Teachers and pupils attitudes towards the teaching of English in Brazil: A case study in Parana

This research investigates different facets of E.L.T. in Brazil as seen through the eyes of learners of English (pupils and student-teachers) and their teachers in the State of Parani. Terms of reference have been defined so as to concentrate this study on the analysis of the attitudes of teachers and pupils and their possible correlation with a complex of potentially influential factors - such as official policies, professional, pedagogic, social, economic and cultural factors, etc. - in an attempt to throw light on the reasons for the poor standards of E.L.T. in that country. The findings of this investigation indicate that the major reasons for this state of affairs are, according to the teachers themselves: their lack of proper training; the small number of English lessons per week; the 1971 Educational Reform itself; lack of a relevant and integrated syllabus, and of appropriate teaching resources; pupils' lack of exposure to English; and, above all, the teachers' excessive workload, which prevents adequate lesson-preparation or attention to individual pupils. Other findings related to teacher-training, and specifically to shortcomings in the training of L.F.L. teachers - many of whom are revealed as lacking a good command of the target language and even of the rudimentary skills of E.L.T. - and the major reasons for this. The three populations of this study showed themselves quite open towards English culture and civilisation, and strong evidence is presented to suggest that pupils, influenced by the importance English has achieved in the modern world, by its wide popularity with the young, and by consideration for their own careers, recognise a need for English. The interrelations of these attitudes with a wide range of factors from the pupils' backgrounds were also explored. Evidence was also forthcoming that despite such positive attitudes, pupils found their English lessons boring. Investigation linked this with the unsuitability of the materials used and, above all, with the stark discontinuities between the pupils' goals and interests, which centre around communicative skills, and those of their teachers, concentrating on grammar and reading. Some suggestions are offered towards defining a policy for E.L.T. in Brazil, the writing of a syllabus which will capitalise on the attitudes and forms of motivation identified by this study, and on strategies for the training and re-training of teachers

Un recorte de la visión contemporánea de la sexualidad en la adolescencia

This article presents a study about the speeches of a group of teenagers about sexuality, showing how this subject is apprehended by them. For it to be possible, a group interview was realized in a school. Nine teenagers, with ages between 14 and 17 years old, took part in this. A semistructured interview script was used as the instrument to cover everything about this. It was concluded that there is a shock between the school and the family, about the theme and both were found unprepared. This way, it's necessary to search for strategies that establish the concrete consciousness on the teenagers, as, for example, to create groups in which they can tell their experiences.Este artículo tiene objetivo de presentar un estudio descriptivo y exploratorio de partes de conversaciones de un grupo de jóvenes sobre sexualidad, mostrando como esta temática es aprendida por ellos. Para esto se realizó una entrevista grupal en una escuela. Participaron de este estudio nueve adolescentes con edad entre 14 y 17 años y se utilizó un guía de entrevista semiestructurada como instrumento de evaluación de los aspectos abordados. Fue concluido que existe un conflicto entre la familia y la escuela sobre la transmisión de informaciones acerca de la sexualidad y ambas no se encuentran preparadas. Así, es necesario buscar estrategias adecuadas que establezcan la conciencia concreta de los jóvenes, como formar grupos en los que puedan relatar sus experiencias

Genomic DNA extraction from whole blood stored from 15- to 30-years at -20 °C by rapid phenol-chloroform protocol: A useful tool for genetic epidemiology studies

Long-term stored (LTS) whole blood collection can be an important source of DNA without collection costs, but there is a lack of information on methods useful to extract genomic DNA from such type of biological material. Here we report a simple and fast revisited phenol/chloroform extraction method from LTS whole blood. Protocol reliability was assessed by comparison with proteinase K and silica-gel membrane spin column-based DNA extraction methods using LTS -20 °C whole blood from 1980, and by testing it on 82 whole blood samples, collected from 1980 to 1995, with high quality (A260/280 = 1.79 ± 0.32 O.D., A260/230 = 1.45 ± 0.52 O.D.) and quantity results. Genotyping efficiency was also checked by performing RFLP-PCR and ASP-PCR of p53 Pro72Arg (rs1042522) SNP and hTERT MNS16A VNTR, respectively, resulting in 100% of samples successfully typed. In addition to the goodness and the efficiency of method proposed here, this protocol achieves working time reduction combining extraction and purification steps, allowing to work at room temperature. Furthermore, phenol is able to inactivate any potential nuclease and potential infective sources from the first step on. Based on these results we also conclude that LTS -20 °C whole blood samples may be considered a reliable and potential resource for future genotyping studies and retrospective analysis in a genetic epidemiological setting. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd