Los más pequeños toman la palabra: La Escuela Infantil que a ellos les gustaría

El derecho a ser escuchado y participar en aquellos asuntos que afectan a los niños es un derecho fundamental de la infancia escasamente respetado por el adulto, quien tiende a silenciar su voz, infravalorando su visión y posible aportación. Ante esta realidad, la Escuela Infantil se erige como un marco privilegiado para la escucha y la participación de la infancia en aquellos temas que les afectan, contribuyendo a la formación de ciudadanos democráticos. A partir de un marco de escucha donde se concibe al pequeño como un sujeto activo, competente y experto en su propia vida, se ha llevado a cabo una investigación que ha adoptado el formato de estudio de caso, en la que se ha recogido a través de las técnicas del dibujo y de las conversaciones con niños, la visión que poseen los más pequeños sobre la Escuela Infantil, analizando el bienestar del niño en el contexto escolar, el sentido y finalidad que los niños otorgan a la escuela; el grado de satisfacción con la misma; sus gustos y preferencias en el contexto escolar; la autonomía y libertad que dicen poseer en la escuela; su visión sobre los aspectos organizativos que rigen el funcionamiento del centro y su perspectiva sobre cómo es y cómo les gustaría que fuera la participación de las familias en la escuela. Finalmente, se recogen sus propuestas de mejora para hacer de la Escuela Infantil a la que asisten su escuela ideal. Los resultados del estudio ponen de manifiesto la demanda de los niños de una Escuela Infantil diferente a la que conocen y la existencia de un pensamiento divergente del pensamiento adulto que es necesario escuchar y tener en consideración, siendo sus aportaciones de gran valía para poder iniciar procesos de innovación y mejora educativa.

A educação infantil com a participação das crianças: algumas reflexões

Pensar a participação das crianças na educação infantil foi o mote que impulsionou essa pesquisa nos Estudos da Criança na Sociologia da Infância com o objetivo de contribuir para a consolidação da Pedagogia da Infância balizada num projeto emancipatório. Neste artigo, o recorte eleito tratará do encontro entre a Pedagogia da Infância e a Sociologia da Infância, da democracia e participação das crianças na educação infantil e, do corpo e afetos como elementos das formas de participar das crianças. Depreende-se o quanto é fulcral balizarmos uma educação a partir de uma concepção de criança como ator social e a imprescindibilidade de considerarmos seu ponto de vista expressado por diferentes canais comunicacionais, dentre eles o corpo e afetos, na organização e efetivação das práticas pedagógicas cotidianas.

Musikalisches Involviertsein als Modell kultureller Teilhabe und Teilnahme

In recent years, the concept of cultural participation has become very popular both in the scientific context as well as in the political discourse. Despite that, a sound definition of the construct allowing for solid empirical data collection and analysis is still missing. While this is a major obstacle for researchers, society and political decision makers ask for evidence-based knowledge concerning the effects and benefits of cultural education and assistant measures. Based on Amartya Sen’s “Capability Approach” and on a broad conception of culture, the authors try to fill this gap and propose a theoretical model of “musical involvement” to describe cultural participation in music. (DIPF/Orig.)

The challenge of sales competitions.

Universities in the United Kingdom do not make provision to deliver sales-ready graduates to the economy. One means of delivering sales education is participation in university sales competitions that bring together commercial sponsors, the higher education establishment and those students who may be interested in embarking upon a sales career. This paper explores the views of a sample of Edinburgh Napier University undergraduate students who completed a survey, with both multiple choice and open-ended questions, that detailed their experience in taking part in the Russ Berrie Institute (RBI) Sales Challenge competition between 2009-2014 at the Cotsakos Business Faculty of William Paterson University, New Jersey, in the United States. Ten categories of questions were asked relating to students' sales working experience, sales education, sales jobs, skills and knowledge, their preparation for the sales challenge competition process, observations during the event, post-competition reflection, and overall benefits of taking part in the sales competition process. The findings suggest that there are multiple benefits to students, business and universities from sales challenge competitions, which deliver an overall win-win-win outcome for all stakeholders.

Caracterización de las condiciones de salud y de trabajo y su relación con lesiones cutáneas en los orfebres artesanales de Mompox Bolivar-Colombia 2015

INTRODUCCIÓN Las alteraciones de la salud relacionadas con el trabajo (enfermedades y accidentes), pueden prevenirse desde las actividades bien enfocadas del Sistema de Gestión de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (SGSST), realizando la identificación y control de los agentes causales en el ambiente de trabajo y la vigilancia de la salud de la población trabajadora. El proyecto desarrollado va dirigido a un grupo específico de artesanos orfebres en la ciudad de Mompox, Bolivar, en la que esta labor artesanal se centra en el arte de la filigrana, transmitido generacionalmente desde antaño En esta ciudad los artesanos orfebres, aunque corresponden a un sector informal de la economía, se encuentran agremiados principalmente en tres asociaciones ubicadas en la cabecera municipal. En el desempeño de sus labores, estos profesionales del arte de la filigrana manipulan agentes químicos como el ácido nítrico, el ácido sulfúrico, la plata y el mercurio, los cuales se utilizan en las diferentes etapas del proceso que incluye técnicas propias de esta labor. Teniendo en cuenta que la información disponible en la literatura científica describe principalmente los efectos de agentes químicos en otros oficios diferentes a la población orfebre y conociendo que la exposición a estas sustancias químicas puede generar variados efectos en el organismo, el interés de este proyecto se centra específicamente en las alteraciones cutáneas posiblemente relacionadas con las condiciones de trabajo de esta población del sector informal. MATERIALES Y METODOS La presente investigación es un estudio de corte trasversal, el cual realizó una selección por conveniencia de 114 trabajadores de orfebres Momposinos con el fin de identificar la relación de las condiciones de trabajo con la presencia de alteraciones cutáneas de los trabajadores que laboran en la orfebrería artesanal en la ciudad de Mompox, departamento de Bolívar, en el año 2015, de tal manera que dejando a consideración la descripción de los hallazgos encontrados, se posibiliten futuras y precisas investigaciones e intervenciones en este colectivo de trabajadores. Los instrumentos empleados para la recolección de la información y para el cumplimento de los objetivos fueron la encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Trabajo del Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el trabajo de España (INSHT) que permite recolectar información sobre la caracterización de la población a nivel sociodemográfico y ocupacional, y para la determinación de patologías dermatológicas relacionadas con el trabajo se utilizó el Cuestionario NOSQ-2002 Nórdico- Enfermedades Cutáneas de origen Laboral, en su versión validada en español. Se describieron las variables categóricas con porcentajes y las continuas (cuantitativas) con medidas de tendencia central y dispersión La asociación entre los hallazgos de exposición ocupacional y los síntomas y signos en piel, fue estimada mediante riesgos relativos. RESULTADOS El 75,4% del total de la población correspondió al género masculino y el 67,5% reportó realizar sus labores como trabajadores independientes. Respecto a la identificación de condiciones de salud, la percepción por parte de los orfebres fue positiva, reportando muy buena salud en el 34% de los mismos. El 8% de la población manifestó alteraciones dermatológicas tipo eczema en los últimos seis meses y el 11% las presentó principalmente en manos. Respecto de la iniciación del eczema, el 97% de los trabajadores reportó que se iniciaba al contacto con sustancias químicas y el 98,7% manifestó que se encontraban realizando la labor de orfebrería cuando inició el eczema. La lesión prevalente fue mancha roja sin edema (8%), seguida de ronchas o manchas y ampollas pequeñas (3%) y de piel seca con escamas (2%). CONCLUSIONES Los resultados de la presente investigación mostraron la prevalencia de alteraciones cutáneas principalmente en las manos, tipo eczema (manchas rojas) o prurito (picor). Se recomienda la disminución de los tiempos de exposición, adecuación de jornadas y tiempos de descanso, sistemas de protección personal adecuados y la implementación de un programa de educación y participación para el control integral del riesgo.

Mexican American parent atttitudes towards research participation

The objective of this cross sectional pilot study was to understand the cultural and social influences associated with the participation and retention of Mexican American parents in research studies. Mexican American parent's participation is limited due to cultural barriers that researchers may not recognize. Successful recruitment and retention of participants is a critical element for prevention research, particularly for groups that are underrepresented and carry a high burden of disease (Dunika, Garza, Roosa, & Stoerzinger, 1997). ^ The goal of this pilot study was to increase the understanding of research participation, recruitment and retention strategies among Mexican American adults using an instrument based on the Health Belief Model. This instrument was used to assess the cultural beliefs of Mexican American adults toward research participation. The dependent variable (research scenarios indexed by invasiveness) for each participant was compared to the independent variable (HBM scores) using chi-square analysis to see how the Health Belief Model constructs of perceived threat, perceived barriers, cues to action and perceived benefits are associated with how willing the participants are to participate in different risk levels of research. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the items on the instrument regarding acculturation, demographics, and sample size. ^ This study expands on current knowledge of research participation and retention strategies and methods involving the Mexican American parents. Using data from this study, researchers can observe relevant patterns from the participant's responses.^

Parent & community participation : a casebook.

"Spring 1985."

Social inequalities and parent involvement in children’s education in the early years of school

Strengthening cooperation between schools and parents is critical to improving learning outcomes for children. The chapter focuses on parental engagement in their children’s education in the early years of school. It considers issues of social and cultural capital as important to whether, or not, parents are involved in their children’s schooling. Analyses of data from a national representative sample of children and their families who participate in Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children are presented. Results indicated that higher family socio-economic position was associated with higher levels of parental involvement and higher expectations about children’s future level of education.

Child participation in the early years : challenges for education

The view that children should have a say in and participate in the decision-making of, matters that affect them is now an accepted position when considering research and policy in the early years. This paper reviews the field of child participation in the Australian context to show that, despite growing evidence of support within policy and research arenas, young children’s participation rights in Australia have not been key agenda items for early childhood education. While a significant part of children’s daily experience takes place in classrooms, the actual practices of engaging young children as participants in everyday activities remains a challenge for early childhood education. Participation is an interactional process that involves managing relationships between children and adults. Recommendations include further research into the daily experiences of young children to show what participation might look like when translated to the everyday activities of the classroom and playground.

Pedagogy and participation : literacy education for low-literate refugee students of African origin in a western school system

For ESL teachers working with low-literate adolescents the challenge is to provide instruction in basic literacy capabilities while also realising the benefits of interactive and dialogic pedagogies advocated for the students. In this article we look at literacy pedagogy for refugees of African origin in Australian classrooms. We report on an interview study conducted in an intensive English language school for new arrival adolescents and in three regular secondary schools. Brian Street’s ideological model is used. From this perspective, literacy entails not only technical skills, but also social and cultural ways of making meaning that are embedded within relations of power. The findings showed that teachers were strengthening control of instruction to enable mastery of technical capabilities in basic literacy and genre analysis. We suggest that this approach should be supplemented by a critical approach transforming relations of linguistic power that exclude, marginalise and humiliate the study students in the classroom.

Indigenous knowledge and effective parent / school partnerships : insights and issues from 4 school case studies

Towards the last decade of the last millennium, Indigenous knowledge has been central to scholarly debates relating to decolonising knowledge on a global level. Much of these debates were advanced by Indigenous scholars in colonised countries particularly Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Indigenous scholars argue for the location of Indigenous knowledge as the epistemological standpoint (Battiste, Bell and Findlay, 2002; Kai’a, 2005; Nakata 2002, 2007) for intellectual engagements and methodology for resisting colonial constructions of the colonised other (Rigney, 1997; Smith, 1999, 2005). However, the challenge to engage Indigenous knowledge to inform research and educational processes, in many respects, is still a contested debate in western-oriented universities and institutions of higher education. The place of Indigenous knowledge in Australian secondary and primary schools remains vague, while efforts to embed Indigenous perspectives in the curriculum continue to be made by both government and private educational providers. Educational funding for Indigenous education continues to operate from a ‘deficiency’ model, whereby educational outcomes are often measured against set criteria, reflecting a pass/fail structure, than a more comprehensive investigation of educational outcomes and quality of learning experiences. Teacher knowledge, effective parental and community engagement into students’ learning and students’ experiences of schooling continue to be secondary to students’ final results. This paper presents preliminary findings of Parent School Partnership Initiative (PSPI) project conducted by the Oodgeroo Unit at the Queensland University of Technology in partnerships with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Focus Group for the Caboolture Shire, in South East Queensland. The state government sponsored initiative was to examine factors that promote and enhance parent/school engagement with their students’ schooling, and to contribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ learning and completion of secondary schooling within the participating schools in a more holistic way. We present four school case studies and discuss some of the early findings. We conclude by arguing the importance of the recognition of Indigenous knowledge and its place in enhancing parent – schools partnerships.

A Fair Go Beyond the School Gate? Systemic factors affecting participation and attainment in tertiary education by Queensland students from LSES backgrounds

The purpose of this project was to conduct an empirical study that would result in findings that inform systemic policy development aimed at improving tertiary participation and attainment by students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds in Queensland. The project focuses on systemic policy, initiatives and programs that encourage tertiary education participation and attainment by individuals from LSES backgrounds, rather than on institution-specific initiatives or programs. While the broad remit was to consider tertiary education participation, the study particularly highlights issues pertaining to LSES student participation and attainment in the higher education sector, given the notable under representation of this demographic subgroup in Australian universities. This study supports the strategic priority of addressing professional skills shortages and innovations aiming to improve human and social capital in the state of Queensland. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the enhancement of Queensland’s education and training system by maximising participation and attainment by people from LSES backgrounds in higher education, thereby improving their quality of life and future life choices and opportunities. The study addressed the following five research questions: 1. What are the major factors that promote or inhibit participation and attainment in tertiary education by LSES students in Queensland? 2. To what extent do systemic policies or practices(systemic factors) of Queensland’s tertiary education system promote or inhibit participation and attainment by LSES students? That is, what features of Queensland’s tertiary education system have a significant effect on participation and attainment by LSES students? 3. What system policies or practices are found to boost participation and attainment by LSES students in other jurisdictions? 4. What evidence is there to suggest that policies or practices that have boosted participation and attainment by LSES students in other jurisdictions would be successful if implemented in Queensland? 5. What are the implications of the research findings for Queensland’s tertiary education system to improve participation and attainment by LSES students? The project adopted a mixed methods approach to data collection. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant state, national and international literature. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to collect data from a range of key stakeholders.

Pathways for developing a 'smart' workforce : does the achievement of formal workplace qualifications encourage participation in higher education?

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a public workforce education initiative in the context of State and agency policies designed to enhance employee capabilities to adapt to a volatile and changing environment. In particular, we are concerned with public employees’ experience of a higher educational pathway that resulted in their obtaining a Diploma level qualification. In addition to understanding the employees’ experience of this pathway we were interested in whether the experience contributed to their openness to the prospect of university level education. We conducted telephone interviews with a sample of participants from the program. Employees reported very positive experience of the program; in particular employees reported enhanced efficacy beliefs, a strong sense of achievement, and a feeling of recognition. This experience is explained by four main factors; (1) a program design that was well aligned with the employees learning needs, (2) strong support by organisational staff who delivered and assessed participants on capability criteria, (3) strong management support for employees’ participation, (4) an academic ceremony that provided participants with public recognition of their achievement by valued others. Participants’ motivation to participate was primarily intrinsic rather than extrinsic. Participants in the study reported that their experience in this educational pathway gave them the confidence to consider the possibility of university level education. The paper also discusses the practitioner-academic collaboration that led to the development of this paper.

The family participation in child care project

Working with families has long been a fundamental tenet of quality child care services. While there is broad agreement that family participation in child care offers multiple benefits to all concerned, many educators continue to identify this as one of the more challenging aspects of their work. There are a number of perceived barriers to participation, including time constraints, different needs and expectations and the lack of confidence and capacity to support genuine participation. What is interesting, and often overlooked, is that these are shared issues and relate to both educators and parents. Recognising the importance and challenge of family participation in child care, the Brisbane South Professional Support Network PSN), a network facilitated by the Health and Community Services Workforce Council is leading a collaborative research project to build educator knowledge and capacity to promote and support relationship building, meaningful dialogue and genuine partnerships in child care. This article reports on findings from the first phase of this study, identifying parent views and experiences of partnership and articipation in child care services. Findings highlight preferred methods of information sharing and seeking, identify barriers to communication and participation and provide insight into parent expectations of partnerships with educators.