Psychometric measures of cohesion in university work teams

La cohesión ha sido un concepto ampliamente estudiado en equipos deportivos y organizacionales, pero no ha sido estudiado en equipos de trabajo universitarios. Además, se han usado medidas de la cohesión, como el Sociograma, que no han demostrado su validez de constructo. Este trabajo presenta dos estudios. En el primero, el objetivo es comprobar las evidencias de validez confirmatoria y fiabilidad del GEQ (Group Environmental Questionnaire) en equipos de trabajo universitarios y en él han participado 273 alumnos. En el segundo estudio, se quieren comparar las medidas de la cohesión a través de dos instrumentos: GEQ y Sociograma utilizando dos mediciones antes y después del trabajo grupal. Esta segunda muestra está compuesta por 72 alumnos agrupados en 4 equipos de tamaño similar a un equipo deportivo. Los resultados demuestran que el GEQ presenta niveles de ajuste buenos en equipos de trabajo universitarios (CFI =.995; TLI =.994; RMSEA =.04) y valores de fiabilidad aceptables. Por otra parte, el segundo estudio demuestra que, tras el trabajo grupal, las mediciones de la cohesión a través del GEQ aumentan en sus 4 factores, mientras que la medida cohesión con el Sociograma se mantiene sin cambios. Se concluye que el GEQ es un instrumento sensible a los cambios producidos en la cohesión de un grupo a medida que éste se crea, construye y evoluciona y sin embargo el Índice de Cohesión del Sociograma no lo es, y por tanto no reúne suficientes evidencias de validez de constructo para medir la cohesión.Cohesion has been a widely studied concept in sports and organizational teams but has not been studied in university work teams. In addition, evaluation forms of cohesion have been used, yet their construct validity has not been demonstrated. This work presents two studies. In the first one, the objective is to verify the evidence of confirmatory validity and reliability of the GEQ (Group Environmental Questionnaire) in university work teams through the participation of 273 students. In the second study, we aim to compare the degree of cohesion through both GEQ and Sociograms using two evaluation questionnaires before and after group work. This second sample is composed by 72 students grouped into 4 teams of similar size as that of sports teams. The results show that the GEQ presents good adjustment levels in university work teams (CFI = .995, TLI = .994, RMSEA = .04) and acceptable reliability values. On the other hand, the second study shows that after group work the degree of cohesion through the GEQ increases in its 4 factors, while the extent of cohesion remains unchanged when analyzed through Sociograms. As a conclusion, the GEQ is an instrument sensitive to the changes produced in the cohesion of a group through its creation, construction, and evolution, whilst the Sociogram Cohesion Index is not. Therefore, the latter does not display sufficient evidence of Construct validity to measure cohesion

La biotecnología en el contexto social y educativo

El trabajo busca poner de manifiesto, en el marco de la asignatura Cultura Científica, la importancia de la biotecnología en la sociedad y la vida diaria y la diversidad de opiniones que suscitan algunas de sus aplicaciones. Tras una primera recopilación de datos para obtener una visión general de los conocimientos y opiniones de los alumnos en la materia, se ha elaborado una propuesta didáctica para el primer curso de Bachillerato centrada en el análisis de algunas de las aplicaciones de la biotecnología a través de una gran variedad de recursos didácticos.Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y FisiologíaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Psychosocial factors related to the competitive anxiety of sports in training stages

El objetivo de este trabajo es indagar la relación existente entre la ansiedad competitiva de futbolistas y tenistas en etapas de formación y la práctica de deporte por parte de los progenitores. Participaron en este estudio 246 niños deportistas de tenis y fútbol con una media de edad de 10,43 años (DT= 2,42), que han sido evaluados con un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y el cuestionario de Ansiedad Competitiva SAS-2 (Ramis, Torregrosa, Viladrich, & Cruz, 2010). Utilizando pruebas t de diferencias de medias independientes y pruebas no paramétricas, los resultados demuestran que los tenistas experimentan más ansiedad somática, mientras que los deportistas de menor edad presentan mayores niveles de preocupación. La práctica deportiva paterna o materna no tiene influencia sobre la ansiedad competitiva en etapas de formación en esta muestra, ya practiquen el mismo deporte que sus hijos o no. Se discute la posibilidad de que, más que la realización de la misma práctica deportiva en sí, sea el contenido de las expectativas de sus padres lo que puede guardar relación con la ansiedad competitiva.The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between competitive anxiety of tennis and football children athletes in formative stages and their parents’ sport practice. 246 tennis and football children athletes participated in this study with an average age of 10.43 years (SD = 2.42), who have been evaluated with a questionnaire of sociodemographic data and the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (Ramis et al., 2010). By using independent average samples of T tests and nonparametric tests, the results showed that tennis players experience more somatic anxiety, while younger athletes have higher levels of concern. Paternal or maternal sport practice has no influence on childhood competitive anxiety in formative stages in this sample, whether or not they practice the same sport as their children. Furthermore, it has been discussed the possibility that, rather than performing the same sporting activity itself, the content of their parents’ prospects would be what may be related with the competitive anxiety

MIDAS: Detection of Non-technical Losses in Electrical Consumption Using Neural Networks and Statistical Techniques

Datamining has become increasingly common in both the public and private sectors. A non-technical loss is defined as any consumed energy or service which is not billed because of measurement equipment failure or ill-intentioned and fraudulent manipulation of said equipment. The detection of non-technical losses (which includes fraud detection) is a field where datamining has been applied successfully in recent times. However, the research in electrical companies is still limited, making it quite a new research topic. This paper describes a prototype for the detection of non-technical losses by means of two datamining techniques: neural networks and statistical studies. The methodologies developed were applied to two customer sets in Seville (Spain): a little town in the south (pop: 47,000) and hostelry sector. The results obtained were promising since new non-technical losses (verified by means of in-situ inspections) were detected through both methodologies with a high success rate

Autoestima como variable psicosocial predictora de la actividad física en personas mayores

Suplemento de artículos seleccionados con revisión del Congreso Andaluz de Psicología de la Actividad Física y el Deporte (13 : 2011 : Sevilla). Editores : José Carlos Caracuel ; Rocío Bohórquez.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-esteem expressed by people over 65 years of age and taking part in physical activity. Self-concept and self-esteem are psychologically fundamental components of quality of life in adulthood and well-being. Selfesteem has been proposed as an area of intervention to improve the quality of life in the senior population. The sample was composed of more than 184 people, 92 of whom took part in physical activity on a regular basis and another 92, who developed sedentary lifestyles. The results of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire applied to the sample showed different levels of self-esteem between seniors who are physically active and those who are not, with self-esteem being significantly higher in active seniors. Studies with similar objectives demonstrate and support the verification of the hypothesis that establishes a positive relationship between self-esteem and participation in physical activity

A lupine (Lupinus angustifolious L.) peptide prevents non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in high-fat-diet-induced obese mice

Bioactive peptides are related to the prevention and treatment of many diseases. GPETAFLR is an octapeptide that has been isolated from lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.) and shows anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential activity of GPETAFLR to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. C57BL/6J mice were fed a standard diet or HFD. Two of the groups fed the HFD diet were treated with GPETAFLR in drinking water at 0.5 mg kg-1 day-1 or 1 mg kg-1 day-1. To determine the ability of GPETAFLR to improve the onset and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, histological studies, hepatic enzyme profiles, inflammatory cytokine and lipid metabolism-related genes and proteins were analysed. Our results suggested that HFD-induced inflammatory metabolic disorders were alleviated by treatment with GPETAFLR. In conclusion, dietary lupine consumption can repair HFD-induced hepatic damage possibly via modifications of liver's lipid signalling pathways

The Use of Social Networks as a Communication Tool between Teachers and Students: A Literature Review

Social networks have drastically changed communication between people, constituting a means of everyday use by which information is created and shared in a simple, instantaneous way with the rest of the world. Although social networks were not initially created for academic purposes, they are gradually being used as a means of communication between teachers and students, making them an extremely important element in the teachinglearning process by offering new possibilities for communication and interaction as well as creating new learning spaces. The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of social networks as a communication tool between teachers and students through a thorough bibliographical review. To do this, a systematic review of scientific documents containing data on teacher-student communication through social networks was carried out, resulting in a total of 96 documents published between 2006 and 2016 indexed in different internationally consulted databases. From the analyzed documents were extracted the educational levels in which research on teacherstudent communication in social networks were carried out; the most addressed social networks in the study of teacher-student interaction through social networks; the research areas that have been developed and the main results

Teacher credibility: a literature review

En los últimos años la credibilidad docente ha sido considerada como una de las variables más significativas en la comunicación profesor-alumno, constituyendo un elemento fundamental en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Las investigaciones realizadas sobre la credibilidad docente se han centrado fundamentalmente en analizar las variables que afectan a ésta y su impacto en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Así, el objetivo del presente estudio consistió en establecer el estado de la cuestión acerca de la credibilidad docente a través de una revisión de la literatura existente, estableciendo las variables que la afectan y determinando su impacto en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos Web of Science, Scopus, PyscINFO y ERIC, seleccionándose para la revisión un total de 64 artículos científicos, publicados entre 1980 y 2018, que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión establecidos. En relación con las variables que afectan a la credibilidad de los docentes, se identificaron 8 categorías mientras que, con respecto al impacto de la credibilidad docente en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, se identificaron 5 categorías, incluyéndose en cada una de ellas las principales aportaciones de los estudios incluidos en el análisis. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se destaca la influencia de los comportamientos de los profesores tanto en las evaluaciones de los estudiantes sobre los mismos como en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, por lo que se señala la necesidad de que los profesores tengan conductas positivas para ser percibidos por los estudiantes como personas creíbles y, por lo tanto, para que afecte positivamente al proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.In recent years instructor credibility has been considered one of the most significant variables in the teacher-student communication, constituting a fundamental element in the teaching-learning process. Research on instructor credibility has mainly focused on analyzing the variables that affect instructor credibility and their impact on the teaching-learning process. Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish the state of the art of teacher credibility through a review of the existing literature, establishing the variables that affect it and determining its impact on the teaching-learning process. A bibliographic search was carried out in Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO and ERIC databases, selecting for the review a total of 64 scientific articles, published between 1980 and 2018, that fulfilled the established inclusion criteria. After the analysis of the studies included in the review, in relation to the variables that affect teacher credibility, 8 categories were identified while, with regard to the impact of teacher credibility on the teaching-learning processes, 5 categories were identified, including in each of them the main contributions of the studies included in the analysis. Based on the obtained results, the influence of teachers’ behaviors on students’ evaluations and on the teaching-learning process is highlighted, which indicates the need for teachers to have positive behaviors to be perceived by students as credible people and, therefore, to positively affect the teaching-learning process