Using an ICT tool for teaching English in a rural context

Este trabajo reporta los resultados de un estudio que buscó examinar el impacto de una herramienta TIC para el autoaprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE) en un contexto rural de Chile. El Estado chileno ha intentado por más de una década mejorar la competencia comunicativa en ILE. En este contexto, se incluyó It’s my Turn en todas las escuelas de zonas rurales del país. Para comprobar su efectividad, se midieron los logros de aprendizaje de 76 estudiantes de quinto y sexto de primaria de siete escuelas rurales de la Región de los Ríos (RdlR) con pruebas de entrada y salida. Al mismo tiempo, se realizaron observaciones para examinar la utilización del recurso por parte de los docentes. Una prueba t arrojó una diferencia significativa entre las pruebas de entrada y salida ( p &lt; 0,0001), lo que respalda la efectividad del programa. Las observaciones en aula pusieron en evidencia métodos heterogéneos de aplicación y distintos grados de utilización de la lengua materna y la lengua extranjera, lo cual tiene un impacto en los logros de aprendizaje. Aunque se reconoce que puede haber otros factores involucrados, se concluye que It’s my Turn es una herramienta TIC efectiva para la enseñanza del inglés en un contexto rural que de otra forma no tendría posibilidades de alfabetización en inglés.This article reports the results of a study that aimed to examine the impact of an ICT tool for self-learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a rural context in Chile. The Chilean government has tried to improve communicative competence in EFL for over a decade. In this context, It’s My Turn has been introduced in all the schools of the country’s rural zones. In order to prove its effectiveness, the learning achievements of 76 fifth and sixth grade students from seven rural elementary schools in the Región de los Ríos (RdlR) were measured through input/output tests. At the same time, observations were carried out to examine the tool’s use by the teachers. The results of a t-test showed a significant difference between the input and output tests (p < 0.0001), which supports the program’s effectiveness. Classroom observations revealed heterogeneous methods of implementation and different degrees in the use of the mother tongue and the foreign language, which seemed to have an impact on learning achievements. While recognizing that other factors may be involved, we conclude that It’s my Turn is an effective ICT tool for teaching English in rural contexts in which there would otherwise not be any alternative possibilities to learn the language

The effect of breakwaters on the structure of marine soft-bottom assemblages: A case study from a North-Western Mediterranean basin

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. This two-year study is the first attempt to analyse the ecological effects of breakwater systems on soft-bottom assemblages along the North Tyrrhenian coast. Differently from previous studies focusing on infauna of on-shore and off-shore sides, we compared the assemblages inhabiting the surrounding soft-bottoms not directly protected by the breakwaters, defining our sampling stations at varying distances from the breakwaters and at constant distance from the coast. Data collected revealed that abundance, species richness and M-AMBI ecological quality differed between northern and southern sides, and were related to distance from structures. Multivariate analyses of relationships between assemblages and abiotic characteristics support this hypothesis. The extension of these effects, that resulted to be weak and limited to a restricted area, could be a consequence of coastal current on local hydrodynamics. This study provides novel and critical information for the management of the coastal defence infrastructure spreading along the western coast of Italy.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Utilización de una herramienta TIC para la enseñanza del inglés en un contexto rural

This article reports the results of a study that aimed to examine the impact of an ICT tool for self-learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a rural context in Chile. The Chilean government has tried to improve communicative competence in EFL for over a decade. In this context, It’s My Turn has been introduced in all the schools of the country’s rural zones. In order to prove its effectiveness, the learning achievements of 76 fifth and sixth grade students from seven rural elementary schools in the Región de los Ríos (RdlR) were measured through input/output tests. At the same time, observations were carried out to examine the tool’s use by the teachers. The results of a t-test showed a significant difference between the input and output tests (p < 0.0001), which supports the program’s effectiveness. Classroom observations revealed heterogeneous methods of implementation and different degrees in the use of the mother tongue and the foreign language, which seemed to have an impact on learning achievements. While recognizing that other factors may be involved, we conclude that It’s my Turn is an effective ICT tool for teaching English in rural contexts in which there would otherwise not be any alternative possibilities to learn the language.Este trabajo reporta los resultados de un estudio que buscó examinar el impacto de una herramienta TIC para el autoaprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE) en un contexto rural de Chile. El Estado chileno ha intentado por más de una década mejorar la competencia comunicativa en ILE. En este contexto, se incluyó It’s my Turn en todas las escuelas de zonas rurales del país. Para comprobar su efectividad, se midieron los logros de aprendizaje de 76 estudiantes de quinto y sexto de primaria de siete escuelas rurales de la Región de los Ríos (RdlR) con pruebas de entrada y salida. Al mismo tiempo, se realizaron observaciones para examinar la utilización del recurso por parte de los docentes. Una prueba t arrojó una diferencia significativa entre las pruebas de entrada y salida (p < 0,0001), lo que respalda la efectividad del programa. Las observaciones en aula pusieron en evidencia métodos heterogéneos de aplicación y distintos grados de utilización de la lengua materna y la lengua extranjera, lo cual tiene un impacto en los logros de aprendizaje. Aunque se reconoce que puede haber otros factores involucrados, se concluye que It’s my Turn es una herramienta TIC efectiva para la enseñanza del inglés en un contexto rural que de otra forma no tendría posibilidades de alfabetización en inglés

La integración escolar a debate

Resumen tomado de la publicaciónSe reúnen una serie de trabajos que estudian el tratamiento que la diversidad sociocultural y lingüística del alumnado de origen extranjero está recibiendo en España y otros países. Tras cuestionar el significado y repercusiones del conceptro 'integración', se aborda el análisis crítico de las medidas e iniciativas aplicadas en distintos centros educativos según el punto de vista de los alumnos, los docentes y los observadores externos.MadridBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín 5 -3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary cardio- and cerebrovascular prevention in acutely hospitalized older people

Aims: Antiplatelet therapy is recommended for the secondary prevention of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, but for primary prevention it is advised only in patients at very high risk. With this background, this study aims to assess the appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy in acutely hospitalized older people according to their risk profile. Methods: Data were obtained from the REPOSI register held in Italian and Spanish internal medicine and geriatric wards in 2012 and 2014. Hospitalized patients aged ≥65 assessable at discharge were selected. Appropriateness of the antiplatelet therapy was evaluated according to their primary or secondary cardiovascular prevention profiles. Results: Of 2535 enrolled patients, 2199 were assessable at discharge. Overall 959 (43.6%, 95% CI 41.5–45.7) were prescribed an antiplatelet drug, aspirin being the most frequently chosen. Among patients prescribed for primary prevention, just over half were inappropriately prescribed (52.1%), being mainly overprescribed (155/209 patients, 74.2%). On the other hand, there was also a high rate of inappropriate underprescription in the context of secondary prevention (222/726 patients, 30.6%, 95% CI 27.3–34.0%). Conclusions: This study carried out in acutely hospitalized older people shows a high degree of inappropriate prescription among patients prescribed with antiplatelets for primary prevention, mainly due to overprescription. Further, a large proportion of patients who had had overt cardio- or cerebrovascular disease were underprescribed, in spite of the established benefits of antiplatelet drugs in the context of secondary prevention

Multimorbidity and polypharmacy in the elderly: Lessons from REPOSI

The dramatic demographic changes that are occurring in the third millennium are modifying the mission of generalist professionals such as primary care physicians and internists. Multiple chronic diseases and the related prescription of multiple medications are becoming typical problems and present many challenges. Unfortunately, the available evidence regarding the efficacy of medications has been generated by clinical trials involving patients completely different from those currently admitted to internal medicine: much younger, affected by a single disease and managed in a highly controlled research environment. Because only registries can provide information on drug effectiveness in real-life conditions, REPOSI started in 2008 with the goal of acquiring data on elderly people acutely admitted to medical or geriatric hospital wards in Italy. The main goals of the registry were to evaluate drug prescription appropriateness, the relationship between multimorbidity/polypharmacy and such cogent outcomes as hospital mortality and re-hospitalization, and the identification of disease clusters that most often concomitantly occur in the elderly. The findings of 3-yearly REPOSI runs (2008, 2010, 2012) suggest the following pertinent tasks for the internist in order to optimally handle their elderly patients: the management of multiple medications, the need to become acquainted with geriatric multidimensional tools, the promotion and implementation of a multidisciplinary team approach to patient health and care and the corresponding involvement of patients and their relatives and caregivers. There is also a need for more research, tailored to the peculiar features of the multimorbid elderly patient

Adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines and outcomes in the hospitalized elderly with different types of pneumonia

Background: Few studies evaluated the clinical outcomes of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and Health Care-Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) in relation to the adherence of antibiotic treatment to the guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in hospitalized elderly people (65 years or older). Methods: Data were obtained from REPOSI, a prospective registry held in 87 Italian internal medicine and geriatric wards. Patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia (ICD-9 480-487) or prescribed with an antibiotic for pneumonia as indication were selected. The empirical antibiotic regimen was defined to be adherent to guidelines if concordant with the treatment regimens recommended by IDSA/ATS for CAP, HAP, and HCAP. Outcomes were assessed by logistic regression models. Results: A diagnosis of pneumonia was made in 317 patients. Only 38.8% of them received an empirical antibiotic regimen that was adherent to guidelines. However, no significant association was found between adherence to guidelines and outcomes. Having HAP, older age, and higher CIRS severity index were the main factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: The adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines was poor, particularly for HAP and HCAP, suggesting the need for more adherence to the optimal management of antibiotics in the elderly with pneumonia