Children's Understanding of Agriculture as an economic activity: the role of figurative information

This paper presents the results of a curriculum of basic economic concepts given to 5 fourth-grade classes (Ss=95). The main topic of this curriculum was the production and distribution of agricultural produce, which had already proved to be difficult for the children. The proposed curriculum was largely inspired by the idea that familiarity with «social scenes» related to the economic process in question is necessary (although not sufficient) to allow children to understand such concepts. Children's level of understanding was tested before and after the curriculum by means of a semi-structured interview on 3 main topics: farmers' use of produce; farmers' use of earnings; produce distribution. Answers were scored according to their complexity and correctness; variance analyses performed on the scores showed significant improvements, as well as differences between classes. A qualitative analysis of children's answers was also performed, with the aim of interpreting the nature of change in each topic.     

Caught in the triangle of mobility: social,residential and pupil mobility

This article examines the school choices of families who have recently experienced downward mobility during the economic crisis in Spain. Based on semi-structured interviews we analyse the educational strategies of the families in a Bourdieusian framework, focusing on how they cope with the loss of their perceived social status. Prior to the crisis, these families of working-class origin improved their social position as a result of their success in economic capital accumulation with a humble increase in social and cultural capital. Our research suggests that the concerns of families confronted with downward social mobility are manifested in tensions related to their school choice in terms of their strategies of resistance and negotiation with regards to the ownership, social composition and corresponding perceived quality of the school. School can symbolically represent the last resort, an indispensable investment in one’s own future and that of the next generation.     

Alteration of serum beta 2-microglobulin in oral carcinoma

Serum β₂-microglubin (β₂-m) levels were measured in oral carcinoma patients and compared with normal healthy controls. It was observed that there was a significant rise in serum β₂-microglobulin in oral carcinoma patients. Progressively higher values were obtained as the cancer advanced clinically. Therefore the estimation of serum β₂-microglobulin may be useful as one of a battery of tests in the assessment of oral carcinoma patients.     

When differences do not matter: inclusion in a Mexican primary school / Cuando las diferencias no importan: la inclusión en una escuela primaria mexicana

Studies show that disability is a cause of educational exclusion worldwide. Different countries adopt different views of the inclusion movement. Different variables seem to be associated with the success or failure of inclusion. This study takes place in a primary school located in Mexico. It aims to identify how inclusion is experienced by children with and without special needs, and the connections between inclusion and quality of life. Measures utilized were the questionnaire My Primary School from the Index for Inclusion and the Questionnaires on Assessment of Quality of Life for Children, self-report, and parents’ report. Participants are 69 regular students and 15 students with special education needs. Self-reports from regular children and proxy reports from the mothers of the special education needs students were analysed. Results indicated that there is an association between perceived inclusion and experiencing quality of life; having special needs does not impact on scores on QoL or inclusion; educational level does not impact on perceived QoL or inclusion for special education students. These results are discussed in light of a culture that appreciates diversity.     

Self-made school and the everyday making in Buenos Aires slums

Abstract

A governmentality ethnographic approach is adopted to examine the everyday making of school in Buenos Aires slums. By addressing events at the intersection of the life of school and of the neighborhood, in this article we problematize schooling – how it is put together and the tensions that beset it on a daily basis. The notion of the self-made school is proposed as a way to delve into how management society calls on the population to manage itself. We identify micro-procedures that take the shape of silent struggles to turn the school/neighborhood into a place to live. As a hypothesis, we propose that school is produced at the intersection of everyday struggles and the struggle for the everyday in the context of the precarization of life in the age of management. From a methodological standpoint what are at play are not dichotomies, but rather the stickiness and tension of daily practices.     

From friendly to rebel grannies and psycho older men: views on aging and old people among Romanian children

ABSTRACT

The article analyses children’s views on aging in the context of social changes in Romania. Data from drawings and interviews conducted with 120 middle school children (75 girls and 45 boys) aged from 11 to 14 years, illustrate how views on aging and old people reflect cultural notions of aging and older individuals. Findings point out a mixture of positive views, imported from an international positive aging discourse and negative views that reflect the Romanian social reality of aging. Gender stereotypes also seem to impact how older people are perceived. Findings are critically discussed in relation to how social realities foster the maintenance and change of cultural views on aging and what kind of educational interventions should be developed.     

Orphan Works at Theatre Library and Information Centres: Assessing Librarians' Perceptions and Management in Spain

Currently, libraries and other information services are facing new professional challenges in relation to digitization policies and orphan works after the publication of European Directive 2012/28/EU on certain permitted uses of orphan works and Spanish Royal Decree 224/2016. This paper aims to analyse how Spanish library and information centres specialising in theatre and performing arts meet users' textual and non-textual information needs, by respecting copyright issues and being involved in a dynamic and digital environment. For this purpose, an online questionnaire, which was used as a methodological tool, was sent to library directors in February 2018. At the same time, some research questions based on orphan works and digitisation approaches are discussed in the paper, specifically in reference to graphic and audiovisual materials.     

The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment and real-world outcomes: Cross-national applications

The Halpern Critical Thinking Assessment (HCTA) is a reliable measure of critical thinking that has been validated with numerous qualitatively different samples and measures of academic success (Halpern, 2010a). This paper presents several cross-national applications of the assessment, and recent work to expand the validation of the HCTA with real-world outcomes of critical thinking (e.g., contracting a sexual transmitted infection because you did not wear a condom). The real-world outcomes (RWO) inventory measures behavior in a wide range of domains, such as education, health, finance, and interpersonal relationships. Study 1 examined whether scores on the HCTA predicted real-world outcomes in three qualitatively different samples in the United States. Study 2 used the HCTA to assess the effectiveness of an online critical thinking course, and whether the HCTA predicted real-world outcomes in Ireland. Study 3 describes preliminary research involving the translation quality of the RWO (into Spanish and Portuguese) and explored differences in behaviors in the two countries. Overall, the HCTA is a useful tool for assessing critical thinking and predicts real-world outcomes of critical thinking. Cross-national implications and applications are discussed.     

Measuring the effectiveness of online problem solving for improving academic performance in a probability course

Education and Information Technologies - Research on impact in student achievement of online homework systems compared to traditional methods is ambivalent. Methodological issues in the study...     

Teaching and learning under COVID-19 public health edicts: the role of household lockdowns and prior technology usage

Higher Education - Public health edicts necessitated by COVID-19 prompted a rapid pivot to remote online teaching and learning. Two major consequences followed: households became students’...