Assesing young learner's english materials

Nowadays all educational authorities in Europe are making an effort to teach foreign languages starting at very early ages. Teachers of English at nursery and pre-school levels used to produce their own materials, although in the last few years we have seen a flourishing amount of teaching methods and materials for young learners issued by every well-known publishing house. With this panorama in mind, the difficulty of the teacher’s task has changed from one side to the other, as some times it is not easy to decide which books children should or shouldn’t buy. Taking this need into consideration, in this paper we intend to study all the elements involved in the assessment of course books and supplementary materials for young learners and provide examples of evaluation templates. The analysis includes the physical format of coursebooks, the components of the methods the authors, their adequacy in terms of Ministry of Education requirements, and then, the contents taught with the underlying pedagogy. There are other elements such as audiovisual aids and educational software, also taken into consideration.En la actualidad todas las autoridades educativas europeas están realizando un gran esfuerzo para fomentar el aprendizaje y la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras en edades tempranas. Los profesores de inglés en educación infantil solían usar en sus clases materiales de elaboración propia, aunque en los últimos años hemos presenciado un florecimiento de métodos y materiales destinados a este grupo de jóvenes aprendices, publicados por todas las editoriales de prestigio en EFL. Situados en este nuevo escenario, el profesorado se ha tenido que enfrentar con una nueva tarea, la de elegir los libros que las editoriales ponen a su alcance. En este artículo intentamos analizar todos los elementos que intervienen en la evaluación de libros de texto y materiales complementarios para niños de Educación Infantil y Primaria y proporcionar ejemplos de plantillas de evaluación. El análisis incluye el formato físico de los libros de texto y los componentes de los métodos, autores, su adecuación en función de los requerimientos del Ministerio de Educación y, además, los contenidos enseñados y la metodología empleada. Hay otros elementos como ayudas audiovisuales y software educativo que también se tienen en cuenta

Proyecto de la instalación eléctrica, domótica y fotovoltaica de un polideportivo

This project includes the design of an electrical, home automation, fire protection system, ventilation system and photovoltaic installation for a sport center. The building design shows a main floor and a rooftop. The first floor has its own electrical switchboard, which will provide users more comfort. The photovoltaic panels are located in the roof. The home automation installation aids users simplifying the normal tasks, providing them with all the amenities like intelligent lighting with motion sensors, flood detectors and fire alarms. In addition to this, the blinds will close automatically in case of heavy winds.Este proyecto de construcción de un polideportivo ayudará a los deportistas canarios a explotar sus habilidades deportivas. Se pretende además conseguir en cuanto a otros niveles, tanto culturales como sociales, satisfacer la demanda local de instalaciones deportivas, animar a las personas de todas las edades a integrar el deporte en su vida cotidiana aprovechando todas las ventajas que ofrece este recurso y aprovechar zonas urbanizables no residenciales para un uso no contaminante. El proyecto contiene el diseño de instalación eléctrica, domótica, fotovoltaica de un polideportivo junto con sistemas de protección contra incendios y ventilación

Physical Education and the development of autonomy: the perception of the students of Secondary Education

Este estudio se centró en conocer la percepción del alumnado sobre el apoyo docente al desarrollo de su autonomía en Educación Física (EF). Se aplicó la Escala de Percepción de Apoyo a la Autonomía en las Clases de Educación Física (EPAACEF), diseñada por los autores de este artículo y validada con adecuadas propiedades psicométricas. La escala, conteniendo 34 ítems, agrupados en cuatro dimensiones, fue aplicada a 721 alumnos y alumnas de Educación Secundaria (347 chicas), con una media de edad de 14.4 (±1.5) años. Este alumnado recibe clases de EF de siete docentes, con formación específica en EF y diferente experiencia en la enseñanza. Los resultados muestran la idoneidad de diseñar la EPAACEF, porque permite valorar los comportamientos docentes desde una perspectiva más sistémica, pudiendo afirmar que, según la percepción del alumnado, los comportamientos que apoyarían un desarrollo de su autonomía se producen con una frecuencia «moderadamente baja». Los docentes obtienen mejores resultados en los comportamientos relacionados con la atención a la motivación, y con la atención al desarrollo cognitivo y metacognitivo, debiendo atender más a las necesidades del alumnado relacionadas con los ritmos de aprendizaje y con fomento de sugerencias y participación activa. Analizando la EPAACEF globalmente no se producen diferencias significativas en función del género y de la edad, pero sí en alguna de las dimensionesThis study focused on the perception of students on the teaching support to the development of their autonomy in Physical Education (PE). The Autonomy Support Perception Scale in the Physical Education Classes (EPAACEF), designed by the authors of this article and validated with adequate psychometric properties, was applied. The scale, containing 34 items, grouped in four dimensions, was applied to 721 students of secondary education (347 girls), with a mean age of 14.4 (± 1.5) years. These students receive PE classes of seven teachers, with specific training in PE and different teaching experience. The results show the appropriateness and validity of the EPAACEF, because it allows evaluating teacher behaviours from a more systemic perspective, being able to affirm that, according to the perception of the students, the behaviours that would support a development of their autonomy occur with a frequency «moderately low». Teachers obtain better results in the behaviours related to attention to motivation, and attention to cognitive and metacognitive development. They must attend more to the needs of students related to learning rhythms and encouraging suggestions and active participation. Analysing the EPAACEF globally, there are no significant differences in terms of gender and age, but exist in some of the dimension

Factors in the acquisition of an ethical training

Society in general demands an ethical behavior in business world. The research problem of the paper is to analyze whether higher education institutions of business contribute to ethical decisions making in students through a specific training approach based on practical methodologies that take into account students’ personal characteristics, which may affect the ethical decisions making. The acquisition of knowledge should be more effective whether is based on personal characteristics

Which Are the Main Factors Influencing Corporate Social Responsibility Information Disclosures on Universities’Websites

Universities are now becoming more active in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Nevertheless, they do not appear to be granting the same degree of importance to the dissemination of these activities. This article analyses the voluntary corporate social responsibility information disclosed by leading USA universities. We created several indexes of corporate social responsibility information disclosure and examined main universities’ characteristics that affect corporate social responsibility disclosure by these entities. The findings obtained show that the universities are strongly committed to the dissemination of corporate social responsibility information, and that a university’s size, affiliation, public/private status and ranking position are the factors most significantly affecting its online disclosure of general corporate social responsibility information. These findings could be useful for university administrators, especially those in public universities, highlighting the importance of developing and supporting policies and incentives to promote CSR disclosure and thus attract new students and meet social expectations about the ethical behaviour of universities

Prevalence of Perineal Tear Peripartum after Two Antepartum Perineal Massage Techniques: A Non-Randomised Controlled Trial

[EN] Perineal massage increases elasticity of myofascial perineal tissue and decreases the burn-ing and perineal pain during labour, thus optimising child birth, although an application protocol has not been standardised yet. The objective of this study is to determine the efficiency of massage in perineal tear prevention and identification of possible differences in massage application. Total of 90 pregnant participants were divided into three groups: perineal massage and EPI-NO® device group, applied by an expert physiotherapist, self-massage group, where women were instructed to apply perineal massage in domestic household, and a control group, which received ordinary obstetric attention. Results: The results showed significant differences among the control group and the two perineal massage groups in perineal postpartum pain. Correlations in perineal postpartum pain, labour duration and the baby’s weight were not statistically significant. Lithotomy posture was significantly less prevalent in the massage group than in the other two; this variable is known to have a direct effect on episiotomy incidence and could act as a causal covariate of the different incidence of episiotomy in the groups. Perineal massage reduces postpartum perineal pain, prevalence and severity of perineal tear during delivery.S

Perineal Massage during Pregnancy for the Prevention of Postpartum Urinary Incontinence: Controlled Clinical Trial

[EN] Background and objectives: Urinary incontinence is any involuntary loss of urine. It may result in anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and social isolation. Perineal massage has spread as a prophylactic technique for treating complications during labor. Acknowledged effects of perineal massage are reduction of incidence and severity of perineal tear and use of equipment directly related to the intrapartum perineal trauma. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of massage in urinary incontinence prevention and identification of possible differences in its form of application (self-massage or by a physiotherapist), with the previous assumption that it is effective and that there are differences between the different forms of application. Materials and Methods: A controlled clinical trial with a sample of 81 pregnant women was conducted. The participants were divided into three groups: a group that received the massage applied by a specialized physiotherapist, another group that applied the massage to themselves, and a control group that only received ordinary obstetric care. Results: No differences were identified in the incidence or severity of urinary incontinence among the three groups. The severity of the incontinence was only affected by the body mass index and the weight of the baby at the time of delivery. Conclusions: A relationship between perineal massage interventions and development of urinary incontinence has not been observed.S