Ancient covering plaster mortars from several convents and Islamic and Gothic palaces in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Analytical characterisation

Analysis of historic mortars including Islamic, Gothic and later ones taken from palaces, convents and mansions in Palma de Mallorca has been carried out. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterise the morphology and analytical composition of the samples analysed. Generally, covering plaster mortars presented a low percentage of small size aggregate. The reported results show that mixed and lime mortars have been used, thus, the establishment of a relationship between the type of mortar employed and its age is not feasible. In the painted mortars, polychromy has also been studied. The most common pigments to be found are natural earths.     

Derived relations and generalized alteration of preferences

The present study examined the role of derived relations in the generalizability of the evaluative conditioning effect. Healthy university students participated. Four geometrical shapes were first established as discriminative stimuli for the contingent presentation of pictograms (B1, B2, C1, and C2, respectively). We then assessed the reinforcing properties of B1 versus B2, and C1 versus C2 by using simultaneous discrimination tasks: at baseline (baseline assessment), after pairing B1 with aversive slides plus noise and B2 with pleasant slides (test I), and after employing equivalence training and testing to establish B1 as equivalent to C1 and B2 as equivalent to C2 (test II). Most participants (82 %) in the experimental condition, as compared with the control conditions (17 % and 10 %), selected the discriminative shapes for B2 (test I) and C2 (test II) on most trials, replicating and extending previous findings. Subsequently, the geometrical shapes were established as equivalent to the letters X, Y, W, and Z, respectively, which then served as antecedent stimuli in simultaneous discrimination tasks as before (test III). As was expected, only participants in the experimental condition showed preference for the novel letters that were established as equivalent to B2-producing and C2-producing shapes. These findings suggest that the evaluative conditioning effect may extend far beyond the stimulus being de/valuated and narrow the behavioral repertoire.     

Responding to external accountability in high-performing,high-capacity public secondary schools in Chile

The qualitative study on which this article reports explored how senior leaders, mathematics and Spanish language teachers (N = 72) in four high-performing, high-poverty, public secondary schools in Chile enact performance-based accountability policies related to standardised assessments. These four public schools were selected because prior to when the study was conducted all were part of the Bicentennial Schools Programme led by the Ministry of Education from 2010 to 2014. The aim of the programme was to develop effective secondary schools to serve low-income students. A thematic analysis of data produced through individual and group interviews and observations of departmental meetings shows that the enactment of performance-based accountability involved two dimensions of learning-centred leadership, distributed among senior leaders and department heads. An aim shared by parents, students, teachers and senior leaders was to ensure students' access to, and completion of, studies in higher education. Attaining good scores in national standardised SIMCE tests was key to meeting the vision. Collective trust among all actors and macro level trust in standardised testing served as a resource for strong collaboration to improve instruction and learning as well as teachers' collective efficacy. The discussion focuses on school-level practices and policy-level decisions that create conditions for the effective use of information produced from standardised assessments. A key point supported by our findings is that successful performance in external assessments is resourced by, and fosters, trust formation in schools.     

Women students in engineering in Mexico: exploring responses to gender differences

The percentage of women students in engineering in Mexico is still low compared to the percentage of women enrolled in higher education institutions in the country, which has achieved parity with male enrollment. It is thus important to understand how gender can shape the experiences of female college students in engineering programs, which was the focus of this study. Findings for this study are presented in two sections. We first describe how female students have an extra burden dealing with the possibility that their performance might confirm the stereotype of female inferiority in math and science and that they may be judged according to that stereotype. Secondly, we describe the challenges faced by female students in engineering colleges in Mexico, namely, a demanding academic curriculum, and competitive and individualistic environment. This study illustrates how successful female students negotiated the gendered expectations in engineering in Mexican engineering programs, and how they use resistance strategies like academic success to become accepted in the male-dominated engineering environment.     

Second-Generation Adult Former Cult Group Members’ Recovery Experiences: Implications for Counseling

Cult survivors experience psychological challenges after leaving a cult, and reintegration into society can be a difficult process. Children who are born and raised in cults face additional challenges (e.g., effects of abuse and neglect, attachment disorders, and lack of education). Scant attention has been paid in the literature to the experiences and treatment needs of these second-generation cult survivors. In this study, the experiences of 15 second-generation adult former cult members were explored involving constructivist grounded theory and a social justice-focused inquiry. Findings hold promise for increasing counselors’ understanding of former cult members’ experiences, needs, and concerns, supporting competent counseling practice with this population.     

Trends in No Leisure-Time Physical Activity—United States, 1988–2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine trends in the prevalence of no leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) from 1988 to 2010. Method: Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, 35 states and the District of Columbia reported information on no LTPA from 1988 to 1994; all states reported no LTPA from 1996 to 2010. Results: No LTPA significantly declined over two decades. Prevalence for all states declined on an average of 0.6% per year from 29.1% in 1996 to 24.1% in 2004 and stabilized from 2005 to 2010, ranging from 24.0% to 25.4%. Prevalence declined for both sexes and all racial/ethnic groups. Conclusion: While the no LTPA trends improved over two decades, one in four U.S. adults still report they do not engage in LTPA.     

Torrance Test of Creative Thinking: The question of its construct validity

Some cognitive dimensions are internationally considered by psychologists to describe and to assess creativity. For example, (Guilford, P. (1976). Creatividad y Educación. Buenos Aires. Ed. Paidos) and (Torrance, E. P. (1977). Discovery and nurturance of giftedness in the culturally different. Reston, VA: Council on Exceptional Children) suggested fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration are the main cognitive processes used to define and assess creativity. However, data from several empirical studies did not confirm a factor structure in accordance with such cognitive functions, despite of the wide use of TTCT (Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) in different countries. In this paper, we present new data collected in Spain and Portugal with TTCT. According to our data, those cognitive functions supposedly present on a subject's performance are not so strong as to explain the variance in scores. Elaboration factors assume some variance explanation, but the main factors are identified with the products in each subtest, suggesting the importance of format, content and demand on TTCT specific tasks. Consequently, we suggest some reflections to amplify the debate concerning the definition of creativity and its evaluation in psychology.     

The C3 Framework: Evaluating Classroom Response System Interactions in University Classrooms

The larger the classroom, the more likely is it that communications consist of a one-way flow from the instructor to students. Classroom Response Systems (CRSs) are frequently hailed as technologies capable of improving communications by opening the space for dialogic engagement; yet, a causal relationship is not documented in the literature. The data reported on here stem from a mixed methodology study and provide insights into motivations for CRS use and enacted CRS use across disciplines, as well as student and instructor perceptions of the tool’s effects on teaching and learning. From these data emerged a framework of interaction (the C³ Framework) that situates CRS use from both the instructors’ and learners’ perspectives. The framework consists of an interdependent relationship between Concerns, Centeredness, and Control of discourse. Although this study took place in university classrooms, the C³ Framework presented here applies across educational settings.