La Profesionalización Docente a Través de la Colaboración Entre Universidad y Centros Escolares

El estudio que tenemos intención de comunicar, está dentro de un proceso de investigación-acción más amplio, que pretende afrontar los desafíos actuales que plantea la profesión docente, nuevos retos cada vez más difíciles de afrontar como educadores y docentes. En estos momentos de cambios y reformas universitarias, intentamos que se establezcan cambios cualitativos y metodológicos que proporcionen respuestas reales a las necesidades educativas actuales dentro de un marco contextual concreto. El practicum nos pone en contacto con la realidad educativa, es el puente de unión entre teoría y práctica. Proporcionar a los alumnos contextos donde puedan aplicar las distintos principios teóricos, requiere que se establezca un compromiso de trabajo colaborativo entre la universidad y los centros escolares. Para los docentes, sea cual sea el nivel que impartan, el tener participación y colaboración en la formación de futuros docentes supone de entrada ofrecer su contexto de trabajo y su experiencia a otros. Esta apertura ya es significativa en su desarrollo profesional, y por ello tratamos de establecer un trabajo conjunto donde a partir de sus necesidades podamos establecer propuestas de mejora a través del practicum

Vertical wind profile characterization and identification of patterns based on a shape clustering algorithm

Wind power plants are becoming a generally accepted resource in the generation mix of many utilities. At the same time, the size and the power rating of individual wind turbines have increased considerably. Under these circumstances, the sector is increasingly demanding an accurate characterization of vertical wind speed profiles to estimate properly the incoming wind speed at the rotor swept area and, consequently, assess the potential for a wind power plant site. The present paper describes a shape-based clustering characterization and visualization of real vertical wind speed data. The proposed solution allows us to identify the most likely vertical wind speed patterns for a specific location based on real wind speed measurements. Moreover, this clustering approach also provides characterization and classification of such vertical wind profiles. This solution is highly suitable for a large amount of data collected by remote sensing equipment, where wind speed values at different heights within the rotor swept area are available for subsequent analysis. The methodology is based on z-normalization, shape-based distance metric solution and the Ward-hierarchical clustering method. Real vertical wind speed profile data corresponding to a Spanish wind power plant and collected by using a commercialWindcube equipment during several months are used to assess the proposed characterization and clustering process, involving more than 100000 wind speed data values. All analyses have been implemented using open-source R-software. From the results, at least four different vertical wind speed patterns are identified to characterize properly over 90% of the collected wind speed data along the day. Therefore, alternative analytical function criteria should be subsequently proposed for vertical wind speed characterization purposes.The authors are grateful for the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of the Economy and Competitiveness and the European Union —ENE2016-78214-C2-2-R—and the Spanish Education, Culture and Sport Ministry —FPU16/042

Educación desigualitaria: la paradoja de la generalización de la enseñanza

The retum to the most galloping inequalíty in the most developped societies raises at the same time the problem of unequal education, just after a widened and mass consurnerism of schoolíng. Inequality in all the fields. which is not new. but appears more chocking as Education was presented like levelling, and this occurs at all the levels of the educational system. Therefore a reform of Education is becoming urgent, which should make us more conscious of the trap that may suppose a widening only quantitative of schooling, without taking away other obstacles ( economical and opportunitíes) that block the way to a more egalitarian educationEl retorno de la desigualdad más galopante en las sociedades más desarrolladas plantea también el problema de una educación desigualitaria, justamente tras una implantación generalizada y masiva de consumo de escolaridad. Desigualdad en todos los campos, nada nueva, pero resulta más chocante cuanto que la educación se presentaba como igualadora; y esto ocurre a todos los niveles del sistema educativo por lo que se hace urgente una reforma de la Educación más consciente de la trampa que puede suponer una generalización solo cuantitativa de la escolaridad sin allanar los otros obstáculos (económicos y de oportunidad) que se oponen a una educación más igualitaria

Promoting Emotional and Social Well-Being and a Sense of Belonging in Adolescents through Participation in Volunteering

This research received external funding from Research Group (SEJ 131): Analysis of Social Life.The data presented in this study are available on request from the first author, e-mail: [email protected] (M.L.-S.).The aim of this study was to analyze the differences within education-related degrees with respect to participation in volunteering. Volunteering motivation promotes and encourages emotional and social well-being and a sense of belonging in university students. This study was based on a total sample of 985 students undertaking Degrees in Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Social Education who attended higher education institutions in Northern Africa (Spain) and Eastern Spain. Once the quality parameters of the instrument were determined, the reliability was confirmed, and data collection was initiated. In order to analyze the results, a multilevel study (ANOVA) was conducted by interacting the variables for degrees with three levels (PE = Primary Education; EC = Early Childhood Education; SE = Social Education) and the variable "volunteering is my motivation to feel better", with five levels (strongly disagree, disagree, unsure, agree, and strongly agree). From the data obtained, it was concluded that there were significant differences between the different degree paths, the assessment covering sociodemographic variables and areas of interest showing that volunteering benefits university students both socially and in their decision-making processes.Research Group: Analysis of Social Life SEJ 13

Fast parameter-free region growing segmentation with application to surgical planning

In this paper, we propose a self-assessed adaptive region growing segmentation algorithm. In the context of an experimental virtual-reality surgical planning software platform, our method successfully delineates main tissues relevant for reconstructive surgery, such as fat, muscle, and bone. We rely on a self-tuning approach to deal with a great variety of imaging conditions requiring limited user intervention (one seed). The detection of the optimal parameters is managed internally using a measure of the varying contrast of the growing region, and the stopping criterion is adapted to the noise level in the dataset thanks to the sampling strategy used for the assessment function. Sampling is referred to the statistics of a neighborhood around the seed(s), so that the sampling period becomes greater when images are noisier, resulting in the acquisition of a lower frequency version of the contrast function. Validation is provided for synthetic images, as well as real CT datasets. For the CT test images, validation is referred to manual delineations for 10 cases and to subjective assessment for another 35. High values of sensitivity and specificity, as well as Dice’s coefficient and Jaccard’s index on one hand, and satisfactory subjective evaluation on the other hand, prove the robustness of our contrast-based measure, even suggesting suitability for calibration of other region-based segmentation algorithms

Self-assessed Contrast-Maximizing Adaptive Region Growing

In the context of an experimental virtual-reality surgical planning software platform, we propose a fully self-assessed adaptive region growing segmentation algorithm. Our method successfully delineates main tissues relevant to head and neck reconstructive surgery, such as skin, fat, muscle/organs, and bone. We rely on a standardized and self-assessed region-based approach to deal with a great variety of imaging conditions with minimal user intervention, as only a single-seed selection stage is required. The detection of the optimal parameters is managed internally using a measure of the varying contrast of the growing regions. Validation based on synthetic images, as well as truly-delineated real CT volumes, is provided for the reader’s evaluation

Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are usually granted greater sexual freedom, while the same sexual behavior is condemned in women. Culture can be a relevant variable for the SDS. Therefore, we have examined the measurement invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) across the Spanish and Colombian populations, comparing this phenomenon by country and gender. The scale comprises two factors: sexual freedom and sexual shyness. The sample consisted of 1832 heterosexual adults (46.3% men, 53.7% women), 54.3% of whom were Spanish and 45.7% Colombian. Strong invariance was found. The reliability values were good for country and gender. Men and women from both countries supported greater freedom for themselves compared to the other gender. Furthermore, Spanish women, unlike their Colombian counterparts, supported greater sexual shyness for men. Thus, what some authors have labeled as a "reverse sexual double standard" seems to emerge.This study was partially funded through a research project granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness (Grant Number PSI2014-58035-R)

Academic Self-Efficacy in Unaccompanied Foreign Minors: Structural Equation Modelling According to Schooling

(1) Background: New migratory flows taking place in Europe and the USA are categorised by a huge arrival of unaccompanied foreign minors (UFM), requiring appropriate attention to schooling in order to guarantee their integration. In facing this situation, the various political and educational administrations of the European Union (EU) have promoted an action plan for schools. Despite this, it has been shown that schooling does not totally guarantee social integration, encouraging the development of a new social model to generate new ways of understanding the learning process. (2) Methods: The aim of the present study is to adapt and validate Bandura’s academic self-efficacy scale (2006) within a sample of UFM. This scale is composed of 18 items distributed according to three underlying constructs. (3) Results: The validation analysis consisted of an exploratory factorial analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, followed by confirmatory factorial analysis using structural equations (root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.052; normalised fit index (NFI) = 0.90; incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.91; confirmatory fit index (CFI) = 0.91). Reliability and internal consistency of the instrument was also tested with values being higher than 0.7 for all dimensions. (4) Conclusions: The final instrument was reduced to 12 items which were grouped into three dimensions (effort, self-confidence and understanding). Finally, the conducted multi-group analysis showed a stronger relationship between understanding, self-confidence and effort within UFM who had resided in Spain for a longer time. This could be linked to the more prolonged schooling process received.National research project: "Modelos de aprendizaje para la intervencion educativa con MENAS. Herramientas eficaces para la integracion escolar y social" [Learning models for educational intervention with MENAS. Effective tools for school and social integra EDU2017-88641-R"Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades. Gobierno de Espana" [Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Spanish Government]"Unidad de Excelencia de la Universidad de Granada (UGR): Desigualdad, Derechos Humanos y Sostenibilidad (DEHUSO)" [Unit of Excellence of the University of Granada (UGR): Inequality, Human Rights and Sustainability