Percepciones de profesores y alumnos sobre la enseñanza,evaluación y desarrollo de competencias en estudios universitarios de formación de profesorado

Resumen

Este estudio analiza las similitudes y diferencias de percepción entre alumnos y profesores respecto a diversos aspectos metodológicos, de evaluación y de desarrollo de competencias que caracterizan la docencia en la formación de futuros maestros y profesores. Se construyó, validó y aplicó un cuestionario, dividido en tres sub-escalas o campos temáticos, a una muestra de 635 estudiantes y 72 profesores de diversas facultades y escuelas universitarias de tres universidades públicas de Castilla y León. El análisis de los datos se realizó mediante un estudio de frecuencias y de ANOVAS. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas en los tres aspectos analizados (metodología, evaluación y competencias). Los profesores tienden a pensar que utilizan más estilos docentes y de evaluación centrados en el aprendizaje y desarrollan en mayor medida las competencias docentes de lo que consideran los alumnos. Existe un preocupante acuerdo en el escaso desarrollo de competencias ligadas a la colaboración con las familias, la participación en la gestión de los centros educativos y a la atención a la diversidad.     

La incidencia de la toma de apuntes sobre el aprendizaje significativo. Un estudio en enseñanza superior

Resumen

En este estudio presentamos una experiencia llevada a cabo con estudiantes de la asignatura “Psicología de la Educación” de diferentes centros universitarios. Tomando como marco de referencia las teorías constructivistas del aprendizaje, el objetivo de nuestro trabajo se centra en comprobar la incidencia de la utilización de diferentes estrategias de enseñanza por parte del profesor y de determinadas estrategias de aprendizaje en el proceso de registrar la información por parte de los estudiantes, en la significatividad del aprendizaje.

Los resultados obtenidos muestran que en los grupos donde los profesores han utilizado estrategias de enseñanza diferentes a la clase magistral, se ha producido un cambio positivo en las respuestas de los estudiantes o se ha mantenido el mismo nivel, mientras que el grupo donde se ha utilizado una metodología magistral, el nivel de respuesta es inferior. Así mismo, hemos podido observar como los grupos de estudiantes que utilizan las estrategias de aprendizaje seleccionadas para tomar apuntes mejoran su nivel de respuestas, lo cual no se produce en el grupo control.     

Language learners’ representations of Portugal: implications for culture teaching / Las representaciones de Portugal de los estudiantes de portugués: implicaciones en la enseñanza de aspectos culturales

This pedagogically-oriented study investigated cultural representations of Portugal held by 29 learners of Portuguese in a large public university in Malaysia. The main purpose of this study was to demonstrate how these representations could be employed for teaching the cultural component of the Portuguese language programme. During the content analysis, representations of Portugal provided by the respondents were divided into 11 categories. The study then assessed salience and favourability of each category of images. The findings revealed that the language learners’ representations of Portugal were for the most part positive. The images referring to Portuguese people formed the largest and most salient category. Overall, the students’ representations of Portugal tended to be simplistic and included ubiquitous stereotypes. A discussion of pedagogical implications arising from these findings concludes the article.     

Un estudio empírico sobre la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de estrategiaspara la composición escrita de textos argumentativos

Resumen

El trabajo que se presenta aborda la posibilidad de enseñar estrategias que permitan gestionar y regular las operaciones cognitivas que el escritor lleva a cabo a lo largo del proceso de composición. Más concretamente, se presentan tres secuencias de enseñan- za-aprendizaje de estrategias para la composición escrita de textos argumentativos. El diseño de dichas secuencias parte del análisis del proceso cognitivo implicado en la composición escrita, y se basa principalmente en los modelos explicativos de Flower y Hayes (1980) y de Bereiter y Scardamalia (1987). Se prentende que el alumno interiorice las estrategias propuestas que son definidas a partir del uso diferencial que puede hacerse de los procedimientos de escritura. Los datos obtenidos hacen referencia a los escritos realizados por los alumnos, su conceptualización de la escritura y el conocimiento, control y regulación del propio proceso de composición. Los resultados, de los que se deducen importantes implicaciones didácticas, permiten afirmar que los alumnos que aprendieron estrategias de organización del texto, y sobre todo los que aprendieron estrategias que favorecen un control consciente sobre el proceso que conlleva la composición escrita -estrategias metacognitivas-, son los que exhiben mayores cambios en su proceso de composición, cambios que suponen textos mejores, niveles mayores de complejidad en su conceptualización de la escritura, y un conocimiento más amplio y ajustado de su propio proceso cognitivo al escribir.     

Comprehensive pertinence in the quality assessment of higher education / La pertinencia integral en la evaluación de la calidad de la educación superior

This paper is based on the current debate concerning the criteria for quality assessment of higher education in a knowledge society, focusing attention on its pertinence. It is approached from dualities in the university task of producing and transmitting knowledge that intervenes in the analysis of the pertinence criteria for evaluating quality: knowledge use value versus exchange value, or market rules versus other social agents’ demands. The need for a comprehensive pertinence defined by two dimensions, internal and external, is justified.     

Maternal teaching of the symbolic function of a scale model / La enseñanza materna de la función simbólica de una maqueta

This study explores how mothers naturally guide their children in the use of a symbolic object, a scale model. Nineteen mothers, along with their two-and-a-half-year-old children, participated. The children had to find a toy hidden in a small room by using a scale model that represented it. It was found that mothers used three kinds of strategies: model-room correspondence, life experience and the names of the objects; with correspondence being the preferred strategy. The mothers were very responsive to their children, offering feedback in order to evaluate both their correct and incorrect searches. The corrective feedback affected the children’s performance when mothers had previously used strategies like correspondence and experience, but not in the case of name. In general terms, the results illustrate how mothers naturally guide the cultural knowledge of their children, structuring the interaction in a particular way and providing teaching and correction strategies in line with the responses of their children and the characteristics of the task.     

Online undergraduate students’ perceptions of the impact of Web 2.0 on higher education / Percepciones de estudiantes de licenciatura en línea sobre el impacto de la Web 2.0 en educación superior

Abstract

Although Web 2.0 has changed students’ roles, placing them at the centre of the teaching-learning process, attitudes towards Web 2.0 have been observed to have a relation with its use in a formal academic context. An instrument was applied to higher education students in Mexico to explore their perceptions by collecting information on students’ attitudes, training and use of Web 2.0, and its impact on higher education. The findings showed that training in Web 2.0 determines use of it, as well as the attitudes towards it and the possible impact these can have on teaching-learning processes. No differences were found regarding participants’ gender in relation to their perceptions of the use of Web 2.0 as a learning environment.     

Peer learning: an analysis of secondary school teachers’ reflection groups on teaching practice / El aprendizaje entre iguales: análisis de los grupos de reflexión sobre la práctica docente para profesores de educación secundaria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the discourse of beginning teachers and mentors in Secondary Education throughout their participation in reflection groups on teaching practice, as part of a program designed to palliate the reality shock and encourage reflection on the practice, thus promoting the construction of professional knowledge.

The data collected consist of speech recordings from five pairs (beginning-mentor) who participated in five reflection groups during a school year. This interpretative and longitudinal study draws on a qualitative analysis (Atlas.ti) of the discussion topics and types of sentences produced by the participants. The most frequent discussion topics were the thematic areas considered to be the most problematic for beginners (pair adjustment; attention to the diversity; student assessment; assessment by the program; fatigue and stress; classroom management; teacher identity; status and school culture). Mentors tended to produce more metacognitive statements while beginning teachers tended to use more conceptual statements. The results show that taking part in a discussion group on teaching practice was not enough to promote a really thoughtful (most sophisticated) elaborative pattern for beginner teachers.     

An assessment of evaluation techniques in higher education: the experience of macroeconomics / La evaluación de las técnicas de evaluación en la enseñanza universitaria: la experiencia de macroeconomía

In this paper we will focus on the effects of continuous and final assessment on students’ final grades. In particular, the aim is to quantify the degree of improvement that the qualification criteria of written tasks entails, and to ascertain whether continuous assessment is crucial for the final grade of students who have passed the continuous assessment process. The results suggest that the way in which the final grade is calculated is crucial for the results. The findings indicate that continuous assessment activities (practical activities in class and submission of written papers) are more relevant for the final grade than the completion of tests throughout the course.     

Profiles of self-perceived competencies and conceptions of academic writing in university students / Perfiles de competencias y concepciones sobre la escritura académica en estudiantes universitarios

Abstract

This study analyses Spanish undergraduates’ perceptions of their competency in academic writing, as well as their perception of the criteria that define its quality. We identified student profiles and examined their relationship with (1) certain sample characteristics, such as years of university experience, area of study and students’ gender, and (2) variables related to the process of writing, namely the students’ perception of the writing process and the importance they attribute to its characteristics. The data obtained came from the European Writing Survey (EUWRIT) which was administered to 1,044 students from nine Spanish universities. Profiles were identified by means of k-means cluster analysis. The relationship between these profiles and the variables studied was examined by means of chi-squared analyses and univariate ANOVAs. Two profiles were identified: students who are confident about their writing skills and who acknowledge the importance of writing in their field of knowledge; and students who are relatively confident about their writing ability and who consider writing to be relatively important in their subject area.     

Variation indexes of marks due to continuous assessment. Empirical approach at university / Índices de variación de la nota debidos a la evaluación continua. Contrastación empírica en la enseñanza universitaria

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) has required continuous assessment at university in Spain. The goal of this paper is to analyse how continuous assessment modifies the subject’s final mark, to ascertain whether it improves or lowers the final exam score and to determine whether other variables also affect this relationship. To accomplish this, we have created a database with the marks earned by students who took the final exam in the Financial Accounting class at university in the last three academic years. A variation index of the exam score was constructed as a consequence of continuous assessment, and it was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results obtained from the marks and the index were analysed using contingency tables, ANOVA, regression analyses and a contrast of differences in mean. The main conclusions allow us to state that continuous assessment has an important direct effect on the learning process as well as on the final exam score and the overall class mark, and that other variables also influence them.     

Media competencies of university professors and students. Comparison of levels in Spain,Portugal, Brazil and Venezuela / Las competencias mediáticas de profesores y estudiantes universitarios. Comparación de niveles en España,Portugal, Brasil y Venezuela

Abstract

Media competencies are a set of skills that every individual should possess in order to be able to consume and produce media and digital and information products in a critical and analytical way. This exploratory and comparative work analyses the level of media competence among 1,676 university students and 524 professors in Brazil, Spain, Portugal and Venezuela. One of the main results shows that the level of knowledge of technology and interaction — which is linked to digital competencies — does not depend solely on age, thus contradicting theories of digital natives and migrants. Our study also found that the general level of media competence is no better than medium to low when considering language, technology, interaction, production and dissemination, ideology and values, and aesthetics. These results point to the need to develop transversal actions for instructing both university professors and students in media competencies to face an ecosystem dominated by fake news and disinformation, as well as public policies directed at improving these skills among citizens at large.     

School head teachers’ views of the drive towards educational innovation in Catalonia / La visión de los directores de escuela sobre el impulso de la innovación educativa en Cataluña

Abstract

Today, educational change and innovation are a clear priority in educational centres across the world. This article analyses the strengths and opportunities presented by the process of educational innovation taking place in Catalonia from the perspective of school head teachers, employing a quanti-qualitative methodology using 227 surveys and 29 semi-structured interviews. The results locate the innovation process in a phase characterized by efforts aimed at updating existing practice, resistance to change generated by the system itself, and a lack of systematic reflection on current practice. Two strengths of the process reported relate to its scale and transversality across the whole territory on the one hand, and the importance that collaboration between teachers and schools is having in order to facilitate innovation. Other aspects highlighted are: the need to invest more planning in innovation processes; the need for the Deparment of Education to reflect on its own role within the process; and, finally, the need to develop the role of technologies as facilitators of innovation and communication.     

Promotion of literacy skills in early childhood: a follow-up study from kindergarten to Grade 1 / Fomento de habilidades de lecto-escritura en la primera infancia: estudio de seguimiento desde la educación infantil al primer curso de educación primaria

Several researchers have shown that invented spelling activities in kindergarten foster preschool children’s early literacy skills. However, few studies have assessed its impact on learning to read and write in the first year of primary school. Our goal was to analyse the impact of an invented spelling programme with kindergarteners on their literacy skills until the end of Grade 1. A follow-up study was conducted with 45 five-year-old Portuguese children attending two classes of two schools in Lisbon. The teaching effect was controlled as children from each class were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental/control) — equivalent on letter knowledge, cognitive abilities and phonological awareness. The participants were assessed in kindergarten with a pre-test, immediate post-test and delayed post-test (spelling; reading; phonemic awareness) and at the end of Grade 1 (spelling; reading). The experimental group participated in invented spelling sessions, while control children participated in storytelling activities. Data analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups. The experimental group scored higher, not only in kindergarten but also in the follow-up year for all literacy measures.     

Pre-service teachers and visual arts education. A study based on artistic creation as a way of interrogating reality / Los futuros docentes y la enseñanza de las artes visuales. Un estudio basado en la creación artística como forma de interrogar la realidad

: This study explores pre-service teachers’ knowledge of visual arts education and their ability to undertake creative processes. It is a study conducted with 88 primary school student teachers from a university in southern Spain. The participants were required to produce an artistic piece in which they were asked to reflect their thoughts on visual art education. The resulting pieces served as a tool for inquiry which enabled us to evaluate their theoretical and practical knowledge after performing an analysis of their form and content. After analysing the data, we concluded that future teachers are aware that arts education develops many types of skills, although they are only partially able to carry out a satisfactory artistic creation process. Therefore, it is essential to reinforce the training of pre-service teachers in the domain of artistic processes. Questioning pre-service teachers directly, and doing so through artistic creation, has allowed us to ascertain their level of knowledge of the visual arts.     

Research on academic writing in the teaching-learning processes in the Spanish university context / La investigación sobre escritura académica en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la universidad española

Abstract

This introductory article of the special issue has a threefold aim. First, it presents the objectives and background of the Research Network on Academic Writing in Teaching and Learning Processes (Red para la Investigación de la Escritura Académica en los procesos de Enseñanza y Aprendizaje; RIEA-EA); secondly, it points out the more urgent challenges that research on academic writing is currently facing at Spanish universities. These challenges are the underpinning of the studies presented in this special issue, which focus on faculty and student representations about the characteristics and role of writing within teaching and learning processes. Finally, it explains the organisation and characteristics of the articles included in this special issue.     

I feel,therefore I teach? Teachers’ conceptions of the relationships between emotions and teaching/learning processes / ¿Siento,luego enseño? Concepciones docentes sobre las relaciones entre las emociones y los procesos de enseñanza/aprendizaje

During recent decades a shift in focus has been occurring that questions the historical cognitive-emotional dualism present in our culture and revalues the role of emotions in education. With this situation in mind, we wanted to discover what conceptions teachers have of the relationships existing between those emotions and the teaching-learning process. Given our cultural tradition, we depart from the assumption that it may be possible to differentiate the conceptions according to more or less integrated perspectives regarding the affective and cognitive functions in educational context. With the aim of identifying conception profiles and describing their specific characteristics, we interviewed 32 teachers whose discourses were categorized and statistically analysed using clustering and X². The results are interpreted to account for a progression shaped by four types of conceptions ranging from perspectives that are not concerned with emotions, to others believing inseparability exists between affective and cognitive functions. Implications for future studies are then analysed from the obtained results.     

Comics as an educational resource in the teaching of social science: socio-historical commitment and values in Tezuka’s manga / El cómic como recurso educativo en la enseñanza de las ciencias sociales: compromiso socio-histórico y valores en el manga de Tezuka

From the perspective of Dual Coding Theory, comics facilitate comprehension of aspects beyond those of art, language and literature. Some authors and projects such as Manga Edutainment Project to Open New Worlds defend the use of manga (Japanese comics) as an educational resource for the teaching of different subjects, including history, society and culture. After the introduction, the paper carries out a brief review of the role of the teaching of values and socio-historical commitment in the work of Osamu Tezuka (1928–89). Finally, a discussion is carried out of the educational potential of his work Adolf in relation to questions about historical conscience, attention to identity conflicts and emotions, and to the delegitimization of war, leading us to recognize the educational potential of Tezuka’s work and its capacity to construct ethical values.     

Training,attitude, use and impact of Web 2.0 in higher education: scale validation / Formación,actitud, uso e impacto de la Web 2.0 en educación superior: validación de una escala

Abstract

This paper presents a study which aims to validate a scale for assessing the impact of Web 2.0 in education. From a structural perspective, we evaluate the influence of various factors (Training, Attitude and Use of Web 2.0) on the Impact of Web 2.0 in education with a sample of 403 students from different degrees of the University of Huelva, applying a Likert scale constructed for this purpose. To analyse the psychometric properties of the scale, we conducted a Chronbach’s Alpha reliability test and factor analysis. To validate the theoretical construct, we conducted an analysis according to structural equation modelling, which enabled us to confirm the influence of training, attitude and use on the Impact of Web 2.0, and to observe how the factors interrelate and influence each other. We conclude that the existence of a training plan is not enough in itself and that, rather, it is the approach taken to Web 2.0 and the use made of it that has more influence on its educational impact.