Educating integrated catalysts: transforming business schools toward ethics and sustainability

Joining the sharpening critique of conventional University-based business school education, we argue that educating integrated catalysts is necessary to meet current sustainability challenges. The key feature of moving toward the integration required at the individual level is focusing on developing students' capacity for moral and cognitive maturity. Practically, this makes the practice of genuine dialogue focal as core interpersonal method for educating management students. In supporting such education, business schools must however first transform themselves. Acting as transformative social enterprises, they can demonstrate being a part in critically questioning and improving the impact and relevance of management on the flourishing of wider society and the practice of an ethically oriented economy. We offer practical suggestions and implications for future business education reform.

Texto e contexto das leis orgânicas dos ensinos industrial, comercial e agrícola: 1942-1946

O trabalho destina-se a caracterizar e a delinear o conteúdo expresso no texto das Leis Orgânicas dos Ensinos Industrial, Comercial e Agricola, respectivamente, Decreto-lei n9 4.073 de 30 de janeiro de 1942, Decreto-lei n9 6.141 de 28 de dezembro de 1943 e Decreto-lei n9 9.613 de 20 de agosto de 1946 e a sua vinculação com o contexto politico-socio-econômico-administrativo-educacional. O estudo e esquematizado em quatro capitulos. Os dois pr1me1ros capitulos seguem a linha de investigaçao historica, sendo focalizadas as evoluções do ensino profi~ sional brasileiro e dos variados aspectos do contexto para posicionar o texto das Leis Orgânicas dos Ensinos Industrial, Comercial e Agricola. Os dois últimos capitulas tem como escopo aflorar a ideologia do texto dessas leis orgânicas, sendo que o terceiro capitulo apresenta a anilise de discurso do texto em evid~ncia, enquanto que o quarto capitulo analisa e interpreta as premissas ideologicas entre o texto das leis organicas e o contexto. Os quatro capItulas visam aos fatos e as ideias formuladas e sedimenta das pelo contexto, através do texto das Leis Orgânicas dos Ensinos Industrial, Comercial e Agricola. A pesquisa evidencia que o texto das Leis Orginicas dos Ensinos Industrial, Comercial e Agricola empreende perfeitamente as funções ideologicas elaboradas pelo gover no para atender i realidade do Estado Novo atraves da sedi mentação da ordem vigente e dos mecanismos de conservaçao e de reprodução sociais, apesar de ser constatada eial alienação is necessidades da efetivação do a parprocesso de industrialização no Pais e da construção de um modelo de sistema educacional adequado ao sistema geral de produçao e de acordo com o progresso social exigido pelo contex to.

Organização de uma bateria de testes para seleção de candidatos ao ensino técnico de 2. grau

O trabalho aqui apresentado relata um estudo exploratório na área de Educação Técnico-Industrial de segundo grau, cujo objetivo consistiu em selecionar, dentre vários testes, os que fossem melhores preditores do aproveitamento acadêmico dentro da formarão profissional, para formar parte da bateria de testes que serão utilizadas na seleção dos candidatos aos cursos oferecidos pelo Colégio Técnico Nacional para a formação de técnicos de nível médio. o estudo em apreço, realizado mediante a colaboração entre o Departamento de Educação Técnica e o Departamento de Orientação Educacional e Vocacional, ambos do Ministério de Educa9ão e Cultura do Paraguai, é parte do projeto de expansão da orientação no nível de Formação Técnico-Industrial e Formação Profissional do qual um dos objetivos é controlar a qualidade da matricula a fim de evitar a evasão e favorecer o maior aproveitamento destes cursos oferecidos a este nível, o que será possível através da implantarão, em todos os Colégios desde tipo, de medidas de avaliação de aptidões e interesses para o desenvolvimento dos recursos humanos dos países em desenvolvimento. Partiu-se de uma análise minuciosa dos programas de estudo das matérias que compunham a bagagem de cada especialidade, com a finalidade de realizar uma lista de aptidões e traços que compõe a especificação profissional de cada especialidade. Foram experimentados 13 testes psicométricos, um de interesses ocupacionais e dois de personalidade. Dos quais após submetidos ao tratamento estadístico para conhecer sua precisão e validade em relação a um critério (o rendimento acadêmico nas matérias da especialidade) foram selecionados os seguintes testes: I N V de Pierre Weil, Raciocínio espacial Ribakow, Rapidez e exatidão no cálculo da bateria CEPA, Teste de Destreza Manual e Atenção distribuída e o Raciocínio Mecânico do DAT por ser os de melhor índice de precisão e validade (elevada correlação com as mate rias profissionais das especialidades). Este estudo se constitui no passo inicial para a elaboração de outros sistemas de seleção de matrícula baseados em provas pSicol6gicas, organizados pela Unidade de Psicometria e Psicologia Escolar de Dpto. de Orientação Educativa e Vocacional do M. E. C.

Escola para os filhos dos outros: trajetória histórica da escola industrial de Natal (1942-1968)

This paper presents a reconstruction of the historical trajectory of the Escola Industrial de Natal (Industrial School of Natal), in the period 1942 to 1968, based on the analysis of its cultural, social and pedagogical characteristics in a process in which its educational practices and the individuals who constructed them were getting involved in their actions. In this sense, the concepts of memory and school culture occupied a central place to understand the elements that characterized its administrative and pedagogical organization such as, for example, its curriculum, aims, disciplinary rules, clientele, teachers, leaders and the configuration of the institutional power. Designed to meet the demands of an industrial process that has strengthened in the country, throughout its history, the Escola Industrial de Natal was becoming a space predominantly occupied by individuals, from economically disadvantaged social groups in society, in search of a professional training that would guarantee them the exercise of a profession. The time frame from 1942 to 1968 allowed us to verify the changes caused by the Organic Law of Industrial Education of 1942, and the Law number 3.552, from 1959, in the organizational structure of this school. In this context, a characteristic that was evident was the purpose of making it flow between the students the love for the country, the respect for civic values and the belief that industrial education would be able to boost the country's development, an aspect that reached a bigger dimension from the 1950 s. Marked the disciplinary character of this institution the control over the actions of individuals, developed through its multiple educational practices in specific areas and in the predetermined time, under the constant gaze of those who participated, in some from, in driving this process. On the other hand, the vocational and human training, provided to students, allowed new opportunities for social integration, not only in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, but also in other regions of Brazil. Conversely, during his career, the Escola Industrial de Natal has remained being seen as an organized institution, with good teachers, but intended for the children of others

Projeto de Escola Infantil Sustentável em Bauru

The inclusion of sustainability practices in the construction is a growing trend. This propensity to sustainability takes place from the 1980’s due to the concern about the scarcity of natural resources and damages caused by the men to the environment. Another upward sector in the architecture business is the environmental psychology. The understanding of the environment and it’s planning and adaptation to meet the real user’s needs are essential factors to build an widely used and comfortable environment. An environment can only be considered complete when it meets the real user’s needs. Sustainability related themes as well as environmental psychology are highlighted in the discussions about the projects as fundamental factors to the environment’s quality. This work seeks the development of an kindergarten school, conceptually grounded in researches and analysis of school environments, playful projects and sustainability in the built environment, aiming its use in the city of Bauru. The project will be built from the understanding of the human behavior and in search of an sustainable architecture

Promoting a functional physical self-concept in physical education: Evaluation of a 10-week intervention

Most physical education intervention studies on the positive effect of sports on self-concept development have attempted to increase schoolchildren’s self-concept without taking the veridicality of the self-concept into account. The present study investigated whether a 10-week intervention in physical education would lead to an increase not only in the general level of self-concept of endurance and self-concept of strength but also in its veridicality in those who had previously under- or overestimated their abilities. A total of 464 primary schoolchildren (246 boys, 218 girls, Mage = 11.9) either participated in the intervention or served as controls. The intervention group received endurance and strength training during physical education lessons carried out with a consistent individualized teacher frame of reference (iTFR). Results showed that this specific intervention was associated with increases not only in the general level of self-concept but also in its veridicality in under- and overestimators. Results are discussed in terms of didactic methods to promote functional self-concepts in physical education.

Reading on LCD vs e-Ink displays: effects on fatigue and visual strain

Purpose:  Most recently light and mobile reading devices with high display resolutions have become popular and they may open new possibilities for reading applications in education, business and the private sector. The ability to adapt font size may also open new reading opportunities for people with impaired or low vision. Based on their display technology two major groups of reading devices can be distinguished. One type, predominantly found in dedicated e-book readers, uses electronic paper also known as e-Ink. Other devices, mostly multifunction tablet-PCs, are equipped with backlit LCD displays. While it has long been accepted that reading on electronic displays is slow and associated with visual fatigue, this new generation is explicitly promoted for reading. Since research has shown that, compared to reading on electronic displays, reading on paper is faster and requires fewer fixations per line, one would expect differential effects when comparing reading behaviour on e-Ink and LCD. In the present study we therefore compared experimentally how these two display types are suited for reading over an extended period of time. Methods:  Participants read for several hours on either e-Ink or LCD, and different measures of reading behaviour and visual strain were regularly recorded. These dependent measures included subjective (visual) fatigue, a letter search task, reading speed, oculomotor behaviour and the pupillary light reflex. Results:  Results suggested that reading on the two display types is very similar in terms of both subjective and objective measures. Conclusions:  It is not the technology itself, but rather the image quality that seems crucial for reading. Compared to the visual display units used in the previous few decades, these more recent electronic displays allow for good and comfortable reading, even for extended periods of time.

The burnout syndrome among nurses in an urban acute care hospital

Three hundred fifty-four registered nurses from an urban acute care hospital were examined through self-report questionnaires. Nurses from trauma care, critical care and non-critical care nursing specialties participated in the study. The study focuses were (1) whether sociodemographic characteristics were significantly related to burnout; (2) what was the prevalence estimate of burnout among the population; (3) whether burnout levels differed depending upon nursing specialties and; (4) whether burnout as related to nursing stress, work environment, and work relations was mediated by sociodemographic characteristics.^ Race, age, marital status, education, seniority, rank, nursing education, and birthplace were significantly related to one or more aspects of burnout in the total population. With emotional exhaustion alone the prevalence of burnout was 62%. Using emotional exhaustion and depersonalization combined with reduced sense of personal accomplishment as a measure of burnout, thirty-four percent of the nurses were either in the pre-burnout phase or burned out. The relative importance of sociodemographic characteristics indicated that experience and race were highly significant risk factors.^ Burnout levels differed significantly depending upon nursing specialty. Specifically, levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization differed significantly between trauma care and critical care, and trauma care and non-critical care. Personal accomplishment did not differ depending upon nursing specialty. Critical care nurses did not differ significantly from non-critical care nurses on aspect of burnout.^ Race, marital status, education, seniority and rank were significant mediators of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The study offers possible explanations for the mediating effect of sociodemographic characteristics on nursing stress, work environment, work relations, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. ^

Patient satisfaction and nursing staff work satisfaction in an urban public teaching hospital

This study examined the level of patient satisfaction and nursing staff work satisfaction at an urban public hospital in the Southwestern United States. The primary objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the level of overall patient satisfaction and satisfaction with specific dimensions of hospital care; (2) the differences in patient satisfaction according to demographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, and education completed) and predispositional factors (perceived health status, perceived level of pain, prior contact with the hospital, and hospital image) and the relative importance of each variable on patient satisfaction; (3) the level of overall work satisfaction and satisfaction with specific dimensions of work experienced by the medical/surgical nursing staff; (4) the differences in work satisfaction experienced by the nursing staff based on demographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity, and marital status) and professional factors (education completed, staff position, the number of years employed with the hospital, and number of years employed in nursing) and the relative importance of each variable on work satisfaction; and (5) to determine the effect of the nursing work milieu on patient and staff satisfaction.^ The study findings showed that patients experienced a moderate to low level of satisfaction with the dimensions of hospital care (admission process, daily care, information, nursing care, physician care, other hospital staff, living arrangements, and overall care). Of the eight dimensions of care, patients reported a relatively positive level of satisfaction (75 percent or better) with only one dimension: physician care. Ethnicity, perceived health status, and hospital image were significantly related to patient satisfaction. Hispanic patients, those who were in good health, and those who felt the hospital had a good image in their community were most satisfied with hospital care. Patients also reported areas of hospital care that needed the most improvement. Responses included: rude staff, better nursing care, and better communication.^ Findings from the nursing satisfaction survey indicated a low level of satisfaction with the dimensions of work (autonomy, pay, professional status, interaction, task requirements, and organizational policies). Only one dimension of work, professional status, received a mean satisfaction score in the positive range. Additionally, staff members were unanimously dissatisfied with their salaries. Frequently mentioned work-related problems reported by the staff included: staffing shortages, heavy patient loads. and excessive paperwork.^ The nursing milieu appeared to have had a significant effect on the satisfaction levels of patients nursing staff employees. The nursing staff were often short staffed, which increased the patient-to-nurse ratio. Consequently, patients did not receive the amount of attention and care they expected from the nursing staff. Crowded patient rooms allowed for little personal space and privacy. Dissatisfaction with living conditions served to influence patients' attitudes and satisfaction levels. These frustrations were often directed toward their primary caregivers, the nursing staff. Consequently, the nursing milieu appeared to directly affect and influence the satisfaction levels of both patients and staff. (Abstract shortened by UMI). ^

Physical education enhances your concentration

There is growing evidence that physical education has not only positive effects on the physical health of children and adolescents, but also contributes positively to personality development and to performance in cognitive tasks. Existing studies indicate chronic as well as acute effects of physical education on cognitive performance. However, underlying mechanisms, required content of the physical intervention and duration of the effects are still unclear. In order to shed light on some of these open questions, the present study investigated the acute effects of a special form of physical education, integrating cardiac-stimulating tasks with executive demands, on the concentration of 11-year olds. Concentration was assessed three times using the d2-R Test. Intervention (n=38) and control group (n=35) did not differ in their d2-R performance in pre- nor in post-test, which took place after either a physical intervention or a normal core subject lesson respectively. In the follow-up test however, which was completed after two more core subject lessons for both groups, the intervention group improved more in their d2-R performance than the control group F(1, 71)=4.95, p=.03, indicating that physical education can positively influence children’s concentration, not immediately after the activity, but later on during the following school lessons.