Actitudes y emociones en el aprendizaje de la ciencia: un estudio en Educación Primaria

En este trabajo se presentaun estudio sobre las actitudes y emociones que muestran hacia la ciencia 404 alumnos deEducación Primaria,pertenecientesa seis centros educativos de la provincia de Sevilla.El objetivo principalde esta investigación es conocery evaluar las actitudes y emociones que suscitan las ciencias en dicho alumnado. Para ello,se ha llevado a cabo una investigación cuantitativa utilizando un cuestionarioLikert. Los datos han sido analizados en función deltotal de sujetos,del curso y del género, buscándose además las correlaciones existentes. Los resultados muestranalgunasdiferenciassignificativasen cuanto al curso y el sexo, observándose como a medida que el alumnado avanza de curso piensa que las clases de ciencia no deberían durar más. También se ha podido vercómo a los chicos les resultan las ciencias más fáciles de aprender que a las chicasy, también que ellos están más de acuerdo en lautilidad de las ciencias en la vida diaria. Por último, se ha podido apreciar que existe una baja correlación entre las emociones experimentadas por el alumnado ylas actitudes hacia la ciencia, mostrándose una relación entre emociones positivas y actitudes positivas.This paper presents a study on the attitudes and emotions that 404 primary school students show towards science, belonging to six schools in the province of Seville. The main objective of this research is to know and evaluate attitudes and emotions that inspire students fot the sciences. To this end, a quantitative research using a Likert questionnaire has been carried out. The data have been analyzed on the basis of the total number of subjects, the year and the gender, seeking further existing correlations. The results show some significant differences regarding the year and sex, and it is noticeable that as the students go to the next year they think that science classes should not last longer. We have also seen how sciences are more easy to learn for boys than for girls, and also that they are more in agreement with the utility of science in everyday life. Finally, the study shows a low correlation between the emotions experienced by the students and the attitudes toward science, showing a relationship between positive emotions and positive attitudes.Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Educación Primari

Web-based education in Spanish Universities. A Comparison of Open Source E-Learning Platforms

Web-based education or „e-learning‟ has become a critical component in higher education for the last decade, replacing other distance learning methods, such as traditional computer training or correspondence learning. The number of university students who take on-line courses is continuously increasing all over the world. In Spain, nearly a 90% of the universities have an institutional e-learning platform and over 60% of the traditional on-site courses use this technology as a supplement to the traditional face-to-face classes. This new form of learning allows the disappearance of geographical barriers and enables students to schedule their own learning process, among some other advantages. On-line education is developed through specific software called „e-learning platform‟ or „virtual learning environment‟ (VLE). A considerable number of web-based tools to deliver distance courses are currently available. Open source software packages such as Moodle, Sakai, dotLRN or Dokeos are the most commonly used in the virtual campuses of Spanish universities. This paper analyzes the possibilities that virtual learning environments provide university teachers and learners and offers a technical comparison among some of the most popular e-learning learning platforms

A comparative analysis of ABE Bachelor of Science programs in European and US Universities.

European Universities are involved in series of great changes regarding teaching and education organization during the last few years. The origin of these changes is the creation of the so-called European Higher Education Area (EHEA), which main target is to harmonize the different University studies throughout Europe. As a consequence, most of the programs of studies in all degrees are suffering changes in order to converge to common structures. Taking advantage of the actual process, some European universities are moving from traditional Agricultural Engineering programs to a more wide discipline named recently as Biosystems Engineering, which is a science- based engineering discipline that integrates engineering science and design with applied biological, environmental and agricultural sciences, broadening in this way the area of application of Engineering sciences not strictly to agricultural sciences, but to the biologic al sciences in general, including the agricultural sciences. This paper presents a comparative study of different Bachelor of Science degrees offered by American and European Universities in the field of Agricultural/Biosystems Engineering. To carry out the analysis 40 programs accredited by ABET in American Universities and 50 European programs. Among other questions, the total number of credits, the number of semesters, the kind of modules and the distribution of subjects in groups (Basic Sciences, Engineering Fundamentals, Agricultural/Biological Sciences, Humanities & Economic Sciences, Applied Agricultural/Biological Engineering and electives) are discussed in the paper. The information provided can be an useful starting point in future definitions of new or renewed degrees with the aim of advancing in internationalization of the programs and helping student’s mobility

Social and academic factors related to students who are in the 5th year of the Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages with Specialization in French and English in the Semester I-2018 of the Foreign Languages Department of the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of El Salvador who have kept a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) equal or higher than 7.00 and those who have not during their studies

The present research study was focused on investigating the social and academic factors related to the academic performance of students of the University of El Salvador. The variables under consideration were the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) obtained through the academic performance as a dependent variable; and the extracurricular academic experiences, number of registered subjects, and factors such as gender, age, marital status, and economic status as independent variables. The data was collected through a survey from students who were in the 5 th year of the Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages with Specialization in French and English, (BA. in ML). The findings of this research have shown which factors, marital status, work, study time and others, mentioned before impacted more students’ performances which may help future generations of higher education to understand these factors and to use them to improve their academic performance, noticed through the Cumulative GPA

Effects of the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Stress Management on Executive Function Components

This study aims to determine whether it is possible to modify executive function in stressed individuals by means of cognitive-behavioral therapy for stress management. Thirty-one people with high levels of perceived stress were recruited into the study (treatment group = 18; wait-list group = 13). The treatment group received 14 weeks of stress management program. Psychological and executive function variables were evaluated in both groups pre and post-intervention. The treatment group showed improved psychological variables of perceived stress (t = 5.492; p = .001), vulnerability to stress (t = 4.061; p = .001) and superstitious thinking (t = 2.961; p = .009). Likewise, the results showed statistically significant differences in personality variables related to executive function, positive urgency (t = 3.585; p = .002) and sensitivity to reward (t = –2.201; p = .042), which improved after the therapy. These variables showed a moderate to high effect size (oscillates between 1.30 for perceived stress and .566 for sensitivity to reward). The cognitive-behavioral therapy for stress management may be an appropriate strategy for improving personality construct components related to executive function, however effects of the therapy are not showed on performance on the tests of executive function applied, as presented studies previous

Formación académica e iniciativa emprendedora de los estudiantes de educación superior tecnológica

Entrepreneurship is a key element for job creation, and for Higher Education Institutions. It plays a fundamental role in academic training and it furthers business development. This article purports to evaluate higher technological education students’ entrepreneurial initiative in Mexico. Planning Behavior Theory is used to identify significant differences in academic training. The GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Student's Survey) questionnaire was applied to 919 students. The research was an empirical, quantitative, cross-sectional study with a descriptive and explanatory scope. The ANOVA analysis method of factorial variance was use. The hypothesis that concerns the existence of statistically significant differences regarding academic training was proved; it concerned medium personal attitude scores towards entrepreneurship, subjective rules, and entrepreneurial initiative global index.  El emprendimiento es un elemento clave para la generación de empleo, y las Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) juegan un papel fundamental en la formación académica y fomento al desarrollo empresarial. El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar la iniciativa emprendedora de los estudiantes de educación superior tecnológica en México, mediante la Teoría del Comportamiento Planificado, con la finalidad de identificar diferencias significativas respecto a la formación académica. Se aplicó el cuestionario GUESSS (Global University Entrepreurial Spirit Student's Survey) a 919 estudiantes. Es un estudio empírico, cuantitativo, de corte transversal, con alcance descriptivo y explicativo. Se aplicó el método de análisis de varianza factorial ANOVA. Se comprueba la hipótesis que plantea la existencia de diferencias estadísticamente significativas respecto a la formación académica en las puntuaciones medias de actitud personal hacia el emprendimiento, normas subjetivas y el índice global de iniciativa emprendedora

Presence of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Food Contact Materials (FCM) and Its Migration to Food

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemical compounds widely used in different industry fields including food contact materials (FCM), providing resistance to fat and humidity, and non-stick properties. PFAS enter into the food chain directly from the intake of contaminated food or indirectly from the migration of the FCM into the food. This exposure published in different research highlights a public health concern. Therefore, it is necessary to perform analysis of the content of different FCM and evaluate the migration from the FCM under normal conditions of use and storage. This bibliographical review proves that different perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds are detected in fast food packaging, microwave popcorn bags, and frying pans, among others. Furthermore, it shows the conditions or factors that favor the migration of the PFAS from the FCM into the foodThis research was funded by the Consellería de Cultura, Eduación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia, within the project “Consolidación y estructuración de unidades de investigación competitivas—Grupos de referencia competitiva (GRC)” Ref. No. GRC ED431C 2019/30. P.V.L. acknowledges to “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades” for her Predoctoral fellowship (ref. PRE2019-088195); A.L.C. is grateful for her grant “Programa de axudas á etapa predoutoral” da Xunta de Galicia (Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria). L.B.P. is grateful to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities for her “Juan de la Cierva—Incorporación” Grant (Agreement No. IJCI- 2017-31665)S

A virtual reality approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: Contrasting two distinct protocols

Virtual reality adaptations of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-VR) constitute useful tools for studying the physiologic axes involved in the stress response. Here, we aimed to determine the most appropriate experimental approach to the TSST-VR when investigating the modulation of the axes involved in the stress response. We compared the use of goggles versus a screen projection in the TSST-VR paradigm. Forty-five healthy participants were divided into two groups: the first one (goggles condition; 13 females, 11 males) wore goggles while performing the TSST-VR; the second (screen condition; 15 females, six males) was exposed to the TSST-VR projected on a screen. Sympathetic reactivity to stress was measured by continuously recording skin conductance (SC), while the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) was evaluated by sampling salivary cortisol throughout the experiment. At the end of the task, there was an increase in SC and cortisol level for both means of delivering the TSST-VR, although the increase in SC was greater in the goggles condition, while salivary cortisol was comparable in both groups. Immersion levels were reportedly higher in the screen presentation than in the goggles group. In terms of sex differences, females experienced greater involvement and spatial presence, though comparatively less experienced realism, than their male counterparts. These findings help us determine which protocol of the TSST-VR is most suitable for the stress response under study. They also emphasize the need to consider the sex of participants, as males and females show distinct responses in each protocol.This study is a part of a Thesis Doctoral and was supported by the I+D Project “PSI2010-15780” of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation

Physicochemical and Rheological Changes of Starch in Nixtamalization Processes: Extrusion as an Alternative to Produce Corn Flour

Corn tortilla is a food consumed mainly in México and Central America. It provides 50% of total calories ingestion and is a good source of fiber. Tortilla is produced by the nixtamalization process using corn, water and lime. It has been produced by alternative processes as extrusion, reducing cooking liquor, and increasing dietary fiber. The aim of this book chapter is to describe the changes in corn starch by different nixtamalization processes, also are presented the advantages and disadvantages of both processes, encouraging some aspects of producing corn flour by extrusion. The extrusion is a technology that is dependent of process variables and is reflected on quality of end product. Several factors are involved, as feed moisture and temperature, and they have a direct impact on corn starch physicochemical, textural, and rheological properties

Goniodysgenesis variability and activity of CYP1B1 genotypes in primary congenital glaucoma

Mutations in the CYP1B1 gene are currently the main known genetic cause of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG), a leading cause of blindness in children. Here, we analyze for the first time the CYP1B1 genotype activity and the microscopic and clinical phenotypes in human PCG. Surgical pieces from trabeculectomy from patients with PCG (n = 5) and sclerocorneal rims (n = 3) from cadaver donors were processed for transmission electron microscopy. Patients were classified into three groups depending on goniodysgenesis severity, which was influenced by CYP1B1 enzymatic activity. The main histological changes observed in the outflow pathway of patients with PCG and mutations in CYP1B1 were: i) underdeveloped collector channels and the Schlemm’s canal; ii) abnormal insertion of the ciliary muscle; iii) death of the trabecular endothelial cells. Our findings could be useful in improving treatment strategy of PCG associated with CYP1B1 mutations