Student representations of HIV/AIDS. A study in the city of Cordoba

Abstract

This  article is about  a descriptive type of research  oc study  inquiring  into the representations  adolescent students have about  the HIV/AIDS. Starting from the theoretical point of view of these social representa- tions and integrating qualitarive as wcll as quantitative methodologies on students who attend  schools  and come  from different social and economic levels  in the City  of Córdoba,  thesc  representations have been categorized according to the  disease,  the infection, its way  of transmissioa and prevention. In general  it has becn  found  that there  is a wide diversiry  of ideas  on  both  levels  but 1t  is  on lower popular  sections where  the majority of the students are far away from  the scientific knowlcdge.  Although the students of di!Terent levels have got previous obscrvations, sorne kind of information or vocabulary knowledge, sorne analogies and conceptual mistakes  have appeared  in their explanations.