La educación lenta

Máster Universitario en Estudios Pedagógicos AvanzadosEn el presente Trabajo Fin de Máster (TFM) se ha realizado una aproximación al concepto de la educación lenta, analizando sus antecedentes, principales ponentes, principios, ventajas y obstáculos en base a la revisión bibliográfica realizada. El trabajo se centra en la aplicación de medidas para ralentizar el proceso educativo en la escuela, pero muchas de dichas propuestas son aplicables más allá del aula. La educación lenta pertenece a las nuevas corrientes pedagógicas que están surgiendo en este nuevo siglo, para dar respuesta a la situación de celeridad en la que se encuentra inmersa la educación. Es decir, se trata de una manera de entender la educación que difiere con la práctica que se aplica hoy en día en casi todos los centros educativos y busca la mejora de las relaciones educativas. Aunque pueda sonar utópico, la implantación de la cultura de la ralentización en el ámbito educativo es una realidad gracias al trabajo de profesionales a título individual, siendo necesario el contagio al resto de integrantes.This master's thesis, considers the concept of slow schooling, analyzing its background, main speakers, principles, advantages and disadvantages based on a literature review. The thesis focuses on the application of measures to slow down the educational process in school, but many of these proposals are applicable beyond the classroom. Slow Schooling belongs to the new pedagogical thoughts emerging this new century, in response to the prevailing emphasis on speed education. It is a way of understanding education that differs from current applied practice in almost all schools and it seeks to improve educational relationships. Although it may sound utopian, the implementation of the slowdown culture in the field of education is a reality thanks to the work of individual professionals. Benefits would arise from more widespread application and number of professional practitioners

Cross-disciplinary skills in the European Higher Education Area: the importance and dominance of a foreign language

La adaptación al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) conlleva el fomento de la movilidad de docentes y estudiantes. A los profesores les corresponde el importante papel de incentivar a los futuros graduados hacia el dominio de otras lenguas europeas con el fin de que puedan aumentar su competitividad en el mundo laboral. La literatura y la evidencia práctica indican que el nivel de nuestros estudiantes en competencias idiomáticas no alcanza los estándares adecuados para competir. Así, nuestro objetivo ha sido conocer su opinión sobre el dominio que actualmente tienen de una o más lenguas extranjeras así como la importancia que le atribuyen al hecho de conocerla y dominarla. La metodología seguida ha supuesto la realización de varias experiencias y la triangulación de los resultados obtenidos de las mismas, las cuales han consistido en: 1º. Sensibilización a través de una conferencia sobre la importancia del dominio de otras lenguas y su relevancia para la empleabilidad del egresado; 2º. Acercamiento a las impresiones del estudiante que recibe una clase en inglés con un focus group; y, 3º. Análisis de un cuestionario de percepciones sobre dominio e importancia de los idiomas que analiza la opinión del estudiante sobre estos aspectos. Precisamente la evidencia empírica de este estudio proviene de la opinión de los estudiantes de las titulaciones que se impartían en la Facultad de CC.EE.EE. de nuestra Universidad contando con una muestra final de 540 cuestionarios. Los resultados muestran una brecha entre dominio e importancia atribuida que se refuerza cuando se analizan los datos según la movilidad del estudiante. El estudio lleva, finalmente, a realizar un análisis DAFO de debilidades y fortalezas internas, y amenazas y oportunidades externas que determine qué medidas se podrían adoptar para acercar el grado de importancia al grado de dominio.Adaptation to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) implies the promotion of mobility of teachers and students. The teachers have an important role to encourage future graduates to the mastery of other European languages so that they can increase their competitiveness in the workplace. Literature and practical evidence show that the level of our students in language skills does not achieve the appropriate standards to compete. Thus, our goal has been to know their opinion on the domain that they have about of one or more foreign languages and the importance attributed to the fact of knowing and mastering them. The methodology used has supposed to carry out several experiences and the triangulation of the obtained results of such ones that have consisted of: 1º. Awareness through a conference on the importance of mastering other languages and their relevance for employability of graduates; 2º. Approach of the student's impressions receiving a class in English with a focus group; and, 3º. A questionnaire analysis of students’ opinions about the dominance and importance of languages. In fact, the empiric evidence of this study comes from the opinion of the students from all degree programs that were given in the Faculty of Economic and Business of our University. We have worked with a final sample of 540 questionnaires. The results show a gap between domain and attributed importance that it is reinforced when the data are analyzed according to the student's mobility. The study takes, finally, to carry out a SWOT analysis of internal strengths and weaknesses and external threats and opportunities, to determine what measures could be taken to bring the level of importance to the degree of dominance. The teaching experience has shown that this active methodology involves a continuous workflow, and the development of teaching strategies of constant interaction between teacher and students. Therefore, despite the acceptance that had this teaching innovation, the load in terms of working time was the main problem highlighted

Social Responsibility and competitive success of firms in the Lisbon Metropolitan Region

Social Responsibility is considered a crucial issue to enhance a long-term competiveness in firms because it has been demonstrated the causal relationship with several strategic business variables. This paper develops a conceptual model and applies Structural Equations Modeling technique to a sample of 91 firms from the Lisbon Metropolitan Region in order to understand the link between Social Responsibility and competitive success. The model provides a simple guidance for upgrading competitive success in firms operating in Portugal. We consider this work as a starting point to develop a more accurate model for Portuguese economic reality in the near future

The effect of the internal side of social responsibility on firm competitive success in the business services industry

Este trabajo se centra en el lado interno de la responsabilidad social de las empresas en un contexto regional. Mediante una encuesta realizada a 590 directores de servicios empresariales (clásico-intensiva en capital humano) y representante de la economía productiva de la región de Extremadura (España), se realiza un análisis empírico. En primer lugar, se realizó un análisis factorial a explorar las principales dimensiones de la cara interna de la responsabilidad social y, en segundo lugar, un modelo estructural de ecuaciones se desarrollaron para buscar una relación con la competitividad de las empresas. El rendimiento de la empresa y la innovación también son considerados en el modelo. La principal contribución del artículo es el establecimiento de un conjunto de indicadores que ayudarán a construir un diálogo constante y sustancial con los empleados, mejorando su calidad de vida en el trabajo, que también servirá como una importante orientación para el incremento de la competitividad de la empresa a través de prácticas responsables de recursos humanos. Algunas sugerencias para un programa de investigación surgen de este primer intento de acercarse a la parte interna de la responsabilidad en los negocios.This work focuses on the internal side of social responsibility of organizations in a regional context. Through a survey of 590 managers in classical business services (human-capital intensive) and representative of the productive economy of the Region of Extremadura (Spain), an empirical analysis is conducted. First, a factor analysis is conducted to explore the main dimensions of the internal face of Social Responsibility and second, a structural equations model is developed to look for a relationship with business competitiveness. Business performance and innovation are also considered in the model. The main contribution of the article is the establishment of a set of indicators that will help to build an ongoing and meaningful dialogue with employees improving their quality of life at work that will also serve as important guidance for the increasing of the firm’s competitiveness through responsible human resources practices. Some suggestions for a research agenda emerge from this first attempt to approach the internal side of responsibility in business.peerReviewe

Práctica docente y aprendizaje inicial de la lengua escrita

Several studies on language didactics point out that the performance of pre-service teachers is highly influenced by beliefs that resist curricular orientations and research knowledge. This work aims to show the functioning of teaching practices for initial learning of reading and writing determined by the Spanish curriculum. To this effect, under a qualitative methodology that addresses the dialogic perspective of teaching, 71 reading and writing tasks were analyzed, which were representative of three different teaching practice profiles. The results show differences between tasks in terms of their typology, the interaction they generate, the materials and resources that come into play, and the contents they develop. The relevance of knowledge regarding practices is made explicit, which is grounded and contextualized in the reality of Infant and Primary classrooms in order to further the knowledge of pre-service teachers and teachers' professional development. Keywords: literacy, social interaction, pedagogical practice, educational environment, ethnographic research. Diversos estudios sobre didáctica de la lengua indican que la actuación del profesorado en formación se ve muy influenciada por creencias que pueden resultar refractarias a las orientaciones curriculares y los saberes propios de la investigación. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo mostrar cómo funcionan las prácticas de enseñanza y aprendizaje inicial de la lengua escrita que determina el currículo español. Para ello, se analizaron, bajo una metodología cualitativa que atiende a la perspectiva dialógica de la enseñanza, 71 tareas dirigidas a enseñar a leer y escribir, representativas de tres perfiles diferenciados de práctica docente. Los resultados muestran diferencias en las tareas en cuanto a su tipología, la interacción que generan, los materiales y recursos que entran en juego y los contenidos que desarrollan. Se explicita el interés del conocimiento de prácticas fundamentadas y contextualizadas en la realidad del aula de Infantil y Primaria para el avance del conocimiento del profesorado en formación y el desarrollo profesional docente

Validation of a measurement scale for the relationship between the orientation to corporate social responsibility and other business strategic variables

The importance of Social Responsibility (SR) is higher if this business variable is related with other ones of strategic nature in business activity (competitive success that the company achieved, performance that the firms develop and innovations that they carries out). The hypothesis is that organizations that focus on SR are those who get higher outputs and innovate more, achieving greater competitive success. A scale for measuring the orientation to SR has defined in order to determine the degree of relationship between above elements. This instrument is original because previous scales do not exist in the literature which could measure, on the one hand, the three classics sub-constructs theoretically accepted that SR is made up and, on the other hand, the relationship between SR and the other variables. As a result of causal relationships analysis we conclude with a scale of 21 indicators, validated scale with a sample of firms belonging to the Autonomous Community of Extremadura and it is the first empirical validation of these dimensions we know so far, in this context

Stability and Thermal Properties Study of Metal Chalcogenide-Based Nanofluids for Concentrating Solar Power

Nanofluids are colloidal suspensions of nanomaterials in a fluid which exhibit enhanced thermophysical properties compared to conventional fluids. The addition of nanomaterials to a fluid can increase the thermal conductivity, isobaric-specific heat, diffusivity, and the convective heat transfer coefficient of the original fluid. For this reason, nanofluids have been studied over the last decades in many fields such as biomedicine, industrial cooling, nuclear reactors, and also in solar thermal applications. In this paper, we report the preparation and characterization of nanofluids based on one-dimensional MoS2 and WS2 nanosheets to improve the thermal properties of the heat transfer fluid currently used in concentrating solar plants (CSP). A comparative study of both types of nanofluids was performed for explaining the influence of nanostructure morphologies on nanofluid stability and thermal properties. The nanofluids prepared in this work present a high stability over time and thermal conductivity enhancements of up to 46% for MoS2-based nanofluid and up to 35% for WS2-based nanofluid. These results led to an increase in the efficiency of the solar collectors of 21.3% and 16.8% when the nanofluids based on MoS2 nanowires or WS2 nanosheets were used instead of the typical thermal oil

La revelación social a partir de la guía GRI de la economía social: una herramienta para mejorar las relaciones socio-cooperativa

La problemática del socio dentro de la cooperativa y su relación con la Teoría de los Stakeholders centra el interés de este trabajo. Considerando, no sólo su participación democrática sino también su potencial participación dentro de diferentes funciones económicas, planteamos la necesidad de una correcta gestión de las relaciones socio-cooperativa. Concretamente, para contribuir a crear y/o mantener estas relaciones proponemos la revelación social y, específicamente, el empleo de la memoria de sostenibilidad al amparo de la metodología GRI específica para la Economía Social. La facilidad de aplicación y los beneficios asociados a su uso parece que compensan sobradamente los costes de su implementación y justifican nuestra propuesta. Como conclusión, podemos afirmar que el empleo de las memorias de sostenibilidad en las cooperativas es una herramienta poderosa para la mejora de las relaciones con sus socios, si bien, evidenciamos las escasas iniciativas abordadas en este tipo de empresas hacia temas de revelación social

Dentist´s knowledge, attitudes and determining factors of the conservative approach in teeth with reversible pulpitis and deep caries lesions

The aim of this study was to investigate dentists` knowledge, attitudes and factors regarding the conservative approach in the management of deep caries lesions (DCLs) in teeth with reversible pulpitis. 187 dentists were contacted directly or by mail, and 125 (67%) were finally included in the study. Dentists were requested to answer an open/discursive questionnaire about the routine approach to the diagnosis and treatment of DCLs, including knowledge-related attitudinal items. Total caries excavation was the preferred treatment option for more than 80% of dentists in case of DCL with reversible pulpitis. Only a small percentage (8%) chose partial caries removal, leaving some carious dentin close to the pulp to avoid pulp exposure. More than a half (51%) of respondents considered that cariogenic microorganisms must be removed or caries would progress. Dentists teaching at the University strongly disagreed with this statement (OR = 4.6; 95% C.I. = 1.3 ? 15.8; p = 0.017). Good clinical result was the most chosen reason (83%) to choose a specific treatment. Patient?s oral health (84%) and patient?s age (70%) were the two patient-related factors most taken into account for the choice of treatment. Total caries excavation is still the most frequently chosen treatment in teeth with DCL and reversible pulpitis. The joint assessment of the answers given by respondents allows to conclude that the new knowledge and concepts about caries lesions and the more conservative approach to DCLs have not still been incorporated by dentists into their usual clinical practice

Criteria and treatment decisions in the management of deep caries lesions : is there endodontic overtreatment?

The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic criteria and treatment decisions in the management of deep caries lesions (DCLs). The null hypothesis tested was that DCLs are managed according to the current scientific evidence. A total of 288 dentists were contacted directly or by mail, and 125 (43%) were included in the study. Dentists were requested to answer a questionnaire about the routine approach to the diagnosis and treatment of DCLs. Logistic regression analyses were carried out to calculate odds ratios (OR). Pulp sensitivity tests were used by 65% of dentists when assessing pulpal health in cases of DCLs, particularly those who had followed courses in cariology (OR = 3.8; p = 0.005). Dentine hardness was the most frequent criterion used during DCLs excavation (98%). Two thirds of the respondents (65%) removed carious tissue until they felt hard dentine, and feeling hard dentine correlated with caries removal even at the risk of pulpal exposure (OR = 15.8; p = 0.0000). Acute transient pain or sensitivity to cold or heat (reversible pulpitis) were considered by 58% of respondents as a reason to provide endodontic therapy. The null hypothesis tested is rejected. The evidence-based more conservative approach on the management of DCLs is not being translated to clinical dentistry. Root canal treatment is being indicated in cases of DCLs in which the diagnosis is reversible pulpitis. Likewise, it can be concluded that non-conservative management of DCLs, with endodontic overtreatment, could be occurring