Relationships between intrinsic motivation, physical self-concept and satisfaction with life: a longitudinal study

In this study, we examined the relationships between intrinsic motivation, physical self-concept, and satisfaction with life using cross-lagged panel models analysed via structural equation models. The sample consisted of 293 participants (148 men, 145 women) aged 18-70 years who performed diverse types of physical exercise. Three alternative models were tested. The data were better represented by a model in which physical self-concept mediates the relationships between intrinsic motivation and satisfaction with life. Specifically, the direct effects of intrinsic motivation on physical self-concept, and of physical self-concept on satisfaction with life were significant, with the amount of explained variance increasing over time. In conclusion, people who perform physical exercise regularly, and who have fun over time will tend to have a better physical self-perception and, consequently, more psychological well-being.     

The Contribution of Ethnobiology to the Construction of a Dialogue Between Ways of Knowing: A Case Study in a Brazilian Public High School

This paper reports results obtained in pedagogical interventions in a Brazilian public high school which aimed at promoting a dialogue between scientific and traditional knowledge in the context of biology teaching. The interventions were based on the use of a didactic material and teaching sequence elaborated on the grounds of school knowledge about botany, as presented in biology textbooks, and interviews with students who were also farmers, so as to gather data about their ethnobiological knowledge. Our goal was to develop and test resources that can offer support for teachers who wish to build a dialogue between different ways of knowing in multicultural settings. Our results indicate that the use of the didactic material and teaching sequence indeed created possibilities for a dialogue between the students’ ethnobiological knowledge and biology school knowledge. We observed some shortcomings in classroom practice, partly reflecting our very choice of subject matter to develop the teaching sequence. But the interventions also revealed important limitations that we regard as representative of problems that may generally make multicultural science teaching a hard goal to achieve. It was clear that important shortcomings were related to teachers’ difficulties to conduct a dialogue between ways of knowing in a science classroom, and, thus, called attention to the importance of introducing a multicultural dimension into teacher education. We also observed that the fact that students did not show much sensitivity towards dealing with cultural diversity was a factor constraining the success of the interventions. These results highlight the importance of proposing and testing teacher education initiatives aiming at preparing them to teach science in a culturally sensitive manner, and also managing classroom tensions and conflicts so as to make it possible an effective dialogue between different ways of knowing in a multicultural setting.     

Mapping the impact of climate change on biomass accumulation on stone

Several climate parameters affect the growth of organisms and, hence, their capacity to accumulate biomass. In the present research, we analyse the influence of two parameters, temperature and precipitation, on biomass accumulation on stone substrate, and propose a function to estimate it in temperate areas. The expression is subsequently used for the first time to evaluate the impact that climate change would have in biomass accumulation in Europe. The models on climate change predict an increase in temperature and precipitation in northern areas of Europe for the far future (2070–2099), which would lead to a higher accumulation of biomass. Otherwise, a significant reduction in precipitation is expected in southern areas of Europe, associated with a lower biomass accumulation in such areas.     

Contribution of historical Spanish inventions to the knowledge of olive oil industrial heritage

This article presents new research, which has the objective of quantifying the knowledge produced by historical technological innovations in the field of olive oil industrial heritage. It studies inventions related to the mechanical processes of the extraction of olive oil between 1826 and 1966, which are recorded in the Historical Archive of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. It uses a new adaptation of the methodology of knowledge management (KM) defined by Nonaka and Takeuchi. We have obtained the knowledge value of each innovation according to the level of technological knowledge registered at the time, while distinguishing between the historical evolution of inventions relating to milling and those relating to pressing. In the first analysis, the results show a recession in the quantitative level of knowledge in the olive oil sector with respect to the technological potential of the time. However, when contrasted with the events relating to industrial heritage at the time, it is possible to account for this technological evolution and prove the validity of the methodology used. The results show that general evolution of the knowledge generated has decreased, particularly in the pressing process, although this is not the case in the milling process.     

Undergraduate time-use: a comparison of US,Chinese, and Russian students at highly selective universities

ABSTRACT

Patterns of students’ time-use can provide important insights into student learning and development in higher education. Previous empirical studies conducted in developed countries do not allow us to generalize findings on time-use patterns for students from countries with different national systems. This paper aims to identify national differences in undergraduate patterns of time-use and their links with the individual characteristics of students. The sample (N?=?166,919) was derived from highly selective universities from three countries: the USA, China, and Russia. Significant differences in undergraduate time-use patterns in three countries were observed. In addition, significant interaction effects between national variables and individual characteristics were found. The results allow us to conclude that there are national differences in the power and direction of links between time-use patterns and individual characteristics.     

Coordinating learning analytics policymaking and implementation at scale

Many Latin-American institutions recognise the potential of learning analytics (LA). However, the number of actual LA implementations at scale remains limited, notwithstanding considerable effort made to formulate guidelines and frameworks to support the LA policy development. Guidance on how to coordinate the interaction between the LA policymaking and implementation is mostly missing, leaving a difficult challenge up to practitioners. In this study we propose a coordination model to support future LA initiatives at scale. We explore the problem by comparing two cases in Belgium and Ecuador. Following up we use the LA implementation timeline as a driver for planning the interaction between the policymaking and implementation. We continue by testing an application of the model with LA experts predominantly from Latin-American institutions, asking them to map low-level items of the SHEILA policy framework to four implementation phases. The results of this mapping support that LA policy building can be spread over time, that it can coincide with LA implementation at scale, and that both efforts can be coordinated. It is hoped that this study will provide additional guidance for future Latin-American and other LA initiatives.