Teachers' contributions to the culture of language classrooms : the case of Spanish as a foreign language

This investigation explores the ways in which teachers contribute to the development ofthe language classroom culture, defined as "a dynamic system of patterns created, changed and maintained by the participants in accordance with their pedagogic and social status, expectations and responsibilities". It draws its data from classrooms of Spanish as a foreign language, and seeks to analyse:• Characteristics ofthe social and institutional context ofthe teachers and their classrooms. • Teachers' views on language teaching and learning, their classrooms and their own teaching. • Verbal and nonverbal means employed by the teachers in their instruction, and more specifically during the transitions between the instructional stages that make up their lessons. • Relationships between the views ofthe teachers and linguistic and nonlinguistic features of their behavior in the classroom.The courses involved in the study were conducted by five different teachers during 1997-1998 in four high schools -three public and one private - and a private liberal arts college, all located in Central Pennsylvania, USA. The methods/instruments for the collection of data were• Background description of the social and institutional context of the teachers and their classrooms. • Three rounds of semi-structured interviews with each teacher. The last interview included stimulated recall. • On-site observation of(a) the physical organization of the classroom, (b) the non-verbal features of the interaction between teachers and students, and (c) the non-pedagogic events taking place during the instruction. • Retrospective analysis (tape and real-time records) of the verbal interaction between teachers and students. • Teacher journals.The results indicate that the teachers' role in the construction of L2 classroom culture is most strongly influenced by their personal theories of teaching and learning, more than by (a) other theoretical and methodological factors, and (b) their interaction with the students. In the tendency to develop their practical knowledge through the instructional sequence, the teachers' pedagogic routines showed a number of striking differences with regard to (a) their combination of pedagogic and disciplinarian control over the instruction and the students, (b) the interaction with the class or specific individuals during the transitions between instructional stages, (c) the use of English and Spanish, and (d) the potential purposes of the performance features

Preferencias de comunicación y apoyo de pacientes oncológicos españoles. adaptación del “measure of patient’s preferences”

Los objetivos de nuestro estudio fueron: 1) Adaptar un instrumento dirigido a conocer las preferencias de comunicación de pacientes oncológicos (“Measure of Patients’ Preferences”, MPP, Parker y cols, 2001)y 2) Determinar la relación entre las preferencias de comunicación y variables socio-demográficas, clínicas y de calidad de vida. 180 pacientes oncológicos tratados de diferentes centros de Catalaluña, mayores de 18 años. Se administró la adaptación del cuestionario original a una muestra de 180 pacientes oncológicos adultos. Se registraron variables socio-demográficas (edad, sexo, nivel educativo, situación laboral, estado civil), médicas (tipo de cáncer, tiempo desde el diagnóstico, situación evolutiva, tipo de tratamiento,) y se administraron los cuestionarios EORTC y HADS para valorar calidad de vida y adaptación psicológica, respectivamente. Se analizó la consistencia interna del cuestionario MPP mediante el coeficiente de Cronbach. Se calcularon las medias de los ítems y escalas del MPP (contenido, apoyo, facilitación) comparándose con el estudio original (USA). Para cada una de las escalas de la MPP se efectuó una regresión múltiple incluyendo como predictores las variables socio-demográficas, clínicas y de calidad de vida. La adaptación española del MPP mostró buenas propiedades psicométricas. Los pacientes evaluados dieron mayor importancia a aspectos relacionados con el contenido de la información médica, aunque también valoraron como importantes el apoyo emocional y el contexto en el que se da la interacción con el médico. Los pacientes que preferían obtener la información con mayor detalle fueron las mujeres y pacientes jóvenes. Las mujeres jóvenes y los pacientes que habían sido diagnosticados por primera vez manifestaron mayores necesida- des de apoyo por parte de los profesionales. Finalmente, las mujeres que no convivían con pareja dieron mayor importancia a los elementos del contexto en el que se da la información médica. El sexo, la edad, la convivencia y la experiencia con el diagnóstico son variables importantes en las preferencias de información de pacientes oncológicos españoles.The main objetives of our study were: 1) To adapt a self-reported questionnaire aimed to know preferences for communication in oncology patients (“Measure of Patients´ Preferences”, MPP, Parker et al., 2001) and 2) To describe the relationship between preferences for communication and socio-demographic, clinical and quality of life variables. One hundred and eighty oncology patients from different comprehensive cancer Centers in Catalonia (Spain), older than 18 years old were assessed. Spanish adaptation of the original version of MPP was used. Socio-demographic variables (age, sex, educative level, professional status, marital status) and medical variables (type of tumor, time since diagnosis, illness status, type of treatment) were studied. EORTC quality of life questionnaire and HADS were used. Internal consistency using Cronbach´ a of MPP questionnaire was used. MPP item´s means and scales (content, support and facilitation) were calculated and compared with original study (US). A multiple regression for all of the MPP´s scales was done, including socio-demographic, clinical and quality of life variables as predictors. MPP Spanish adaptation shows good psychometric proprieties. Patients assessed stress on the importance of medical information issues, although emotional support and context where medical interaction occurs are highly valuated. Women and younger patients were prone to ask for more detailed information. Younger women and first time diagnosed patients asked for more emotional support from staff. Single women give more importance to context variables where medical interaction occurs. Sex, age, marital status and previous experience with diagnosis are important variables related with preferences for communication among Spanish oncology patients

Variation in scale cortisol concentrations of a wild freshwater fish: habitat quality or seasonal influences?

A signifcant body of literature suggests that aquatic pollutants can interfere with the physiological function of the fsh hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis, and eventually impair the ability to cope with subsequent stressors. For this reason, development of accurate techniques to assess fsh stress responses have become of growing interest. Fish scales have been recently recognized as a biomaterial that accumulates cortisol, hence it can be potentially used to assess chronic stress in laboratory conditions. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate the applicability of this novel method for cortisol assessment in fsh within their natural environment. Catalan chub (Squalius laietanus) were sampled from two sites; a highly polluted and a less polluted (reference) site, in order to examine if habitat quality could potentially infuence the cortisol deposition in scales. We also evaluated the seasonal variation in scale cortisol levels by sampling fsh at three diferent time points during spring-summer 2014. In each sampling, blood was collected to complement the information provided by the scales. Our results demonstrated that blood and scale cortisol levels from individuals inhabiting the reference site were signifcantly correlated, therefore increasing the applicability of the method as a sensitive-individual measure of fsh HPI axis activity, at least in non-polluted habitats. Since diferent environmental conditions could potentially alter the usefulness of the technique, results highlight that further validation is required to better interpret hormone fuctuations in fsh scales. Scale cortisol concentrations were unafected by habitat quality although fsh from the polluted environment presented lower circulating cortisol levels. We detected a seasonal increase in scale cor- tisol values concurring with an energetically costly period for the species, supporting the idea that the analysis of cortisol in scales reveals changes in the HPI axis activity. Taken together, the present study suggests that cortisol levels in scales are more likely to be infuenced by mid-term, intense energetically demanding periods rather than by long-term stressors. Measurement of cortisol in fsh scales can open the possibility to study novel spatio- temporal contexts of interest, yet further research is required to better understand its biological relevance

Preferencias de comunicación y apoyo de pacientes oncológicos españoles. adaptación del “measure of patient’s preferences”

Los objetivos de nuestro estudio fueron: 1) Adaptar un instrumento dirigido a conocer las preferencias de comunicación de pacientes oncológicos (“Measure of Patients’ Preferences”, MPP, Parker y cols, 2001)y 2) Determinar la relación entre las preferencias de comunicación y variables socio-demográficas, clínicas y de calidad de vida. 180 pacientes oncológicos tratados de diferentes centros de Catalaluña, mayores de 18 años. Se administró la adaptación del cuestionario original a una muestra de 180 pacientes oncológicos adultos. Se registraron variables socio-demográficas (edad, sexo, nivel educativo, situación laboral, estado civil), médicas (tipo de cáncer, tiempo desde el diagnóstico, situación evolutiva, tipo de tratamiento,) y se administraron los cuestionarios EORTC y HADS para valorar calidad de vida y adaptación psicológica, respectivamente. Se analizó la consistencia interna del cuestionario MPP mediante el coeficiente de Cronbach. Se calcularon las medias de los ítems y escalas del MPP (contenido, apoyo, facilitación) comparándose con el estudio original (USA). Para cada una de las escalas de la MPP se efectuó una regresión múltiple incluyendo como predictores las variables socio-demográficas, clínicas y de calidad de vida. La adaptación española del MPP mostró buenas propiedades psicométricas. Los pacientes evaluados dieron mayor importancia a aspectos relacionados con el contenido de la información médica, aunque también valoraron como importantes el apoyo emocional y el contexto en el que se da la interacción con el médico. Los pacientes que preferían obtener la información con mayor detalle fueron las mujeres y pacientes jóvenes. Las mujeres jóvenes y los pacientes que habían sido diagnosticados por primera vez manifestaron mayores necesida- des de apoyo por parte de los profesionales. Finalmente, las mujeres que no convivían con pareja dieron mayor importancia a los elementos del contexto en el que se da la información médica. El sexo, la edad, la convivencia y la experiencia con el diagnóstico son variables importantes en las preferencias de información de pacientes oncológicos españoles

Are the patient preferences for communication related with personality variables? A multicentric study in a spanish cancer sample

Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe the relationship between preferences for communication and socio-demographic, tumour-related, and personality variables in a sample of Spanish cancer patients. Methods: A sample of 168 cancer patients completed a set of questionnaires: (1) the Spanish adaptation of the Measure of Patients’ Preferences, which includes three scales: content (what and how much information is given), facilitation (setting and context variables) and support (emotional support during the interaction); (2) the Extroversion and Neuroticism scales from the EPQ-RS; (3) the EORTC QLQ-3.0; and (4) the HADS. Results: Regression analysis showed that the patients who scored highest on the Content scale were women, young people, those whose illness was in an advanced stage or who had received the diagnosis for the first time and those who scored high on the Extroversion scale. Patients who scored highest on the Support scale were those with a first diagnosis and those with high Extroversion scores. Women, with high Extroversion scores, scored higher on the Facilitation scale than did other patients. Conclusions: Personality, age, gender and cancer diagnosis experience are important variables to take into account when conducting studies of doctor-cancer patient communication

Metodología en contexto: Una propuesta de reflexión e innovación para docentes de segundas lenguas

El énfasis en la comunicación en situaciones de uso real, la atención a las necesidades individuales de los aprendientes y la consideración de principios generales contrastados para el aprendizaje y la enseñanza de segundas lenguas (L2) representan avances muy positivos para la metodología de L2 en estas primeras décadas del siglo XXI. Desde un interés por estimular una orientación más integral (emic, en inglés) para la disciplina, el objetivo principal de este trabajo consiste en definir el concepto de metodología en contexto a partir de la reflexión sobre los aspectos sociales en la adquisición de L2, las tendencias más recientes en el enfoque comunicativo, las macro-estrategias post-metodológicas, las condiciones locales de la clase de L2, las condiciones institucionales y sociopolíticas, y el proceso de investigación en acción.