The Neuroeducation Training of Students in the Degrees of Early Childhood and Primary Education: A Content Analysis of Public Universities in Andalusia

Educational neuroscience presents a broad view of what learning is and how and when it occurs. Consequently, neuroeducation offers improved strategies for understanding and developing the teaching–learning process. It is, therefore, essential that teachers and students are trained in neuroeducation, given the current knowledge in this field. Consequently, this study aims to reflect on the training in neuroeducation received by undergraduate students studying early childhood and primary education and to find out how the teaching of neuroeducation is approached in the universities of the eight Andalusian provinces. As methodology, a content analysis was made, which allowed us to transform qualitative data into quantitative data. The categories analysed were “Neuroeducation”, “Metacognition”, “Cognitive processes” and “Cognition”. The study plans for the 2022/2023 academic year were considered. The analysis results of these plans showed that, despite the relevance of neuroeducation in the educational context, the study plans barely addressed this subject. This suggested that the training received by future teachers was not enough to enable them to make the most of neuroscience and neuroeducation considerations

Formación y utilización de TIC por parte de docentes en aulas con alumnado con autismo

Teachers' competence in ICT is a necessity, since technologies have spread to all areas of society. In this sense, it is essential that teachers who work with diverse students and, more specifically, those with autism, know this type of digital tools in order to improve the educational and social development of their students. An ad hoc questionnaire, previously validated, was administered to 27 generalist teachers in Florence (Italy), with the aim of finding out their training and experience with ICT, as well as the use they made of them in class and the frequency with which they used them. Descriptive analysis (percentages, mean, mode and standard deviation), nonparametric inferential analysis (Mann-Whitney U test) and effect size were performed (d of Cohen). The teachers stated that they had medium-low training and experience with these resources, using them only "sometimes" mainly to stimulate cognitive, communicative and autonomous development and to perform tasks related to memory, organization and planning. Statistically significant differences in terms of age were observed in the items related to the teacher's knowledge of using specific software and locating specific materials online.La competencia del profesorado en materia TIC se plantea como una necesidad, ya que las tecnologías están a la orden del día en todos los ámbitos de la sociedad. En este sentido, es esencial que los docentes que trabajan con alumnado diverso y, más concretamente aquel con autismo, conozcan este tipo de herramientas digitales de cara a una mejora educativa y social de sus estudiantes. Se administró un cuestionario ad hoc, previamente validado, a 27 maestras generalistas de Florencia (Italia), con la finalidad de conocer la formación y experiencia que tenían sobre TIC, así como el uso que de ellas hacían en clase y la frecuencia con las que las utilizaban. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos (porcentajes, media, moda y desviación típica), inferenciales no paramétricos (U Mann-Whitney) y se calculó el tamaño del efecto (d de Cohen). Las docentes manifestaron tener una formación y experiencia media-baja en estos recursos, utilizándolos solo “a veces” principalmente para estimular el desarrollo cognitivo, comunicativo y autónomo y, para la realización de tareas relacionadas con la memoria, la organización y la planificación. Se apreciaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en cuanto a la edad en los ítems vinculados al conocimiento y competencia del docente para utilizar software específico y para localizar materiales específicos en red

Mathematics Preservice Trainee Teachers’ Perceptions of Attention to Diversity in Initial Training as Secondary Education Teachers

Research on teachers’ perceptions about diversity is key to understanding the different approaches to be implemented to build inclusive education. Within this framework, the perceptions and attitudes of 73 students in the Mathematics specialization of the University Master’s Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education, Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Teaching (Máster Universitario en Profesorado de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, Formación Profesional y Enseñanza de Idiomas (MAES) at the University of Granada (Spain) were analyzed to determine their views about the initial training they received on attention to diversity during the Master’s program. The study is a descriptive and correlational-predictive transversal examination of the responses obtained from the “Questionnaire for preservice secondary education teachers on perceptions about attention to diversity” (Colmenero Ruiz and Pegalajar Palomino, 2015). The findings demonstrate that the students—preservice secondary education teachers—held favorable attitudes toward diversity and the principle of inclusion. The findings also show that contact with persons with disability influences perception of this population. The authors conclude that better training and knowledge of the elements that condition the teaching–learning process for high-quality attention to diversity predict better pedagogical preparation in matters of attention to diversity

ICT training for educators of Granada for working with people with autism

Background: Innovative methodologies based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are a tested and motivating option for working with people with autism. Their use, how- ever, should not be indiscriminatory and arbitrary, but didactic and appropriate. Objective: We aimed to discover the training in ICT they had, its frequency of use, and the types of digital resources that they used. Methods: We administered the questionnaire, “Demands and Potentials of ICT and Apps for Assisting People with Autism” to 310 educators in the city of Granada (Spain). The participants belonged to schools and associations that worked with people with autism. Adopting a quantitative-type study, we carried out descriptive analyses (frequencies, mean, mode, and standard deviation). Having confirmed that the data did not follow a normal distribution (Kol- mogorov-Smirnov test for samples of >50 participants), we carried out non-parametric inferential and intrafactorial correlation analyses. We also calculated the effect size. Results: The educators revealed that they had ICT training for working with people with autism, but not enough. This suggests that there is still a need to improve the digital competence of these professionals. Strong, direct and significant correlations were found between ICT training and the frequency with which they were used. There were also statistically significant differences ac- cording to sex, gender, age, type of institution, and type of educator. The educators who worked as Therapeutic Pedagogy teachers and those who worked in Special Education schools were shown to be more competent than the rest in educational technology applied to people with autism. Conclusions: The results, which were not wholly positive since ICT training should be better and have achieved higher scores, revealed that there is a foundation in ICT education but it needs to be heightened and improved with greater knowledge and more practical experience.Heliyon [Editors Hange Teng and Tomayess Issa]University of Granada (Spain

WEB PLATFORMS AND ONLINE RESOURCES FOCUSED ON COMMUNICATIVE-LINGUISTIC SKILLS FOR FAMILIES OF PEOPLE WITH AUTISM

La diversidad de recursos a los que se puede acceder de manera rápida y sencilla de forma online abre un mundo de posibilidades de ayuda y apoyo a familias de personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA). A su vez, las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) se presentan como un conjunto de herramientas motivadoras para personas con esta condición y fáciles de integrar en la terapia y en actividades del día a día. Este trabajo pretende ofrecer a las familias plataformas webs ricas en recursos para el desarrollo de la comunicación y el lenguaje, siendo estas unas de las principales limitaciones que presentan las personas con autismo. Las familias son el eje principal en el desarrollo íntegro del menor, por lo que una colaboración activa desde edades tempranas va a favorecer el progreso del niño y con ello su calidad de vida. En este sentido, la estimulación de habilidades comunicativas desde el nacimiento será crucial para su desarrollo e interacción social. De esta forma, se muestran diez plataformas webs cuyo principal objetivo es el de ofrecer ideas, recursos, materiales y experiencias fruto del trabajo diario con personas con autismo, principalmente destinado a favorecer habilidades comunicativas y lingüísticas.The diversity of resources that can be accessed quickly and easily online opens a world of possibilities for help and support to families of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In turn, Information and Communication Technologies are presented as a set of motivating tools for people with this condition and easy to integrate into therapy and day-to-day activities. This work aims to offer families, web platforms rich in resources focused on the development of communication and language, these being one of the main limitations of people with ASD. Families are the main axis in the full development of the child, so that an active collaboration from an early age will favor the child's progress and with it, their quality of life. In this sense, the stimulation of communication skills from birth will be crucial for their development and social interaction. In this way, ten web platforms are offered whose main objective is to offer ideas, resources, materials, and experiences as a result of daily work with people with ASD, mainly aimed at promoting communicative and linguistic skills

Plataformas webs y recursos online centrados en habilidades comunicativo-lingüísticas para familias de personas con autismo

The diversity of resources that can be accessed quickly and easily online opens a world of possibilities for help and support to families of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In turn, Information and Communication Technologies are presented as a set of motivating tools for people with this condition and easy to integrate into therapy and day-to-day activities. This work aims to offer families, web platforms rich in resources focused on the development of communication and language, these being one of the main limitations of people with ASD. Families are the main axis in the full development of the child, so that an active collaboration from an early age will favor the child's progress and with it, their quality of life. In this sense, the stimulation of communication skills from birth will be crucial for their development and social interaction. In this way, ten web platforms are offered whose main objective is to offer ideas, resources, materials, and experiences as a result of daily work with people with ASD, mainly aimed at promoting communicative and linguistic skills.La diversidad de recursos a los que se puede acceder de manera rápida y sencilla de forma online abre un mundo de posibilidades de ayuda y apoyo a familias de personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA). A su vez, las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) se presentan como un conjunto de herramientas motivadoras para personas con esta condición y fáciles de integrar en la terapia y en actividades del día a día. Este trabajo pretende ofrecer a las familias plataformas webs ricas en recursos para el desarrollo de la comunicación y el lenguaje, siendo estas unas de las principales limitaciones que presentan las personas con autismo.  Las familias son el eje principal en el desarrollo íntegro del menor, por lo que una colaboración activa desde edades tempranas va a favorecer el progreso del niño y con ello su calidad de vida. En este sentido, la estimulación de habilidades comunicativas desde el nacimiento será crucial para su desarrollo e interacción social. De esta forma, se muestran diez plataformas webs cuyo principal objetivo es el de ofrecer ideas, recursos, materiales y experiencias fruto del trabajo diario con personas con autismo, principalmente destinado a favorecer habilidades comunicativas y lingüísticas

Future Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions towards Inclusion in Secondary Education: University of Granada

Designing and implementing inclusive practices is considered one of the basic actions for the construction of inclusive education. Actions depend largely on teachers’ attitudes, which can be modified by the training they receive. This study analyzes 73 future mathematics teachers’ perceptions of the diversity training received in the Master in Compulsory Secondary Education and Post-Secondary, Vocational Training and Language Teaching (MAES), as well as their attitudes towards diversity at the University of Granada (Spain). The participants’ ages ranged from 22 to 50 years (M = 27.12, SD = 6.45); 47.9% were cisgender women and 52.1% were cisgender men. This research was a non-experimental, descriptive, and multivariate study, developed under the assumption of the quantitative methodological paradigm. The result revealed that attention to diversity should play an important role in the teachers’ future teaching practice. Nevertheless, they were dissatisfied with the initial training received, considered themselves not qualified enough to face diversity in their classrooms, and they had an ambivalent attitude toward attention to diversity. However, attitudes and educational levels were more favorable in the case of women, older participants, and among those who had had contact with people with SNES. It is concluded that it is appropriate to continue to influence the attitudes in relation to this issue, since pedagogical training on the factors that condition the teaching–learning process in terms of attention to diversity provides greater effectiveness in this field.Spanish Ministry of Education, Innovation and Universities (aid for university teacher training [FPU19/00026 and FPU21/00479]

Assessment of Apps Aimed at Developing Basic Instrumental Skills in Autistic Children and Teenagers

It is crucial for families and professionals to promote basic instrumental skills in children with autism, as these skills can help with comprehensive growth and development, and are a starting point in acquiring the essential tools needed for one to live an independent and successful life, These skills include oral language, reading, writing, and mathematics. Therefore, given that ICT and mobile applications (apps) are effective tools that offer suitable content, and are designed exclusively for people with this disorder, working on these skills with apps is an interesting option that is worthy of our attention. We analyzed 88 apps that focused on these skills, through a duly validated system of indicators, calculating frequencies, percentages, measures of central tendency and dispersion, and non-parametric contrast statistics. The app search was carried out in the Google Play Store, with the keyword “autism”, in English and in Spanish. Most of the apps focused on aspects linked to oral language and reading, but few were aimed at reading and mathematics. In addition to the apps’ lack of specialization in the last two skills, the vast majority did not specify the age group for which their content was intended.University of Granada and Spanish Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Universities (aid for university teacher training (FPU19/00026)

Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire “Demands and Potentials of ICT and Apps for Assisting People with Autism” (DPTIC-AUT-Q)

Background: In education, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has gone from being a convenient option to a permanent necessity. For students and people with functional diversity, it is of seminal importance. It is therefore worth learning how professionals perceive digital tools and apps for people and students with functional diversity and autism: its requirements and potential. As no instrument to measure this exists, we have designed a questionnaire on the requirements and potentials of ICT and apps for assisting people with autism (DP-TIC-AUT). Methods: Our questionnaire has been subjected to content validity using a panel of experts, and construct validity, using Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha and Composite Reliability. Results: Optimal results were obtained in the above values, thus confirming the validity of DP-TIC-AUT for use in the contexts of its validation. Conclusions: DP-TIC-AUT is a valid instrument. This opens up a range of possibilities for research, firstly descriptive, then of other kinds, and for the adaptation of the instrument to other contexts. This is the first step in improving the creation and use of ICT for people with autism.Vice-Rector’s Office for Equality, Inclusion and Sustainability of University of Granada (aid for the Support and Promotion of Research on Inclusion 2020 [INVINC108-2020])Spanish Ministry of Education, Innovation and Universities (aid for university teacher training [FPU19/00026]

Perspectiva actual sobre el uso de tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en personas con trastorno del espectro autista: Sistematización de experiencias

Este artículo sigue un enfoque cualitativo y está centrado en el método científico denominado “sistematización de experiencias”. Tuvo como objetivo analizar la influencia de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en la sociedad actual y cómo estas herramientas digitales influyen en el ámbito educativo. Se ha indagado en los efectos sobre personas con necesidades especiales, más concretamente para personas con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA)