Relation between organizational commitment and professional commitment: an exploratory study conducted with teachers

The existence of several kinds of commitments in the workplace is well known. However, there are few studies that relate these different commitments or those established by deterministic models. This study explored the relationship between organizational and professional commitment in public higher education professors according to the multidimensional perspective of Meyer and Allen (1991), based on a convenience sample of 219 teachers. The proposed models were estimated through structural equation modeling methodology. Model 1 specified a relationship of direct influence of Professional Commitment on Organizational Commitment and Model 2 established the opposite relationship of direct influence of organizational commitment on professional commitment. Both models presented a good fit to the data without statistically significant differences between them. Nevertheless, the explanatory power of Model 1 was superior to Model 2, due to the fact that it includes a larger number of determinant relationships that are statistically significant. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed and new directions for future research were identified.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Promise of Preschool in Africa: A Randomized Impact Evaluation of Early Childhood Development in Rural Mozambique

This report presents initial results of a community based preschool program implemented by Save the Children in the Gaza Province of Mozambiqu

Natural implementation with partially honest agents in economic environments

In this paper, we introduce the weak and the strong notions of partially honest agents (Dutta and Sen, 2012), and then study implementation by natural price-quantity mechanisms (Saijo et al., 1996, 1999) in pure exchange economies with three or more agents in which pure-consequentialistically rational agents and partially honest agents coexist. Firstly, assuming that there exists at least one partially honest agent in either the weak notion or the strong notion, the class of efficient social choice correspondences which are Nash-implementable by such mechanisms is characterized. Secondly, the (unconstrained) Walrasian correspondence is shown to be implementable by such a mechanism when there is at least one partially honest agent of the strong type, which may provide a behavioral foundation for decentralized implementation of the Walrasian equilibrium. Finally, in this set-up, the effects of honesty on the implementation of more equitable Pareto optimal allocations can be viewed as negligible.

How Latin-American Primary School principals distribute their time and the effect on student performance

El presente artículo recoge los resultados de una investigación cuyos objetivos son determinar la distribución del tiempo que los directores y directoras de América Latina dedican al desempeño de sus funciones, identificar las características del directivo y la escuela que inciden en esa distribución, y determinar su incidencia en el desempeño de los estudiantes de su escuela. Para ello se realizó una explotación de la base de datos del Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (SERCE) del la UNESCO, lo que supone que se obtuvieron informaciones de 2.580 directivos de 16 países de América Latina. Los resultados apuntan, en primer lugar, a que sólo el 57,7% de los directivos de la región tienen una dedicación a tiempo completo a la escuela y que el 80% de la misma es para tareas directivas y el 20% para docencia directa en el aula. Profundizando en el reparto del tiempo directamente ligado a la gestión, los directivos dedican un promedio del 25% de su tiempo a tareas administrativas, un 16% a actividades relacionadas con el Liderazgo instructivo y otro 16% a tareas de Supervisión y asesoramiento a docentes, pero con una importante variabilidad entre países. También se encontró que la edad del director, el tamaño de la escuela y la situación de la zona en que se localiza son factores que inciden en dicha distribución. Por último, el porcentaje de tiempo dedicado por los directivos a tareas de liderazgo pedagógico incide positivamente en el desempeño de los estudiantes de esa escuela. Todo ello lleva a pensar en que es necesario reformular las políticas sobre la dirección escolar en América Latina, descargando a los directivos de tareas administrativas para posibilitarles dedicarse a actividades relacionadas con el liderazgo pedagógicoThis article describes the results of research work performed whose objectives is to determine the time distribution that Latin American principals dedicate to the performance of their functions, identify the characteristics of such principals and the school that have an incidence in such distribution, and determinate it influences the performance of their school students. In order to do so, a special analysis of the SERCE data was performed, which considers data obtained from 2,580 principals from 16 Latin American countries. Data indicate, that just the 57.7% of school principals in the region have a full-time dedication to the school. On average, the 80% of it is devoted to leadership tasks and the other 20% is devoted to specific teaching tasks. Furthermore, the time allocation directly related to management, principals spend an average of 25% of their time towards administrative tasks, 16% to activities related with instructive leadership and another 16% to tasks pertaining to supervision and providing consulting to the teaching staff, however, with an important variability among countries. It was also found that the age of the principal, the size of the school and the situation of the zone where the school is located are factors that influence such distribution. Finally, the percentage of time dedicated by the principals to educational leadership tasks has a positive influence in the performance of that school’s students. All of the aforementioned leads us to think that it is necessary to reformulate the school management policies in Latin America, taking away from the principals administrative tasks in order to enable them to dedicate themselves to activities related with educational leadership

El enfoque por competencias y profesionalización de la enseñanza: una clarificación conceptual

Teniendo a la base la temática actual de la profesionalización docente, este artículo presenta una clarificación conceptual en torno a cuatro interrogantes: ¿por qué profesionalizar la carrera docente y qué nexos establecer entre la profesionalización y el enfoque por competencias? ¿Qué entender por competencia? ¿Qué contribuciones aporta el enfoque por competencias? ¿Cuáles son los límites de este enfoque? A partir de los elementos expuestos, el texto intenta poner en evidencia la necesidad de realizar una reflexión crítica exhaustiva sobre el tema en cuestión con el fin de tomar decisiones más fundamentadas en materia de producción de currículos y la operacionalización de éstos tanto en las prácticas de enseñanza como en la formación docent

Tablets for Teaching and Learning : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Tablets and smart mobile devices are the most recent addition to the long list of technological innovations believed to support and enhance the teaching process and learning process. This review aimed at going beyond the general hype around tablets and smart mobile devices to investigate the evidence supporting their use in educational contexts. To achieve this purpose, a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research studies published since 2010 was completed. A rigorous review process resulted in the inclusion of 27 quantitative studies that were subjected to a full-scale meta-analytic procedure, and 41 qualitative research studies that were reviewed for substantive study characteristics. A significant average effect size was found for studies comparing tablet use contexts with no tablet use contexts (g+ = 0.23, k = 28). For studies comparing two different uses of tablets by students, the average effect size (g+ = 0.68, k = 12) showed a significant favouring of more student-centred pedagogical use of technology. Although not statistically tested, the findings also indicate that higher effect sizes are achieved when the devices are used with a student-centred approach rather than within teacher-led environments. Similarly, the qualitative literature review revealed that tablets and smart mobile devices are garnering positive perceptions within educational contexts, with the strongest support showing for the technologies’ effectiveness in particular tasks and when used within more student-active contexts. Finally, the review provides an overview of the Turkish Fatih Project as a case study and highlights the lessons learned

¡Saquen el libro de texto! Resistencia, obstáculos y alternativas en la formación de los docentes para el cambio educativo

¡Saquen el libro de texto! Esta exclamación clausura, con frecuencia, los ímprobos intentos de muchos docentes para instaurar algún tipo de innovación didáctica en su aula y suele expresar un sentimiento de fracaso y rendición ante los múltiples obstáculos y dificultades para llevarla a cabo. La revisión que presentamos pretende dar una respuesta tentativa a los obstáculos y dificultades que tienen los profesores cuando se trata de modificar sus prácticas educativas. Para ello se examinan, en primer lugar, un conjunto de investigaciones recientes que señalan tres grandes grupos de obstáculos que explican las resistencias de los docentes al cambio: factores de tipo personal-emocional, factores relativos a las competencias profesionales y factores de naturaleza institucional. Lógicamente se trata de factores que pueden -y suelen- combinarse, aumentando las situaciones de inmovilismo. Posteriormente se argumenta sobre la necesidad de propuestas de formación alternativas que, por una parte, minimicen el impacto de los obstáculos anteriormente analizados, y por otro, garanticen la sostenibilidad de los cambios logrados. En este sentido, se presentan y analizan cuatro propuestas formativas alternativas: el uso de incidentes críticos (tanto naturales como inducidos), el análisis de buenas prácticas docentes, el desarrollo de redes y comunidades profesionales, y la promoción de centros organizados para aprender a enseñar. Finalmente, a modo de conclusión, se propone un modelo de formación, inicial y permanente, del profesorado sobre la base de los obstáculos para el cambio y de las propuestas de formación alternativas analizadas. Dicho modelo supone un intento de organizar toda secuencia de formación docente basándose en tres dimensiones dicotómicas: dependencia-autonomía, descontextualizacióncontextualización y aislamiento-cobertura emocional. En definitiva, se trata de diseñar itinerarios formativos que promuevan la transición del profesorado hacia cotas más elevadas de autonomía profesional, ajuste situacional y protección emocional, tres antídotos fundamentales para enfrentar la resistencia al cambio en los centros educativos.Let's open the text book! Usually, this expression indicates the end of teachers' attempts to implement changes in their methodology and to carry out processes of innovation in their classes. Most of the times it goes along with a feeling of failure and frustration because it implies the impossibility to face and solve the multiple obstacles and difficulties that methodological changes and innovation processes require. This paper aims to explain those teachers' obstacles and difficulties when they try to modify their practices. From the revision of current research, three groups of obstacles are highlighted as explaining factors of teachers' reluctance to the mentioned changes: personal-emotional factors, factors related with professional competences and institutional factors. Evidently these factors can combine, increasing the situations of immobilization. After we defended the need of alternative proposals, which, on one hand, minimizes the impact of the aforementioned obstacles and, on the other hand, guarantees the stability of initiated changes, is argued. Four of these alternative teachers' training proposals are presented and analyzed: the use of critical incidents (natural or induced), the systematic analysis of good practices, the development of professional communities and the promotion of schools able to learn how to teach. Finally, as a conclusion, a training model of in-service and pre-service teachers on the basis of the obstacles and the alternative approaches analyzed are articulated and discussed. This model supposes an attempt to organize every teachers' formative sequence in bases of three dichotomy dimensions: dependenceautonomy, non-contextualization/contextualization and isolation-emotional safety. Definitely it consists in design formative routes that promote the transition of teachers towards goals to professional autonomy, situational adjust and emotional protection, three basic antidotes to cope the opposition to change of educational centres

Teachers’ perception of disruptive behaviour in the classrooms

Antecedentes: el fenómeno de la disrupción es cada vez más habitual en las aulas y se asocia específicamente a conductas que dificultan y obstaculizan el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. El objetivo principal de esta investigación consiste en analizar la percepción del profesorado sobre esta cuestión. Específicamente se trata de observar qué valoración dan a las medidas propuestas para mejorar la docencia, examinar qué modalidades de escolarización consideran más idóneas para afrontar la disrupción, determinar sus causas y analizar si existen diferencias según las características del profesorado. Método: 346 participantes respondieron a una escala de conductas disruptivas tipo Likert. La edad media es de 43,47, siendo el 82,9% mujeres y el 13,6% hombres. Resultados: las medidas propuestas para la mejora de la docencia son ampliamente aceptadas, existiendo diferencias en su priorización; la modalidad de escolarización idónea es la de centros ordinarios, existiendo diferencias de opinión, según las características del profesorado; y todas las causas del incremento de problemas son altamente puntuadas, destacando la falta de normas y límites en el entorno familiar. Conclusiones: los profesores demandan mejoras y necesidad de apoyo institucional. Toda reflexión previa sobre cómo mejorar la calidad del sistema educativo podría tener en consideración los resultados de este estudio

Non-Cognitive Deficits and Young Adult Outcomes : The Long-Run Impacts of a Universal Child Care Program

Past research has demonstrated that positive increments to the non-cognitive development of children can have long-run benefits. We test the symmetry of this contention by studying the effects of a sizeable negative shock to non-cognitive skills due to the introduction of universal child care in Quebec. We first confirm earlier findings showing reduced contemporaneous non-cognitive development following the program introduction in Quebec, with little impact on cognitive test scores. We then show these non-cognitive deficits persisted to school ages, and also that cohorts with increased child care access subsequently had worse health, lower life satisfaction, and higher crime rates later in life. The impacts on criminal activity are concentrated in boys. Our results reinforce previous evidence on the central role of non-cognitive skills for long-run success

Using Peer Discussion Facilitated by Clicker Questions in an Informal Education Setting : Enhancing Farmer Learning of Science

PLoS ONE, Vol. 7, No. 10Blueberry growers in Maine attend annual Cooperative Extension presentations given by university faculty members. These presentations cover topics, such as, how to prevent plant disease and monitor for insect pests. In 2012, in order to make the sessions more interactive and promote learning, clicker questions and peer discussion were incorporated into the presentations. Similar to what has been shown at the undergraduate level, after peer discussion, more blueberry growers gave correct answers to multiple-choice questions than when answering independently. Furthermore, because blueberry growers are characterized by diverse levels of education, experience in the field etc., we were able to determine whether demographic factors were associated with changes in performance after peer discussion. Taken together, our results suggest that clicker questions and peer discussion work equally well with adults from a variety of demographic backgrounds without disadvantaging a subset of the population and provide an important learning opportunity to the least formally educated members. Our results also indicate that clicker questions with peer discussion were viewed as a positive addition to university-related informal science education sessions