I. CHILDREN IN INSTITUTIONAL CARE: DELAYED DEVELOPMENT AND RESILIENCE

Children exposed to institutional care often suffer from “structural neglect” which may include minimum physical resources, unfavorable and unstable staffing patterns, and socially emotionally inadequate caregiver‐child interactions. This chapter is devoted to the analysis of the ill effects of early institutional experiences on resident children's development. Delays in the important areas of physical, hormonal, cognitive, and emotional development are discussed. The evidence for and against the existence of a distinctive set of co‐occurring developmental problems in institutionalized children is weighed and found to not yet convincingly demonstrate a “postinstitutional syndrome.” Finally, shared and nonshared features of the institutional environment and specific genetic, temperamental, and physical characteristics of the individual child are examined that might make a crucial difference in whether early institutional rearing leaves irreversible scars.     

A Vygotskian perspective on parent–child talk during iPad story sharing

This study explores the themes in the talk of two mothers and daughters as they share a self‐created story with an iPad app. Vygotsky's theory of learning is applied to inform a thematic analysis and help interpret the learning potential within the observed parent–child exchanges. A deductive–inductive thematic analysis identified three recurring themes in the parent–child talk: realistic fiction, scaffolding variations, and engaged players and objects of ‘play’. The themes suggested that Vygotsky's theory has particular relevance in exploring the learning processes facilitated by the iPad app. In addition, however, post‐Vygotskian theoretical frameworks were helpful in capturing the dynamic co‐construction of the authentic and multimedia stories parents and children shared.     

Making a New and Pliable Professor: American and Soviet Transformations in German Universities, 1945–1990

This article discusses the history of American and Soviet transformations in German universities during the period of the Cold War, 1945–1990. Both American and Soviet policies were resisted by the university community, particularly by the conservative German professoriate, in both parts of the divided Germany. The article shows how and why both American and Soviet policies of the reforms of German universities were eventually failed.     

Reasons which influence on the students’ decision to take a university course: differences by gender and degree

After compulsory secondary education; many teenagers face the process of choosing a university degree. This process involves uncertainties referred to their personal abilities, interests, social expectations and professional future. The present work is aimed at determining whether the reasons behind the selection of a particular university degree differ depending on the chosen degree. Another objective is determining whether these reasons differ significantly according to gender. The sample comprises 983 students belonging to the area of social and legal sciences at the University of Seville. The obtained results reveal the existence of four main reasons behind the selection of university degrees for which significant gender-related differences were observed: easy degree, job opportunities, high wages and provision of social services. Besides, these seven reasons are observed to differ widely in six of the considered degrees.     

Reflexividad-impulsividad

RESUMEN

El artículo presenta una revisión del constructo reflexividad-impulsividad. Esta dimensión es operativa en tareas que implican incertidumbre en la respuesta, es decir, en problemas que tienen varias soluciones posibles. Tras una larga polémica sobre la validez del test de emparejamiento perceptivo de figuras conocidas (MFF) se ha desarrollado una versión más fiable, el MFF20, que consigue puntuaciones con consistencia interna, fiabilidad y estabilidad elevadas. El estilo cognitivo reflexividad-impulsividad no se considera un problema de tiempos de reacción, sino que hay que situarlo en las diferentes estrategias de que se sirven los sujetos para procesar la información. Los datos procedentes de diversos estudios apoyan la hipótesis de un mejor desempeño escolar en los reflexivos frente a los impulsivos. Los factores motivacionales juegan un papel importante, sobre todo el problema de la ansiedad. Algunos autores señalan que no debería hablarse de estilo cognitivo, sino de nivel evolutivo. Por último, se señala la importancia de las variables culturales.     

Implicaciones educativas de los estilos cognitivos

RESUMEN

Se plantea el problema de la adecuación de los contenidos y las técnicas educativas a los estilos cognitivos del alumno. Muchas investigaciones han mostrado la relación entre reflexividad-impulsividad y rendimiento escolar. Nuestro sistema educativo actual parece favorecer las habilidades propias de los sujetos reflexivos. En este sentido, muchos trabajos han investigado los procedimientos para modificar el estilo cognitivo hacia la reflexividad, ya que este estilo se considera más adaptativo. En relación al estilo cognitivo dependencia-independencia de campo (DIC) se han encontrado diferencias en el aprendizaje según los contenidos, el tipo de reforzamiento, las diferentes formas de motivación (extrínseca o intrínseca) y los “mediadores del aprendizaje” utilizados. Se plantea la necesidad de adaptar los contenidos y los procedimientos a las necesidades de los distintos alumnos, y la de encontrar la manera de ayudarlos a diversificar sus estrategias de aprendizaje.     

Teaching Clinical Social Work in Spanish: Cultural Competency in Mental Health

We have developed a new graduate elective in the MSW degree program called Evaluación e Intervención en Español (Assessment and Intervention in Spanish). This class, taught entirely in Spanish, is designed to train Spanish-speaking MSW students in culturally and linguistically competent clinical practice with Hispanic clients. In this case study, we summarize the course.