Initial teacher training is a strategic dimension in the move towards more inclusive, equitable, and socially just education systems. However, the persistence of myths and beliefs deeply rooted in school and social culture continues to hinder the transformation of educational practices and the consolidation of a more inclusive school and society. These conceptions, historically reproduced through the media, cultural traditions, or the educational system itself, need to be addressed from a critical onto-epistemological perspective that goes beyond unidirectional, reproductive and transmissive teaching models, favoring reflective organizational and didactic approaches aimed at educational (Berluda, 2017) and social change. 

From this perspective, this paper presents some of the results of a training and co-research experience carried out between the 2021-22 and 2024-25 academic years at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Malaga, within the framework of the course Relational Skills in the Inclusive Classroom, attached to the Inclusive School specialization of the fourth year of the Primary Education Degree. 

The proposal is based on the creation of a pedagogical observatory that collects the analysis of visual, musical and multimedia content, under a critical conception of teacher training, and is part of the Ministry of Science and Innovation's Project on Challenges and Knowledge Generation PID entitled "Collaborative Networks in Education: critical teaching for an inclusive society, PID2022-138882OB-I00." This formative research recognizes teachers as ethical, social, and politically committed agents of transformation in school culture and practices (Freire, 1996; Rodríguez Hernández, 2019) and students as co-researchers and active agents in their training and transformation process, aspects that reconfigure their identity as teachers and researchers. 

From a methodological perspective, a joint analysis (students and teachers) of content has been carried out with the aim of publishing it in a Pedagogical Observatory. This methodology has enabled students, with the help of teachers, to critically analyze existing myths surrounding diversity, disability and school inclusion. The observatory is developed as a space for training, analysis, research, dissemination and reflection on inclusion and discourses and practices that are contrary to the construction of an inclusive society and school. Observatories, understood as permanent spaces for analysis and dissemination of information on social phenomena, facilitate the communication of results to the educational and social community after a process of systematic research (Prieto, 2003; Fabbioneri et al., 2019).

Analysis of audiovisual material reveals how the content observed and analyzed can have a significant negative influence on children's behavior, expectations and social relationships. On the one hand, it can be seen that the narratives in the material analyzed reinforce the Pygmalion effect, showing how the expectations that adults or peers project onto children can condition their performance and behavior. On the other hand, stories that address functional diversity highlight the different ways in which people react to diversity, either by promoting inclusion and mutual learning or by generating distancing, rejection and segregation, underscoring the importance of acceptance, empathy, and understanding in building more respectful social environments. Likewise, representations of violent behavior, both physical and psychological, are identified which, although sometimes presented in a humorous or symbolic way, can contribute to the normalization of these attitudes in children's imaginations. This highlights that audiovisual content not only reflects social practices, but also functions as a reference point that influences the formation of values, models of interaction and strategies for conflict resolution, reinforcing the need for a critical and pedagogical approach to its use in educational contexts.

The methodology used is based on qualitative content analysis applied to a series of audiovisual material with the aim of analyzing the discourses, stereotypes, myths, representations and values conveyed through films and television series. This methodological approach allows for the analysis of explicit and implicit messages present in the selected audiovisual products. The audiovisual material was selected by each group of students (5 or 6 students per group) and the material analyzed includes animated films, short films, cartoons, series and movies. Audiovisual material Content analysis Interpretive analysis Coco, Encanto, Turning Red, Mulan, Brave, Frozen and Red. Expectations and influence. Pygmalion effect The Simpsons, Crayon Shin-chan, Tangled and Cinderella Physical and psychological violence, aggression, humiliation, domination and normalization of violence. The normalization of implicit and explicit violence as a form of interaction Cuerdas and Purl Interpersonal relationships, acceptance, empathy, understanding, and exclusion. Perceptions and behaviors toward diversity Campeones, Me Before You, Yo, también, La teoría del todo, The Theory of Everything, My Name Is Khan, Special, The Good Doctor and Atypical Campeones (People with intellectual disability as “innocent, adorable, or dependent”); Me Before You and Yo también (disability as “victim of their condition” or “limited life”); The Theory of Everything, stereotype of a person who must compensate for their limitations with extraordinary achievements; My Name is Khan and The Good Doctor, person with ASD as exceptional and morally superior, idealization; Special, highlighting barriers and stereotypes associated with disability, without idealizing or victimizing the character; Atypical, simplified and tender view. Representation and idealization of functional diversity After selecting and viewing the material, students and teachers conducted a joint analysis, from which a system of categories emerged for each audiovisual material. This analysis revealed categories such as discourses on difference, gender roles, family behaviors, the representation of diversity, power relations, protective or paternalistic behaviors, idealization, abusive behaviors, physical or psychological violence, transmitted values and models of social interaction, among others. Finally, the teachers and students conducted an interpretative co-analysis of each material with the aim of identifying the myths and stereotypes identified in each audiovisual material and proposing alternatives for working on them in educational centers. The results and analysis obtained were presented in the classroom and form part of the pedagogical observatory. Likewise, the material developed to work on these myths was implemented in a session held at the Faculty of Education with groups of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-year primary education students from a public school in the province.

The material analyzed shows how the media exert a notable influence on viewers, as they largely shape their perception of reality. On the one hand, they promote anti-values and inappropriate behaviors (Mornhinweg and Herrera, 2017) and, on the other, they disseminate stereotypical content. Specifically, the analysis of films such as Coco, Encanto, Turning Red, Mulan, Brave, and Frozen shows the Pygmalion Effect, which is perceived in the influence that one person's expectations (in many cases the family) can have on the performance and behavior of another (Solís and Borja, 2017). The short films Cuerdas and Purl show the different ways in which people establish interpersonal relationships when they interpret diversity, in its many manifestations, either as an obstacle that generates distance and exclusion or as a valuable opportunity for learning, empathy and personal growth. Another worrying aspect is scenes of violence, which, although often presented in a humorous, symbolic, or seemingly harmless way, can contribute to the normalization of this type of behavior. We find series such as The Simpsons (Homer strangling Bart) and Crayon Shin Chan (the mother hitting him on the head) or children's films such as Rapunzel and Cinderella that show psychological violence. Given this scenario, we maintain that educational institutions must assume a fundamental responsibility, as it is essential that schools teach students media literacy so that they can develop a critical eye and be able to interpret and differentiate the messages they receive through characters and audiovisual environments (Rajadell et al., 2005). Therefore, both initial and continuing teacher training should promote educational strategies that address this reality in social and educational contexts.

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