Self-esteem,Locus of Control and Various Aspects of Psychopathology of Adults with Visual Impairments

The exploratory study presented in this article looks into the possible differences in psychosocial aspects (self-esteem and locus of control) and aspects of psychopathology (depression, anxiety, melancholia, asthenia, and mania) amongst sighted adults and adults with visual impairments. Moreover, the study aims to examine the possible correlations between psychosocial aspects and aspects of psychopathology of adults with visual impairments. Furthermore, this study examines the possible relationships between the above psychological aspects and the individual features of the participants (age, gender, age at onset of visual impairments, how recent the loss of vision is, marital status, employment status, and ability of independent mobility). One hundred and forty-eight adults participated in the study: 55 adults with visual impairments and 93 sighted adults. The research was based upon the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Rotter’s Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, and the Symptoms Rating Scale for Depression and Anxiety. The results reveal correlations between psychosocial aspects and psychopathology of adults with visual impairments. Moreover, the individual features influence the psychosocial aspects and psychopathology of the participants.     

Julian’s Birth

A grandmother of seven and childbirth educator shares her daughter’s successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) birth story in Switzerland.     

Engineering design projects as a reflection promoter

This article describes examples of reflection documented in a longitudinal research comprising two studies: a three-year three-stage study on technology project-based learning (TPBL) and a three-year two-stage study on engineering thinking (ET). Both studies used qualitative tools such as interviews, active observations, and document analysis. Reflections expressed by 10th grade pupils from eight high schools and 14 post-secondary school students who participated in the TPBL study as well as the reflection findings of experts and undergraduates from the ET study were used. The data analysis indicates that reflection is not generated on its own; it must be fostered. Reflection takes one of three forms: as a reaction to an irregularity or error made when working on the system design; conducted in groups that is inherent to the design process in industry; and from intuition that something may not be quite right, even though preliminary results seem to be correct.     

Polychronicity: review of the literature and a new configuration for the study of this hidden dimension of online learning

Polychronicity is the natural tendency or preference for structuring time that has an influence on people’s behaviors. Highly polychronic individuals are involved in everything, doing many things at once because they value human relationships and interactions over arbitrary schedules and appointments. In contrast, highly monochronic individuals focus on one thing at a time, perceive other events as interruptions, and stress a high degree of scheduling, and promptness in meeting obligations and attending appointments. Although time is an important variable in educational contexts, and in particular in online learning, there is a lack of studies on polychronicity in educational research. This article reviews, summarizes, and extends the literature on polychronicity conceptualization and assessment; it discusses the limitations of the results and offers a multidimensional proposal for a polychronicity construct. Finally, the implications of students’ time differences and their impact on instructional situations are discussed.     

Does sensitivity to orthographic regularities influence reading and spelling acquisition? A 1-year prospective study

Recent studies focused on the influence of orthographic processing on reading and spelling performance. It was found that orthographic processing is an independent predictor of reading and spelling performance in different languages and children of different ages. This study investigated sensitivity to orthographic regularities in German-speaking children (N = 31) prior and during formal reading and spelling instruction. In addition, the relationship between sensitivity to orthographic regularities and reading and spelling performance was explored. Two aspects of children’s sensitivity to orthographic regularities (sensitivity to frequent double consonants and sensitivity to legal positions of double consonants) were measured with a nonword forced choice task. The results show that sensitivity to orthographic regularities improved significantly from kindergarten to first grade. Moreover, children’s sensitivity to orthographic regularities at the end of first grade accounted for a significant amount of unique variance in their reading and spelling performance. These results suggest that orthographic sensitivity on a sublexical level is important for the development of reading and spelling skills.     

Recent Romanian Cinema: Is It a Real New Wave or Just a Splash in the Water?

This article demonstrates that recent Romanian cinema manifests the features of a new, coherent, and strong film movement that was correctly tagged as a late new wave in the context of postcommunist significant changes that have shaped the Romanian society and its artistic milieu over the past two decades. By discussing the general characteristics of new waves and the legacies of the most influential cinematic movements of the 20th century, several common features are highlighted, as is the Romanian directors’ capacity to integrate and restate these influences through innovative techniques and an original approach to reality. The analysis is exemplified through the exploration of some of the most representative films of the recent Romanian cinema, prizewinners at prestigious international film festivals.     

Media Concentration in the Hispanic Market: A Case Study of TV Azteca vs. Televisa

If one wanted to measure the historic level of multimedia industry concentration in Mexico, it would not be necessary to use statistics, financial analysis, viewer ratings, or other evaluation systems. The maximum level of concentration is 1, and, in Mexico, that number belonged for 20 years to Grupo Televisa (1973–1993). Televisa's position was lost in 1993 when entrepreneur Ricardo Salinas Pliego launched TV Azteca. This paper explores the principal strategies used by TV Azteca to overcome the entry barriers set by the Televisa monopoly. The paper also presents an economic valuation of this duopoly market 7 years after the shift in market structure.     

Stability robustness of perturbed structured systems

In this paper, the robust stability problem of structured linear systems is analyzed. In order to preserve the structure of the initial system, the structure of the admissible perturbations is characterized. Frobenius and infinity matrix norms are used to study the robust stability of the system affected by different admissible perturbations. Upper bounds for the perturbations are obtained, which guarantee that the perturbed system remains stable. Finally, some examples are shown to illustrate the results.     

Practicing Critical Thinking in an Educational Psychology Classroom: Reflections from a Cultural-Historical Perspective

Present standards include creative and critical thinking among dispositions essential for the teaching profession. While teaching introductory courses in educational psychology, I have noticed that even though students can easily describe critical thinking in the abstract, they rarely and reluctantly engage in thinking critically about their own educational experiences. Emphasis on assessment of critical thinking dispositions and skills requires students to demonstrate “the right way to think.” This emphasis, I argue, decreases students' inclination to practice critical inquiry and to feel this experience as intrinsically rewarding. Exploration of socio-cultural contexts of my own and my students' upbringing helps understand how such contexts condition the critical thinking practice. I offer the cultural-historical theory of Lev Vygotsky as an alternative frame of reference that will help students practice critical thinking in an educational psychology classroom.