El papel del adulto en el lenguaje del niño

RESUMEN

El lenguaje, por sus raíces biológicas, forma parte de la herencia específica de nuestra especie y es común a todos los humanos; por sus raíces culturales divide en nación o en comunidad geográfica. El niño pequeño tiene un sistema de interacción con el mundo—con las personas, los objetos, los acontecimientos y las relaciones—antes de saber hablar, y el lenguaje se expresará primero a través de estas interacciones no verbales; si el niño está «envuelto» por el lenguaje, lo adquirirá sin esfuerzo, pero la forma de adquirirlo—que el lenguaje sea un instrumento de expresión precisa y de imaginación o, simplemente, un medio que le permita intercambios a nivel biológico y social—dependerá del entorno lingüístico en un momento dado. Es precisamente ahí donde los programas de educación preescolar deben intervenir. Se citan dos estudios para demostrar que el mejor método es considerar al niño como factor activo del lenguaje y se presentan las dos partes del diálogo niño-adulto para explicar cómo el niño mismo puede controlar y programar el diálogo.     

Effects of student participation in decision making at school. A systematic review and synthesis of empirical research

This article reviews empirical research on the effects of student participation in school decision-making processes. Out of 3102 searched citations, a total of 32 publications met the inclusion criteria. The qualitative analyses employed in this review yielded a typology of student participation, a categorisation of the diverse effects of student participation and an overview of the quality and quantity of related research (available evidence). We found moderate evidence of positive effects of student participation on life skills, self-esteem and social status, democratic skills and citizenship, student-adult relationships and school ethos. We found limited evidence of positive effects on academic achievement, facilities, rules or policies, and health; we also found low levels of evidence of negative effects. We did not find sufficient research on the positive effects of student participation on peer relationships or on effects on teachers. Different forms of student participation seem to have different effects, but first and foremost, this review indicates a need for more comprehensive high quality research.     

Edouard claparede

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Association of group learning with mathematics achievement and mathematics attitude among eighth-grade students in the US

This study examined a large, nationally-representative sample of eighth-grade students in the US to assess how the frequency of group learning activity in mathematics classrooms was associated with mathematics achievement and three measures of attitudes toward mathematics. Results showed that moderate amounts of group work in class had positive effects on mathematics achievement scores. Moreover, a significant interactive effect was evident, with girls showing greater achievement benefits from group work than boys. Increased levels of group work were also associated with more positive attitudes toward mathematics.     

From sixth form to university: motivation and transition among high achieving state‐school language students

This paper reports on a research project involving a sample of 19 state‐educated students in their first year of a German course at Oxford University. The project is one of a number of research studies into widening participation issues funded by the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) and the Sutton trust. The paper describes the students' motivation for applying to study German at Oxford and their experiences of the transition from school to university. This is part of a larger scale study looking at access and transition data. The findings, based on data from semi‐structured interviews, suggest that the students had instrumentally oriented motivation for wanting to do a language course which was qualitatively different from the one experienced at A level. Although several factors might have alienated the students, most managed to adapt to the academic requirements at Oxford. It is argued that the students' ability to adapt and succeed is due to a high level of preparedness and to a flexibility of motivational orientation. The study contributes to the widening participation debate in general by commenting on issues of transition in terms of how well matched certain prestige university courses are to the aspirations of the applicants.