Virtual exchange and the integration of global and ecological citizenship in foreign language education

242 p.[EN] This thesis was written and is framed in a context of educational change and global challenge marked by historic events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine and the environmental crisis among others. As asserted in the 2022 UN’s annual ‘Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report’: “Today, we stand on the precipice of a critical moment. Either we fail to deliver on our commitments to support the world’s most vulnerable or together we turbo-charge our efforts to rescue the SDGs and deliver meaningful progress for people and the planet by 2030” (UN, 2022, p. 4). For this reason, the pedagogical activities proposed here take on special relevance due to their suitability for the development of intercultural (Byram, 2008), global (OECD, 2018), and ecological (Dobson, 2000, 2003, 2007) citizenship competences that favour sustainable and peaceful coexistence. As stated by the OECD (2018): “Developing a global and intercultural outlook is a process -a lifelong process- that education can shape” (p.5). It is following this idea of using education as a shaping power for preparing students to seize the opportunities and face the challenges that the present context poses that this doctoral thesis is born. The spread of access to technology and the internet has made it possible to implement innovative educational approaches such as Virtual Exchange (VE) for such an endeavour . VE is an umbrella term used to refer to the engagement of groups of learners in online language and intercultural interaction and collaboration with partners from other cultural contexts or geographical locations as an integrated part of course work, and under the guidance of educators and/or expert facilitators (O’Dowd, 2018). Given that the number of students who spend a period of their university studies abroad is very low, such educational experience is key to the democratisation of access to intercultural learning as it offers students the possibility to interact and learn in an intercultural environment through the mediation of technology, without the need to travel abroad (De Wit, 2016). Consequently, in recent decades, the implementation and recognition of VE has grown progressively and exponentially. Numerous studies and research projects have been carried out by educators that have explored and acknowledged the value of involving students in VE. These have been implemented from multiple approaches with well-documented success in developing numerous skill sets such as Foreign Language (FL) proficiency, Intercultural Competence (IC), cultural awareness or global citizenship which are key to live and thrive in the present context (Furstenberg et al., 2001; O'Dowd, 2003; Belz, 2004; Brammerts, 2006; Müller-Hartmann, 2007; Guth and Helm, 2010; Chun, 2015; Lindner, 2016; O’Dowd, 2019). However, the potential of VE for the development of ecological citizenship, has not yet been exploited as it could, despite the urgency of training students to meet the eminent challenges posed by the environmental crisis. In response to this gap, this research has explored the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values students develop as a result of being exposed to an authentic experience of intercultural interaction and collaboration that enables them to better understand the local and global dimensions of environmental challenges as well as the possibilities for sustainable development. At the same time, this study aims to introduce this theme into the debate on VE with a view to promoting a global and ecological culture in university FL education. The aims of this research were: (1) to determine how the objectives of global and ecological citizenship can be integrated into the field of FL education through VE (proposal of a VE model), (2) to identify the observed learning outcomes, (3) to compare and contrast the possibilities of bilingual and lingua franca approaches, and (4) to explore how teachers can support students in their learning all within the framework of the VE model developed. To this end, an Action Research (AR) methodology was adopted. This methodology consisted of the design and implementation of two iterative cycles in which the VE model was tested and refined following the phases of planning, action taking, evaluation and refinement or reconceptualisation. Each VE intervention was designed on the basis of a literature review and the systematic collection of qualitative self-reporting and interactional data. Learning was measured through triangulation of these various sources of qualitative information over a two-year period in which two iterative cycles were implemented with 3 cohorts of students. In the first iteration, a telecollaborative bilingual-bicultural approach was adopted (see Dooly, 2017 and O’Dowd, 2016 for overviews) in which two groups of learners from Spain and Ireland studying each other's languaculture (Agar, 1994) communicated and collaborated using both languages. During the second iteration, a lingua franca approach was adopted (Kohn & Hoffstaedter, 2017) and students from Spain participated in a VE with a German partner class using English for communication and collaboration around issues of global relevance that go beyond explicit bicultural comparison (O'Dowd, 2019). The adoption of both approaches offers the opportunity to compare and contrast the possibilities of each telecollaborative learning configuration in order to reach reliable conclusions about their effectiveness for the implementation of the VE model developed. It also contributes to the need for further replication studies that aim to confirm the learning outcomes of specific VE approaches due to the heterogeneous nature of this pedagogical approach (O’Dowd, 2021b). Examples of such studies can be found in European Erasmus+ projects such as EVALUATE (EVALUATE group, 2019) or EVOLVE (EVOLVE Project Team, 2020) which examine the impact of the class-to-class VE model on large cohorts of students or the recent study by O'Dowd (2021b) in which the differences between these two approaches are analysed. The multiple iterations combined with the systematic collection and triangulation of varied data sources, allowed for the identification of the answers to the research questions and contributed in turn to the conceptualisation and evolution of the VE model designed in this study. Key reference works such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) (Council of Europe, 2001, 2018b, 2020) for the development of language skills in English, the Global Competences Framework (OECD, 2018) and Dobson's (2000, 2003, 2007) notions of the virtues of the ecological citizen were used for the interpretation and analysis of the data collected. The main outcome of this study is an evidence-based understanding of the possibilities of VEs to develop FL, global and ecological competences through both bilingual and lingua franca approaches. The VEs implemented and the final model developed were efforts to create opportunities to guide learners in building their intercultural, global and ecological profile to successfully cope with the present context made possible by the opportunities that technological mediation offers educators today. Furthermore, the study also identifies key aspects to be considered by teachers when designing and implementing VEs for the development of these competences. In addition, the study provides a VE model comprising specific tasks and materials ready to be used and/or adapted by other FL teachers who wish to introduce the global and ecological perspective into their classrooms

Observar lo invisible. Radiotelescopios: Infraestructuras entre el paisaje y el cosmos

This article investigates the evolution of a kind of astronomic observatory -the radio telescope- that has been varying since its origin due to the advances in science and technology associated with the field of radio astronomy. The article raises the hypothesis that the origin of this branch of science produced a paradigm shift that leads to a transgression of the typology of the spaces for knowledge and observation of the cosmos. At the same time, it offers a new type of infrastructure that, due to its scale, establishes a new relationship with the landscape. It creates spaces of convergence between nature, technology and culture. A study of six of the most representative large-scale radio telescopes of their class is carried out. The research compares both the technical data and the formal aspects with the aim of reaching a series of conclussions that contribute to a better understanding of the types of space that radio telescopes produce in relation to the landscape and the human beings.Este artículo investiga acerca de la evolución de un tipo de observatorio astronómico –el radiotelescopio- que desde sus orígenes hasta la actualidad ha ido variando en base a los avances en la ciencia y la tecnología asociadas al campo de la radioastronomía. Se plantea la hipótesis de que el origen de esta rama de la ciencia supuso un cambio de paradigma que conlleva una transgresión de la tipología de los espacios dedicados al conocimiento y la observación del cosmos. Esta nueva clase de observatorio, al mismo tiempo ofrece un nuevo tipo de infraestructuras que, por su gran escala, establece una nueva relación con el paisaje, generando espacios de convergencia entre la naturaleza, la tecnología y la cultura.Se realiza un estudio de seis de los radiotelescopios de gran escala más representativos de su clase, comparando tanto los datos técnicos como los aspectos formales con el objetivo de obtener una serie de conclusiones que contribuyan a un mejor entendimiento de los tipos de espacio que estos producen en relación al paisaje y a los seres humanos

Teacher Education, Educational Technology and Teacher Digital Identity

La perspectiva de la identidad docente digital es una oportunidad para repensar la influencia de la postmodernidad sobre la Escuela, el curriculum y los docentes. Basándonos en Bauman, Wenger o Gergen hemos definido la identidad digital docente, como un proceso dinámico y permanente que implica dotar de sentido y reinterpretar las propias creencias, valores y experiencias docentes a la luz de los nuevos contextos y marcos de relaciones en la sociedad contemporánea caracterizada por la digitalización de la experiencia humana. En este artículos hemos relacionado la identidad digital docente con los cambios acaecidos en la sociedad contemporánea, las concepciones del conocimiento, la escuela o la autoridad curricular. Reivindicamos un enfoque de la tecnología educativa crítica basada en la emancipación y convivencialidad, que incorpore la reflexión sobre cómo nos configuramos a partir de las experiencias digitales y de la cultura visual. Terminamos este artículo reinvindicando la pedagogía narrativa como estrategia de biografización de la experiencia digital docente.The prospect of digital teaching identity is an opportunity to rethink the influence of postmodernism on the school, the curriculum and teachers. Based on Bauman, Wenger or Gergen we have defined the teaching digital identity, as a dynamic and ongoing process that involves making sense and reinterpret the beliefs, values and educational experiences in light of new contexts and frames of relationships in contemporary society characterized by scanning the human experience. In this articles we teaching digital identity associated with the changes in contemporary society, conceptions of knowledge, the school curriculum authority. We demand an approach of educational technology criticism based on emancipation and conviviality, to incorporate the reflection on how we configure from the digital experiences and visual culture. This article claiming ended narrative strategy biographization pedagogy as digital teaching experience.peerReviewe

Sistema de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para tenderos de barrio mediante tecnologías avanzadas

En los países emergentes buena parte del comercio se realiza en pequeñas tiendas de barrio. A pesar de la sencillez del negocio, al carecer de ordenadores y programas informáticos de gestión, los tenderos toman las decisiones sobre qué productos vender y a qué precio basándose en su intuición. No tienen información precisa sobre qué productos dejan más margen o del stock que tienen en el almacén. Sin información fiable huelga pensar en conceptos como optimización del inventario o predicción de la demanda. Las carencias en la planificación se traducen en roturas de stock, menores ventas, ineficiencia y mayores costes. Debido a su pequeño tamaño, estas tiendas realizan pequeños pedidos a los proveedores con lo que su poder de negociación es nulo. Estos problemas se trasladan a sus clientes, gente humilde, que pagan precios más altos que en otras tiendas, nace así la denominada “prima de pobreza”, parámetro que cuantifica en qué medida los pobres acaban pagando precios más altos por productos básicos. La empresa española FrogTek es una empresa social con ánimo de lucro que trata de reducir esta prima de pobreza y ha desarrollado una aplicación de gestión para estos tenderos que se utiliza desde un teléfono móvil, dotado de un lector de código de barras para escanear los productos. La característica diferenciadora es que toda la información suministrada por las tiendas se agrega en la nube, con lo que se dispone de una valiosa información sobre el mercado, con datos como, por ejemplo, cuales son los productos más vendidos o los que dejan mejor margen.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Sistema de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para tenderos de barrio mediante tecnologías avanzadas

En los países emergentes buena parte del comercio se realiza en pequeñas tiendas de barrio. A pesar de la sencillez del negocio, al carecer de ordenadores y programas informáticos de gestión, los tenderos toman las decisiones sobre qué productos vender y a qué precio basándose en su intuición. No tienen información precisa sobre qué productos dejan más margen o del stock que tienen en el almacén. Sin información fiable huelga pensar en conceptos como optimización del inventario o predicción de la demanda. Las carencias en la planificación se traducen en roturas de stock, menores ventas, ineficiencia y mayores costes. Debido a su pequeño tamaño, estas tiendas realizan pequeños pedidos a los proveedores con lo que su poder de negociación es nulo. Estos problemas se trasladan a sus clientes, gente humilde, que pagan precios más altos que en otras tiendas, nace así la denominada “prima de pobreza”, parámetro que cuantifica en qué medida los pobres acaban pagando precios más altos por productos básicos. La empresa española FrogTek es una empresa social con ánimo de lucro que trata de reducir esta prima de pobreza y ha desarrollado una aplicación de gestión para estos tenderos que se utiliza desde un teléfono móvil, dotado de un lector de código de barras para escanear los productos. La característica diferenciadora es que toda la información suministrada por las tiendas se agrega en la nube, con lo que se dispone de una valiosa información sobre el mercado, con datos como, por ejemplo, cuales son los productos más vendidos o los que dejan mejor margen.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Sistema de apoyo a la toma de decisiones para tenderos de barrio mediante tecnologías avanzadas

En los países emergentes buena parte del comercio se realiza en pequeñas tiendas de barrio. A pesar de la sencillez del negocio, al carecer de ordenadores y programas informáticos de gestión, los tenderos toman las decisiones sobre qué productos vender y a qué precio basándose en su intuición. No tienen información precisa sobre qué productos dejan más margen o del stock que tienen en el almacén. Sin información fiable huelga pensar en conceptos como optimización del inventario o predicción de la demanda. Las carencias en la planificación se traducen en roturas de stock, menores ventas, ineficiencia y mayores costes. Debido a su pequeño tamaño, estas tiendas realizan pequeños pedidos a los proveedores con lo que su poder de negociación es nulo. Estos problemas se trasladan a sus clientes, gente humilde, que pagan precios más altos que en otras tiendas, nace así la denominada “prima de pobreza”, parámetro que cuantifica en qué medida los pobres acaban pagando precios más altos por productos básicos. La empresa española FrogTek es una empresa social con ánimo de lucro que trata de reducir esta prima de pobreza y ha desarrollado una aplicación de gestión para estos tenderos que se utiliza desde un teléfono móvil, dotado de un lector de código de barras para escanear los productos. La característica diferenciadora es que toda la información suministrada por las tiendas se agrega en la nube, con lo que se dispone de una valiosa información sobre el mercado, con datos como, por ejemplo, cuales son los productos más vendidos o los que dejan mejor margen.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

The Pyrenees as a cradle of plant diversity: phylogeny, phylogeography and niche modeling of Saxifraga longifolia

The current distribution of most species results from ecological niche, past distribution, and migrations during glacial–interglacial periods and in situ evolution. Here, we disentangle the colonization history of Saxifraga longifolia Lapeyr., a limestone plant abundant in the Pyrenees and rare in other Iberian mountains and the African Atlas. Our working hypothesis is that the current distribution results from the shrinkage of a more extensive distribution in previous cold periods. We sampled 160 individuals of 32 populations across the whole distribution range and sequenced four DNA regions (rpl32-trnL, rps16-trnQ, trnS-trnG, and ITS). Ecological conditions were modeled to identify factors promoting high genetic diversity and long-term persistence areas for S. longifolia. In addition, we inferred phylogenetic relationships, phylogeographic divergence, genetic diversity, and migration routes. Seven plastid haplotypes were found, of which six occur in the Pyrenees and one in the High Atlas (Morocco). Discrete phylogeographic analysis (DPA) estimated migration routes predominantly from the Pyrenees to the other areas. Colonization events to those areas appear to have taken place recently given that the rest of the Iberian mountains do not harbor exclusive haplotypes. Iberian–Northern African distribution was inferred to be the result of long-distance dispersal because the split between Iberian and High Atlas haplotypes is estimated to have taken place in the last 4 million years ago when the Strait of Gibraltar was already open. Migrations from the Pyrenees to the south may have been favored by a corridor of predominant limestone rocks along Eastern Iberia, followed by successful overcoming the Strait of Gibraltar to reach northern Afric

Microfinance crisis: identifying problems

RESUMEN. La actividad en el sector de las microfinanzas ha crecido de manera exponencial en los últimos años. En este periodo han existido grandes éxitos, pero también bastantes fracasos, los cuales han tenido menor repercusión. La literatura se ha centrado principalmente en los logros del sector y las buenas prácticas que han emergido de sus experiencias. Sin embargo, poco se ha tratado sobre los fracasos institucionales y menos sobre las estrategias que siguieron las entidades supervivientes a esas crisis. A pesar de la escasa producción científica sobre los fracasos de estas instituciones, no cabe duda que analizar los factores que influyen en las crisis microfinancieras puede ser muy útil para predecir futuras dificultades y, de esta manera, poder aplicar los mitigadores oportunos. Realizando un análisis empírico con datos de panel, para una muestra de entidades a nivel internacional, el trabajo se ocupará de analizar cuáles son los factores internos y externos más relevantes que explican las dificultades de las entidades del sector de las microfinanzas.ABSTRACT. The activity in the microfinance sector has grown exponentially in recent years. In this period there have been great successes, but also many failures, which have had less impact. The literature has focused mainly on the achievements of the sector and the best practices that have emerged from their experiences. However, there is little research about microfinance crises. Despite the lack of scientific literature on failures of microfinance institutions, the analysis of the factors of microfinance crises could be very useful in predicting future difficulties and failures. These results could be very helpful in applying the appropriate measures in order to reduce these failures. We propose an empirical analysis with panel data for a sample of international microfinance institutions. We analyze the most important factors, internal and external, which explain the difficulties of microfinance institutions

Successful breastfeeding among women with intention to breastfeed: From physiology to socio-cultural factors

[EN] Background: Even if women have intention to breastfeed, they do not always achieve a successful breastfeeding. Aim: This study aims to analyse factors affecting breastfeeding prevalence among mothers that intended to breastfeed. Methods: This is a prospective observational study involving 401 pregnant women that intended to breastfeed (asked at the 20th week). Breastfeeding prevalence was evaluated in reference to health-related, socio-cultural factors and healthcare professionals' interventions at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months after birth. Data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods, bivariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression modelling. Results: Independent factors negatively affecting breastfeeding prevalence related to mothers' and newborns' health parameters and birth characteristics included smoking during pregnancy, anaemia and use of analgesia during labour. Regarding sociocultural parameters, being an immigrant, higher education level, intention to breastfeed before pregnancy, comfort with public breastfeeding and bedsharing were positively linked to breastfeeding, while teat or pacifier use in the first week was negatively linked. Regarding healthcare professionals' practices, mother and father/partner antenatal education course attendance and exclusive breastfeeding at the hospital were positively associated with breastfeeding. Conclusion: Breastfeeding is a very complex phenomenon affected by multiple and diverse variables. Physiological factors only affect the short term (1st month), while middle and long term BF affecting variables are mainly identical and include mostly socio-cultural factors and also BF related practices, especially in the first days after birth. These data should help to develop more effective breastfeeding promotion strategies.Funding GGTM has received the grant OSIBB18/024 from BIOEF (Fundacion Vasca de Innovacion e Investigacion Sanitarias) . Open Access funding provided by University of Basque Country