Gender ratio and cognitive profiles in dyslexia: a cross-national study

The purpose of this study was to analyze possible gender-related differences in the prevalence of dyslexia. A cross-national comparison of Spain and Guatemala was conducted. Both countries speak the same language but have a different standard of living and educational level. A second purpose of this study was to analyze the cognitive profile of Guatemalan and Spanish males and females children with dyslexia. The log-linear analysis indicated that the number of dyslexics detected was different across the countries but there were no differences as a function of gender. Similarly, there were no significant or meaningful differences between dyslexic males and females in the cognitive processes involved in reading. Therefore, gender differences do not appear to be characteristic of developmental dyslexia.     

The quality of teaching staff: higher education institutions’ compliance with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance—the case of Portugal

In recent years, initiatives for the improvement of teaching quality have been pursued both at European and national levels. Such is the case of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and of legislation passed by several European countries, including Portugal, in response to European policy developments driven by the Lisbon Strategy and the Bologna Process. This paper is concerned with the institutional level implementation of European and national policies which target the quality of teaching staff. It reports on the findings of a study conducted in order to analyse if Portuguese higher education institutions are taking measures to improve and assure the quality of teaching staff in compliance particularly with the ESG. Findings suggest that this compliance is only partial. Although mechanisms exist for the selection, recruitment and appraisal of academics, other instruments and measures meant to continuously improve teaching staff quality, such as institutional support for skills development, pedagogic training, material infrastructure and motivation strategies, such as awards and recognition, are still incipient.     

Caregiver’s Mind-Mindedness in Early Center-based Childcare

Recent studies suggest that mind-mindedness is an important element of caregiver–child interactions in family and childcare context. This study investigated caregivers’ mind-mindedness in a nationally representative Dutch sample and its relation with structural quality factors (i.e., group size, caregivers’ education and work experience, group type, and situation) and caregivers’ interactive skills. Participants were 99 caregivers recruited in 50 childcare centers. Mind-mindedness was assessed with observations during free-play and lunch situations in infant, preschool, and mixed-age groups (0–4-year-olds). Caregivers’ appropriate and nonattuned mind-related comments were coded as individual (over/toward one child) or group related (over or toward more than one child). Caregivers’ interactive skills were assessed using the Caregiver Interaction Profile (CIP) scales. Research Findings: Caregivers generally refer to children’s desires, thoughts, and emotions in about 10% of their verbal interactions, with a low incidence rate of nonattuned comments (< 1%). Mind-mindedness was found to be significantly associated with structural quality characteristics and caregivers’ interactive skills. Caregivers with greater interactive skills produced fewer individual and more group appropriate mind-minded comments in mixed-age groups. Practice or Policy: We discuss the relevance of mind-minded comments at individual and group level for the future study of mental-state talk in early childhood education and care.     

Early Evidence of Modular Templates Used to Draw Human Figures on Mural Paintings: The Etruscan Tomba degli Scudi in Tarquinia

ABSTRACT

During recent conservation work carried out on the Etruscan mural paintings in the Tomba degli Scudi, (Tarquinia, 4th C. BCE), the study of the execution techniques led to an amazing discovery: human figures were composed using templates of single body parts. In the Tomba degli Scudi, the perfect overlap of limbs, chests, and heads was confirmed after processing rectified photogrammetric images of the wall paintings with photo editing software. The study also highlighted that such templates were probably made of rigid material and each one had three different sizes, in order to represent the hierarchical organization of the painted characters. In the past, scholars have demonstrated that templates were used to realize a number of Etruscan wall paintings. However, they had reported that only whole figures were reproduced. The notion that such templates consisted of single anatomical parts purposely created to portray figures in different poses never occurs in their studies. In fact, the use of modular templates, also called patroni and antibola, is acknowledged only from the Middle Ages onwards both in western and eastern art. Earlier evidence had never been found. This article aims to predate the use of modular shapes by about ten centuries, thus changing our knowledge of technologies whose tradition spans from the Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Consequently, a new approach to the study of transfer techniques of preparatory drawings in Etruscan wall paintings is established. Furthermore, this article shows that, as in the Middle Ages, the size of such templates was scaled up or down to create hierarchies among the painted characters.     

Mainstreaming Information Literacy Skills Into a Social Enterprise Environment

The need for the integration of information literacy (IL) into the world of social enterprise (organizations that apply market-based strategies to achieve a social purpose) is critical for like organizations providing workforce development services to disabled populations. The skill set associated with IL is vital to the success of this population to achieve economic self sufficiency. Disability Program Navigators trained in information sciences and placed into community-based One Stop Career Centers can serve as the gatekeepers for, and trainers on, the multiple resources available to support this goal. This article examines an exciting new program model that charts the course for expanding collaborative IL and social enterprise pilots nationwide.     

European Action Plans for Science–Society Relations: Changing Buzzwords,Changing the Agenda

Minerva - This project began with the changes in the names of the European Commission’s action plans for the relationship between science and society. Analysing the main relevant documents in...     

Who is responsible for employability? Student perceptions and practices

The paper examines to whom Portuguese students attribute responsibility for the development of employability, and what extra-curricular activities they undertake to improve their employability. Particular focus lies upon how far students internalise responsibility for employability and if/how they seek to position themselves in the job market. The data was obtained through a survey of 828 Portuguese students. The analysis explored differences among student groups (higher education sector, gender, age and discipline). The attribution of responsibility was primarily to students themselves and to higher education institutions as key vehicles for employability development, echoing the theoretical conceptualisation which sees employability as an individual ability/responsibility. Yet, the observed variations provide empirical support for the conceptualisation of employability as complex and multi-dimensional. The study also revealed relatively high engagement with extra-curricular activities, evidencing that students not only assume responsibility for employability, but are proactively seeking to gain positional advantage in the job market.