Relevant Aspects on Teaching Probability and Statistics in Basic General Education

Probability and Statistics were included in the Basic General Education curricula by the Ministry of Public Education (Costa Rica), since 1995. To analyze the teaching reality in these fields, a research was conducted in two educational regions of the country: Heredia and Pérez Zeledón. The survey included university training and updating processes of teachers teaching Statistics and Probability in the schools. The research demonstrated the limited university training in these fields, the dissatisfaction of teachers about it, and the poor support of training institutions to their professional exercise.

Andragogy as a Knowledge Driving Discipline in Higher Education

This paper exposes the diachronic (historical overview) of Andragogy (or Adult Education) and its introduction as a discipline in the context of university education. Based on the andragogical principles of the adult thought process and the work experience, this study sets out Adult Education as an education option to be implemented in higher education, in Costa Rica, to develop cognitive and meta-cognitive competencies in the university students, in the different academic areas simultaneously, by reproducing the Socratic maieutics, which is structured within the Kolb’s experiential learning cycle.

Una mirada al fenómeno de la violencia escolar en Costa Rica

In the current context of education, parents, students, teachers, media and other sectors of Costa Rican society, express concern about the problem of school violence, a social phenomenon that has been increasing in recent years. Its manifestations are perceived by means of abuse behavior, intimidation, verbal or physical abuse among youth, which are constructed through cultural practices. Therefore, to understand this problem, reflection about possible causes is in order, taking into account the context in which social interaction is developed in each school. Some of the manifestations of violence are rooted in the family, the community, the imitation of the behavioral patterns, and the influence of mass media. Moreover, these behaviors are reinforced by the current curriculum model, generating resistance to institutional rules.