Memorandum of Understanding Tompkins Cortland Community College-Universidad de Cuenca-Disney Theme Parks and Resorts College Program. International Educational Exchange Agreement.

English

The Relationship of Culturally Responsive Instruction and the Reading Comprehension and Attitude of Struggling Urban Adolescent Readers

Culturally responsive instruction refers to the identification of relevant cultural aspects of students’ lives and infusion of these into the curriculum. This instructional approach assumes that a culturally appropriate curriculum can potentially motivate, engage, and lead students to higher rates of achievement. This quasi-experimental study (N=44) investigated the relationship of culturally responsive instruction and the reading comprehension and attitude of struggling urban adolescent readers. The study incorporated the use of culturally responsive instruction using culturally relevant literature (CRL), the Bluford Series Novels, as authentic texts of instruction. Participants were seventh grade reading students at a Title I middle school in South Florida. After a baseline period, two different classes were taught for 8 weeks using different methods. One class formed the experimental group (n=22) and the other class formed the comparison group (n=22). The CRI curriculum for the experimental group embraced the socio-cultural perspective through the use of small discussion groups in which students read and constructed meaning with peers through interaction with the Bluford Series Novels; gave written responses to multiple strategies according to SCRAP – Summarize, Connect, Reflect, Ask Questions, Predict; responded to literal and inferential questions, while at the same time validating their responses through evidence from the text. The Read XL (basal reader) curriculum of the comparison group utilized a traditional form of instruction which incorporated the reading of passages followed by responses to comprehension questions, and teacher-led whole group discussion. The main sources of data were collected from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), and the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Assessment. Statistical analyses were performed using Repeated Measures ANOVAs. Findings from the study revealed that the experimental participants’ reading attitudes and FAIR comprehension scores increased when compared to the comparison group. Overall, the results from the study revealed that culturally responsive instruction can potentially foster reading comprehension and a more positive attitude towards reading. However, a replication of this study in other settings with a larger, more randomized sample size and a greater ethnic variation is needed in order to make full generalizations.

Niveles de actividad física de niños y adolescentes durante las clases de educación física en tres colegios oficiales de Bogotá

La clase de educación física es un espacio en el cual los niños y adolescentes pueden incrementar los niveles de actividad física y alcanzar las recomendaciones emitidas por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), sin embargo, existe poca evidencia científica a nivel nacional sobre las actividades físicas que realizan los estudiantes dentro del ámbito escolar, específicamente dentro de las clases de educación física y sus relaciones con el contexto; es por esto que el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los niveles de actividad física de niños y adolescentes durante las clases de educación física en tres colegios oficiales de Bogotá, Colombia, por medio de la herramienta SOFIT. Estudio de diseño descriptivo y transversal realizado entre octubre de 2014 y mayo de 2015. Las observaciones se llevaron a cabo en tres colegios oficiales de la ciudad de Bogotá ubicados en las localidades de Tunjuelito y Ciudad Bolívar que aceptaron su participación en la investigación. Se obtuvo la aprobación para participar de 1361 estudiantes (682 niñas y 679 niños) de 5 a 17 años de los cuales 180 estudiantes (93 niños y 87 niñas) fueron seleccionados de manera aleatoria sistemática, siguiendo el protocolo SOFIT para observar su nivel de actividad física durante las clases de educación física. El 45,23% del tiempo de la clase de educación física los estudiantes mantuvieron un comportamiento sedentario; mientras que el 30.91% y el 23.86% del tiempo de la clase presentaron un nivel de actividad física moderada (AFM) y vigorosa (AFV) respectivamente. El nivel de actividad física moderada a vigorosa (AFMV), fue de 54,78% es decir, 35,27 minutos de la clase. Los docentes no promovieron la actividad física en un 56,47% del tiempo de la clase y se encontró que ningún docente promovió la actividad física fuera de la clase, es decir, alentando a sus estudiantes a que practicaran cualquier forma de actividad física en horas extraescolares. El contexto de la clase que más se desarrolló fue la condición física con un 35,66% del tiempo de la clase, seguido por los contextos de generalidades 24,83% y habilidades 23,84%. El contexto de la clase generalidades está asociada significativamente y de manera negativa (β=-0,32, p=0,006) con menor porcentaje de tiempo en AFM y AFV, las variables activas de SOFIT, lo que sugiere que las clases deben invertir menos tiempo en este contexto e incrementar el porcentaje de tiempo en los otros contextos como condición física y habilidades para aumentar la cantidad de minutos de AFMV en los estudiantes.

A disciplina recreação e lazer no curriculo de formação de profissionais de Educação Fisica : o que dizem e fazem professores em Universidade do Nordeste do Brasil

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Mental health nursing standards and practice indicators for Australia: a review of current literature

There are many changes and challenges facing the mental health care professional working in Australia in the 21st Century. Given the significance of their number and the considerable extent to which care is delivered by them, mental health nurses in particular must be at the forefront of the movement to enhance and improve mental health care. Mental health nurses in Australia must not only keep up with the changes, we should be setting the pace for others across the profession worldwide. The increasingly complex field of mental health nursing demands nurses who are not only equipped to face the challenges but are confident in doing so. Definitive guidelines for practice, clear expectations regarding outcomes and specific means by which to evaluate both practice and outcomes are vital. Strengthening the role and vision of mental health nursing so that there is clarity about both and highlighting core values by which to perform will enable us to become focused on our future and what we can expect to both give to and receive from our chosen profession and how we can, and do, contribute to mental health care. The role of the mental health nurse is undergoing expansion and there are new hurdles to overcome along with the new benefits this brings. To support this, nationally adopted, formalised standards of practice and means by which to measure these, i.e., practice indicators formerly known as clinical indicators, are required. It is important to have national standards and practice indicators because of the variances in the provision of mental health across Australia – different legislation regarding mental health policies and processes, different nursing registration bodies and Nursing Councils, for example – which create additional barriers to cohesion and uniformity. Improvements in the practice of mental health nursing lead to benefits for consumer outcomes as well as the overall quality of mental health care available in Australia. The emphasis on rights-based care, particularly consumer and carer rights, demands evidence-based, up-to-date mental health care delivered by competent, capable professionals. Documented expectations for performance by nurses will provide all involved with yardsticks by which to evaluate outcomes. Flowing on from these benefits are advances in mental health care generally and enhancements to Australia’s reputation and position within the health care arena throughout the world. Currently, the ‘Standards for Practice’ published by the Australian New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses (ANZCMHN) in 1995 and the practice indicators developed by Skews et al. (2000) provide a less formal guide for mental health nurses working in Australia. While these earlier standards and practice indicators have played some role in supporting mental health nurses they have not been nationally or enthusiastically adopted and there are a multitude of reasons for this. This report reviews the current literature available on practice indicators and standards for practice and describes an evidence-based rationale as to why a review and renewal of these is required and why it is important, not just for mental health nurses but to the field of mental health in general. The term ‘practice indicator’ is used, except where a quotation utilises ‘clinical indicator’, to more accurately reflect the broad spectrum of nursing roles, i.e. not all mental health nursing work involves a clinical role.

Occupational Therapy in mental health: Managing stress and burnout

Stress and burnout for human service workers has received increasing attention over a number of years. It has been suggested that health care professionals may be particularly at risk of stress and burnout because of the amount and type of direct client contact that makes up their work. For workers in the field of mental health, additional stressors are present owing to organisational restructuring and new models of care. Mental health occupational therapists may be vulnerable to stress and burnout owing to the nature of their work, the types of client they see, the changed work environment and professional issues. It is recommended that occupational therapists become aware of the factors contributing to stress and burnout and develop strategies to maintain their wellbeing in the workforce.

Communication and health beliefs - Mass and interpersonal influences on perceptions of risk to self and others

This study investigated the impact of media coverage of a health issue (skin cancer) on judgements of risk to self and others and the role of related communication processes. Consistent with predictions derived from the impersonal impact hypothesis, the effects of mass communication were more evident in perceptions of risk to others rather than in perceptions of personal risk. Perceptions of personal risk were more strongly correlated with interpersonal communication. However, as suggested by media system dependency theory, the relationship between mass communication and beliefs was complex. The impact of mass communication on both personal and impersonal perceptions was bound to be moderated by self-reported dependence on mass mediated information. The effect of this two-way interaction 071 perceptions of personal risk was partially mediated through interpersonal communication. Results point to the interdependence of mass and interpersonal communication as sources of social influence and the role of media dependency in shaping media impact.

Effects of health decentralization, financing and governance in Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To identify the effects of decentralization on health financing and governance policies in Mexico from the perspective of users and providers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in four states that were selected according to geopolitical and administrative criteria. Four indicators were assessed: changes and effects on governance, financing sources and funds, the final destination of resources, and fund allocation mechanisms. Data collection was performed using in-depth interviews with health system key personnel and community leaders, consensus techniques and document analyses. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by thematic segmentation. RESULTS: The results show different effectiveness levels for the four states regarding changes in financing policies and community participation. Effects on health financing after decentralization were identified in each state, including: greater participation of municipal and state governments in health expenditure, increased financial participation of households, greater community participation in low-income states, duality and confusion in the new mechanisms for coordination among the three government levels, absence of an accountability system, lack of human resources and technical skills to implement, monitor and evaluate changes in financing. CONCLUSIONS: In general, positive and negative effects of decentralization on health financing and governance were identified. The effects mentioned by health service providers and users were related to a diversification of financing sources, a greater margin for decisions around the use and final destination of financial resources and normative development for the use of resources. At the community level, direct financial contributions were mentioned, as well as in-kind contributions, particularly in the form of community work.

Influence of Firms’ Environmental Management and Community Involvement Programs in their Employees and in the Community

To assure enduring success, firms need to generate economic value with respect for the environment and social value. They also need to be aware of the needs and expectations of relevant stakeholders and incorporate them in their business strategies and programs. These challenges imply that engineers should take into consideration societal, health and safety,environmental and commercial issues in their professional activity. This investigation accesses the influence of firms’ environmental management programs and community involvement programs on their own employees and in the community, with a focus on small and medium companies. Based on a quantitative research, the findings suggest that firms that invest both in environmental management programs and in community involvement programs have a higher involvement of their own employees with the community, while at the same time receiving more feedback (positive, but also negative) from the community, stressing the need to pay special attention to their communication policies.

Educação bilingue em Moçambique: um estudo de caso, na Província de Gaza, centrado nas práticas pedagógicas do ensino básico

Em contextos como o de Moçambique que apresenta uma diversidade linguística, o uso de mais de uma língua no ensino é quase que obrigatório. Assim, urge a necessidade de formalizar a Educação Bilingue (EB) nas escolas moçambicanas. A modalidade de EB em Moçambique é de transição e manutenção, nas primeiras classes (1ª, 2ª e 3ª) usa-se a língua local como meio de instrução e o Português é uma disciplina, a partir da 4ª classe há uma inversão. Dessa estratégia o aluno deve estar em condições na 5ª classe de enfrentar o exame nacional, que é feito em língua oficial Portuguesa, para transitar do 1º para o 2º grau. O trabalho tem como problema esta interrogação: De que modo o programa curricular de Educação Bilingue se traduz nas práticas pedagógicas nas escolas do Ensino Básico que usam a língua Portuguesa e Changana no distrito de Bilene, na província de Gaza? O estudo empírico é de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, com a utilização de técnicas de recolha de dados como a análise documental, entrevistas, questionário e provas escrita e oral aos alunos. Do estudo conclui-se: i) Não existe um programa de base especificamente para EB; ii) Há incongruência entre o programa e as práticas pedagógicas e iii) Os alunos apresentam maior dificuldades de compreensão, na escrita do que na oralidade, nas provas de conhecimento nas disciplinas básicas (Português e Matemática) em língua Portuguesa.

Memòria justificativa del treball realitzat durant l’estada a la Universitat de Wisconsin-Madison

Projecte de recerca elaborat a partir d’una estada a la Universitat de Wisconsin-Madison, EUA, Departament de Curriculum and Instruction, des de mitjans d’agost a mitjans de novembre de 2006. S’ha treballat en relació a la preparació de la tesi “Els grups interactius: una pràctica de les comunitats d’aprenentatge per a la inclusió de l’alumnat amb discapacitat “. La universitat de Wisconsin-Madison i en concret el departament de Curriculum and instruction compta amb professorat de reconegut prestigi internacional en l’àmbit de l’educació. Entre els temes que es treballen al departament i que vaig poder conèixer, en destaco les implicacions de l’educació en l’existència de desigualtats socials, així com les implicacions del govern i de les polítiques educatives en la creació i manteniment d’aquestes desigualtats, les reformes i polítiques educatives i el paper de l’educació en el més ampli context de la societat i les seves estructures, l’anàlisi del llenguatge vinculat amb les desigualtats i l’educació, la necessitat de tenir en compte la multiculturalitat des d’una perspectiva crítica, i les possibilitats de transformació en educació facilitades per les oportunitats d’interacció.