Embodied dispositions or experience? Identifying new patterns of professional competence

Aim. This paper is a report of a study to explore nurses' competence as revealed during an admission assessment. Background. Studies of nursing competence and of models of competence have become virtually synonymous with the five-stage developmental model applied to nursing by Benner. However, the model has been criticized for its interpretation of intuition and also for the exclusion of the social elements and context of nursing practice. Method. The study was conducted in 2004. This paper draws on data from 12 structured non-participant observations of admission assessments in an orthopaedic ward by four nurses: two with <1 year' experience and two with more than 5 years' experience. Defined variables were observed using instantaneous and event sampling. The analysis was guided theoretically by the assumptions embedded in Benner's competence model and Bourdieu's theory of practice. Findings. Each nurse had unique patterns of practice that did not correspond to the level of competence expected in relation to their length of experience as a nurse. Nurses' competence seems to be situational rather than related to levels in the developmental model: in some observed variables, inexperience nurses acted as experts, while experienced nurses acted as advanced beginners, contrary to the expectations of Benner. Conclusion. The five-stage developmental competence model could not be verified empirically in this study. The findings suggest that further empirical research is needed to clarify the apparent links between situation and competence.

Composting of urban solid residues (USR) by different dispositions - Kinetics of thermal decomposition

The thermal behavior and non-isothermal kinetics of thermal decomposition of three different kinds of composting of the USR like: stack with drilled PVC tubes (ST), revolved stack (SR) and stack with material of structure (SM), from the usine of composing of Araraquara city, São Paulo state, Brazil, within a period of 132 days of composting were studied.Results from TG, DTG and DSC curves obtained on inert atmosphere indicated that the cellulosic fraction present, despite the slow degradation during the composting process, is thermally less stable than other substances originated from that process. Due to that behavior, the cellulosic fraction decomposition could be kinetically evaluated through non-isothermal methods of analysis.The values obtained were: average activation energy, E-a=248, 257 and 259 kJ mol(-1) and pre-exponential factor, logA=21.4, 22.5, 22.7 min(-1), to the ST, SR and SM, respectively.From E-a and logA values and DSC curves, Malek procedure could be applied, suggesting that the SB (Sestak-Berggren) kinetic model is the appropriated one to the first thermal decomposition step.

Opciones para las disposiciones financieras e institucionales = Options for financial and institutional arrangements = Options pour les dispositions financières et institutionnelles

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Construction of the dispositions of institutional habitus in the academic field

This paper describes the main phases of development of an Institute of Chemistry in relation with national policy from the academic field. Its history begins with a proposal to meet the demand for chemistry teacher education and goes on to become a major center for research, education and extension. Throughout its 50 years of history, the Institution has faced numerous challenges by adopting strategies that have established and revealed its institutional habitus. To this end, we use some of René Kaës’s concepts about the development of groups and institutions, highlighting mainly the origins, expectations and covenants that underpinned its foundation, and the entire process of its expansion and institutionalization. Our main focus, also interpreted based on the theory of Pierre Bourdieu and followers, is the establishment of its institutional habitus, i.e., how it interprets and organizes its institutional teaching, research and extension activities within the context of the academic field. The peculiarity of the process has been the mismatch between internal and external pressures. Even though presenting the results of a case study, in general, our methodology can improve the understanding of institution’s development in relation with educational policy.