Teachers’ Perceptions of How Speaking Is Being Taught Compare to How Speaking Is Actually Taught in an Elf Class

This was a case study that aimed at investigating teachers’ beliefs about speaking, in order to identify the relationship between these beliefs and her teaching practices. This study was carried out with the participation of a ninth grade English teacher at Gimnasio Altair de la Sabana School. This study was carried out with a qualitative approach using a case-study methodology. The data for the study included observations, questionnaires and document analysis. This study contributes to the identification of teacher beliefs and how it influences teaching practice. Information about the practices and the factors that influence them can potentially prompt the path towards teacher development and eventually towards the improving of speaking in the school. At the end of the study was evidence that teachers’ beliefs play an important role in the teaching of speaking skill

Sharing resources in Finnish university libraries : reorganising the national document supply system

Purpose – To describe the development of interlending and document supply (ILDS) in Finland and the recent initiative to move to patron initiated ILDS. Design/methodology/approach – Historical narrative and analysis. Findings – That ILDS in Finland is declining primarily because of the "Big Deals" and the introduction of ILDS charges after the privatisation of the postal service. That Finland needs to move to a more developed patron initiated culture for the supply of documents to users. Practical implications – The need for further ILDS software development has been identified in order to underpin unmediated ILDS; this will be progressed during 2006. Originality/value – Provides information on the current ILDS situation in Finland and to a lesser extent other Nordic countries. Provides an insight into how a European country is moving towards unmediated ILDS.reviewe

Relationship between teachers’ beliefs about reading and their teaching practice

This was a case study that aimed at investigating teachers’ beliefs about reading, in order to identify the relationship between these beliefs and their teaching practices. This study was carried out with the participation of two English teachers of eleventh graders at INEJUNAR School. This study was approached from a qualitative perspective using a case-study methodology. The data for the study included observations, semi-structured interviews and document analysis (Texts). The data was analyzed according to the reading approaches described by Wallace (2001), Masuhara (2003), Britt & Rouet (2012), John and Davies (1989), Grabe (2009), Anderson (1999), Panel (2003), Pardo (2004) and Block and Presley (2002). This study contributes to the identification of teacher's strengths, weaknesses, and their professional development needs. Information about the practices and the factors that influence them can potentially prompt the path towards teacher development and eventually towards the improving of reading in the school.MaestríaMagister en la Enseñanza del Ingle

Understanding knowledge translation in university–industry research projects: a case analysis in the automotive sector

Purpose – In this paper, we depart from extant conceptualisations of knowledge translation mechanisms to examine projects as a way to achieve effective knowledge transfer. Our empirical analysis focused on a university–industry research project in the automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical analysis was based on a qualitative investigation. We analysed material collected within a research project involving a partnership between two universities and Fiat-Chrysler Automotive (FCA), a multi-brand auto manufacturer with a product range covering several different market segments. We used three data collection techniques: internal document analysis, participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Findings – Our findings show that, in a U-I research project, goals represent a key dimension to support knowledge translation. Defining the goal implies an ongoing negotiation process, where researchers and company employees work together, in order to converge towards a shared meaning of the goal. In this sense, goal orientation and goal-based interaction have significant implications for knowledge translation processes

Digitalization of Water Distribution Systems in Small Cities, a Tool for Verification and Hydraulic Analysis: A Case Study of Pamplona, Colombia

[EN] Digitalization in water networks is essential for the future planning of urban development processes in cities and is one of the great challenges faced by small cities regarding water management and the advancement of their infrastructures towards sustainable systems. The main objective of this study is to propose a methodology that allows water utilities with limited budgets to start the path toward the digitalization and construction of the hydraulic model of their water distribution networks. The small city of Pamplona in Colombia was used as a case study. The work explains in detail the challenges faced and the solutions proposed during the digitalization process. The methodology is developed in six phases: an analysis of the cadastre and existing information, the creation and conceptualization of the base hydraulic model, the development of the topography using drones with a limited budget, an analysis of water demand, the development of a digital hydraulic model, and a hydraulic analysis of the system. The product generated is a tool to assess the overall performance of the network and contributes to the advancement of SDG-6, SDG-9, and SDG-11. Finally, this document can be replicated by other cities and companies with similar characteristics (e.g., limited size and budget) and offers an intermediate position on the road to digitalization and the first steps towards the implementation of a digital twin.Bonilla, C.; Brentan, B.; Montalvo, I.; Ayala-Cabrera, D.; Izquierdo Sebastián, J. (2023). Digitalization of Water Distribution Systems in Small Cities, a Tool for Verification and Hydraulic Analysis: A Case Study of Pamplona, Colombia. Water. 15(21):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15213824120152

Surface infrastructure functions, requirements and subsystems for a manned Mars mission

Planning and development for a permanently manned scientific outpost on Mars requires an in-depth understanding and analysis of the functions the outpost is expected to perform. The optimum configuration that accomplishes these functions then arises during the trade studies process. In a project this complex, it becomes necessary to use a formal methodology to document the design and planning process. The method chosen for this study is called top-down functional decomposition. This method is used to determine the functions that are needed to accomplish the overall mission, then determine what requirements and systems are needed to do each of the functions. This method facilitates automation of the trades and options process. In the example, this was done with an off-the shelf software package called TK! olver. The basic functions that a permanently manned outpost on Mars must accomplish are: (1) Establish the Life Critical Systems; (2) Support Planetary Sciences and Exploration; and (3) Develop and Maintain Long-term Support Functions, including those systems needed towards self-sufficiency. The top-down functional decomposition methology, combined with standard spread sheet software, offers a powerful tool to quickly assess various design trades and analyze options. As the specific subsystems, and the relational rule algorithms are further refined, it will be possible to very accurately determine the implications of continually evolving mission requirements

Baseline report on the evaluation of Familias en Acción

This report describes the survey that was carried out in 122 communities in rural Colombia by the consortium formed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Econometria and SEI as the baseline for the impact evaluation of Familias en Acción, a programme to foster the accumulation of human capital in rural Colombia, run by the Colombian government. In this report, we will not describe in detail the programme or the methodology of the proposed evaluation, as this was done in IFS-Econometria-SEI (2003a). The main aim of the document is to discuss the first, baseline survey that was collected for this evaluation. While the baseline survey cannot, by definition, be used to perform impact evaluation, towards the end of the report we exploit the slightly peculiar way in which the programme was started and have a first very preliminary glance at some of the impacts that the programme might have. The methodological caveats on interpreting these results should be taken very seriously. This report does not contain an extensive ‘fieldwork’ report. This is included in SEI (2003). Analogously, we do not discuss extensively the operation of the programme and the evidence that emerged on related issues and on targeting. These issues are covered in IFS-Econometria- SEI (2003b, 2003c). We will be referring to some of the issues raised in those reports, however. This report is divided into five chapters. In Chapter 1, we briefly summarise the main features of the programme and its proposed evaluation. A more detailed description of both of these aspects is contained in IFS-Econometria-SEI (2003a). Here, however, we give some details on the expansion of the programme and on the features of this expansion that allow a first and preliminary analysis of the impact of the programme. In Chapter 2, we describe the statistical methodology that will be used in the report. This includes the methodology for the data description that constitutes the largest part of the report and for the preliminary impact evaluation. Chapter 3 describes the baseline survey. This chapter is divided into several sections, each referring to a particular module. In each section, we first describe the ‘treatment’ population – that is, the households eligible for the programme that were living in villages targeted by the programme. We then move on to the population living in ‘control’ villages – that is, in villages that were not targeted by the programme and yet are, nonetheless, reasonably similar to the treatment villages. Chapter 4 presents the preliminary impact evaluation

Viewpoint: The Communities of Practice Approach- A useful way of reviewing education for sustainable development regional centres of expertise?

This Viewpoint Paper draws on an interpretive case study research project that explored workplace and networked epistemologies of social learning enabled by the establishment of Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) in southern Africa. The study has its origins in a concern about the potential effectiveness of RCEs in enhancing professional development through social learning towards sustainability. The case study design employed a qualitative methodology using a mixed methods approach of document analysis and in-depth interviews from selected partners of two RCEs in South Africa: RCE Makana and RCE KwaZulu-Natal. By offering deeper insights into the networking and sharing in these communities, the Viewpoint paper argues the case that these are emerging communities of practice in education for sustainable development