A Study Regarding the Representation of the Sun in Young Children’s Spontaneous Drawings

Drawing has historically been the preeminent way of portraying the observations of the sun. The study of the early stages of the development of astronomical thought and the examination of human graphic expression indicate this. With that in mind, it is interesting to note that young children very frequently draw the sun in their spontaneous depictions and, also, that there are preliminary indications that this fact might be related to their conceptual development. This study examines 279 pictures that children aged 4 to 8 spontaneously depicted, paying particular attention to their solar representations and the relationship that they have with other pictorial elements. The data is also related to children’s understanding of the inanimate nature of the sun. The results lend weight to the assumption that children do not draw the sun without intent and allow for adding fresh data to the growing body of research showing the importance of considering young children’s graphical expression when it comes to gaining insight into their understanding regarding natural phenomena

The impact of melting icebergs on sea level

Contrariamente a la creencia, muy extendida, de que la fusión de las grandes masas de hielo a la deriva en el océano no repercute en un aumento del nivel del mar, lo cierto es que el deshielo de icebergs, barreras de hielo e incluso de la banquisa tiene, en el actual contexto de calentamiento global, un impacto nada despreciable en el nivel de los océanos. Se presenta a continuación una revisión de este fenómeno y se propone un experimento ilustrativo que puede resultar útil para ofrecer una experiencia directa relativa al impacto que sobre el nivel del mar tiene la fusión del hielo flotante en el océano.The idea that the melting process of large masses of ice that drift in the oceans has zero impact on the sea level is a very widespread belief. However, the truth is that in the current global warming situation, the melting of icebergs, ice shelves and sea ice, does have a significant impact on sea level. The following is a revision of this phenomenon as well as an illustrative experiment which can be useful to understand the impact that melting of icebergs has on sea level

Relación entre motivaciones y cambio conceptual en el aprendizaje de las propiedades físicas de la materia en alunos de Secundaria

El objetivo de este estudio es verificar si las concepciones que el alumno tiene sobre sí mismo y sobre el aprendizaje se relacionan con el cambio conceptual en el aprendizaje de conceptos de Química. Se analiza cómo alumnos de Educación Obligatoria usan modelos microscópicos y macroscópicos para entender las propiedades físicas de la materia y como el empleo de estos modelos se relaciona con tres estilos diferentes de motivación hacia las tareas escolares. Los resultados obtenidos apoyan la tesis de que, dada la relación que las variables motivacionales tienen con el aprendizaje de Química, el cambio conceptual no puede ser considerado como un "cambio frío", al margen de variables afectivas.; The aim of this paper is to improve the understanding how motivational believes relate to conceptual change in the field of chemical education. The study analyses how compulsory students use macroscopic and microscopic models in order to understand physical properties of the matter and relatives the usage of these models with three different motivational styles. The general observation of this article is that due to the relation that these motivational believes can have with conceptual learning in chemical, the conceptual change can not be considered as a "cold change" without any connection with affective variables

The phenomenon of brine rejection: a practical proposal for prospective primary teacher training

The fact that sea ice may be a suitable source for fresh water is nothing new; in fact, sailors were aware of this long ago. Nevertheless, the issue that ice does reject the ions of a saline solution is not a well known topic by both novice learners and prospective teachers. This paper describes a practical activity carried out in the regular chemistry training course aimed at teachers-to-be with the objectives of, on the one hand, getting to know the phenomenon of brine rejection and, on the other hand, taking advantage of the utilized experimental design to gain insight into the colligative properties of solutions. This activity might also be adequate for secondary and high school levels.El hielo proveniente de la congelación del agua de mar es una fuente de agua potable. Este es un hecho bien conocido por pescadores y gentes de la mar desde antaño. Sin embargo, el fenómeno de la exclusión de la salmuera durante la congelación de disolución de agua salada es un tema poco conocido entre el profesorado en formación. Este artículo presenta una actividad práctica diseñada para ser llevada a cabo en un curso de formación básica en química para el alumnado de magisterio, con el objetivo de, por un lado, conocer más de cerca el fenómeno de la exclusión de la salmuera, y por otro, ayudar a lograr una mejor comprensión de las propiedades coligativas de las disoluciones. La actividad que se presenta también puede ser adecuada para el aula de secundaria

Actividad física y autoconcepto, físico y general, a lo largo de la edad adulta1

The purpose of this study consists in determining differences in self-concept and physical self-perceptions, as well as the relationship between these differences and physical activity and gender at three times during adulthood. A total number of 912 people (350 men, 560 women) between the ages of 23 and 64 (M = 45.41; SD = 13.41) participated in the study. The sample group was divided into three age ranges: 23-34; 35-49; and 50-64. The participants classified themselves as either active or non-active. Self-concept was measured by the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire (CAF) made up of the following scales: physical ability, physical condition, physical attractiveness, physical strength, general physical self-concept and general self-concept. The results reveal that: a. various dimensions of self-concept decreased as age increased in all three groups studied; b. This decrease is less pronounced in females than in males; c. a subjective perception of oneself as an active person is positively associated with physical self-concept; d. the decrease in self-concept associated with age affects active people less than their non-active counterparts. These data provide new information for both research and the personal and physical education of adults

Symmetrical Motifs in Young Children’s Drawings: A Study on Their Representations of Plant Life

Young children love drawing; this is without question. Besides that, drawings are also of interest to scholars and educators, since they seem to provide food for thought regarding children's conceptual development during their early education. Different approaches are taken when it comes to analysing children's drawings but insufficient attention has been given to the issue of the spontaneous depictions of symmetrical motifs in young children's drawings. This pictorial phenomena might not go unnoticed by parents and teachers but the fact is that the scientific community has no reliable data regarding how children under 8 naturally draw symmetrical patterns to express themselves graphically. Accordingly, the present study analyses 116 drawings undertaken by children between 4 and 7 on a well-known natural issue in early childhood such as plant life. Pictorial motifs displaying both cyclic and dihedral symmetries were found in the pictorial sample under examination and the data gathered is put in perspective with the gender and educational level variables. The results of the study show that symmetry, particularly, dihedral symmetry, is a very common pictorial practice in the sample and, also, that the occurrence of symmetrical motifs displays a relationship with the independent variables considered in the study.This study was funded by the University of the Basque Country (PES17/39)