Estudio comparativo de las relaciones entre variables de autoconcepto y rendimiento académico en alumnos con y sin dificultades de aprendizaje en la ESO. Implicaciones psicopedagógicas para la práctica educativa y la orientación académico-profesional.

Estudia comparativamente el autoconcepto y la autoestima en diferentes tipologías de alumnos: inmigrantes, de compensatoria con necesidades educativas especiales, con dificultades de aprendizaje o aprendizaje lento, y sin dificultades de aprendizaje. Relación de dimensiones del autoconcepto (habilidad intelectual general, competencia en lectura, competencia en deletreo, competencia en escritura, competencia en matemáticas, aceptación social, competencia atlética, comportamiento o conducta, atractivo físico) con la autoestima global y con el rendimiento académico tanto global, como en diferentes materias. Extracción de patrones propios de cada tipología que impliquen un tratamiento educativo diferencial con más énfasis en unas u otras dimensiones del autoconcepto que conlleven una mejor respuesta educativa y que puedan ser trabajadas en tutorías y en la práctica educativa habitual, así como las posibles conexiones que dichas configuraciones de patrones tengan en una orientación académica o sociolaboral futura más idónea . 354 alumnos de primero a cuarto curso de la ESO del IES 'El Portillo' con nivel socioeconómico medio-bajo, de los cuales un 22 por ciento son inmigrantes. Se proporcionó el 'Perfil de Autoconcepto y autoestima para alumnos con dificultades de aprendizaje' a todos los alumnos en horas de tutoría o en clases ordinarias, tras lo cual se tabularon los datos obtenidos en el editor de datos del programa SPSS, y después se llevó a cabo el análisis de los mismos. Resumenes de casos, análisis descriptivos, tablas de contingencia y estadísticos: frecuencias y gráficos/tablas. Constrastes de medias entre e intragrupos. Análisis de varianza de medias entre tipologías de grupos. Modelo lineal general; búsqueda de predictores sobre variables criterio, fundamentalmente autoestima global y rendimiento académico, entre diversos grupos de alumnos con características disimilares. Análisis de correlación ex post facto: búsqueda de relaciones entre variables. Análisis de las distribuciones de variables principales; pruebas K-S para una muestra del tipo Kolmogorov-Smirnov. La dedicación del profesor/a de pedagogía terapeútica es insuficiente dejando de lado a este tipo de alumnos.Hay una necesidad de implementar adaptaciones curriculares significativas por parte del profesorado para aminorar los suspensos en materias curriculares. Según las tipologías de estudiantes:1)las variables 'Aceptación Social' y 'Autoestima Global' en los alumnos inmigrantes son algo menores que las de los oriundos; esta falta de integración implica llevar a cabo estrategias educativas colectivas que les hagan sentirse más aceptados, implicando al profesorado y a especialistas terapeúticos 2) en los alumnos con y sin dificultades de aprendizaje las diferencias principales se observan en las dimensiones del autoconcepto que implican un dominio de destrezas básicas y dominio de materias instrumentales. No se constatan en otras variables ajenas a lo académico, como la aceptación social, la competencia atlética, el aspecto o atractivo físico, y la autoestima global. El rendimiento académico es inferior en los alumnos con dificultades de aprendizaje; se comprueba la influencia negativa de las dificultades para aprender en el rendimiento académico 3)el autoconcepto es inferior en todas sus dimensiones en los alumnos con necesidades especiales: las diferencias significativas se ven en Competencia en Lectura, Ortografía, Matemáticas, Habilidad Intelectural General, Aceptación Social, Comportamiento o Conducta y Autoestima Global, mientras que no se aprecian en Escritura, Aspecto o Atractivo Físico y Competencia Atlética.

Repertorio conductual-cognitivo condicionante de los aprendizajes instrumentales en niños deficientes mentales ligeros y programa de entrenamiento.

1- Averiguar cuáles son los procesos cognitivos deficitarios condicionantes de los aprendizajes de la lectura, escritura y cálculo del niño deficiente ligero, analizando, a su vez, las zonas de desarrollo potencial de los mismos. 2- Comprobar la validez de unos programas de desarrollo individual específicamente diseñados para esta investigación, cuya finalidad es lograr unos niveles mínimos en una serie de repertorios cognitivo conductuales condicionantes de ciertos aprendizajes instrumentales. 3- Estudiar la interacción entre estilo cognitivo y programa de intervención. 19 Sujetos (7 mujeres y 12 varones) entre 7 y 9 años, con CI entre 50 y 70. Para cumplimentar el primer objetivo se aplican una serie de pruebas de madurez lectora (Badimale) y se comparan las puntuaciones en los distintos factores de sujetos deficientes ligeros y normales. Para lograr el segundo objetivo se implanta un programa de desarrollo individual y se comparan las puntuaciones pre y post-tratamiento. El diseño experimental corresponde a los diseños pretest-posttest de un sólo grupo. El diseño estadístico es factorial 2x2x2. Las variables definidas son: madurez lectora y estilos cognitivos (independencia-dependencia de campo y reflexivilidad-impulsividad). Tests de inteligencia para determinar el CI de los sujetos: WISC y matrices progresivas de Raven. Pruebas de madurez lectora (pruebas criterio): Badimale y dictado de palabras. Test de conceptos básicos de Boehm. Análisis de correlación: coeficiente de correlación biserial siempre que se operaba con las puntuaciones del test criterio 'dictado de palabras' y, en los demás casos coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Análisis de regresión lineal múltiple para determinar el porcentaje de varianza que podía ser explicado por los estilos cognitivo y los efectos del tratamiento. Análisis factorial. Pruebas de diferencias de medias. Se observan puntuaciones significativamente más bajas en los niños deficientes en todos los factores de madurez lectora analizados, así como una estructura interna de los mismos diferente. Se observa una mejora significativa en las puntuaciones del posttest despues de la aplicación del programa respecto a las del pretest, aunque al no existir un grupo control no se puede afirmar que esta mejora se deba al tratamiento. De los resultados hallados en esta investigación no se desprende que los efectos beneficiosos obtenidos tras la aplicación del programa de entrenamiento sean transferibles al aprendizaje de la lectura y la escritura.

Análisis de las variables que caracterizan al alumno que accede al Sistema de Enseñanza a Distancia a nivel básico e inciden en su aprendizaje.

Conocer las características personales, sociales y pedagógicas del alumno adulto que accede al Sistema de Enseñanza a Distancia en su nivel más básico: Segundo Ciclo de Educación de Adultos, y ver cuál es su incidencia en el proceso de aprendizaje. A/ 76 alumnos de Segundo Ciclo de Adultos del CENEBAD del curso 1988/89 para el estudio de las características pedagógicas. B/ 488 alumnos (que contestan la encuesta de matrícula) para el estudio de las características personales. Para conocer las características personales, sociales, motivacionales y pedagógicas del alumno de Segundo Ciclo de Adultos del CENEBAD se definieron las siguientes variables: personales (sexo, edad, estado civil), socio-demográficas (lugar de nacimiento, lugar de residencia), socio-económicas (situación laboral), socio-culturales (estudios de los padres y del alumno, tiempo sin estudiar, empleo del tiempo libre), motivacionales (motivos por los que estudia), condiciones de estudio (tiempo para estudiar, ayuda en el estudio, dificultades en asignaturas, causas de las dificultades), tutorías (días y horas) y pedagógicas (grado de adquisición de técnicas instrumentales: lectura, escritura, cálculo, nivel de conocimientos curriculares en Lengua, Ciencias Sociales y Ciencias Naturales). Posteriormente se exponen los resultados del seguimiento académico. Encuestas de matrícula y abandono, pruebas de técnicas instrumentales y contenidos curriculares básicos, entrevistas a profesores y alumnos, actas de evaluación. Cuantiles, porcentajes, tablas cruzadas. A/ Después de analizar las características personales, sociales y motivacionales, se observa que un porcentaje importante de alumnos tienen entre 31 y 50 años, son casados, residen en medios urbanos; por su situación laboral la mayor parte son amas de casa, seguidas de alumnos que trabajan; la mayoría cuentan con estudios primarios incompletos, llevan 10 años sin estudiar, su tiempo libre lo dedican a leer y ver TV y su principal motivo para estudiar es sacar el título de graduado escolar. B/ Al analizar las características pedagógicas previas, se observa que es bajo el porcentaje de alumnos (22 por ciento) que superan totalmente los objetivos considerados previos a los aprendizajes que se proponen en el material del Segundo Ciclo. Estos resultados globales proceden especialmente de unos niveles bajos en el dominio de las técnicas instrumentales: escritura y lectura, y de unos niveles insuficientes en contenidos curriculares básicos aunque estos son algo superiores a aquellos. C/ En relación con las variables que inciden en el rendimiento académico de los alumnos se observa que: 1/ Los alumnos que obtienen éxito académico presentan previamente mayor dominio en: escritura, cálculo, técnicas instrumentales, lengua, contenidos curriculares básicos y resultados globales. 2/ Los alumnos que continuan estudiando poseen mayor nivel en: escritura, técnicas instrumentales y resultados globales. 3/ Los alumnos que abandonan estudios presentan un nivel más bajo de dominio en técnicas instrumentales.

A structural model of cognitive-motivational variables as explanatory factors of academic achievement in Spanish Language and Mathematics

In recent years, several explanatory models have been developed which attempt to analyse the predictive worth of various factors in relation to academic achievement, as well as the direct and indirect effects that they produce. The aim of this study was to examine a structural model incorporating various cognitive and motivational variables which influence student achievement in the two basic core skills in the Spanish curriculum: Spanish Language and Mathematics. These variables included differential aptitudes, specific self-concept, goal orientations, effort and learning strategies. The sample comprised 341 Spanish students in their first year of Compulsory Secondary Education. Various tests and questionnaires were used to assess each student, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to study the relationships in the initial model. The proposed model obtained a satisfactory fit for the two subjects studied, and all the relationships hypothesised were significant. The variable with the most explanatory power regarding academic achievement was mathematical and verbal aptitude. Also notable was the direct influence of specific self-concept on achievement, goal-orientation and effort, as was the mediatory effect that effort and learning strategies had between academic goals and final achievement.

[impact Variables On The Decline In Infant Mortality In The State Of São Paulo, Brazil: 1998-2008].

This is an ecological, analytical and retrospective study comprising the 645 municipalities in the State of São Paulo, the scope of which was to determine the relationship between socioeconomic, demographic variables and the model of care in relation to infant mortality rates in the period from 1998 to 2008. The ratio of average annual change for each indicator per stratum coverage was calculated. Infant mortality was analyzed according to the model for repeated measures over time, adjusted for the following correction variables: the city's population, proportion of Family Health Programs (PSFs) deployed, proportion of Growth Acceleration Programs (PACs) deployed, per capita GDP and SPSRI (São Paulo social responsibility index). The analysis was performed by generalized linear models, considering the gamma distribution. Multiple comparisons were performed with the likelihood ratio with chi-square approximate distribution, considering a significance level of 5%. There was a decrease in infant mortality over the years (p < 0.05), with no significant difference from 2004 to 2008 (p > 0.05). The proportion of PSFs deployed (p < 0.0001) and per capita GDP (p < 0.0001) were significant in the model. The decline of infant mortality in this period was influenced by the growth of per capita GDP and PSFs.

Variables Associated With The Performance Of Centers For Dental Specialties In Brazil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Centers for Dental Specialties (CDS) in the country and associations with sociodemographic indicators of the municipalities, structural variables of services and primary health care organization in the years 2004-2009. The study used secondary data from procedures performed in the CDS to the specialties of periodontics, endodontics, surgery and primary care. Bivariate analysis by χ2 test was used to test the association between the dependent variable (performance of the CDS) with the independents. Then, Poisson regression analysis was performed. With regard to the overall achievement of targets, it was observed that the majority of CDS (69.25%) performance was considered poor/regular. The independent factors associated with poor/regular performance of CDS were: municipalities belonging to the Northeast, South and Southeast regions, with lower Human Development Index (HDI), lower population density, and reduced time to deployment. HDI and population density are important for the performance of the CDS in Brazil. Similarly, the peculiarities related to less populated areas as well as regional location and time of service implementation CDS should be taken into account in the planning of these services.

Sexual dysfunction in epilepsy: identifying the psychological variables

In order to evaluate the psychological variables that affect sexual dysfunction (SD) in epilepsy, where compared 60 epileptics (Group 1) with 60 healthy individuals (Group 2), through the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger et al., 1970), Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, 1974) and Sexual Behavior Interview (Souza, 1995). Sexual dysfunction (SD), anxiety and depression were found more frequently in Group 1 than in Group 2 and were not related to sex. Variables such as the onset duration and frequency of seizures as well as the use to medication were not associated with SD. Temporal lobe epilepsy was related to SD (p = 0.035) but not to anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression were related to SD in both groups. Perception in controlling the seizures was closely related to anxiety (p = 0) and depression (p = 0.009). We conclude that psychological factors play an important role in the alteration of sexual behavior in epileptics and that suitable attention must be given to the control of these variables.

Identification of family variables in parents' groups of children with epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: To verify the effectiveness of the support group in the identification of family variables linked to epilepsy. METHOD: Pre-test were applied to parents of 21 children with benign epilepsy of childhood recently diagnosed, from 5 to 15 years, who participated in the groups at HC/Unicamp. There was a presentation of an educational video, discussion and application of the post-test 1. After six months, the post-test 2 was applied. RESULTS: The beliefs were: fear of swallowing the tongue during the seizures (76.19%) and of a future mental disease (66.67%). Facing the epilepsy, fear and sadness appeared. 76.19% of the parents presented overprotection and 90.48%, expected a new seizure. In the post-test 1, the parents affirmed that the information offered had modified the beliefs. In the post-test 2, 80.95% didn't report great doubts about epilepsy and 90.48% considered their relationship with their children better. CONCLUSIONS: The demystification of beliefs supplied from the groups influenced the family positively, prevented behavior alterations and guaranteed effective care in the attendance to the child with epilepsy.

Analysis of the effects of conical indentation variables on the indentation response of elastic-plastic materials through factorial design of experiment

In this work, the effects of conical indentation variables on the load-depth indentation curves were analyzed using finite element modeling and dimensional analysis. A factorial design 2(6) was used with the aim of quantifying the effects of the mechanical properties of the indented material and of the indenter geometry. Analysis was based on the input variables Y/E, R/h(max), n, theta, E, and h(max). The dimensional variables E and h(max) were used such that each value of dimensionless Y/E was obtained with two different values of E and each value of dimensionless R/h(max) was obtained with two different h(max) values. A set of dimensionless functions was defined to analyze the effect of the input variables: Pi(1) = P(1)/Eh(2), Pi(2) = h(c)/h, Pi(3) = H/Y, Pi(4) = S/Eh(max), Pi(6) = h(max)/h(f) and Pi(7) = W(P)/W(T). These six functions were found to depend only on the dimensionless variables studied (Y/E, R/h(max), n, theta). Another dimension less function, Pi(5) = beta, was not well defined for most of the dimensionless variables and the only variable that provided a significant effect on beta was theta. However, beta showed a strong dependence on the fraction of the data selected to fit the unloading curve, which means that beta is especially Susceptible to the error in the Calculation of the initial unloading slope.

Depressive symptoms in old age: relations among sociodemographic and self-reported health variables

Background: Depression in old age is a complex multifactorial phenomenon that is influenced by several biopsychosocial variables. Depressive symptoms are associated with the presence of chronic diseases, with being female, with low education and low income levels, and with poor perceived health assessment. In impoverished areas, older adults may have more physical disability, as they may have less access to health services. Therefore, they may be more likely to report depressive symptoms. Methods: Population-based cross-sectional research was undertaken using data from the FIBRA study conducted in Ermelino Matarazzo, a poor subdistrict of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The participants comprised 303 elderly people, aged 65 years and over, who attended a single-session data collection effort carried out at community centers. The protocol comprised sociodemographic and self-reported health variables, and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Results: The majority of the subjects reported five or fewer symptoms of depression (79.21%), reported one or two self-reported chronic diseases (56.86%), declared themselves to have one or two self-reported health problems (46.15%), and had good perceived health assessment (40.27%). The presence of depressive symptoms was associated with a higher number of self-reported health problems, poor perceived health assessment, and lower schooling levels, in the total sample and in analyses including men only. For women, depressive symptoms were associated with the number of self-reported health problems and family income. Conclusion: The presence of health problems, such as falls and memory problems, lower perceived health, and low education (and low family income for women) were associated with a higher presence of depressive symptoms among elderly people in this poor area of Sao Paulo.

An exploratory analysis of relationships between socioeconomic, land use, activity participation variables and travel patterns

This paper aims to find relations between the socioeconomic characteristics, activity participation, land use patterns and travel behavior of the residents in the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area (SPMA) by using Exploratory Multivariate Data Analysis (EMDA) techniques. The variables influencing travel pattern choices are investigated using: (a) Cluster Analysis (CA), grouping and characterizing the Traffic Zones (17), proposing the independent variable called Origin Cluster and, (b) Decision Tree (DT) to find a priori unknown relations among socioeconomic characteristics, land use attributes of the origin TZ and destination choices. The analysis was based on the origin-destination home-interview survey carried out in SPMA in 1997. The DT application revealed the variables of greatest influence on the travel pattern choice. The most important independent variable considered by DT is car ownership, followed by the Use of Transportation ""credits"" for Transit tariff, and, finally, activity participation variables and Origin Cluster. With these results, it was possible to analyze the influence of a family income, car ownership, position of the individual in the family, use of transportation ""credits"" for transit tariff (mainly for travel mode sequence choice), activities participation (activity sequence choice) and Origin Cluster (destination/travel distance choice). (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Approximate algorithms for credal networks with binary variables

This paper presents a family of algorithms for approximate inference in credal networks (that is, models based on directed acyclic graphs and set-valued probabilities) that contain only binary variables. Such networks can represent incomplete or vague beliefs, lack of data, and disagreements among experts; they can also encode models based on belief functions and possibilistic measures. All algorithms for approximate inference in this paper rely on exact inferences in credal networks based on polytrees with binary variables, as these inferences have polynomial complexity. We are inspired by approximate algorithms for Bayesian networks; thus the Loopy 2U algorithm resembles Loopy Belief Propagation, while the Iterated Partial Evaluation and Structured Variational 2U algorithms are, respectively, based on Localized Partial Evaluation and variational techniques. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the use of correlated beta random variables with animal population modelling

We give reasons why demographic parameters such as survival and reproduction rates are often modelled well in stochastic population simulation using beta distributions. In practice, it is frequently expected that these parameters will be correlated, for example with survival rates for all age classes tending to be high or low in the same year. We therefore discuss a method for producing correlated beta random variables by transforming correlated normal random variables, and show how it can be applied in practice by means of a simple example. We also note how the same approach can be used to produce correlated uniform triangular, and exponential random variables. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of environmental variables on capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris: Rodentia, Hydrochoeridae) detectability in anthropogenic environments of southeastern Brazil

Capybaras were monitored weekly from 1998 to 2006 by counting individuals in three anthropogenic environments (mixed agricultural fields, forest and open areas) of southeastern Brazil in order to examine the possible influence of environmental variables (temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation and global radiation) on the detectability of this species. There was consistent seasonality in the number of capybaras in the study area, with a specific seasonal pattern in each area. Log-linear models were fitted to the sample counts of adult capybaras separately for each sampled area, with an allowance for monthly effects, time trends and the effects of environmental variables. Log-linear models containing effects for the months of the year and a quartic time trend were highly significant. The effects of environmental variables on sample counts were different in each type of environment. As environmental variables affect capybara detectability, they should be considered in future species survey/monitoring programs.

CORRELATION BETWEEN FLOWERING, FRUCTIFICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES IN Solanum lycocarpum A. St.-Hil, SOLANACEAE

Solanum lycocarpum (lobeira) is a typical and abundant species of brazilian Cerrado, which occupies mainly surrounding disturbed areas. It has interesting characteristics from the point of view of reproductive biology, that probably are favoring the large occupation of habitats by the species. Based on the fact that the species produces flowers and fruit during all the year, the present study had the purpose to verify the association between flower and fruit production with environmental variables (temperature, relative humidity and precipitation), aiming to support future studies referring to reproductive biology and ecology of plant species from Cerrado biome. A population of S. lycocarpum composed of 34 plants in reproductive phase, situated in Morrinhos, south of the State of Goias, Brazil,, was evaluated. All the plants were geographically referenced with a GPS receptor. Observations were made monthly during 13 months (June, 2005 to July, 2006) quantifying open flowers and fruits produced in the intervals between the observations. It was possible suggest high conversion of flowers in fruits. The Spearman rank correlation showed positive correlation of flower number with precipitation and relative humidity. Fruit number was not correlated with the environmental variables.