Deciding where to belong: gender differences in educational trajectories and migration in a rural Spanish town

From an anthropological perspective, formal post-secondary schooling is not an abstractentity with an intrinsic value that everyone finds desirable, but rather one alternative among many that young people evaluate from their different positions in the social field. The problem discussed in this paper is the diverging life trajectories that young men and women in a concrete rural context, at the end of the 20th century, shape for themselves at the ages of 14-16, a moment of decision created by national legislation regarding mandatory education (LGE, 1970, General Education Law, and LOGSE, 1990, General Organic Law of the Education System). Despite a strong cultural norm of equal inheritance divided among all children, male and female, and despite the equal educational opportunities provided by the Spanish State, different meanings of possession and use-rights over land and the resulting culturally accepted gendered division of work converge to orient men and women differently towards post-secondary schooling. Observation of the age, gender, and civil status structure of the population led to the preliminary query: Why do men and women, in this town, behave differently with respect to migration and marriage? The main hypothesis was that women’s longer school trajectories and resulting migration and men’s anchoring in the town and their higher rates of celibacy were not drastic changes in values, in the positional-relational sense of Bourdieu (1988, 2002), but the current outcome of previously existing dissimilar relations to property that produce dissimilar mobility. Through their schooling and work choices, young men and women, at very early ages, locate themselves in, or decide to belong to, different contexts that later reveal very different possibilities of finding marriage partners. This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a small rural town (302 inhabitants in 1950; 193 in 2000) near Leon. Although this paper deals with the situation in the final decades of the 20th century, we must also consider the first half of the century, where some elements that shape this situation have their roots. Fieldwork was carried out between 1988 and 2001, in periods of differing length and intensity. The social subjects discussed here are the domestic unit and its component members. They were studied in conjunction, analyzing the life-trajectory decisions of specific persons in the framework of the domestic unit and the relations among people and property which comprise it. The tried-and-true methods of ethnographic research –participant observation, interviews, and life-histories, etc.- were employed. Archival research was also important for producing demographic data. Demographic analysis, the analysis of the composition and transformation of domestic units, and the creation of life trajectories were among the principal techniques used. The theoretical analysis was oriented by Bourdieu’s (2002) framework of the social field, habitus, and difference.

Acute schistosomiasis outbreak in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais: alert about the risk of unnoticed transmission increased by growing rural tourism

The present article describes the occurrence of 17 cases of acute schistosomiasis in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. All individuals affected took a bath in a swimming pool of a holiday resort that was provided with water from a nearby brook. The apparently clean water and the absence of snails in the pool gave the wrong impression that there was no risk for infection. During a malacological survey at the site snails of the species Biomphalaria glabrata were found and tested positive for Schistosoma mansoni. All the patients live in the middle-class area of Barreiro, metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte and have medium grade school education. The difficulties in establishing the right diagnosis is expressed by the search for medical attention in 17 different medical facilities, the wide range of laboratory test and the inadequate treatment administration. A lack of knowledge about the disease was found in all groups studied. The booming rural tourism in endemic areas is identified as a probable risk factor for infection, especially for individuals of the non-immune middle and upper class parts of the society in urban centers. Special attention is given to a multidisciplinary approach to the complex issue of disease control and prevention.

The impact of two education methods on knowledge of schistosomiasis transmission and prevention among schoolchildren in a rural community in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil

The objective of this study was to analyse the effect of using two health education approaches on knowledge of transmission and prevention of schistosomiasis of school children living in a rural endemic area in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The 87 children participating in the study were divided into three groups based on gender, age and presence or absence of Schistosoma mansoni infection. In the first group the social representation model and illness experience was used. In the second group, we used the cognitive model based on the transmission of information. The third group, the control group, did not receive any information related to schistosomiasis. Ten meetings were held with all three groups that received a pre-test prior to the beginning of the educational intervention and a post-test after the completion of the program. The results showed that knowledge levels in Group 1 increased significantly during the program in regard to transmission (p = 0.038) and prevention (p = 0.001) of schistosomiasis. Groups 2 and 3 did not show significant increase in knowledge between the two tests. These results indicate that health education models need to consider social representation and illness experience besides scientific knowledge in order to increase knowledge of schistosomiasis transmission and prevention.

Caracterização do MP10 e MP2,5 e distribuição por tamanho de cloreto, nitrato e sulfato em atmosfera urbana e rural de Londrina

Samplings of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) were carried out between the months of March and April of 2007, simultaneously in two areas of Londrina, an urban (Historical Museum) and other rural (Farm School-UEL). PM was collected using the cascade impactor consisting of four impaction stages (0.25 to 10 μm). The results indicated that the fine fraction (PM2.5) represented a significant portion of the mass of PM10 (70 and 67% in the urban and rural places, respectively). Cl-, NO3- and SO4(2-) were determined by ion chromatography and the size distribution is presented. Natural and anthropogenic sources were suggested to the ionic components in the fine and coarse mode of PM.

Understanding and improving quality of secondary school education : conceptions among teachers in Tanzania

Temat för studien handlar om gymnasielärares uppfattningar om kvalitet och om hur kvalitet kan utvecklas i gymnasieutbildningen in Tanzania. Studien är till sin karaktär kvalitativ och består av utprövade semistrukturerade intervjuer med sammanlagt trettio lärare som arbetar i fyra gymnasieskolor både i urbana och rurala miljöer. Lärarna har varierande arbetserfarenhet och undervisar i olika ämnen. Huvudfokus har gällt identifieringen av variationer i lärares uppfattningar om kvalitet. På basen av två forskningsfrågor avslöjar analysen uppfattningar av hur lärare förstår och önskar utveckla kvaliteten på gymnasieutbildningen. Resultaten visar att lärare förstår kvaliteten på utbildningen i sina skolor som försök att möta skolans och samhällets mål, som individuella prestationer och förmågor som att inneha kompetenser och som att möta utmaningar inom utbildning, Identifierade uppfattningar var baserade på lärarnas personliga kunskap, arbetsmiljön och varierande omständigheter som rådde i deras skolor. Uppfattningar om en förbättring av kvaliteten i gymnasieutbildningen innefattade utveckling av lärares motivation, skolmiljön, arbetet i klassrum, kvaliteten på lärares kunskaper och färdigheter och undervisningsmaterial. Ambitionen bakom studien ar att erbjuda en plattform för strategier för att förbättra kvaliteten på gymnasieutbildningen. Resultaten strävar till att ge en fördjupad insikt i uppfattningar hos en utvald grupp av lärare som arbetar under samma villkor inom gymnasieskolor I Tanzania. Av den här anledningen är den genererade kunskapen därför relevant för att belysa lärares uppfattningar även utanför den studerade gruppen av respondenter.

Genetic variability of hepatitis A virus isolates in Rio de Janeiro: implications for the vaccination of school children

The epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is shifting from high to intermediate endemicity in Brazil, resulting in increased numbers of susceptible individuals and a greater potential for the emergence of outbreaks. Universal vaccination against HAV has been recommended for children, but updated sero-epidemiological data are necessary to analyze the level of natural immunity and to identify candidates for preventive measures. In addition, more molecular studies are necessary to characterize the genotypes involved in HAV infections and outbreaks. Sera from 299 school children (5-15 years old) and 25 school staff members, collected during an outbreak of HAV at a rural public school in June 2000, were tested for IgM and total anti-HAV antibodies (ELISA). Viral RNA was amplified by RT-PCR from anti-HAV IgM-positive sera and from 19 fecal samples. Direct nucleotide sequencing of the VP1/2A region was carried out on 18 PCR-positive samples. Acute HAV infection was detected by anti-HAV IgM in 93/299 children and in 3/25 adult staff members. The prevalence of total anti-HAV antibodies in IgM-negative children under 5 years of age was only 10.5%. HAV-RNA was detected in 46% IgM-positive serum samples and in 16% stool samples. Sequence analysis showed that half the isolates belonged to subgenotype IA and the other half to IB. On the basis of these data, mass vaccination against HAV is recommended without prevaccination screening, especially for children before they enter school, since nearly 90% of the children under 5 years were susceptible. Molecular characterization indicated the endemic circulation of specific HAV strains belonging to subgenotypes IA and IB.

Investigation of motivation strategies used by school teachers for workplace engagement

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that elementary school teachers use to be engaged in their work. Participation was solicited from a random sample of schools stratified by location (i.e., urban, inner city, and rural) of a large school board. The study used an anonymous quantitative/qualitative questionnaire. The survey tool was based upon Kahn's (1990) psychological engagement framework, which presents the foundation of availability of self, meaningfulness of work, and safety while at work. Forty-one surveys were analyzed descriptively including a subgroup of self-rated highly engaged teachers. Teachers tended to favour physical and emotional strategies compared to cognitive type strategies, with the exception of the highly engaged subgroup. The theme of preferred strategies reflected a setting outside the school/workplace, that is, a preference for horne based strategies. The study's main contribution highlights the teachers' sense of importance for physical and emotional health in a profession that is heavily focused in the cognitive domain. This may influence administrative and teacher discourse regarding workplace engagement with strategies to help reduce stress and to maintain and increase teacher engagement.

Exploring School Principals’ Perspectives on Emotional Intelligence

Ontario school principals’ professional development currently includes leadership training that encompasses emotional intelligence. This study sought to augment the limited research in the Canadian educational context on school leaders’ understanding of emotional intelligence and its relevancy to their work. The study utilized semi-structured interviews with 6 Ontario school principals representing disparate school contexts based on socioeconomic levels, urban and rural settings, and degree of ethnic diversity. Additionally, the 4 male and 2 female participants are elementary and secondary school principals in different public school boards and represent a diverse range of age and experience. The study utilized a grounded theory approach to data analysis and identified by 5 main themes: Self-Awareness, Relationship, Support, Pressure, and Emotional Filtering and Compartmentalization. Recommendations are made to further explore the emotional support systems available to school leaders in Ontario schools.

Narratives of Experience in Education: Living and Working Through Poverty in a Rural Community

In this study, I use my own experiences in education as a former elementary student, research assistant, and as a current secondary school teacher, to examine how living in a marginalised rural community challenged by poverty affected my formal education. The purpose of this study was to use stories to: (a) explore my formative elementary education growing up in a community that was experiencing poverty, and; (b) to examine the impact and implications of these experiences for me as a teacher and researcher considering the topic of poverty and education. This study used narrative inquiry to explore stories of education, focusing on experiences living and working in a rural community. My role in the study was both as participant and researcher as I investigate, through story, how I was raised in a marginalised, rural community faced with challenges of poverty and how I relate to my current role as a teacher working in a similar, rural high school. My own experiences and reflections form the basis of the study, but I used the contributions of secondary participants to offer alternative perspective of my interpretation of events. Participants in this study were asked to write about and/or retell their lived stories of working in areas affected by challenging circumstances. From my stories and those of secondary participants, three themes were explored: student authorship, teaching practice, and community involvement. An examination of these themes through commonplaces of place, sociality and time (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006) provide a context for other educators and researchers to consider or reconsider teaching practices in school communities affected by poverty.

The positive impact of red palm oil in school meals on vitamin A status: study in Burkina Faso

Affiliation: Augustin Zeba & Hélène Delisle : Département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal

L’abandon scolaire en milieu rural marocain : une analyse interactionniste du point de vue des familles.

Cette recherche appréhende le phénomène de l’abandon scolaire en contexte rural marocain à partir du point de vue privilégié des familles sur cette question. L’abandon scolaire est d’une ampleur importante dans les pays en développement, comme l’ont mentionné plusieurs rapports de l’UNESCO (2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, etc.). Plusieurs facteurs contribueraient à l’abandon scolaire des élèves: la pauvreté, le redoublement, l’échec scolaire, les effets de culture liés au genre, la qualité des écoles et des apprentissages, le travail des enfants, le cout d’opportunité, l’analphabétisme des parents, etc. (Ananga, 2011; Chedati, 2004; Diagne, 2007; Gouzi et El Aoufi, 2006; Naseer et al., 2011; Sabates, Hossain et Lewin, 2010a). La recension des écrits effectuée indique aussi différentes conséquences du phénomène sur le plan social, notamment l’augmentation du taux d’analphabétisme, la non réalisation de la scolarisation primaire universelle, ainsi que sur le plan économique, dont le taux de chômage élevé. La majorité des études qui se sont penchées sur ce phénomène sont surtout de nature économique, abordant peu la question par le point de vue des familles qui sont pourtant les premières concernées par l’abandon scolaire de leur enfant. En outre, elles sont presqu’essentiellement quantitatives, les chiffres obtenus indiquant l’importance des facteurs de risque, laissant dans l’ombre une explication en profondeur du phénomène. L’angle théorique retenu pour éclairer ce phénomène est celui de la théorie des représentations sociales développée par Moscovici (1989) qui jette une lumière sur les rapports qu’entretient un acteur ou groupe social à l’égard d’objets sociaux tels que l’éducation. Cette théorie est appuyée par les concepts de «rapport à l’école» et de «rapport au savoir» de Charlot (1992) qui permettent d’examiner comment les élèves et leurs familles se positionnent face au processus de scolarisation, à partir de la question suivante : Quelles représentations les familles de milieux ruraux ont-elles de l’école marocaine et qui participeraient au processus conduisant éventuellement à l’abandon de l’école par leur(s) enfant(s)? Quels sont leurs rapports à l’école? Pour répondre à cette question, des entretiens biographiques compréhensifs ont été menés auprès de six familles de la région rurale de Tidili; rencontrées séparément, elles se sont exprimées sur l’abandon scolaire de l’un de leurs enfants. Une analyse de contenu telle que proposée par Bardin (dans Negura, 2006) a été mobilisée sur les verbatim des entretiens pour rendre compte de leur point de vue. Celle-ci a conduit à dégager deux registres d’analyse, tels que proposés par Morrissette (2010) pour exploiter d’au plus près le matériau d’analyse. (1) Le premier s’inscrit dans une logique descriptive et restitutive; il rend compte du point de vue des familles selon deux catégories, soit le rapport à l’école et le rapport à la société. Il ressort de ce registre l’importance des rapports entre les familles et les enseignants dans le phénomène de l’abandon scolaire. (2) Le deuxième registre s’inscrit dans une logique plus conceptualisante; il propose un nouvel éclairage du point de vue des familles à partir d’une perspective interactionniste (Becker, 1982) qui permet de poser un regard transversal sur le registre précédent. C’est ainsi qu’ont émergé des négociations sociales conduisant à l’abandon scolaire d’un enfant, lesquels sont marqués par des «modes d’interaction» entre les familles et l’école et des conventions sociales, deux niveaux d’interaction qui renseignent la dynamique évolutive conduisant à l’abandon scolaire d’un enfant.

Photovoltaic hybrid systems for rural electrification in the Mekong countries

In rural areas of the Mekong Countries, the problem of electricity supplying rural communities is particularly alarming. Supplying power to these areas requires facilities that are not economically viable. However, government programs are under way to provide this product that is vital to community well being. A nation priority of Mekong Countries is to provide electrical power to people in rural areas, within normal budgetary constraints. Electricity must be introduced into rural areas in such a way that maximize the technical, economic and social benefit. Another consideration is the source of electrical generation and the effects on the natural environment. The main research purpose is to implement field tests, monitoring and evaluation of the PV-Diesel Hybrid System (PVHS) at the Energy Park of School of Renewable Energy Technology (SERT) in order to test the PVSH working under the meteorological conditions of the Mekong Countries and to develop a software simulation called RES, which studies the technical and economic performance of rural electrification options. This software must be easy to use and understand for the energy planner on rural electrification projects, to evaluate the technical and economic performance of the PVHS based on the renewable energy potential for rural electrification of the Mekong Country by using RES. Finally, this project aims to give guidance for the possible use of PVHS application in this region, particularly in regard to its technical and economic sustainability. PVHS should be promoted according to the principles of proper design and adequate follow up with maintenance, so that the number of satisfied users will be achieved. PVHS is not the only possible technology for rural electrification, but for the Mekong Countries it is one of the most proper choices. Other renewable energy options such as wind, biomass and hydro power need to be studied in future.

Pre-school contributions to future achievements

This paper provides recent evidence about the beneÖts of attending preschool on future performance. A non-parametric matching procedure is used over two outcomes: math and verbal scores at a national mandatory test (Saber11) in Colombia. It is found that students who had the chance of attending preschool obtain higher scores in math (6.7%) and verbal (5.4%) than those who did not. A considerable fraction of these gaps comes from the upper quintiles of studentís performance, suggesting that preschool matters when is done at high quality institutions. When we include the number of years at the preschool, the gap rises up to 12% in verbal and 17% in math.

Children' s school study : an experimental theory of verbal information and social attitudes. 'Estudio de la escuela primaria: una teoría experimental de la información verbal y las actitudes sociales'.

Determinar los conceptos diferenciales alcanzados por los alumnos de segunda etapa de EGB con respecto a los alumnos de primera etapa en el area de ciencias sociales. Medir mediante una escala de Likertel cambio de actitudes producido como consecuencia de los aprendizajes en el area de humanidades.. La muestra aleatoria la componían 284 alumnos (145 chicos y 139 chicas) de 5õ y 8õ de EGB y 3õ de BUP, alumnos en centros de un centro urbano (Cáceres) y 3 núcleos rurales de la misma provincia.. La investigación se divide en dos bloques, el primero de ellos, de corte más teórico, estudia la cibernética y la teoría de la información como ciencias y su aplicación en el campo de la psicopedagogía. Se determinan también los esquemas generales para la construcción de escalas de medida de actitudes, y se trata de determinar experimentalmente la existencia de diferencias significativas en el caudal lingüístico entre alumnos procedentes de un medio rural y los procedentes de un medio urbano. El segundo bloque, de corte experimental, analiza el concepto de escala usado en ciencias sociales, y se trata de determinar las actitudes que representan un mayor grado de madurez en la dimensión socio-política. Para ello se aplica a los sujetos de la muestra la Social-responsability Scale.. Escala Likert. Quessing-game method (modificado). Social Responsability Scale de Berkowitz y Lutzeman.. Análisis de Varianza. Análisis de correlación. En terminos de transinsformación didáctica puede considerarse que durante la segunda etapa de EGB hay adquisición de conocimientos que suponen un substancial enriquecimiento del caudal lingüístico. El ambiente posibilita y condiciona el enriquecimiento o desarrollo de las facultades individuales. Pueden establecerse correlaciones parciales entre la adquisión de conceptos y la evolución de actitudes..