Sleep-wake patterns of student workers and non-workers

Adolescents usually exhibit late sleep phase and irregular sleep patterns. As a result, they do not get enough sleep and report daytime sleepiness. This condition could be aggravated in working students who have a more limited time for sleep. In this survey, we investigated the impact of evening classes and employment on the sleep patterns of adolescents. We compared female (n = 17) and male (n = 14) non-worker students to female (n = 28) and male (n = 20) worker students who attended the same high school. The volunteers (aged 17.4 years +/- 11 months) answered a sleep log during a 16-day period. Worker students slept and woke up earlier, had a shorter nocturnal sleep length and a shorter daily (nocturnal plus diurnal) sleep length compared to non-working pupils. The four groups of students delayed sleep onset time on weekends, but only worker students delayed wake-up time on Sundays. The wake-up time was similar among groups on Sundays. While student workers tended to increase the sleep length in the weekends, non-working students increased it on Mondays and/or Tuesdays. The results showed that sleep schedules and sleep length were different according to the work status. Going to bed later on Saturday by the four groups of students suggests the influence of social activities, while a later wake-up time on Sundays could result from a shorter sleep length on workdays.

A dinâmica das interações em sala de aula e a construção do conhecimento científico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

O comportamento informacional de pós-graduandos da área de Educação

The study of information behavior of graduate students is important because it reveals aspects of the search and information use that will impact the performance of future researchers and other professionals. Earlier studies on the UNESP, campus of Marilia (São Paulo State, Brazil), indicated that the graduate students in the areas of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities little use information sources traditionally used for bibliographic and restricted to the sources indicated by their teachers, contrary to expectations for a student with this level of training. Continuing the theme, we investigate the information behavior of students in postgraduate programs in the field of Education with five and six notes in the latest assessment of the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). This research aimed to characterize the information behavior of Brazilian post-graduate in Education; identify factors that may influence the information behavior of the participants; investigate whether there are significant differences in behavior between masters and doctoral students; check the influence of gender in information behavior of post-graduate students. Data collection was performed in two stages: the establishment of a focus group with group of 11 participants for raising subsidies for the next step, which consisted in the application of electronic questionnaire to 16 graduate regular student of programs of excellence in the Brazil. Participated in the survey 493 post-graduates, 54% doctoral students and 46% of masters students and 75% women and 25% of men. The results showed that most subjects did not participate in formal instruction to search in databases. They are open to new ideas and do not restrict your search only to information that confirms their view on the research topic. Respondents are concerned not to overlook details and have the habit of regularly seeking information on their research and were willing to...

Undergraduate research in medical education: a descriptive study of students' views

Background: Medical students engage in curricular and extracurricular activities, including undergraduate research (UR). The advantages, difficulties and motivations for medical students pursuing research activities during their studies have rarely been addressed. In Brazil, some medical schools have included undergraduate research into their curriculum. The present study aimed to understand the reality of scientific practice among medical students at a well-established Brazilian medical school, analyzing this context from the students' viewpoint.Methods: A cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire applied to students from years one to six enrolled in an established Brazilian medical school that currently has no curricular UR program.Results: The questionnaire was answered by 415 students, 47.2% of whom were involved in research activities, with greater participation in UR in the second half of the course. Independent of student involvement in research activities, time constraints were cited as the main obstacle to participation. Among students not involved in UR, 91.1% said they favored its inclusion in the curriculum, since this would facilitate the development of such activity. This approach could signify an approximation between the axes of teaching and research. Among students who had completed at least one UR project, 87.7% said they would recommend the activity to students entering the course.Conclusion: Even without an undergraduate research program, students of this medical school report strong involvement in research activities, but discussion of the difficulties inherent in its practice is important to future developments.

Use of virtual labs for enhance student's procedimental ability.

This article presents some results of a study investigating the use of the simulator VLAB, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, to increase the capacity of graduate students in Chemistry in the preparation of experimental procedures. The activity was conducted in two stages, first the students were asked a manuscript describing in detail the procedure and equipment used in the technique of dissolution and delivering it to the teacher. Later in the computer lab, each student performed the same procedure using the simulator. The activity has been proposed to determine if there could be accuracy gains of the description of the process when performed by the simulator. One of the main positive aspects obtained using the simulator students was the recognition of error, important in that the great majority recognized omitted or confused any process step. This reflection showed the students that in addition to testing a procedure using the simulator facilitates the organization of thought and helps arrange it logically. With the use of simulators, students are encouraged to take risks, to explore, to experience a new way, and a real lab usually offers much less room for risk, exploitation and failure.

Jogos de empresas e gestão financeira: algumas evidências

This article aims to discuss the use of business games for educational purposes taking into account evidence about the difficulty in managing financial resources. The use of business games is justified because the young generation tha are coming to the education system have grown up using business games, allowing a more motivating learning environment and stimulating investment and on how the concept to provide learning. Instead of pushing content well defined and wel-formatted for the student, promotes the use of games promote at the same time, a chalenge whose solution entails learning effort. Thus, the use of games affect educators, students and aducational institutions, requiring them new attitudes and patterns of thought about schooling. The elaboration of this article was based on experiences gained with the development and use of games for educational purposes, specifically the game "Mercado Virtual". Several articles have been published on research with indergraduates and postgraduate courses in business administration and engineering field. They have shown that the evaluation of the player, based on their decisions during the game, to detect specific aspects of learning. This exploratory research is based on data obteained in various experiments with the game Mercado Virtual.

Ocorrência de pesquisas narrativas sobre formação de professores de Ciências e Matemática no Brasil, de 2000 a 2010

In this article, we present results that express the occurrence of narratives researches in the form of theses and dissertations in postgraduate programs in Brazil, from 2000 to 2010 in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics area. We consulted the Student Registration, on the site of the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, through the keywords: narrative research, narrative inquiry and teacher training. Through reading the abstracts, we identified the area of knowledge, the IES and the supervisor. Of the 162 (one hundred, sixty two) academic productions identified, 31 (thirty-one) are in the area of Science and Mathematics teaching. The data obtained point to the existence of groups of studies and research training in the country engaged in narrative research in Mathematics and Science Teaching, in line with teacher training.

As representações sociais dos diretores das escolas estaduais da diretoria de ensino de Presidente Prudente - SP sobre o seu papel e sobre a escola pública

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Association of student position in classroom and school performance

We analyzed whether the position of students in classroom is correlated with academic performance, and which factors might be involved. The sample consisted of 16 classrooms in a school year bimester, each one with around 30 students. Each student's position was registered in classroom maps and the reasons for the students' seat choice were gathered by a questionnaire. School performance and classroom absences of each student were collected directly from the teachers' register notebook. We found that better performances of students at school correlate with lower percentages of absence and choices of seating positions closer to the board. Moreover, the main reason to sit in a front position was motivation for learning. We suggest that school performance is associated to students’ position in the classroom because both are affected by the student motivation for learning. As a consequence, changing students' position in the classroom without increasing their motivation is not likely to improve school performance.

Precise Mathematical Language: Exploring the Relationship Between Student Vocabulary Understanding and Student Achievement

In this action research study of my classroom of fifth grade mathematics, I investigate the relationship between student understanding of precise mathematics vocabulary and student achievement in mathematics. Specifically, I focused on students’ understanding of written mathematics problems and on their ability to use precise mathematical language in their written solutions of critical thinking problems. I discovered that students are resistant to change; they prefer to do what comes naturally to them. Since they have not been previously taught to use precise mathematical language in their communication about math, they have great difficulty in adapting to this new requirement. However, with teaching modeling and ample opportunities to use the language of mathematics, students’ understanding and use of specific mathematical vocabulary is increased.

Student Problem Solving

The purpose of this study is to determine if students solve math problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division consistently and whether students transfer these skills to other mathematical situations and solutions. In this action research study, a classroom of 6th grade mathematics students was used to investigate how students solve word problems and how they determine which mathematical approach to use to solve a problem. It was discovered that many of the students read and re-read a question before they try to find an answer. Most students will check their answer to determine if it is correct and makes sense. Most students agree that mastering basic math facts is very important for problem solving and prefer mathematics that does not focus on problem solving. As a result of this research, it will be emphasized to the building principal and staff the need for a unified and focused curriculum with a scope and sequence for delivery that is consistently followed. The importance of managing basic math skills and making sure each student is challenged to be a mathematical thinker will be stressed.

Increasing Student Confidence and Knowledge through Student Presentations

In this action research study of a 9th grade Algebra classroom, I investigated the influence of having students present homework solutions and what effect it had on student learning and student confidence. Students were asked to present solutions to homework problems each day and were rated on how well they did. The students were also surveyed about their confidence and feelings about mathematics. Students were also observed for information about who they asked questions of when presented with a math problem they did not understand. In this classroom, two teachers were involved in instruction and this study examines what affect this had on student learning and who was asked for help. As a result of presentations, students’ confidence increased and students reacted positively to both the presentations and their own mathematical learning. The students felt the presentations were a benefit to the class and watching their peers solve mathematical equations helped them to better understand the mathematics.