Supporting Teaching and Learning Using Authentic Scientific Texts: A Rejoinder to Danielle J. Ford

In her commentary Danielle J. Ford mainly focused on three issues that highlight the promises and challenges for the use of Adapted Primary Literature (APL) in science curricula: the possible contribution of APL to authentic experiences in secondary schools, implementation issues of APL including the support required for the teachers, and the possibilities to extend the use of APL to younger and older students. In this rejoinder, we first offer some general comments on Ford’s commentary. Then we offer more specific comments on two areas of her response, authenticity and the support for teachers.     

Teaching methodologies at university and their relationship with the development of transversal competences / Metodologías de enseñanza en la universidad y su relación con el desarrollo de competencias transversales

This paper aims to understand the use of different methodologies and their relationship with the development of transversal competencies within higher education. A total of 1,137 final-year undergraduate students from the University of Murcia participated in this study, and the data collection instrument used is the CECTGRA questionnaire designed ad hoc. Among the most noteworthy results is the prevalence of lectures compared with other more active methodologies and the perception that the development of transversal competencies could be improved. A positive correlation is obtained between the use of active methodologies and the successful development of different types of competencies. This work invites reflection on the methodologies used by university teachers to develop transversal competencies and the reconsideration of their educational practice.     

Accelerated Schools for Quality Education: A Hong Kong Perspective

This article addresses the application of the Accelerated Schools Project (ASP) model in Hong Kong, as well as specific aspects of implementation in two schools. One lesson from the localized project, the Accelerated Schools for Quality Education (ASPQE), is that change is slow. This suggests that time should be given for both cultural change and building communities of inquiry, especially in cases where the staff may not be initially receptive of school reform models such as the Accelerated Schools Project. A second important lesson is that the commitment of the principal and a core group is critical for change.     

The Use of Criteria in Argumentation and the Construction of Environmental Concepts: A university case study

We have analysed the processes of argumentation of three university student groups (A: six students, C: five students, and J: seven students) while making a decision about an environmental problem (selection of a heating system). The discussions took place in three 1½‐hour sessions that were audio‐taped and transcribed. For the analysis of the oral discussions, on the one hand, we have taken into account some of the dimensions characterising the quality of this decision‐making process, including the number and variety of criteria utilised, whether criteria, which did not favour the selected option, were considered and whether priorities were established among criteria, and, on the other hand, the use of environmental concepts such as renewable and sustainability as well as the meanings that were constructed for both concepts. We have determined that the students in this study proposed and utilised, both explicitly and implicitly, a high number and great variety of criteria to support their choices, although they were rarely able to consider contradictory evidence; that is, those that demonstrated disadvantages of the option selected. In terms of the construction of knowledge, we observed that in some groups the proposed task favoured the construction of a concept of sustainability that took the future into consideration and which was utilised as the most important justification in their selection. In terms of the concept of renewable, we found that they did not relate depletion of resources to economic consequences. We discuss the implications for the educational competence development.     

¿Han sido seleccionados o se han acostumbrado? Ideas de estudiantes de biología sobre la selección natural y consistencia entre ellas

Resumen

Estudiantes universitarios de Biología, ante problemas de respuesta abierta sobre la selección natural, utilizan, en porcentajes alarmantes, interpretaciones que consideran la adaptación como cambios heredables en los individuos. Se encontró un cierto grado de consistencia entre las respuestas de cada sujeto a los problemas en diferentes contextos; pero hay también casos en que una persona empleó esquemas conceptuales diferentes. Se sugiere que una de las condiciones para promover el cambio conceptual es que los profesores tengan en cuenta las ideas de los estudiantes.     

La educación bilingüe y el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua: sus características y principios fundamentales

Resumen

Dada la importancia que están adquiriendo en nuestro país y en el mundo entero las investigaciones sobre educación bilingüe y enseñanza de una L2, en este articulo, que sirve de introducción para el tema monográfico sobre la segunda lengua en la escuela, se pretende, en primer lugar, ofrecer una revisión de los términos fundamentales relacionados con estos temas, intentando precisar la significación de algunos de ellos para evitar ciertas confusiones que se producen con frecuencia.

En segundo lugar, se hace referencia a las características del sujeto, del ambiente y del programa que es necesario tomar en consideración para elaborar y evaluar un programa de educación bilingüe y de enseñanza de una L2.

En tercer lugar, se insiste en la importancia de realizar una evaluación correcta y completa de estos programas, para lo cual han de tenerse en cuenta todos los factores analizados previamente.     

La construcción social del conocimiento: desarrollo y conflicto socio-cognitivo Una entrevista a Willem Doise

Resumen

Este trabajo sintetiza las conversaciones que la autora de la entrevista mantiene con Willen Doise a cerca de cómo el conocimiento se construye desde la sociedad. Las reflexiones se organizan en torno a tres grandes cuestiones. La primera, ¿hasta qué punto la psicología del desarrollo es independiente de la psicología social?, tal vez estamos ante distinciones excesivamente académicas cuyas barreras en la actualidad se van eliminando progresivamente. La segunda, ¿cómo los individuos construyen el conocimiento desde la sociedad? Por último, ¿qué papel juegan las teorías cuando se trata de responder a esa cuestión?     

Developmental changes (14–21 years old) in binge drinking patterns and their explanatory factors / Cambios evolutivos (14–21 años) en los patrones de ingesta puntual de alcohol en exceso y en sus factores explicativos

Abstract

In order to design prevention programs, it is important to understand the evolution of drinking behaviour patterns among adolescents and young people. The aim of this paper is to analyse the changes in these patterns based on age and their role in explaining this behaviour in the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework. We used 273 participants divided into three sub-samples (3^rd and 4^th ESO [Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, ‘Compulsory Secondary Education’] students and university students). For older ages, the frequency of binge drinking is higher and the attitudes were also more positive towards alcohol consumption. Structural equation analyses show that drinking behaviour is explained by a different model in each age-group: in older groups, the role played by positive attitude and perceived control is more important than in the younger; by contrast, the influence of reference groups decreases with age. Results show significant differences between age groups regarding the reasons that young people report for engaging or not engaging in this behaviour.     

Does Fidelity of Implementation Account for Changes in Teacher–Child Interactions in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Banking Time?

This study examined fidelity of implementation in a randomized trial of Banking Time, a classroom-based intervention intended to improve children's behavior, specifically for those at risk for developing externalizing behavior problems, through improving the quality of teacher–child interactions. The study sample comes from a randomized controlled trial that took place over three years and included 183 teachers and 470 preschool children recruited across three sites. Results exploring fidelity of implementation indicated that Banking Time practices were present across treatment and nontreatment groups. In addition, the presence of more Positive Banking Time Practices accounted for improvements in teacher–child interactions while Restricted Banking Time Practices showed inconsistent patterns, relating both to positive and negative teacher–child interactions. Further, random assignment to Banking Time resulted in the presence of more Positive Banking Time Practices and fewer Restricted Banking Time Practices, which accounted for the improved teacher–child interactions. Thus, findings point to the critical need to better account for intervention fidelity across conditions in randomized trials, allowing for better understanding of the mechanism through which interventions lead to intended outcomes.