Are Self-Efficacy Gains of University Students in Adapted Physical Activity Influenced by Online Teaching Derived From the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Due to the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning suddenly spread to different levels of education, including university. In Spain, students of sports sciences are prepared during a 4-year study program to work in different areas (including physical education) and with different populations (including people with disabilities). The aims of this study were (1) to assess the effect of pandemic-driven online teaching on self-efficacy (SE) for the inclusion of people with disabilities in a group of university students enrolled in a compulsory course on adapted physical activity (APA); (2) compare the gains from SE before and after the APA course with a sample of students who followed the same course before the pandemic; and (3) explore the influence on SE scores according to three demographic variables: gender, previous SE training, and previous experience with people with disabilities. The study involved a sample of 124 university students (22.1 ± 2.6 years), distributed into two groups: prepandemic (n = 86) and pandemic (n = 38). They voluntarily completed the Spanish version of the Scale of Self-Efficacy of Physical Education Teachers of Physical Education toward Children with Disabilities, obtaining pre- and postcourse measurements. Due to the sudden lockdown, two-thirds of the pandemic course was taught online, and changes in the teaching strategies and tasks had to be made. Similar gains were obtained in both groups for the three subscales of the SE scale (p < 0.001, large effect sizes): intellectual, physical, and visual disability. No significant differences were found for comparisons between groups and the interaction effect of the course taught, nor for the three demographic co-variables. This study shows that teaching strategies that encourage student participation and reflections on learning increase student SE, regardless of the teaching format (i.e., face-to-face vs. online teaching). Moreover, the gains in SE are invariable to demographic co-variables

Entanglement gap in 1D long-range quantum spherical models

We investigate the finite-size scaling of the entanglement gap in the one dimensional long-range quantum spherical model (QSM). We focus on the weak long-range QSM, for which the thermodynamic limit is well-defined. This model exhibits a continuous phase transition, separating a paramagnetic from a ferromagnet phase. The universality class of the transition depends on the long-range exponent $\alpha$. We show that in the thermodynamic limit the entanglement gap is finite in the paramagnetic phase, and it vanishes in the ferromagnetic phase. In the ferromagnetic phase the entanglement gap is understood in terms of standard magnetic correlation functions. The entanglement gap decays as $\delta\xi\simeq C_\alpha L^{-(1/2-\alpha/4)}$, where the constant $C_\alpha$ depends on the low-energy properties of the model. This reflects that the lower part of the dispersion is affected by the long range physics. Finally, multiplicative logarithmic corrections are absent in the scaling of the entanglement gap, in contrast with the higher-dimensional case.Comment: 35 pages, 4 appendices, 7+3 figure

Effectiveness of an undergraduate course on the self-efficacy of Spanish sports sciences university students for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities

This study assessed the self-efficacy (SE) gains of higher education students concerning the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the delivery of a face-to-face training course with a duration of four months, comprising 28 sessions of two hours each. A sample of 158 sports sciences undergraduates (109 intervention group, 49 control group; 69.4% males, 31.6% female) from two Spanish universities took part in this study. The content of the course was based on three blocks: 1) concepts of adapted physical activity and disability awareness; 2) inclusion in physical education; and 3) para-sports, including teaching about the Paralympics and other para-sports for people with disabilities. Simulation was a main teaching strategy across the content blocks – i.e. limitations of body functions, simulating inclusive physical education settings, or practising different para-sports. Significant improvements were found in participants’ perception of SE when responding in a physical education scenario that requires the inclusion of an individual with an intellectual, physical, or visual disability (p < 0.01, moderate-to-large effect sizes). An undergraduate course that combines information, different types of contact with people with disabilities, and simulation seems effective to improve SE among pre-service physical educators in relation to the inclusion in their sessions of students with disabilities

Influencia de los suelos salitrosos en el deterioro de las viviendas autoconstruidas en el Pueblo Joven El Progreso, Chimbote, 2022

El presente trabajo de investigación titulada “Influencia de los Suelos Salitrosos en el deterioro de las viviendas autoconstruidos en el Pueblo Joven El Progreso, Chimbote, 2022” tiene como objetivo principal Determinar la influencia de los suelos Salitrosos en el deterioro en cuanto a las viviendas autoconstruidos en el pueblo joven El Progreso, Chimbote, 2022. Ya que ocasiona daños de las viviendas autoconstruidas como; fisuras, grietas y desprendimientos en acabados. para el desarrollo de esta investigación se realizó la encuesta a cada una de las viviendas seleccionadas del pueblo joven El Progreso, Chimbote. mediante fichas de verificación donde se realizó una inspección visual para analizar el estado actual en que se encuentran las viviendas, también se recopilo fotografías donde muestras daños ocasionados por las sales y humedades. Seguidamente se realizó 2 calicatas en diferentes manzanas de la zona de acuerdo a la norma E.050 de suelos y cimentaciones. donde se extrajeron una muestra correspondiente para el estudio de mecánica de suelos con el fin de obtener los resultados de análisis físico y químico de los suelos. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos el tipo de suelo un 54% son arena limosa y arena mal graduada con limo y grava que inciden en un nivel severo en las viviendas, la cual ocasionan problemas de fisuras y grietas, también tenemos el tipo de humedad en un 54% que inciden en un nivel leve en las viviendas autoconstruidas y son aquellas humedades por capilaridad, condensación y filtración y dejan como resultados eflorescencia y desintegración, asimismo tenemos la agresividad de las sales donde en un 100% las sales solubles totales afectan en un nivel severo la cual el mayor problema es el desprendimiento de acabados. Concluyendo que, en el contenido de las sales, las cuales comprende entre (4036 < NaCl <4278) ppm las sales solubles totales afectan en un nivel severo, los sulfatos que comprenden entre (824 < So4 < 907) ppm inciden en un nivel moderado y los cloruros comprenden entre (105 < Cl <136) ppm la cual inciden en un nivel leve en las viviendas

Improving Self-Efficacy Towards Inclusion in In-Service Physical Education Teachers: A Comparison between Insular and Peninsular Regions in Spain

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Improving Self-Efficacy Towards Inclusion in In-Service Physical Education Teachers: A Comparison between Insular and Peninsular Regions in Spain by Raul Reina 1ORCID,Alicia Santana 2,Rayco Montesdeoca 2 andAlba Roldan 1,*ORCID 1 Sport Research Centre, Department of Sport Sciences, Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche, Spain 2 Department of Physical Education, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Sustainability 2019, 11(20), 5824; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205824 Submission received: 30 September 2019 / Revised: 15 October 2019 / Accepted: 18 October 2019 / Published: 20 October 2019 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Education for Sustainability in Physical Education) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figure Versions Notes Abstract Physical education teachers play a significant role in educating students with special education needs, but they often feel frustrated and unprepared to achieve a successful inclusion process. The lack of inadequate training has proven to have an unfavorable effect on educators’ perceived competence, confidence, and attitudes when working in inclusive settings with children with disabilities. This study evaluates the effect of a training program implemented with in-service physical educators from two different regions in Spain, insular and peninsular, in order to improve their self-efficacy in including students with disabilities in physical education. A pre- vs. post-test intervention was conducted with two groups of 142 in-service physical educators with similar age and teaching experience. The intervention improved their perceived self-efficacy in including students with physical, visual, and intellectual disabilities in physical education (p < 0.01, effect sizes = large). The physical educators teaching in the insular region improved their self-efficacy to a higher extent. This study demonstrates the invariant effect of the training program in both regions, but the self-efficacy scores of the physical educators might be constrained by the contents regarding inclusion in their pre-service training, the education policies of the region where the teaching takes place or the geographical characteristics of their workplace

Incluye-T: Professional development program to increase the self-efficacy of physical educators towards inclusion

Physical Education teacheŕs (PET) self-efficacy (SE) is a cornerstone for a successful inclusion of students with special educational needs. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a training program called Incluye-T on the SE of Spanish in-service PETs (n = 229) toward the inclusion of students with special education needs in physical education, compared with a control group (n = 40). The study also evaluates how the training program is mediated by two demographic variables: teachers’ gender and teaching setting. The Self-Efficacy Scale for Physical Education Teacher Education Majors towards Children with Disabilities was used to measure SE pre and post-intervention. Significant improvements in SE were demonstrated for in-service PET compared to the control group for all the sub-scales of the SE scale: intellectual, physical, and visual impairments (p < 0.01, large effect sizes). All teachers’ self-efficacy subscales improved regardless of their teaching settings (e.g. primary or secondary schools) and gender. Implications for future professional development provision are discussed, including the delivered training strategies, materials or the duration of the intervention

Altering the Ad5 Packaging Domain Affects the Maturation of the Ad Particles

We have previously described a new family of mutant adenoviruses carrying different combinations of attB/attP sequences from bacteriophage PhiC31 flanking the Ad5 packaging domain. These novel helper viruses have a significantly delayed viral life cycle and a severe packaging impairment, regardless of the presence of PhiC31 recombinase. Their infectious viral titers are significantly lower (100–1000 fold) than those of control adenovirus at 36 hours post-infection, but allow for efficient packaging of helper-dependent adenovirus. In the present work, we have analyzed which steps of the adenovirus life cycle are altered in attB-helper adenoviruses and investigated whether these viruses can provide the necessary viral proteins in trans. The entry of attB-adenoviral genomes into the cell nucleus early at early timepoints post-infection was not impaired and viral protein expression levels were found to be similar to those of control adenovirus. However, electron microscopy and capsid protein composition analyses revealed that attB-adenoviruses remain at an intermediate state of maturation 36 hours post-infection in comparison to control adenovirus which were fully mature and infective at this time point. Therefore, an additional 20–24 hours were found to be required for the appearance of mature attB-adenovirus. Interestingly, attB-adenovirus assembly and infectivity was restored by inserting a second packaging signal close to the right-end ITR, thus discarding the possibility that the attB-adenovirus genome was retained in a nuclear compartment deleterious for virus assembly. The present study may have substantive implications for helper-dependent adenovirus technology since helper attB-adenovirus allows for preferential packaging of helper-dependent adenovirus genomes

The influence of a teacher-designed and -implemented disability awareness programme on the attitudes of students toward inclusion

This study aimed to examine: (1) the influence of a disability awareness programme, designed and implemented by attendees of the Incluye-T programme and implemented in real educational settings, on the attitudes of their students toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities; (2) the differential effects of the disability awareness activities between classes in which physical impairment, visual impairment, or multi-impairment programmes were implemented; and (3) the influence of personal demographic variables on participants’ attitudes toward the inclusion of peers with disabilities before and after the implementation of the disability awareness physical education (PE) sessions. A sample of 1105 PE students (13.1 ± 2.2 years) from 56 Spanish public educational centres took part. After the training programme on self-efficacy toward inclusion, physical educators designed and implemented awareness interventions at their schools. Physical educators implemented physical-only (23.2%), visual-only (42.9%), and combined activities for both impairments (33.9%). PE students’ attitudes toward inclusion were measured pre- and post-interventions. Those who participated in combined activities revealed significant differences for the four attitude scores (p < 0.001), while those taking part in visual-only activities demonstrated decreased scores for the overall (p = 0.044) and the control beliefs subscale (p = 0.010). PE teachers were capable of influencing their PE students’ attitudes toward inclusion using awareness activities taking into consideration the ecology of the interventions and the PE students’ base level of attitudes before delivering sessions. The type of impairment/disability that was the focus of the awareness activities was an important factor that influenced the effectiveness of the intervention

The role of motor variability in motor control and learning depends on the nature of the task and the individual’s capabilities

Recent studies have found that motor variability is actively regulated as an exploration tool to promote learning in reward and error-based tasks. Based on this functional role of variability, several researches have manipulated motor variability by practicing in order to maximize learning processes. However, the effectiveness of such variable practice as a tool to improve motor performance has shown several controversial results. The present work reviews how the interaction between the features of individuals with different motor capabilities (i.e. experience and brain disorders) and task constraints modulates the relation between motor variability and motor control and learning. Examining how the process of skill learning can be improved by the variability modulation according to individuals’ is not only of theoretical interest, but may also have several practical implications in motor learning and neuro-rehabilitation.Estudios recientes han demostrado que la variabilidad motora es activamente regulada como herramienta de exploración con objeto de incrementar el rendimiento motor tanto en tareas de aprendizaje basadas en la aplicación de recompensas como en la percepción del error. Basándose en este rol funcional de la variabilidad, varios investigadores han manipulado la variabilidad motora al practicar para maximizar los procesos de aprendizaje motor. Sin embargo, la efectividad de la práctica variable como herramienta para la mejora de la ejecución motora, ha mostrado resultados contradictorios en la literatura científica. El presente trabajo revisa cómo la interacción entre las características de individuos con diferentes capacidades motrices (i.e. experiencia y alteraciones neurológicas) y las características de las tareas modulan la relación entre la variabilidad motora, el control y el aprendizaje motor. El estudio de cómo los procesos de aprendizaje motor pueden ser mejorados mediante la manipulación de la carga de variabilidad al practicar no tiene sólo un interés teórico, sino que puede tener implicaciones prácticas en relación al aprendizaje motor o la neuro-rehabilitación