Applying the technology acceptance model to a Spanish City Hall

This paper examines the relative importance and significance of the four technology enablers introduced by Davis (1989) in the technology acceptance model (TAM) (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude towards using and behavioural intention) for use on four different levels of citizen engagement in e-government (null, publish, interact and transact). An extended technology acceptance model (TAM) is developed to test citizen engagement towards online e-government services from a sample of 307 citizens who used the benefits advisor tool within a Spanish City Hall. Although the proposed model follows TAM and explains the intention towards the actual use of e-government by postulating four direct determinants, “A, PU, PEOU and BI” have been considered as parallel processes, meaning that each can have separate influence in different levels of citizen engagement. To achieve this goal, a multinomial logistic regression is developed and tested to confirm the explanatory power of the four technology enablers on the four different levels of e-government. Our findings further suggest that in order to implement e-government, some of the enablers matter more than others to move from one level of citizen engagement to another. The main contribution of the paper is to question the use of existing models which seek to represent the relationship between technology enablers and the adoption of e-government services without considering their impacts on citizens’ engagement. The implications of the findings are discussed and useful insights are provided in relation to policy recommendations geared to create appropriate conditions to build citizens’ engagement intent of use of e-government services.     

Minority Serving Institutions: Incubators for Teachers of Color

This article explores the role of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in producing teachers of color. Specifically, it looks at larger national trends and highlights individual MSIs that have experienced success in the area of teacher education and the production of teachers of color. Recommendations are made to assist colleges and universities across the nation.     

“They Sellin’ Us a Dream They Not Preparin’ Us for”: College Readiness,Dysconscious Racism,and Policy Failure in One Rural Black High School

The Urban Review - This conceptual analysis examines the implementation of a state-funded college and career readiness pilot program at a small, rural all-Black school in Illinois. Drawing from...     

Latin American Universities: From an Original Revolution to an Uncertain Transition

The aim of this paper is to discuss the prospects of Latin American public universities. Its main assertion is that universities could become important actors of development in Latin America, but prevailing trends point in another direction. The paper focuses on the interactions between, on the one hand, specific traditions and social contexts, and, on the other hand, global trends concerning the role of knowledge and academic changes. The specific traits of the evolution of Higher Education in Latin America are discussed, in order to describe the emergence of an original ‘idea of University’. Changes and continuities during the last decades of the 20th century are summarized. Similarities and differences between developed countries and Latin America concerning current trends in Higher Education are analyzed. Particular attention is given to the interactions between what is happening in Latin American universities and the new insertion of the continent in the global economy. A prospective analysis is attempted, focusing on the social commitment of universities.     

Stiffness,intralimb coordination,and joint modulation during a continuous vertical jump test

This study analysed the modulation of jump performance, vertical stiffness as well as joint and intralimb coordination throughout a 30-s vertical jump test. Twenty male athletes performed the test on a force plate while undergoing kinematic analysis. Jump height, power output, ground contact time, vertical stiffness, maximum knee and hip flexion angles, and coordination by continuous relative phase (CRP) were analysed. Analysis of variance was used to compare variables within deciles, and t-tests were used to compare CRP data between the initial and final jumps. Results showed reduction in jump height, power output, and vertical stiffness, with an increase in contact time found during the test. Maximum knee and hip flexion angles declined, but hip angle decreased earlier (10–20% of the test) than knee angle (90–100%). No changes were observed in CRP for thigh–leg coupling when comparing initial and final jumps, but the trunk–thigh coupling was more in-phase near the end of the test. We conclude that fatigue causes reduction in jump performance, as well as changes in stiffness and joint angles. Furthermore, changes in intralimb coordination appear at the last 10% of the test, suggesting a neuromotor mechanism to counterbalance the loss of muscle strength.     

Difficulties in semantically congruent translation of verbally and symbolically represented algebraic statements

Educational Studies in Mathematics - This paper describes the difficulties faced by a group of middle school students (13- to 15-year-olds) attempting to translate algebraic statements written in...     

Do executive functions contribute to writing quality in beginning writers? A longitudinal study with second graders

Reading and Writing - Writing is an important activity that involves many demanding processes. Given the complexity and goal-directed nature of writing, this activity is heavily dependent on...     

Climate Change in the Mainstream Turkish Press: Coverage Trends and Meaning Dimensions in the First Attention Cycle

This article examines how climate change is represented by the mainstream press in a developing country context characterized by long-term avoidance of the issue. Study 1 establishes the issue coverage trends in two mainstream Turkish newspapers (1997–2013). Study 2 focuses on the news sections of these papers that were used for reporting about the issue in the first attention cycle (1997–2009) to summarize the knowledge and meaning dimensions presented to the Turkish public sphere. The findings show that the issue became part of the press agenda only after the mid-2000s, with a peak in 2007 (Study 1), and that climate change is represented as anthropogenic and alarming/uncontroversial, by drawing on dramatic consequences. These are constructed simultaneously as already “out there” in the country, and as to be dealt with globally, that is, from outside (Study 2). We discuss the findings by linking them to findings from other developing countries.     

La crisis de la noción de estructura lógica: análisis experimental del estadio de las operaciones concretas

RESUMEN

La investigación descrita en este artículo se centra en las críticas al enfoque estructural piagetiano y su postulado logicista. En su lugar, se aboga por un enfoque procedural encaminado al descubrimiento de estrategias y procesos cognitivos involucrados en la realización de tareas. Los sujetos fueron 240 niños que asistían a clases de tercero y octavo de EGB. La discusión de los resultados se realiza en términos de procesamiento de la información, esbozándose además un modelo teórico-evolutivo para ese estadio, así como una argumentación crítica en torno al logicismo.