Problem��ticas de la interacci��n discursiva en la ense��anza y el aprendizaje de las Ciencias Naturales. Aportes did��cticos. Interaction discoursive issues in teaching and learning Natural Sciences. Didactic contributions

Las did��cticas espec��ficas de las ciencias naturales revelan diferentes problem��ticas en su ense��anza y aprendizaje en los diferentes niveles del sistema educativo. En particular, en las clases de ciencias la interacci��n discursiva docente alumnos adquiere relevancia, ya que el proceso de comunicaci��n del conocimiento es uno de los pilares did��cticos, junto a la trasposici��n del mismo. Especificamente, en este proyecto nos abocamos a aquellas intervenciones de docentes y alumnos que se relacionan con la construcci��n del conocimiento biol��gico y qu��mico. El proyecto se enmarca en una actual linea de trabajo que indaga sobre las dificultades en los abordajes del conocimiento cient��fico en las aulas, las caracter��sticas del discurso entre docentes y alumnos, las habilidades y dificultades en la comprensi��n de los enunciados de problemas y las caracter��sticas de los textos que se utilizan en las clases. Se focaliza este estudio en casos que intentan dar respuesta a tres tem��ticas, agrupadas en un conjunto de situaciones de investigaci��n relacionadas con la interacci��n discursiva docente-alumno, retomando el rol del docente al hablar, guiar o dise��ar las situaciones de referencia para el aprendizaje de los alumnos. Los casos son: 1- En cuanto a las concepciones sobre diversidad biol��gica en estudiantes de escuela secundaria y en textos acad��micos, atendemos a c��mo la escuela presenta los contenidos ecol��gicos como un conjunto de dogmas y conceptos est��ticos. Adem��s suelen simplificarse conceptualmente y presentarse poco actualizados. Es por ello que se planea estudiar las concepciones y actitudes de los alumnos de secundaria sobre la biodiversidad, c��mo estas dificultan su comprensi��n y los textos usados en relaci��n a la promoci��n de la transposici��n did��ctica. 2- En relaci��n a c��mo se elabora el patr��n tem��tico del tema c��lula en clases de Biolog��a, se analizar��n las diferentes estrategias de significados y de desarrollo tem��tico, que se emplean en la comunicaci��n aulica. Se intentar�� establecer si hay cambios en el desarrollo tem��tico a medida que se avanza en la escolaridad. Esto es porque se puede apreciar que muchos de los problemas de aprendizaje del alumnado se deben a un desconocimiento tanto del patr��n tem��tico como del patr��n estructural de la ciencia, siendo preciso evocar los patrones tem��ticos que se quieren utilizar, para construir un conocimiento compartido. 3-Finalmente, en los enunciados de problemas de Qu��mica, se analizar��n las dificultades de comprensi��n lectora de alumnos de Ingenier��a. Los docentes frecuentemente atribuyen los problemas a deficiencias en la instrucci��n recibida, sin considerarse los conocimientos previos del alumno, los obst��culos conceptuales originados en el tema, las deficiencias en la habilidad lectora, el tipo textual predominante en la consigna, el formato en el que se escribi�� la consigna y los factores personales, etc., siendo que la comprensi��n del enunciado de una consigna de trabajo condiciona fuertemente la posibilidad de su resoluci��n. Los tres casos utilizar��n metodolog��as cualitaritas que incluyan an��lisis de contenido en discursos orales y escritos. Los datos se registrar��n desde observaci��n no participante, registro etnogr��fico y con grabaciones de audio. Se espera contribuir al conocimiento, realizando aportes a la formaci��n docente en tanto las estrategias discursivas que se emplean en el aula, en forma oral y en la escrita, conocer concepciones que dificultan o favoren la construcci��n del conocimiento cient��fico, entre otras. Los productos de estos estudios estar��n integrados por nuevos desarrollos para la formaci��n docente, publicaciones cient��ficas de impacto nacional e internacional, presentaciones a congresos, materiales did��cticos y divulgativos, dictado de seminarios y/o cursos, redacci��n de informes a las escuelas intervinientes.. The specific Natural Sciences didactics show different problems in teaching and learning along the school system. In particular, the discourse used to communicate knowledge in Science lessons becomes important. With this project we will focus on the teachers and students actions regarding the construction of biological and chemical knowledge. This project attempts to answer these issues and brings together a range of research situations related to teacher-student interaction, through discourse, taking up the role of the teacher to speak, to plan and to guide student learning. We will study the ideas and attitudes of high school students about biodiversity that make difficult its understanding and the textbooks used in relation to promotion of the didactic transposition. In addition, regarding how the thematic pattern in biology classes is costructed, it will be analyzed the different meaning and thematic development strategies that are used in communication. We will attempt to establish whether there are any changes in the thematic development throughout high school education. Finally, we will analyze the reading comprehension problems in engineering students. Teachers frequently attribute these issues to deficiencies in prior education, without considering the students background, the conceptual obstacles arising in the field, the format in which the prompt is written, personal factors, etc., keeping in mind that the outcome of an activity is strictly dependant con the prompt understanding. We expect to make contributions to the teacher education in both the discourse strategies used in the classroom, orally and in writing, to learn about the conceptions that hinder or favor the knowledge construction, among others. The products of this study will be national and international impact scientific publications, conference presentations, popular science publications, seminars courses and reports to the schools involeved.

Comparing Governmental Agendas: Evolution of the Prioritization of Issues in the USA and Spain

This paper is the first step in a long term project investigating policy stability and change in Spain from an agenda setting perspective and comparing the Spanish policy agenda to that of other advanced democracies. Here we begin to compare the allocation of issue attention in Spain and the USA by comparing the substance of annual President and Prime Minister speeches from 1982 to 2005. Existing research argues that the public agenda has become more crowded, competitive and volatile in recent years. We find that in both countries there has been a transformation of the political agenda towards an increasing diversity of issues. However, most of the volatility in executive attention seems to be explained by salient events rather than by issue crowding. We conclude by discussing some limitations of executive speeches as a measure of governmental issue attention and directions for future research.

Enjeux ethiques de la psychiatrie sous contrainte [Ethical issues in psychiatry under coercion].

Psychiatry is now subject to two apparently contradictory movements. On the one hand, the need to respect the autonomy and rights of patients is reinforced and coercive measures are strictly defined and limited. On the other hand, security concerns in our society leads to prosecution of psychiatric disorders, especially when accompanied by behavioral problems or criminal acts. In these situations of compulsory treatment or care provided in prisons, a number of dilemmas emerge. The place of the healthcare professional in treatments ordered by the Justice and problems related to administrative detention are discussed in more detail.

Adolescent substance-use assessment: methodological issues in the use of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD).

During the past twenty years, various instruments have been developed for the assessment of substance use in adolescents, mainly in the United States. However, few of them have been adapted to, and validated in, French-speaking populations. Consequently, although increasing alcohol and drug use among teenagers has become a major concern, the various health and social programs developed in response to this specific problem have received little attention with regard to follow-up and outcome assessment. A standardized multidimensional assessment instrument adapted for adolescents is needed to assess the individual needs of adolescents and assign them to the most appropriate treatment setting, to provide a single measurement within and across health and social systems, and to conduct treatment outcome evaluations. Moreover, having an available instrument makes it possible to develop longitudinal and transcultural research studies. For this reason, a French version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) was developed and validated at the University Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland. This article aims to discuss the methodological issues that we faced when using the ADAD instrument in a 4-year longitudinal study including adolescent substance users. Methodological aspects relating to the content and format of the instrument, the assessment administration and the statistical analyses are discussed.

Review of Key Issues in Relation to Equality in the HPSS (PDF 296 KB)

The aim of this paper is to highlight the key issues as expressed by representative groups in research material and consultation responses received by the Department. Initially the majority of the issues identified have been gleaned from documentation such as press releases, research reports and a literature review commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. ����

Issues in blood pressure control and the potential role of single-pill combination therapies.

Hypertension (HTN) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular mortality, yet only a small proportion of hypertensive individuals receive appropriate therapy and achieve target blood pressure (BP) values. Factors influencing the success of antihypertensive therapy include physicians' acceptance of guideline BP targets, the efficacy and tolerability of the drug regimen, and patient compliance and persistence with therapy. It is now well recognised that most hypertensive patients require at least two antihypertensive agents to achieve their target BP. However, complicated treatment regimens are a major contributory factor to poor patient compliance. The use of combination therapy for HTN offers a number of advantages over the use of monotherapy, including improved efficacy, as drug combinations with a synergistic mechanism of action can be used. This additive effect means that lower doses of the individual components can be used, which may translate into a decreased likelihood of adverse events. The use of single-pill combination therapy, in which two or more agents are combined in a single dosage form, offers all the benefits of free combination therapy (improved efficacy and tolerability over monotherapy) together with the added benefit of improved patient compliance because of the simplified treatment regimen. The use of single-pill combination therapy may also be associated with cost savings compared with the use of free combinations for reasons of cheaper drug costs, fewer physician visits and fewer hospitalisations for uncontrolled HTN and cardiovascular events. Thus, the use of single-pill combination therapy for HTN should help improve BP goal attainment through improved patient compliance, leading to reduced costs for cardiovascular-related care.

Adolescent substance-use assessment: methodological issues in the use of the ADAD (Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis).

During the past twenty years, various instruments have been developed for the assessment of substance use in adolescents, mainly in the United States. However, few of them have been adapted to, and validated in, French-speaking populations. Consequently, although increasing alcohol and drug use among teenagers has become a major concern, the various health and social programs developed in response to this specific problem have received little attention with regard to follow-up and outcome assessment. A standardized multidimensional assessment instrument adapted for adolescents is needed to assess the individual needs of adolescents and assign them to the most appropriate treatment setting, to provide a single measurement within and across health and social systems, and to conduct treatment outcome evaluations. Moreover, having an available instrument makes it possible to develop longitudinal and trans-cultural research studies. For this reason, a French version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) was developed and validated at the University Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland. This paper aims to discuss the methodological issues that we faced when using the ADAD instrument in a 4-year longitudinal study including adolescent substance users. Methodological aspects relating to the content and format of the instrument, the assessment administration and the statistical analyses are discussed.

Examining the sustainability issues in UKOER projects : Developing a sustainable OER ecosystem in HE

The development of open educational resources (OERs) is becoming a strategic priority for governments and education institutions around the world, in response to funding cuts and rising costs in educational provision. In the United Kingdom, a government-sponsored Pilot Programme on Open Educational Recourses (JISC/HEA, 2009) was launched in 2009 with an initial budget of ��5.7m. This paper reviews the key sustainability issues identified by the projects including the different approaches and models that have been adopted in order to sustain the continuing development and release of OER once funding has ended. The analysis also considers the challenges relating to the development and implementation of policies and processes for sustainable OER practice within institutions and among academics. The paper concludes by drawing on the experiences from the wider United Kingdom and international OER communities to develop a sustainable OER ecosystem model that can facilitate discussions on future development of OER initiatives.

Beyond GDP: Methodological and measurement issues in redefining ���wealth���

In the last decades; a growing stock of literature has been devoted to the criticism of GDP as an indicator of societal wealth. A relevant question is: what are the perspectives to build, on the existing knowledge and consensus, alternative measures of prosperity? A starting point may be to connect well-being research agenda with the sustainability one. However, there is no doubt that there is a lot of complexity and fuzziness inherent in multidimensional concepts such as sustainability and well-being. This article analyses the theoretical foundations and the empirical validity of some multidimensional technical tools that can be used for well-being evaluation and assessment. Of course one should not forget that policy conclusions derived through any mathematical model depend also on the conceptual framework used, i.e. which representation of reality (and thus which societal values and interests) has been considered.