition of the concept are:

Let's look at the definition of the term “concept” using Dr. Ferreiro's technique of the 3 colors:

“The concept is the basic unit of human thought that expresses the general and essential characteristics of things and phenomena in reality, which allows one object to be distinguished from another to use it accordingly.”

As can be distinguished, we begin by stating “The concept is…”. We immediately place the “determinant”, then the “attributes” and finally “the complement”. A single statement, approximately 30 words.

Partial Conclusion

The empirical evidence during and after the validation process of the “RFG Technique of the 3 Colors” in hundreds of students from different school levels shows us that its conscious appropriation contributes to writing academic works with a higher level of focus and better conceptual treatment of the topic by including as part of its development the definitions of leading authors of the topic and their own definitions of the key terms, which allows, among other things, a better analysis of the topic in question that helps them compare their position. with that of others and understand in depth the object of study. It also contributes to greater fluency in verbal communication with two characteristics that stand out: security and terminological precision when writing and presenting on the topic. What is curious and no less important are the testimonies about how they extrapolate and use the technique in informal, work, social and family conversations. The research in this regard continued, now the focus of interest is to specify the impact that the appropriation and use of the technique has on the development of critical thinking in subjects who are authors of definitions with high levels of precision and conciseness.