Προλεγόμενα - Τεύχος 41

Η ΠΑΝ∆ΗΜΙΑ της Covid-19 ενέσκηψε προτού προλάβει να ανακάμψει η ελληνική οικονομία από τη δεκαετή κρίση εξωτερικού χρέους και δημοσιονομικών ελλειμμάτων, για την οποία έχουν ειπωθεί σχεδόν τα πάντα. Λέγεται ότι με το τέλος της πανδημίας, που έχει ισχυρές επιπτώσεις για την οικονομία, θα ακολουθήσει περίοδος ισχυρής ανάκαμψης παρά τα εξακολουθητικά δομικά προβλήματα της ελληνικής οικονομίας, με το ερώτημα να είναι αν η εν λόγω ανάπτυξη θα είναι απότομη (σχήματος V) ή σχετικώς βραδεία (σχήματος U). Με βάση τη μέχρι τώρα δυναμική αλλά και εκθέσεις της Ευρωπαϊκής Επιτροπής πολλοί ισχυρίζονται ότι η οικονομική ανάκαμψη θα είναι απότομη, υπό την προϋπόθεση ότι στις συνθήκες πανδημίας που διανύουμε η ελληνική οικονομία θα αποδειχθεί ανθεκτική. Το σίγουρο, όμως, είναι ότι η ελληνική κοινωνία δοκιμάζεται από επάλληλες εξωγενείς κρίσεις που αλληλεπιδρούν με τα εγχώρια χρόνια προβλήματα και λειτουργούν με διαφορετικούς χρονισμούς

Implementation Framework for Energy Flexibility Technologies in Alkmaar and Évora

This research was funded by POCITYF, (FP7 grant agreement No 864400).As energy generation based on renewable resources does not always match energy consumption profiles, Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) should embody energy flexibility technologies to decrease possible negative impacts on existing grids due to, e.g., reverse power flows. As part of the EU H2020 Smart Cities and Communities project POCITYF, the cities Alkmaar (NL) and evora (PT) aim to support the deployment and market uptake of such districts and in doing so demonstrate innovative and integrated technologies to enable flexibility in the energy system. This paper addresses implementation conditions for energy flexibility technologies that help cities to engender the expected impact and ensure replication of these technologies to other sites. It aims to guide both urban planners and technology solution providers through pitfalls and opportunities that can appear during the design and implementation of PEDs. Taking this into consideration, the RUGGEDISED innovation and implementation framework for smart city technology was taken as a starting point to describe and analyze the experiences in Alkmaar and evora.publishersversionpublishe

Unusual site for iatrogenic esophageal perforation in a premature neonate

Esophageal perforation in the neonate period is uncommon and often iatrogenic in origin, requiring a prompt diagnosis in order to prevent further complications. We present a case of iatrogenic esophageal perforation in a premature neonate following orogastric tube placement. Findings on plain film radiograph were consistent with thoracic esophageal perforation. Due to the patient’s hemodynamic stability, the patient was treated nonoperatively with favorable results. We also discuss the cause, clinical clues to the diagnosis and treatment in cases with esophageal perforation

THINK4JOBS TRAINING: Critical Thinking Training Packages for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Tutors

This Report presents the findings of the “Critical Thinking for Successful Jobs-Think4Jobs” Partnership regarding the development of Critical Thinking Training Packages for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Organisations Tutors, namely Intellectual Output II. Considering previous research findings, it is suggested that despite HE and LMO instructors’ willingness to promote CT, they both might lack conceptual as well as procedural knowledge regarding CT. In order to assume that a common understanding between HE and LMOs can be achieved to promote CT skills development effectively in future graduates, the aim of this project was to develop a training course for HE instructors as well as LMO tutors. More specifically, the project aims to strengthen University-Business Collaboration for the effective promotion, development, support and assessment of students’ CT through their transition into a professional context using apprenticeships as a privileged interface in order to “bridge the gap” between their skills and those needed by the labour market. The specific objective of the second Intellectual Output was to develop a training curriculum for Higher Education Instructors and Labour Market Organisations Tutors on how to promote, develop, support and assess students’ CT in apprenticeships curricula as well as on how to develop blended curricula using Moodle. The training aimed at reaching 30 participants from the Partnership (i.e., 15 from Higher Education and 15 from Labour Market Organisations). To reach the aforementioned objective for the delivery of the Output, five activities were originally designed: 1. Define the goals, outcomes and assessment criteria of the training packages. 2. Identify the training subjects and design the activities to be held. 3. Identify, select and/or create training resources, which will support the activities during the training packages. 4. Develop a transnational training course. 5. Delivery of the training course. University of Western Macedonia (UOWM) was the leading Organisation for the delivery of the second Intellectual Output. A Participatory Co-Design (PC-D Methodology was implemented to map the participants’ requirements and needs for the training. For the implementation of the training course, participants from both the Higher Education and the Labor Market Organisations from the five countries partake as Trainers providing various workshops focusing on experiential learning. More specifically, workshops concerned the deconstruction and reconstruction of previously held ideas regarding CT, the development of a working definition on CT for the Think4Jobs project, instructional approaches and teaching strategies that promote CT, blended learning and Moodle, the assessment of CT as well as the preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HE and LMOs. Finally, a reflective session on the work carried out for the MoU and a session for the design and development of the CT blended apprenticeship curricula were scheduled. According to the registrations, on a daily basis, 35 participants engaged in the LTTA. Participants' knowledge on conceptual and procedural knowledge regarding CT, evaluation of CT, as well as blended learning, University-Business Collaboration and Moodle were evaluated in a pre-post measurement. In order to assess participants’ previous knowledge as well as the knowledge acquired during the LTTA, two online questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire (pre-measurement) was administered to participants at the beginning of the training course, while the second questionnaire (post-measurement) at the end of the LTTA (122 items for the pre-test, 130 items for the post-test, including questions about participants’ commitment during LTTA and their evaluation of the LTTA). The data collection tool consisted of seven distinct parts. The first part concerned demographic information, while the second part assessed participants’ level of perceived self-confidence in the issues addressed in the LTTA, the Moodle’s ease of use and perceived self-efficacy. Parts three to five of the tool explored participants’ conceptions regarding myths and facts about conceptual and procedural knowledge of CT, the evaluation of CT, blended learning and the University and Business Collaboration. Moreover, participants’ level of confidence about their answers was also assessed. Statistical analysis of data collected suggested that participants’ knowledge about CT, blended learning and the University and Business Collaboration increased after their participation in the LTTA. However, these results were not statistically significant. A statistically significant median increase elicited only in participants’ perceived self-confidence on the topics addressed during the LTTA, only for HE participants. Finally, the administrative and management of the implemented LTTA was evaluated highlighting that the event reached the predefined objectives and goals, met participants’ expectations and offered a high quality learning and training experience to the participants. Apart from the measurable data, a significant outcome of the LTTA was the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between each pair of HEIs and LMOs partner per country. The MoU set a specific framework on the expected collaboration between HE and LMOs for the design-development (IO3), implementation and evaluation (IO4) of the CT blended apprenticeships curricula. The development of MoUs suggest that a common understanding on the design and delivery of CT blended apprenticeships curricula has been achieved and that UBC has been tailored to each pair of contributors. Overall, the CT training course presented in the current report has contributed to the existing research and literature in numerous ways. First, it presented a course designed to address the specific needs of its participants, by employing a PC-D approach. Second, it presented a training course that can also be applied in the future, as an intensive program aiming to enhance CT in educational and LMO settings. Third, it actively engaged HE Instructors and LMOs in a common training course, trying to reach a common understanding. Finally, the current report contributes to the literature with the exploitation of a multiple-choice instrument incorporating a Certainty Response Index identifying not only participants’ alternative concepts but also their level of confidence on aspects of CT, blended learning and UBC

THINK4JOBS TOOLKIT Ten work-based learning scenarios

The current report is the first Intellectual Output (Output 1) of the THINK4JOBS initiative, which aims at improving students’ CT skills and dispositions by promoting collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Labour Market Organizations (LMOs). This is the case since according to relevant research findings, LMOs seem to expect employees to acquire CT skills in order for them to successfully address the needs of their work positions. Under this rationale, partners of the two aforementioned fields have decided to redesign and ameliorate HEI curricula by blending both HEIs and LMOs’ experience, knowledge and recommendations, while instilling this evidence into students’ apprenticeships. Apprenticeships offering practice in professional skills can actively lead to students’ understanding of their working environment and simultaneously scaffold CT development with the employment of mentoring. For this reason, the THINK4JOBS initiative exploits apprenticeships as a means of CT exploration and learning through which bridging the gap between HEIs and LMOs can be attained. Therefore, it is considered that in this fashion, students will be acquainted with the concept of CT and also be in the position of transferring it into their work settings, when entering the workplace. It should be noted that partners of the THINK4JOBS project are representatives from five disciplines (teacher training, English as a foreign language – EFL, business economics, business informatics and veterinary medicine), who formed teams between HEI and LMOs for each of these disciplines in order for ideas to be pluralized and CT to be explored across a variety of domains. The current report has a twofold aim: · to trace and map the methods and/or techniques that CT is currently employed in HEIs and LMOs’ apprenticeships and apprenticeships focusing on any possible convergent or divergent points; · to thoroughly describe and suggest work-based, learning scenarios that could bridge the gap between HEIs and LMOs’ curricula and simultaneously attempt to safeguard the requirements for graduates’ CT development and improvement. Mapping the Gap Regarding the first aim of the report, three research methods (observation, focus groups and documentary analysis) were employed in combination with three instruments (observational matrix, focus group rubric and documentary analysis rubric). Each research instrument includes a set of variables, which are majorly organized in three categories: I. Pedagogical aspects of CT development (including class objectives, teaching strategies/methods, tools/materials and evaluation regarding CT) II. CT aspects (including the ways CT is nurtured, triggered and explicitly taught during instruction) III. Implementation of CT (including elements of CT presence in these disciplines) For each variable, a set of indicators, drawing on CT and pedagogical theory was also developed in order for the aforementioned research instruments to be constructed. Stakeholders (HEI students and instructors as well as LMO tutors, employers and employees) participated in the mapping process. Data were collected during the winter semester 2020-2021 and a total of 134 participants from all partner countries participated in the focus groups discussions. Regarding the other two research methods, observation was carried out in at least three apprenticeships or courses, with at least four observation sessions for each of them. As far as it concerns the documentary analysis, documents supporting the courses/apprenticeships, which were observed, were analyzed according to the relevant rubric. Findings from each research instrument were triangulated according to each discipline and are thoroughly described in the current report in separate sections. However, some general conclusions seem to derive from a holistic approach to data analysis. Initially, it was suggested that even though a definitive “gap” between HEIs and LMOs does not seem to exist, there is a different context in CT approach since universities usually employ different learning activities focusing more on career preparation with long-term goals while LMOs follow compact and short-term, learning and teaching strategies. Additionally, findings suggested that CT is a newly-added requirement for the workplace and that HEIs and LMOs do not opt for the same terminology when referring to the concept –meaning that HEIs usually select scientific terms. Another element, which is evident is that CT in HEIs is commonly expressed through a declarative manner, while in LMOs application to specific cases follows the procedural manner. Learning Scenarios Regarding the second aim of this report, each team of HEI and LMO constructed two learning scenarios according to the findings, the sets of recommendations and the already identified educational needs. From the ten work-based scenarios developed, one from every discipline was organized in a syllabus form so that it can be further utilized for the CT blended apprenticeship curricula. This information highlights the importance of the scenarios, since they will set the stage for introducing CT at programme and course levels by utilizing Intellectual Output 3 activities to design work-based curricula for each country and dynamically enhance collaboration between HEIs and LMOs. Under this rationale, this scenario includes descriptive information about the themes, concepts, aims and learning outcomes, the duration, the teaching approach, the learning environment and the evaluation regarding both domain specific and CT related elements. First Intellectual Output Impact The current report is of major importance for the continuation of the THINK4JOBS project since it sets the stage for a sequence of activities carried out during the Second and Third Intellectual Outputs aiming at the successful application of the blended apprenticeships curricula. Besides the report’s importance for the project continuation, it may also stand as a useful Toolkit for teachers, students and employers regarding the development of CT in the workplace. In general, according to research findings, HEIs and LMOs are differently goal-oriented regarding CT and the reason for this divergence lies in the very nature and general context of the two organizations. In other words, HEIs intend to prepare students for all jobs related to a domain, while LMOs aim at preparing an employee for a specific job in a specific organization. This conclusion seems to indicate a paradox: the two organizations work in parallel but they do not share common understanding. This is the reason why the First Intellectual Output may be an invaluable means in the exploration of CT through different perspectives; actively supporting HEI and LMO collaboration in the quest for common ground

Xenophobic manifestations, otherness and violence in Greece 1996-2016 : evidence from an event analysis of media collections

Research on xenophobia in Europe has recently received much attention in various academic disciplines. The existing scholarly debate focuses more on older patterns of xenophobia emerging as forms of ‘non-violent discrimination and segregation’ but pays less attention to xenophobia as a violent practice per se. This study attempts to examine xenophobia in Greece by employing an event extraction technique: we track violent attacks by Greek citizens on any kind of ‘foreigners’ by analysing a vast amount of text data available from newspapers and news websites over a twenty-year period: 1996-2015. We explore specific manifestations of xenophobic attitudes – physical and verbal attacks – to identify the actors involved and the targets of these violent xenophobic acts. Our results conform with previous studies in the field, first by highlighting the violent anti-immigrant behaviour of two actors, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party (GD) and the police, and second by identifying the targets of xenophobic violence. Our contribution to the literature is twofold: a) an application of an innovative methodological tool – event extraction analysis – to the study of a significant social phenomenon; and b) a mapping of the actors and targets of xenophobia in Greek society over the last twenty years

Οικογενειακές μορφωτικές πρακτικές και κοινωνικές ανισότητες

Παρόλο που τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες έχουν γίνει πολλές προσπάθειες για τον εκδημοκρατισμό της εκπαίδευσης, συχνά το σχολείο κατηγορείται για τη συμβολή του στην αναπαραγωγή των κοινωνικών ανισοτήτων. Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία συμβάλλει στη βαθύτερη κατανόηση των κοινωνικών ανισοτήτων στο σχολείο, μέσω της μελέτης των λιγότερο «ορατών» κοινωνικών διαφορών, αυτών που συνδέονται με το μορφωτικό κεφάλαιο. Στα πλαίσια διεξαγωγής ποσοτικής έρευνας, διανεμήθηκαν ερωτηματολόγια σε οκτώ Δημοτικά σχολεία του νομού Αργολίδας, τα οποία ανήκουν σε αστικές και αγροτικές περιοχές, με σκοπό να συλλεχθούν πληροφορίες για τις οικογενειακές μορφωτικές πρακτικές που σχετίζονται με την έννοια του μορφωτικού κεφαλαίου. Τα δεδομένα της έρευνας επαλήθευσαν τις υποθέσεις ότι υπάρχει σχέση μεταξύ των κοινωνικών ανισοτήτων στην εκπαίδευση, του τόπου διαμονής (αστικό-αγροτικό περιβάλλον) και του μορφωτικού κεφαλαίου.Although recently a great deal of effort has been made towards educational democratization, school is often blamed for contributing to the reproduction of social inequality. This study aims to contribute to the deeper understanding of social inequalities in school by examining the less "visible" social differences, those that are connected to cultural capital. Conducting a quantitative research, 350 questionnaires were distributed in eight primary schools of urban and rural areas in Argolida, in order to gather information about family educational practices related to the concept of cultural capital. The survey data revealed a correlation between social inequalities in education, place of residence (urban-rural areas) and cultural capital