Interculturality and Teacher Education. A Study from Pre-service Teachers’ Perspective

Due to the multicultural nature of society and the failure of some of the educational models adopted to respond to cultural diversity, there is a need to pay greater attention to teachers’ training. This study examines Teacher Education students’ beliefs about cultural diversity and their relationship with pre-service teacher training as key aspects in designing intercultural teacher training proposals and improving educational practice. This quantitative, descriptive study was carried out with 1464 participants enrolled in teacher training programs. The results show that future teachers have positive beliefs about cultural diversity in general terms, but their positions diverge when dealing with specific aspects and transferring them to professional practice. These beliefs vary depending on the year group, with students who are finishing their training process having more intercultural beliefs

Hacia un modelo de análisis de políticas públicas operativ : Un enfoque basado en los actores, sus recursos y las instituciones

Towards an operative analysis of public policies: An approach focused on actors, resources and institutions. This article develops an analytical model which is centred on the individual and collective behaviour of actors involved during different stages of public policy. We postulate that the content and institutional characteristics of public action (dependent variable) are the result of interactions between political-administrative authorities, on the one hand, and, on the other, social groups which cause or suffer the negative effects of a collective problem which public action attempts to resolve (independent variables). The 'game' of the actors depends not only on their particular interests, but also on their resources (money, time, consensus, organization, rights, infrastructure, information, personnel, strength, political support) which they are able to exploit to defend their positions, as well as on the institutional rules which frame these policy games

Designing Nutrition Education Programs to Reach Mexican American Populations

Over 6 million Mexican Americans live in the state of Texas. Hispanic women have a higher incidence of diet-related birth defects than the general population. To address this health disparity, an education outreach program was developed. A culture-centered approach consisting of the formation of a culturally diverse working team, client focus groups, materials development, pilot testing by trained paraprofessionals, and a day-long workshop for professional and lay educators was employed. This program used content specialists and local faculty to develop a relevant education program for a specific population

A consistent talmudic rule for division problems with multiple references

We consider an extension of the classic division problem with claims, division problems with multiple references. We show that the theory of cooperative games is able to provide a single-valued allocation rule for this class of problems. Moreover, this rule can be related with the Talmud rule for the classic division problem, as in Aumann and Maschler (J. Econ. Theory 36, 195–213, 1985). Finally, we establish the consistency and other basic properties of the rul

TOROS optical follow-up of the advanced LIGO–VIRGO O2 second observational campaign

We present themethods and results of the optical follow-up, conducted by the Transient Optical Robotic Observatory of the South Collaboration, of gravitational wave events detected during the Advanced LIGO–Virgo second observing run (2016 November–2017 August). Given the limited field of view (∼100 arcmin) of our observational instrumentation, we targeted galaxies within the area of high localization probability that were observable from our sites. We analysed the observations using difference imaging, followed by a random forest algorithm to discriminate between real and spurious transients. Our observations were conducted using telescopes at Estacion Astrofısica de Bosque Alegre, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, the Dr. Cristina V. Torres Memorial Astronomical Observatory, and an observing station in Salta, Argentina

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer Losses by Mixed Convection and Surface Thermal Radiation in an Open Cavity Receiver for a Solar Tower System

AbstractThe thermo solar central tower power plants are complex systems that consist of a heliostats field which provide a high solar concentrated flux to a thermal receiver located in the top of a tower. With this type of technology, a fluid moving in the thermal receiver can be heated up to 800 to 1200K, so a conventional thermodynamic cycle can be operated to generate electricity. In the city of Hermosillo, in the northern state of Sonora, Mexico, the National Autonomous University of Mexico in agreement with the University of Sonora is developing this type of technology for a plant of 2 MWt with an array of 80 heliostats (36 m2 each one) and a tower of 32 m height. Therefore, an appropriated thermal receiver has to be designed. Considering above, in this work the numerical results of heat transfer losses by mixed convection and surface thermal radiation in an open cavity receiver considering variable fluid properties are presented. Numerical calculations were performed in a cavity of 1 m width, 2 m height and 2 m depth, considering (a) only natural convection and (b) mixed convection, both with surface thermal radiation. The temperature difference between the hot wall and the bulk fluid (ΔT) was 600K. The kt-ɛt standard turbulence model was solved for the turbulent convection and for the surface thermal radiation the discrete ordinate method was applied. The simulations were conducted in steady state and the fluid properties were considered as a function of temperature. The software of computational fluid dynamics FLUENT 6.3 was used. The velocity, temperature fields and heat transfer coefficients were obtained. The total heat transfer losses increases 37.5% when the mixed convection is considered

Assessing Psychosocial Work Environments of Coaches in Spain and Their Relationships With Mental Health, Behavioral Stress Symptoms, and Burnout

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychosocial work environments (PWE) among a sample of coaches in comparison to the reference values of the Spanish general workforce, as well as to explore the relationship between PWE and mental health, behavioral stress symptoms, and burnout. A representative sample (n=1481) of Spanish coaches (18.1% women, Mage=32.98, SD=11.60) completed a battery of questionnaires. Results showed that, in comparison to the general workforce, coaches showed statistically significant differences in most of the PWE areas assessed. The emotional demands experienced by coaches are a risk for health, while trust regarding management and recognition are positive features in their PWE. Coaches’ emotional demands were associated with low mental health scores and higher levels of behavioral stress symptoms and burnout, whereas social community at work and role clarity were protective factors for health. Practical implications to provide more favorable work environments for coaches are discussed

Transforming Difficulties into Possibilities: Family Training as an Action for Educational Success in Contexts of Poverty

This research focuses on the implementation of a series of actions and training workshops with families of a school located in a socially excluded area in the city of Cordoba, Spain. The study explores how the participants perceived the experience and the educational and social benefits of this formative process. The research methodology was based on a participatory action research approach, which involved successive cycles of research and action in different phases: planning and analysis of the problem, action, observation and reflection. Five key informants, selected according to the criterion of structural heterogeneity, participated in the research. Semi-structured interviews and field journals were used as research instruments and content analysis was the technique of choice to analyses the information. The results reveal that the participants found the workshops to be highly beneficial both personally and in terms of the image they project to their children. They also faced challenges regarding their continuity in the activity, such as prejudices or different communication codes. The discussion underlines the importance of conducting training activities with families in contexts of poverty as an educational action that can increase their interest and motivation towards the school and hence enhance their participation in school life

Remittance flows to post-conflict states: perspectives on human security and development

This repository item contains a single issue of the Pardee Center Task Force Reports, a publication series that began publishing in 2009 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.Migrant remittances – that is, money or other goods sent to relatives in the country of origin– play an increasingly central role in post-conflict reconstruction and national development of conflict-affected states. Private remittances are of central importance for restoring stability and enhancing human security in post-conflict countries. Yet the dynamics of conflict-induced remittance flows and the possibilities of leveraging remittances for post-conflict development have been sparsely researched to date. This Pardee Center Task Force Report is the outcome of an interdisciplinary research project organized by the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy, in collaboration with The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The Task Force was convened by Boston University development economist John R. Harris and international banking expert Donald F. Terry, and social anthropologist Daivi Rodima-Taylor, Visiting Researcher at the Boston University African Studies Center, served as lead researcher and editor for the report. The Task Force was asked to research, analyze, and propose policy recommendations regarding the role of remittances in post-conflict environments and their potential to serve as a major source of development funds. The report’s authors collectively suggest a broader approach to remittance institutions that provides flexibility to adapt to specific local practices and to make broader institutional connections in an era of growing population displacement and expanding human and capital flows. Conditions for more productive use of migrants’ remittances are analyzed while drawing upon case studies from post-conflict countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The papers in this Task Force Report establish the importance of remittances for sustaining local livelihoods as well as rehabilitating institutional infrastructures and improving financial inclusion in post-conflict environments. Highlighting the increasing complexity of global remittance systems, the report examines the growing informality of conflict-induced remittance flows and explores solutions for more efficient linkages between financial institutions of different scales and degrees of formality. It discusses challenges to regulating international remittance transfers in the context of growing concerns about transparency, and documents the increasing role of diaspora networks and migrant associations in post-conflict co-development initiatives. The Task Force Report authors outline the main challenges to leveraging remittances for post-conflict development and make recommendations for further research and policy applications