Transparency and its determinants at Colombian universities

Over the past decade, one of the demands upon public institutions, among which we find universities, has been for transparency and improvement of accountability. In this context, Colombian universities are introducing different methods of management and governance aimed at addressing the demands of society generally in relation to transparency and quality in the activities that they carry out. The objective of the present study is to analyze and evaluate factors which affect the level of transparency at Colombian universities based on the rectors’ perception of these universities. The results obtained indicate that the level of transparency depends on the type of governance which is adopted, the level of prestige and the level of delimitation of its identity. Other questions such as size, budget or the public or private nature of the university have not proved to be significant explanatory factors of the degree of transparency.     

A practical tutorial programme for first-year university students: impact of its academic recognition / Un programa tutorial práctico en alumnos universitarios de nuevo ingreso: incidencia de su reconocimiento académico

The task of guiding and tutoring in higher education contributes to increasing the quality of teaching at university. Students who access university studies require specific guidance which is different from that required by more senior students. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive model of tutorial guidance. The model seeks to satisfy the specific needs of first-year university students, both in terms of personal support and formative and informative support, through a set of coordinated activities during the first year of their degree. The teaching experience carried out demonstrates the students’ interest in the tutoring programme offered, and measures the impact that its academic recognition has in terms of students enrolling on and following the programme. The methodology used shows the characteristics of the programme introduced and then shows the results obtained, which are discussed in relation to the research objectives.     

Books and articles of academic interest

Books and articles of academic interest     

Advertising and Sexism with focus groups of preadolescents / Publicidad y sexismo analizados en grupos de discusión de preadolescentes

The main aim of this research is to understand the way advertising and sexism are analyzed by focus groups of 11 and 12 year old preadolescents. In order to achieve this aim we used commercials that reproduce sexism situations and that are based on persuasive strategies where brands and products are associated with happiness and family well-being. The research was developed through six focus groups, whose results were analyzed from a qualitative approach in order to define the classification criteria. The level of skepticism shown by the preadolescents regarding the persuasive advertising techniques is associated with their capacity for detecting sexism. Both skills seem require a certain level (that is needed, but not sufficient) of character analysis. The results support the importance of focus groups both as an evaluation procedure and as advertising literacy context that should include not only cognitive components but also evaluative aspects, such as skepticism and rejection of sexism.     

An integrated analysis of secondary school students’ conceptions and beliefs about learning

Students’ conceptions and beliefs about learning are constructs that have been proposed in two independent lines of research, phenomenographic and metacognitive, and analysed using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, respectively. The present research examines and integrates in a single study both constructs and methodologies. Data were collected through an open-ended task (Tynjäla, 1997) and an epistemological questionnaire (Schommer, 1990), administered to a sample of 1,200 secondary students. Three major statistically significant findings emerged. First, students’ conceptions of learning and epistemological beliefs changed from simplistic to more complex as they progressed through school. Second, the two constructs were linked to each other. The most advanced category on the ‘dimension of depth’ of learning conceptions corresponded to the highest scores at the complex pole of the belief system. Third, learning conceptions as well as epistemological beliefs were predictors of academic performance. The more capable students were of constructing meaning, the better their academic achievement appeared to be. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed with regard to further research, classroom instruction, and the value of combining both research methodologies in order to deepen our understanding of students’ learning experience.     

Does entrepreneurship education matter? Business students’ perspectives

The paper presents the findings of a mixed-methods study investigating the perceptions of business students in the Czech Republic towards entrepreneurship education, and examining the factors influencing their level of intention to be entrepreneurs. The results indicate that family background significantly influences the student’s entrepreneurial intention, and that participation in entrepreneurship-oriented courses positively influences the student’s level of self-efficacy. The study revealed further that business education had some effect on the student’s ability to gain the necessary knowledge for entrepreneurship. Another key finding was that entrepreneurship education specifically for business students has to equip students with entrepreneurial skills, attributes and behaviours. The results also suggest that entrepreneurship education is a contextually determined concept which requires modification of content and methods to meet the specific needs of particular target groups. The study has important implications for higher education institutions in terms of designing and managing effective entrepreneurship education.     

Coping With Racism: Moderators of the Discrimination–Adjustment Link Among Mexican‐Origin Adolescents

What strategies help ethnic minority adolescents to cope with racism? The present study addressed this question by testing the role of ethnic identity, social support, and anger expression and suppression as moderators of the discrimination–adjustment link among 269 Mexican‐origin adolescents (M_age = 14.1 years), 12–17 years old from the Midwestern U.S. Results from multilevel moderation analyses indicated that ethnic identity, social support, and anger suppression, respectively, significantly attenuated the relations between discrimination and adjustment problems, whereas outward anger expression exacerbated these relations. Moderation effects differed according to the level of analysis. By identifying effective coping strategies in the discrimination–adjustment link at specific levels of analysis, the present findings can guide future intervention efforts for Latino youth.