Engagement Project: elements for a reformulation of the Tutorial Action Plan of the Teacher Training degrees at the University of Barcelona / Proyecto Engagement: elementos para una reformulación del Plan de Acción Tutorial de los grados de maestro en la Universidad de Barcelona

As a teaching method, tutorials are fundamental to university education, and are underpinned by the following goals: to accompany students; to help them establish a clear training pathway; and to promote their academic achievement. Our proposal aims to introduce psychological aspects into the Tutorial Action Plan (TAP) which, while often left unattended, are closely related to academic achievement. Our objective is to identify the relation between the academic commitment of pre-service teachers (preschool education, primary education and double degree students) at the UB and stress and coping skills, academic motivation, achievement and self-efficacy, as well as the opinions of students and tutors on the resources used during TAP and potential improvements to it. This is a transversal prospective exploratory study, applying the following questionnaires: Academic commitment (UWESS-9); Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); Self-efficacy (NGSE); Motivation (MSLQ); and two ad hoc online questionnaires. In conclusion, we hope that the results of this study will help us reformulate the TAP of said degree programmes, improving personalized attention and the quality of the student tutorial system, which is one of the standards used to assess universities.     

Academic Publishing in English: Exploring Linguistic Privilege and Scholars’ Trajectories

ABSTRACT

This paper explores the trajectories of six young academics (early-stage researchers) currently active in the context of Swedish academia in two different fields: English Linguistics and Political Science. Through a series of narrative interviews, the analysis investigates the development of their scholarly work, the relationship with their texts, and the negotiation of their position as contributors to their academic field. The paper discusses issues of language attitudinal and ideological nature, emphasising the need to focus on writers, rather than texts. The discussion revolves around the role of access to scholarly networks and to quality publication outlets as some of the key factors in shaping their development as young scholars and enabling opportunities to publish in highly-ranked journals. The goal of the article is to contextualise and problematize the notion of “privilege” that is customarily attributed to L1 English-speaking scholars, and to provide a more nuanced understanding of how young academics tackle the publishing enterprise.     

Managing external knowledge flows: The moderating role of absorptive capacity

In this paper, we argue that those firms with higher levels of absorptive capacity can manage external knowledge flows more efficiently, and stimulate innovative outcomes. We test this contention with a sample of 2265 Spanish firms, drawn from the Community Innovation Surveys (CIS) for 2000 and 2002, produced by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). We find that absorptive capacity is indeed an important source of competitive advantage, especially in sectors characterized by turbulent knowledge and strong intellectual property rights protection. The implications for management practice and policy are also discussed.     

Social interactions and cognitive effects in contexts of area-comparison problem solving

The paper we present is a case study which has two objectives: the identification of the interactions between pairs of 16 and17-year-old students related to problem solving and the influence of such interactions in their cognitive development. To achieve these aims, we consider problems associated with a definite conceptual structure – problems comparing flat surface areas –, and we focus the analysis of the interactions on the point of view of the thematic and interlocutive dimensions of the discourse. Such analysis has allowed us to identify a wide typology of exchanges, and, from this, to outline four models of interaction -alternative, guided, relaunching, and co-operative. In the cases analysed, these interactions significantly influence the individual development of cognitive and heuristic abilities in the problem solving process. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Uso/adquisición de una lengua extranjera en el marco escolar entre los tres y los seis años

A partir de actividades organizadas en torno a la escenificación activa de cuentos por parte de toda la clase—maestra y alumnos—, y que funcionan como primer «territorio compartido» en la nueva lengua. Se presentan en este artículo un conjunto de materiales elaborados para la introducción escolar de una lengua extranjera entre los 3 y los 6 años (preescolar y primero de EGB). El diseño presentado se ha realizado partiendo de una doble hipótesis: en primer lugar, que, lejos de ser primero aprendida y posteriormente utilizada, la nueva lengua es adquirida a través de su propio uso; en segundo lugar, que este « uso/adquisición» de la lengua que aún no se conoce (suficientemente) es un proceso interactivo que, inevitablemente, sólo podrá construirse en colaboración con otros interlocutores.     

Using compositional data analysis to explore accumulation of sedentary behavior,physical activity and youth health

Purpose:The study aimed to describe youth time-use compositions,focusing on time spent in shorter and longer bouts of sedentary behavior and physical activity(PA),and to examine associations of these time-use compositions with cardiometabolic biomarkers.Methods:Accelerometer and cardiometabolic biomarker data from 2 Australian studies involving youths 7-13 years old were pooled(complete cases with accelerometry and adiposity marker data,n=782).A 9-component time-use composition was formed using compositional data analysis:time in shorter and longer bouts of sedentary behavior;time in shorter and longer bouts of light-,moderate-,or vigorous-intensity PA;and"other time"(i.e.,non-wear/sleep).Shorter and longer bouts of sedentary time were defined as<5 min and>5 min,respectively.Shorter bouts of light-,moderate-,and vigorous-intensity PA were defined as<1 min;longer bouts were defined as≥1 min.Regression models examined associations between overall time-use composition and cardiometabolic biomarkers.Then,associations were derived between ratios of longer activity patterns relative to shorter activity patterns,and of each intensity level relative to the other intensity levels and"other time",and cardiometabolic biomarkers.Results:Confounder-adjusted models showed that the overall time-use composition was associated with adiposity,blood pressure,lipids,and the summary score.Specifically,more time in longer bouts of light-intensity PA relative to shorter bouts of light-intensity PA was significantly associated with greater body mass index z-score(zBMI)(β=1.79;SE=0.68)and waist circumference(β=18.35,SE=4.78).When each activity intensity was considered relative to all higher intensities and"other time",more time in light-and vigorous-intensity PA,and less time in sedentary behavior and moderate-intensity PA,were associated with lower waist circumference.Conclusion:Accumulating PA,particularly light-intensity PA,in frequent short bursts may be more beneficial for limiting adiposity compared to accumulating the same amount of PA at these intensities in longer bouts.     

The Responses of Higher Education Institutions to Global Challenge: Innovative Universities and Human Resources Development

Before a higher education institution can develop international impact and reputation, it must first have developed its regional impact and reputation. Universities can contribute to the creation of wealth in given regions in a number of ways, not the least of which is technology transfer, the creation of firms and other spin‐off activities, and the furtherance of the their reputations for excellence. Staff and students spend a good deal of money in such regions, thus increasing regional wealth, and if given institutions pursue entrepreneurial policies in regard to the course programmes that they offer, their graduates will not only find nearby employment but will create employment for others. The “Innova” Project of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is an illustration of how a major regional university is attempting to apply new teaching models to enhance entrepreneurial culture in the Barcelona area of Spain and thereby to increase regional human capital.     

Antioxidant response and oxidative damage induced by a swimming session: influence of gender

In this study, we examined oxidative stress after a swimming session, the responses of the antioxidant defences, and the influence of gender on these responses. Fifteen boys and eight girls participated voluntarily in the study. Plasma concentrations of 17-beta-estradiol, vitamin E, retinol, carotenes, ascorbate, malondialdehyde, and the carbonyl index were determined. Creatine kinase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase, and lactate dehydrogenase activities, as well as glucose, urea, urate, cholesterol, and triglycerides, were determined in serum. Plasma concentrations of 17-beta-estradiol were higher in girls than in boys. Exercise increased plasma ascorbate both in boys and in girls. Malondialdehyde increased in boys but was maintained in girls after exercise. Creatine kinase values corrected for lean body mass were similar in boys and girls at baseline, but the post-exercise values in boys were higher than in girls. A positive correlation was observed in boys, but not in girls, between plasma malondialdehyde and creatine kinase corrected concentrations. Furthermore, a negative correlation was observed between the increase in circulating neutrophils and in creatine kinase activity in girls but not in boys. In conclusion, a swimming session induced higher muscular and oxidative damage in boys than in girls.     

Comprehension of Novel Communicative Signs by Apes and Human Children

Forty-eight young children (2.5 and 3.0 years old) and 9 great apes (6 chimpanzees and 3 orangutans) participated in a hiding- finding game. An adult human experimenter (the Hider) hid a reward in 1 of 3 opaque containers aligned on a wooden plank. Another adult experimenter (the Communicator) attempted to help the subject find the reward by giving 1 of 3 types of communicative sign: (1) Pointing, For which she placed her hand directly above the correct container with index finger oriented down; (2) Marker, for which she paced a small wooden block on top of the correct container; and (3) Replica, For which she held up a perceptually identical duplicate of the correct container. At both ages, children were above chance in this finding game with all 3 types of communicative sign, with pointing being easiest Cbecause they knew it prior to the experiment), Marker being next easiest, and Replica being most difficult. In contrast, no ape was above chance for any of the communicative signs that it did not know before the experiment (some had been trained in the use of the marker previously, and one knew pointing), nor was group performance above chance for any of the signs despite the fact that apes experienced three times as many trials as children on each sign. Our explanation of these results is that young children understand the communicative intentions of other persons—although they may have more difficulty comprehending the exact nature of those intentions in some cases—whereas apes treat the behavioral signs of others as predictive cues only (signals). This may be because apes do not Perceive and understand the communicative intentions of others at least not in a human-like way.