Teamwork competence and academic motivation in computer science engineering studies.

The present work is focused on studying two issues: the “teamwork” generic competence and the “academic motivation”. Currently the professional profile of engineers has a strong component of teamwork. On the other hand, motivational profile of students determines their tendencies when they come to work in team, as well as their performance at work. In this context we suggest four hypotheses: (H1) students improve their teamwork capacity by specific training and carrying out a set of activities integrated into an active learning process; (H2) students with higher mastery motivation have better attitude towards team working; (H3) students with higher mastery motivation obtain better results in academic performance; and (H4) students show different motivation profiles in different circumstances: type of courses, teaching methodologies, different times of the learning process. This study was carried out with computer science engineering students from two Spanish universities. The first results point to an improvement in teamwork competence of students if they have previously received specific training in facets of that competence. Other results indicate that there is a correlation between the motivational profiles of students and their perception about teamwork competence. Finally, and contrary to the initial hypothesis, these profiles appear to not influence significantly the academic performance of students.

El pensamiento creativo de Fernando Higueras

Para acercarnos al pensamiento creativo de Fernando Higueras como arquitecto, partimos del estudio de sus constantes creativas en evolución cronológica divididas en 9 direcciones de investigación. En ellas observamos la importancia de su obra NO CONSTRUIDA, como germen de las constantes creativas de su pensamiento y parte de ella la estudiamos, analizamos y reconstruimos gráficamente en 3D. Fernando Higueras aprendía de sus obras o propuestas arquitectónicas anteriores llegando a la madurez constructiva y formal colmada de Belleza a través de la composición y combinación de dichas constantes con pasmosa naturalidad. Además es importante añadir, para llegar a la comprensión de las constantes del pensamiento creativo del arquitecto, el componente de “intuición” de todo artista, de su modo de mirar y observar las cosas como fuente de inspiración. El “modo de mirar” del arquitecto nos habla de su sensibilidad al hábitat popular y vernáculo del hombre. Gracias a Antonio Miró en el período 1963-1970, Fernando Higueras pudo dar marco real a gran parte de sus ideas constructivas. El objeto de estudio del presente trabajo es llegar a las “invariantes” del arquitecto para comprender su pensamiento creativo. Los objetivos del presente estudio han sido conocer mejor su pensamiento, su obra desde un punto de vista cronológico-evolutivo para poder llegar a entender las relaciones y conexiones creativas entre unas y otras, observar y constatar la evolución de sus constantes creativas y compositivas, de analizar gráficamente parte de su obra no construida para llegar a la mejor comprensión de dichas constantes reconstruyéndolas con los medios gráficos digitales actuales. La reconstrucción en 3D de parte de su obra no construida constata la magnitud de su pensamiento creativo. La metodología empleada parte de la recopilación de toda la información necesaria, escritos, artículos en revistas o periódicos, críticas, observaciones, planos, proyectos, memorias, fotografías de la época, maquetas, opiniones de sus contemporáneos, familiares o amigos y visita de parte de su obra construida. A partir de ahí se fijan 9 direcciones de investigación para cada constante de su pensamiento creativo. En cada dirección se analiza desde dos puntos de vista diferentes. Un primer punto de vista teórico o cronológico-evolutivo a partir de la selección de algunas de sus obras construidas y no construidas. Y otro segundo punto de vista gráfico basándose en el estudio y reconstrucción de parte de su obra no construida. En resultado, se ha estudiado la evolución de su obra viendo las conexiones y relaciones entre unas y otras llegando a la madurez de sus constantes creativas en sus obras, algunas construidas y otras no construidas. Fernando Higueras se perfecciona así mismo, intentando hacer las cosas cada vez un poco mejor, llegando a dominar sus propias constantes en total madurez y expresión formal y constructiva. La elaboración de modelos tridimensionales en 13 proyectos de su obra no construida nos refresca la capacidad de su pensamiento creativo, además de analizar en parte de ellas los gérmenes constructivos y compositivos de muchas de sus ideas o constantes creativas. Finalmente, este trabajo ha contribuido a llegar a entender a Fernando Higueras en una dimensión más amplia, desde el frescor de su obra no construida hasta la capacidad de su pensamiento creativo, de la evolución de sus constantes, del estudio de sus últimos proyectos no construidos, de su sensibilidad a todas las artes y a todo lo que engloba Belleza. Las 360 láminas de dibujos que se aportan inician el estudio y análisis de su vasta obra no construida. ABSTRACT The analysis of Fernando Higueras's creative thought as an architect begins with a study of his main creative themes and their chronological evolution, divided into nine directions of research. Here we see the importance of his UNBUILT work as the germ of the creative themes of his thought, part of which we study, analyse and reconstruct graphically in 3-D. Fernando Higueras drew on his earlier architectural works and ideas and reached an ultimate constructive and formal maturity that was infused with beauty through composition and the amazingly natural combination of these keynote themes. In order to gain a greater understanding of the key themes of the architect's creative thought it is also worth noting the element of artists' intuition, their way of seeing and observing the world as a source of inspiration. The architect's "way of seeing" reveals his sensitivity to the popular and traditional human habitat. Thanks to Antonio Miró, in the period between 1963 and 1970 Fernando Higueras was able to provide a real framework for a large part of his constructive ideas. The object of study of the present work is to determine the architect's “invariables” as a means of understanding his creative thought. The aims of the present study are to explore his thoughts in greater depth, to examine his work from the chronological-evolutionary point of view for an insight into the relationships and the creative connections between them, to observe and apprehend the evolution of his main creative themes and compositional keynotes, to analyse graphically part of his unbuilt work in order to improve our understanding of these underlying themes through their reconstruction using the latest graphic digital resources. The 3-D reconstruction of part of his unbuilt work highlights the magnitude of his creative thought. The methodology used to collect all the necessary information includes an examination of his writings and articles in journals and newspapers, criticisms, observations, plans, projects, building specifications, period photographs, models, the opinions of his contemporaries, family and friends, and visits to some of his built work. Nine directions of research were then established for each main theme of his creative thought. Each direction includes an analysis from two different points of view: the first, theoretical or chronological-evolutionary aspect, based on a selection of some of his built and unbuilt works; and a second graphic aspect based on the study and reconstruction of part of his unbuilt work. The result is a survey of the evolution of his work with a view to establishing the connections and their interrelationships, through to the ultimate maturity of his creative themes in both his built and unbuilt work. Fernando Higueras is on a constant quest for excellence, a perpetual desire to do things a little better, until a point where he gains mastery over his own recurrent themes, in the fullness of maturity and of his formal and constructive expression. The creation of three-dimensional models in 13 projects of his unbuilt work offers a new look at the capacity of his creative thought, in addition to the analysis of the evidence in some of these projects of the constructive and compositional germs of many of his ideas and themes. Finally, this work has contributed to the understanding of Fernando Higueras in a broader dimension, from the freshness of his unbuilt work through to the capacity of his creative thought, the evolution of his main themes, the study of his final unbuilt works, his sensitivity to the arts as a whole and to everything beautiful. The 360 plates of illustrations provided form the basis of the study and analysis of his extensive unbuilt work.

Teamwork, motivational profiles and academic performance in computer science engineering

The present work is aimed at discussing several issues related to the teamwork generic competence, motivational profiles and academic performance. In particular, we study the improvement of teamwork attitude, the predominant types of motivation in different contexts and some correlations among these three components of the learning process. The above-mentioned aspects are of great importance. Currently, the professional profile of engineers has a strong teamwork component and the motivational profile of students determines both their tendencies when they come to work as part of a team, as well as their performance at work. Taking these issues into consideration, we suggest four hypotheses: (H1) students improve their teamwork capacity through specific training and carrying out of a set of activities integrated into an active learning process; (H2) students with higher mastery motivation have a better attitude towards teamwork; (H3) students with different types of motivations reach different levels of academic performance; and (H4) students show different motivation profiles in different circumstances: type of courses, teaching methodologies, different times of the learning process. This study was carried out with Computer Science Engineering students from two Spanish universities. The first results point to an improvement in teamwork competence of students if they have previously received specific training in facets of that competence. Other results indicate that there is a correlation between the motivational profiles of students and their perception of teamwork competence. Finally, results point to a clear relationship between some kind of motivation and academic performance. In particular, four kinds of motivation are analyzed and students are classified into two groups according to them. After analyzing several marks obtained in compulsory courses, we perceive that those students that show higher motivation for avoiding failure obtain, in general, worse academic performance.

La evaluación de la competencia comunicativa específica en el ámbito de la ingeniería y la arquitectura

La progresiva internacionalización de las universidades españolas convierte a estas organizaciones en escenarios plurilingües. El español convive en ellos con otras lenguas, en especial el inglés, como vehículo de acceso y transmisión de conocimiento especializado. Esto requiere un proceso de alfabetización académica en lengua extranjera que tendrían que asumir las universidades de acogida, con objeto de preservar a los alumnos de los fracasos en los programas internacionales. Por el momento, en España, los programas de grado o de posgrado no establecen filtros con umbrales lingüísticos mínimos de acceso, a excepción de algunas universidades que se limitan a requerir certificados de grado de dominio del español general. No existen exámenes públicos de ingreso, o exámenes propios de postadmisión, que evalúen la habilidad lingüística comunicativa en contextos académicos. En este trabajo, se parte de la hipótesis de que los exámenes que certifican un grado de dominio de español general no sirven al propósito de discriminar a los alumnos capaces de seguir con éxito los programas de las universidades. Para verificarla, se desarrolla una prueba de examen específica que mida la capacidad de emplear el español en contextos académicos. La prueba se centra en las tareas que se revelan, en una primera fase exploratoria de la investigación, como más necesarias en lo que se refiere al uso del español como lengua vehicular: las clases magistrales. Una vez pilotada, se administró junto con otras destinadas a evaluar el grado de dominio de la lengua en contextos generales. Los resultados obtenidos del contraste de estas mediciones y de diversos análisis de los datos arrojan evidencias de que este tipo de prueba mide un constructo específico: la habilidad de uso del español en contextos académicos. ABSTRACT The progressive internationalization of Spanish universities has transformed these organizations into plurilingual scenarios. Spanish lives in them sharing the stage with other languages, especially English, as a means of access and transmission of expert knowledge. This requires a process of academic literacy in foreign language that host universities should assume, in order to safeguard students from failures in international programs. At the moment, in Spain, undergraduate or graduate programs do not set filters with minimum language requirements to gain access, except for some universities that merely require certificates of general Spanish. There are no Spanish language public admission exams, or post-enrollment tests of their own, to assess the communicative language ability of foreign students in academic contexts. In this dissertation, we start from the hypothesis that those tests that certify the student degree of mastery of the Spanish language do not serve the purpose of discriminating against students capable of successfully pursuing university programs. To prove it, a specific test that measures the ability to use Spanish in academic contexts was developed. This language test focused on the tasks associated with the most common genre, which revealed prominent in a first exploratory phase of the investigation, related to the use of Spanish as a means of instruction: university lectures. Once piloted, the test was administered along with others designed to assess the degree of mastery of the language in general contexts. Contrast results of these measurements and various analyzes of the data showed evidence that this type of test measures a specific construct: the ability to use Spanish in academic contexts.

Maragogipinho - as vozes do barro: práxis educativa em culturas populares

Este trabalho apresenta uma observação acurada do universo da cerâmica no povoado de Maragogipinho, Bahia. A pesquisa revela quem são os mestres e mestras do barro, dá a conhecer o seu processo criativo e educativo. Esses homens e mulheres são protagonistas do patrimônio cultural imaterial brasileiro, eles detêm e socializam conhecimentos que perpassam gerações, saberes tecidos em práticas de ensino não sistematizadas e nem legitimadas pelas culturas hegemônicas. A educação artesanal está fundada na ancestralidade, na repetição e na invenção, no constante diálogo entre a tradição e a emergência da modernidade: novas formas de criação e antigos segredos de ofício se misturam, numa tensão permanente entre transformação e conservação. O artesão e a artesã vivem o seu legado cultural e o mantêm vivo, reinventando-o e atualizando-o eternamente. Essa herança conserva a conexão com o passado, mas se reveste de novos símbolos e significados no presente para fortalecer a identidade dos autores e de suas comunidades, e para dar sentido ao futuro.

Parent-Child Interaction and Children's Self-Concept

This study is designed to investigate the relationships between marital communication, the quality of parents' ability to assist their children in joint problem-solving, and children's independent mastery attempts and perceived competence at problem-solving, and behavioral indicators of self-esteem. Couples' skill at regulating their own and their children's negative affect within the marital and parent-child family subsystems is hypothesized to predict the quality of their assistance, or scaffolding behavior, to their children during joint problem-solving. Further, the quality of parental scaffolding behavior is expected to predict children's independent mastery attempts, levels of perceived competence at problemsolving, and behavioral indicators of self-esteem. Families for the study will be those with children between 3 1/2 to six years of age recruited from subjects participating in a longitudinal study of communication in marriage being conducted at the Denver Center for Marital and Family Studies. Families will participate in three interaction tasks designed to tap parental scaffolding behavior during problemsolving with their children. Children will be administered self-report measures to tap their perceived competence at such problem-solving as those in the interaction tasks and parents will complete a questionnaire tapping the behavioral indicators of their child's self-esteem. Family interaction data will be coded with the use of a microanalytic coding system developed by this study, the Parent-Child Interaction Coding System. Marital communication data at three time points, premaritally, during the transition to parenthood , and concurrently, will be obtained from couples' interactions from the longitudinal study. The clinical significance of this study includes implications for training couples how to effectively regulate negative affect and offer their children sensitive assistance during joint problem-solving.

In-House Risk

Over the last thirty years or so, as the number of in-house counsel rose and their role increased in scope and prominence, increased attention has been given the various challenges these lawyers face under the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, from figuring out who is the client the in-house lawyer represents, to navigating conflicts of interest, maintaining independence, and engaging in a multijurisdictional practice of law. Less attention, to date, has been given to business risk assessment, perhaps in part because that function appears to be part of in-house counsel’s role as a business person rather than as a lawyer. Overlooking the role of in-house counsel in assessing risk, however, is a risky proposition, because risk assessment constitutes for some in-house counsel a significant aspect of their role, a role that in turn informs and shapes how in-house counsel perform other more overtly legal tasks. For example, wearing her hat as General Counsel, a lawyer for the entity-client may opine and explain issues of compliance with the law. Wearing her hat as the Chief Legal Officer, however, the same lawyer may now be called upon as a member of business management to participate in the decision whether to comply with the law. After outlining some of the traditional challenges faced by in-house counsel under the Rules, this short essay explores risk assessment by in-house counsel and its impact on their role and function under the Rules. It argues that the key to in-house lawyers’ successful navigation of multiple roles, and, in particular, to their effective assessment of business risk is keen awareness of the various hats they are called upon to wear. Navigating these various roles may not be easy for lawyers, whose training and habits of mind often teach them to zoom in on legal risks to the exclusion of business risks. Indeed, law schools continue to teach law students “to think like a lawyer” and law firms, the historical breeding grounds for in-house counsel positions, in a world of increased specialization master the narrower contemplation of legal questions. Yet the present and future of in-house counsel practice demand of its practitioners the careful and gradual coming to terms, buildup and mastery of business risk analysis skills, alongside the cultivation of traditional legal risk analysis tools.

Lessons of Loss

Lessons of Loss consists of four poems and four personal essays, each dealing with a profound loss in my life. I am forever in pursuit of the mastery of hope, and writing serves as a critical vehicle in moving me through grief towards that beacon of hope. In the most difficult times, I seek comfort from the writings of those who have endured loss with a sense of humility and grace. To express my gratitude to those who have provided me with comfort and direction, I strive to master Lessons of Loss so that someday I might provide some flicker of hope to those in search of solace.

Projeto – sustentabilidade e matemática

A disciplina matemática e o tema sustentabilidade podem ser muito bem trabalhados pelos docentes da área de exatas. Pois, saber quantificar, calcular e associar o consumo e o impacto ambiental através de dados numéricos é uma possibilidade que pode ser desenvolvida em sala de aula. Saber interpretar e construir gráficos de colunas são outras competências e habilidades presentes na ciência da matemática. Compreender conceitos, estratégias e situações matemáticas numéricas para aplicá-los a situações diversas no contexto das ciências, da tecnologia e da atividade cotidiana se faz necessário. E também, reconhecer, pela leitura de textos apropriados, a importância da Matemática na elaboração de proposta de intervenção solidária na realidade. Dessa forma, conhecer o ambiente em que vivemos, verificar a influência do homem na Natureza e quais ações deverão ser tomadas pensando nas futuras gerações é um despertar para o consumo consciente. O que acarreta como possibilidade o retorno à natureza de recursos utilizados de maneira correta. Conhecer uma conta de luz detalhada, aprender a calcular o consumo mensal de Kwh e diminuir o consumo de energia elétrica através da mudança de hábitos são exemplos cotidianos em que a matemática se faz presente. Relacionar a matemática ao estudo do meio ambiente proporciona através dos números mensurar os prejuízos e projetar soluções, torna a aprendizagem construtiva, podendo se constituir num comportamento cotidiano ou numa ação educativa para formar uma consciência ecológica dentro de indicadores reais. A aprendizagem se torna significativa quando relacionada ao cotidiano do aluno no sentido de mostrar o meio ambiente a que estão inseridos para que possam ser agentes transformadores, através da mudança de hábitos e principalmente desenvolvendo suas habilidades matemáticas. Sendo assim, o processo de ensino aprendizagem matemática-meio ambiente é realizado no sentido de oportunizar o conhecimento do mundo e domínio da natureza, com base nas linguagens matemáticas, criando-se condições de melhorar a capacidade de agir na sociedade, assumindo ações permanentes concentradas em um desenvolvimento sustentável para a continuidade da vida na Terra. Nesse diapasão, é possível desenvolver trabalhos pedagógicos “na trilha da matemática: do raciocínio ao meio-ambiente”. A resolução de situações problemas e assuntos referentes ao meio ambiente fazem com que os alunos tomem os cuidados necessários para com o meio ambiente, aos recursos por ele oferecidos e as consequências das ações errôneas causadas pelo homem.

Didática da escrita em contextos multilingues : o caso de Moçambique - desafios linguísticos, metodológicos e contextuais

Tese de doutoramento, Linguística (Linguística Aplicada), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2016

Mathematical adventures,

"This book consists in the main of reprints of articles on the teaching of mathematics and on related topics which the author has written and published in educational journals at various times during the past ten years."--Foreword.

The role of catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and panic self-efficacy in predicting panic severity

This study investigated the role of both negative and positive cognitions in predicting panic severity in an international sample of patients diagnosed with panic disorder (with and without agoraphobia). One hundred and fifty-nine patients were administered the Brief Bodily Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BBSIQ), the Self-efficacy to Control Panic Attacks Questionnaire, and the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) prior to receiving treatment. Regression analyses indicated that both catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations and panic self-efficacy independently predicted panic severity. The influence of panic self-efficacy upon panic severity remained significant even after controlling for the presence or absence of agoraphobia. There was no evidence to suggest a moderating relationship between the two cognitive factors. Results are discussed in terms of the need to consider both negative and positive cognitions in cognitive accounts of panic disorder. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

An integrated cognitive model of panic disorder: The role of positive and negative cognitions

One reason for the neglect of the role of positive factors in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) may relate to a failure to develop cognitive models that integrate positive and negative cognitions. Bandura [Psychol. Rev. 84 (1977) 191; Anxiety Res. 1 (1988) 77] proposed that self-efficacy beliefs mediate a range of emotional and behavioural outcomes. However, in panic disorder, cognitively based research to date has largely focused on catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily sensations. Although a number of studies support each of the predictions associated with the account of panic disorder that is based on the role of negative cognitions, a review of the literature indicated that a cognitively based explanation of the disorder may be considerably strengthened by inclusion of positive cognitions that emphasize control or coping. Evidence to support an Integrated Cognitive Model (ICM) of panic disorder was examined and the theoretical implications of this model were discussed in terms of both schema change and compensatory skills accounts of change processes in CBT. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Consumer-identified barriers and strategies for optimizing technology use in the workplace

Purpose. This article explores the experiences of 26 assistive technology (AT) users having a range of physical impairments as they optimized their use of technology in the workplace. Method. A qualitative research design was employed using in-depth, open-ended interviews and observations of AT users in the workplace. Results. Participants identified many factors that limited their use of technology such as discomfort and pain, limited knowledge of the technology's features, and the complexity of the technology. The amount of time required for training, limited work time available for mastery, cost of training and limitations of the training provided, resulted in an over-reliance on trial and error and informal support networks and a sense of isolation. AT users enhanced their use of technology by addressing the ergonomics of the workstation and customizing the technology to address individual needs and strategies. Other key strategies included tailored training and learning support as well as opportunities to practice using the technology and explore its features away from work demands. Conclusions. This research identified structures important for effective AT use in the workplace which need to be put in place to ensure that AT users are able to master and optimize their use of technology.

Goal orientation, ability and task performance: A moderated analysis

Achievement goal orientation represents an individual's general approach to an achievement situation, and has important implications for how individuals react to novel, challenging tasks. However, theorists such as Yeo and Neal (2004) have suggested that the effects of goal orientation may emerge over time. Bell and Kozlowski (2002) have further argued that these effects may be moderated by individual ability. The current study tested the dynamic effects of a new 2x2 model of goal orientation (mastery/performance x approach/avoidance) on performance on a simulated air traffic control (ATC) task, as moderated by dynamic spatial ability. One hundred and one first-year participants completed a self-report goal orientation measure and computerbased dynamic spatial ability test and performed 30 trials of an ATC task. Hypotheses were tested using a two-level hierarchical linear model. Mastery-approach orientation was positively related to task performance, although no interaction with ability was observed. Performance-avoidance orientation was negatively related to task performance; this association was weaker at high levels of ability. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.