Quality of Life Profile, Overweight-Obesity and Sedentary Behavior in Elementary and High School Children of Guanacaste

The purpose of this study was to identify the quality of life profile, overweight-obesity and sedentary behavior in a group of elementary and high school children of Guanacaste. 635 students participated in the study. The participants completed a protocol by which they were anthropometrically evaluated, and also filled up a questionnaire related to sedentary behavior and quality of life. In general, the findings reflected a prevalence of overweight and obesity of 13, 9%. The most important sedentary activities were, in descending order, the small screen (watching TV, video games, computer), and certain social and cultural activities. The self-reported quality of life index was within acceptable limits but not exceeding 80 points on a scale of 1-100. There was no significant relationship between the rate of the overall quality of life, overweight, obesity and some sedentary behaviors, although some anthropometric parameters like percentage of body fat and body weight showed significant correlation with sedentary behavior and specific aspects belonging to quality of life. The study provides valuable information to health authorities, directors of educational institutions and parents about key issues related to child development.

Children's Library system, its projection in the Costa Rican Education

To focus the projection that libraries have had children in Costa Rican education, it is necessary to note that Costa Rica is one of the countries of Latin America, which has developed valuable experience of having specialized libraries in the care of preschool and school children , becoming an important resource in supporting educational and cultural level. This, then places it as a model country in this field in Latin America, on the initiative and from the heart of the capital, starting in 1971 with the opening of the Children's Library Carmen Lyra. System currently operates six libraries of this type, installed in different districts of the Central Canton of San Jose.

Análisis de necesidades educativas curriculares en la educación primaria dirigida a niños (as) nicaragüenses migrantes en Costa Rica

The intention of the article is to announce the needs of a curriculum Identified in the Nicaraguan migrant children that study at the rural primary school “Los Angeles” in the location of Los Chiles Costa Rica. They actually are in an exclusion, discrimination and indifference situation from the local institutions. There are strong obstacles for the effective learning and development of positive attitudes, lack of responsible participation of the educative community; the methodological procedure used at the classrooms and the curricular adjustment at the pedagogical official model from Costa Rica, divorced those, from the sociocultural conditions of the children, their families and the rural community where they live. This situation affects the children motivation, for not achieve educational goals, the few that register at primary school doesn´t end it and those that complete it have academic difficulties to enter at high school. The time has come for the educational systems from both countries –Nicaragua and Costa Rica– to consider joint educational strategies that can give an answer to the educational curricular needs that the Nicaraguan migrant children presents at the rural schools in Costa Rica.

Talent in first, second, and third graders: teachers’ perspectives vs. educational reality

The article addresses the subject of talent by emphasizing different conceptions about talent and by proposing an approach to this theme, from the point of view of talent in boys and girls. It also provides an analysis of research conducted with first, second, and third graders in public and private schools of the Costa Rican Education System. Using questionnaires and observations of the dynamics of the classroom as measurement tools, this study contrasts teachers` expectations about their students’ talent with the reality of the class environment, pointing out the existing abyss between teachers’ beliefs and their professional practices.

Influencia del programa filosofía para niños (FpN) en el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa de los estudiantes de educación primaria

Recibido 10 de noviembre de 2011 • Aceptado 23 de febrero 2012 • Corregido 14 de abril de 2012    El objetivo de esta investigación fue desarrollar la competencia comunicativa de los estudiantes de educación primaria basado en el programa Filosofía para Niños (FpN) contextualizado. Se tomaron como referencia los aportes de Lipman (1998), Bruzual (2002), Prado (2004b), entre otros. La investigación fue explicativa, de campo, cuasiexperimental. La población fue de 255 alumnos mestizos y de la etnia Wayuu. La muestra fue de 35 niños de segundo grado (7, 8 y 9 años). El instrumento aplicado fue un test con respuestas dicotómicas. La confiabilidad se ubicó en rkk = 0,855 (Kuder-Richardson). Se aplicó la prueba t-student como herramienta estadística. Producto de la investigación se creó un poemario denominado “Odas a tepi’chi”, de lo cual se concluye que la aplicación del programa FpN fue adecuado en el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa.