Identifying the factors influencing mathematical literacy in several Spanish regions

The aim of this paper is to analyse the students’ performance in the mathematical competency aspect of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 tests and to compare 5 Spanish regions in this respect – Navarra, Castile-León and Catalonia, with results above the national average; and Extremadura and Andalusia, with results below the national average – in order to identify the factors causing these differences. To do so, we computed the degree of association between variables related to the students and to the schools with the scores obtained in the mathematical tests. The purpose of this analysis was to better understand the meaning of these scores and their causes and, above all, to propose educational policy actions for improving the students’ mathematical performance. In this study, a 2-level regression model was applied to the data collected in the PISA 2015 tests. The first level included the factors related to the students and the second was composed of the variables related to the schools. Our results highlight the significant influence of factors such as immigrant status, grade repetition, location of the school (rural or urban) and economic and sociocultural status. The relevance of these factors to students’ academic performance has been observed in previous editions of the PISA tests. We emphasise the need for action to improve students’ mathematical performance and, therefore, their educational success.Scientific Innovation and Employment Department of the Regional Government of Andalusia (Spain) HUM 141

Model-Assisted and Model-Calibrated Estimation for class frequencies with ordinal outcomes

This paper considers new techniques for complex surveys in the case of estimation of proportions when the variable of interest has ordinal outcomes. Ordinal modelassisted and ordinal model-calibrated estimators are introduced for class frequencies in a population, taking two different approaches. Theoretical properties and numerical methods are investigated. Simulation studies using data from a real macro survey are considered to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimators. The empirical coverage and the length of confidence intervals are computed using several techniques in variance estimation. We also use data from an opinion survey to show the behavior of the proposed estimators in real application

Discursos pronunciados en el acto de investidura de Doctora "Honoris Causa" de la Excelentísima Señora Dª Carmen Herrero Blanco

Discurso presentado por María del Mar Holgado Molina

Game-Based Learning Outcomes Among Physiotherapy Students: Comparative Study

Background: University teaching methods are changing, and in response to a classical teacher-centered approach, new methods continue to strengthen knowledge acquisition by involving students more actively in their learning, thus achieving greater motivation and commitment. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the degree of satisfaction of physiotherapy students who used a board game–based approach, as well as to compare the difference between traditional and gamification teaching methods and their influence on the final evaluation of these students. Methods: A comparative study was conducted. Participants were physiotherapy students who were enrolled in the subject of “physiotherapy in geriatric and adult psychomotricity” (n=59). They were divided into two groups (experimental [n=29] and control [n=30] groups) through convenience sampling. The experimental group received gamification lessons, where the students performed different tests adapted from Party&Co, and the control group received traditional lessons. A total of 16 theoretical lessons were received in both groups. Results: The scores in the final examination of the subject were higher in the experimental group (mean 7.53, SD 0.95) than in the control group (mean 6.24, SD 1.34), showing a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P=.001). Conclusions: Overall, the “Physiotherapy Party” game not only stimulated learning and motivated students, but also improved learning outcomes among participants, and the improvements were greater than those among students who received traditional teaching

Diseño y validación de un cuestionario para evaluar la concepción y uso del patrimonio del profesorado de Ciencias Sociales de Educación Secundaria

El presente trabajo analiza el proceso de elaboración y validación de un cuestionario que ha servido como herramienta para conocer las concepciones que tiene el profesorado de Ciencias Sociales de Educación Secundaria sobre el patrimonio, así como el uso que hace del mismo. Este instrumento de recogida de datos se ha construido en el marco de un proyecto de investigación, todavía en curso, que tiene entre sus objetivos analizar la presencia del patrimonio en el currículo educativo, en las programaciones y libros de texto, y conocer el uso y valoración que el profesorado hace del mismo. El cuestionario, que ha requerido de un complejo proceso de elaboración, ha contado con la revisión y validación por parte de expertos y pares que han dado su juicio favorable tras evaluar los diferentes ítems. A tenor de los primeros resultados de la investigación, todavía parciales y en fase inicial de análisis, podemos afirmar que el cuestionario resultante es altamente eficaz, ya que nos ha permitido obtener la información deseada y aproximarnos a aquello que se erigía como principal elemento de interés: la consideración del profesorado de Ciencias Sociales de secundaria, en relación a la utilidad del patrimonio como recurso didáctico en el aula

Estimation techniques for ordinal data in multiple frame surveys with complex sampling designs

Surveys usually include questions where individuals must select one in a series of possible options that can be sorted. On the other hand, multiple frame surveys are becoming a widely used method to decrease bias due to undercoverage of the target population. In this work, we propose statistical techniques for handling ordinal data coming from a multiple frame survey using complex sampling designs and auxiliary information. Our aim is to estimate proportions when the variable of interest has ordinal outcomes. Two estimators are constructed following model‐assisted generalised regression and model calibration techniques. Theoretical properties are investigated for these estimators. Simulation studies with different sampling procedures are considered to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimators in finite size samples. An application to a real survey on opinions towards immigration is also included.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadConsejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y EmpleoPRIN-SURWE

Frames2: A Package for Estimation in Dual Frame Surveys

Data from complex survey designs require special consideration with regard to estimation of finite population parameters and corresponding variance estimation procedures, as a consequence of significant departures from the simple random sampling assumption. In the past decade a number of statistical software packages have been developed to facilitate the analysis of complex survey data. All these statistical software packages are able to treat samples selected from one sampling frame containing all population units. Dual frame surveys are very useful when it is not possible to guarantee a complete coverage of the target population and may result in considerable cost savings over a single frame design with comparable precision. There are several estimators available in the statistical literature but no existing software covers dual frame estimation procedures. This gap is now filled by package Frames2. In this paper we highlight the main features of the package. The package includes the main estimators in dual frame surveys and also provides interval confidence estimation

“Education Network” a new way to teach Chemistry

The complexity of chemistry has implications for the teaching of chemistry. That chemistry is a very complex subject. The majority of the students at University think that chemistry is a difficult discipline and they have difficulty in understanding the concepts. Moreover, students' interest in chemistry decreases the first year at university. The reason for this decrease might be that the contents of chemistry laboratory classes are boring, out of date and lacking of dynamism that students experience through visual media tools. For these reasons, new programs and methodologies should be developed. Those are based on making chemistry relevant through problem solving and collaborative learning hold promise for reforming chemistry education. It is about an education according to circumstances, which is adapted to context and virtual behaviour of people. It's time to CRUSH boredom by transforming your classroom into an Escape Room adventure. School-based escape games are a great teaching tool. The students while playing, learn. The most important point is that they won’t realize they’re doing both at the same time. In this work, an educational gamification experience based on the escape room concept was developed. The first (Do It Yourself) DIY Escape Room was built the year before at Mechanical Engineer Degree started, that took more than three weeks of work. It was presented to other professors to the same subject at different degrees. That DIY Escape Room was modified and adapted to each group. Each professor changed the clues, problems and so on in order to orientate the topic as much as possible to their students.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech