El nuevo carácter de la dependencia intelectual

La cuestión de la "dependencia intelectual" es una de las preocupaciones más antiguas y sistemáticas del pensamiento latinoamericano. En este trabajo observamos cuáles han sido los cambios recientes en las formas de producción intelectual y su circulación que atraviesan los espacios nacionales, segmentando los procesos de consagración. Argumentamos que la colonialidad intelectual no describe la actual situación de nuestros campos académicos, más bien caracterizados por la convivencia conflictiva de la autonomía y la heteronomía. La dependencia académica, sin embargo, existe, pero es necesario observarla y analizarla como "situación concreta" llevando a fondo el enfoque relacional de la tradición histórico-estructural latinoamericana. En esta línea, primero analizamos el itinerario latinoamericano del debate sobre la dependencia intelectual, para luego proponer una definición operativa de dependencia académica. Finalmente, desarrollamos nuestra propuesta analítica para observar la producción de conocimientos en la periferia a partir de la articulación del concepto de "campo" y de "circuito".

El nuevo carácter de la dependencia intelectual

La cuestión de la "dependencia intelectual" es una de las preocupaciones más antiguas y sistemáticas del pensamiento latinoamericano. En este trabajo observamos cuáles han sido los cambios recientes en las formas de producción intelectual y su circulación que atraviesan los espacios nacionales, segmentando los procesos de consagración. Argumentamos que la colonialidad intelectual no describe la actual situación de nuestros campos académicos, más bien caracterizados por la convivencia conflictiva de la autonomía y la heteronomía. La dependencia académica, sin embargo, existe, pero es necesario observarla y analizarla como "situación concreta" llevando a fondo el enfoque relacional de la tradición histórico-estructural latinoamericana. En esta línea, primero analizamos el itinerario latinoamericano del debate sobre la dependencia intelectual, para luego proponer una definición operativa de dependencia académica. Finalmente, desarrollamos nuestra propuesta analítica para observar la producción de conocimientos en la periferia a partir de la articulación del concepto de "campo" y de "circuito".

Algunas consideraciones en torno a la transdisciplinariedad y a la educación superior

Durante los últimos dos siglos se ha venido sosteniendo la neutralidad y apoliticidad de la ciencia, pero se ha pasado por alto que esta, como construcción humana, no puede ostentar un estatus especial. Es decir, está condicionada históricamente al igual que cualquier otra actividad. La ciencia moderna adquirió su actual división disciplinaria en el siglo XIX, en gran parte por el desarrollo del capitalismo industrial que cubrió el orbe y la conformación de estados-nación y su organización dentro del sistema interestatal, de modo que es una particular forma de entender y estudiar la realidad, pero no la única posible. Las elecciones teóricas y metodológicas hechas desde entonces se han impuesto como la forma natural de aprehender la realidad. La fase actual del proceso de la globalización ha puesto de manifiesto que el marco epistemológico decimonónico –y como parte de él, el nacionalismo metodológico– resulta insuficiente en el presente para explicar ciertos fenómenos sistémicos y ha revelado la necesidad de su superación. En el presente contexto histórico se hace más necesario que nunca superar la dependencia académica y la adopción de una actitud crítica para que la división internacional del trabajo académico y la estructuración de una agenda transnacional para la educación no operen en contra de las zonas y poblaciones pobres del mundo. Ello supone que la universidad defina su papel con respecto a la sociedad desde una dimensión política, antes de que decida y realice su propia reforma. La transdisciplinariedad juega un papel principal en la superación de los viejos modelos de la ciencia y la universidad.

Predictors of functional dependency in Parkinson’s disease

Financial disclosures/conflicts of interest: Dr Macleod was funded by a Clinical Academic Fellowship from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government and received grant funding from Parkinson’s UK, the Wellcome Trust, University of Aberdeen, and NHS Grampian endowments relating to this research. Dr Counsell received grant funding from Parkinson’s UK, National Institute for Health Research, the Scottish Chief Scientist Office, the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, NHS Grampian endowments and SPRING relating to this research. We declare we have no conflicts of interest. Financial support: This study was funded by Parkinson’s UK, the Scottish Chief Scientist Office, NHS Grampian endowments, the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, and SPRING.  

Predictors of functional dependency in Parkinson’s disease

Financial disclosures/conflicts of interest: Dr Macleod was funded by a Clinical Academic Fellowship from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government and received grant funding from Parkinson’s UK, the Wellcome Trust, University of Aberdeen, and NHS Grampian endowments relating to this research. Dr Counsell received grant funding from Parkinson’s UK, National Institute for Health Research, the Scottish Chief Scientist Office, the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, NHS Grampian endowments and SPRING relating to this research. We declare we have no conflicts of interest. Financial support: This study was funded by Parkinson’s UK, the Scottish Chief Scientist Office, NHS Grampian endowments, the BMA Doris Hillier award, RS Macdonald Trust, the BUPA Foundation, and SPRING.  

Exploring first-year academic achievement through structural equation modelling

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a multicausal model of the individual characteristics associated with academic success in first-year Australian university students. This model comprised the constructs of: previous academic performance, achievement motivation, self-regulatory learning strategies, and personality traits, with end-of-semester grades the dependent variable of interest. The study involved the distribution of a questionnaire, which assessed motivation, self-regulatory learning strategies and personality traits, to 1193 students at the start of their first year at university. Students' academic records were accessed at the end of their first year of study to ascertain their first and second semester grades. This study established that previous high academic performance, use of self-regulatory learning strategies, and being introverted and agreeable, were indicators of academic success in the first semester of university study. Achievement motivation and the personality trait of conscientiousness were indirectly related to first semester grades, through the influence they had on the students' use of self-regulatory learning strategies. First semester grades were predictive of second semester grades. This research provides valuable information for both educators and students about the factors intrinsic to the individual that are associated with successful performance in the first year at university.

Exchange relationships in building services maintenance activity : a test of transaction cost economics and the resource dependency view

The firm is faced with a decision concerning the nature of intra-organizational exchange relationships with internal human resources and the nature or inter-organizational exchange relationships with market firms. In both situations, the firm can develop an exchange that ranges from a discrete exchange to a relational exchange. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) and the Resource Dependency View (RDV) represent alternative efficiency-based explanations fo the nature of the exchange relationship. The aim of the paper is to test these two theories in respect of air conditioning maintenance in retail centres. Multiple sources of information are genereated from case studies of Australian retail centres to test these theories in respoect of internalized operations management (concerning strategic aspects of air conditioning maintenance) and externalized planned routine air conditioning maintenance. The analysis of the data centres on pattern matching. It is concluded that the data supports TCE - on the basis of a development in TCE's contractual schema. Further research is suggested towards taking a pluralistic stance and developing a combined efficiency and power hypothesis - upon which Williamson has speculated. For practice, the conclusions also offer a timely cautionary note concerning the adoption of one approach in all exchange relationships.

Lament for a lost running order? obsolescence and academic journals

This is the lead article for an issue of M/C Journal on the theme ‘obsolete.’ It uses the history of the International Journal of Cultural Studies (of which the author has been editor since 1997) to investigate technological innovations and their scholarly implications in academic journal publishing; in particular the obsolescence of the print form. Print-based elements like cover-design, the running order of articles, special issues, refereeing and the reading experience are all rendered obsolete with the growth of online access to individual articles. The paper argues that individuation of reading choices may be accompanied by less welcome tendencies, such as a decline in collegiality, disciplinary innovation, and trust.

Elementary school students’ learner self-concept, academic self-concepts and approaches to learning

The present study investigated the relationships between academic selfconcepts, learner self-concept, and approaches to learning in elementary school students. A sample of 580 Australian Grade 6 and 7 school students with a mean age of 10.7 years participated in the study. Weak negative correlations between learner self-concepts and surface approaches to learning were identiŽ ed. In contrast, deep approaches for both boys and girls showed the highest positive correlations with school self-concept and learning self-concept. Only slight variations in these Ž gures were found between boys and girls.

Re-invent yourself: from London intensive care nursing and the Nigerian oil fields to an an academic library in Brisbane; a career change worth making.

A complete change of career forces a seismic shift in every aspect of your life. From day one, you have to face the loss of long held beliefs, behaviours, the known world of self, and security. We came from professions that themselves are poles apart, and many of the challenges we faced entering the profession were the same: juggling full-time work, part time study, and family commitmemts, taking a pay cut, and loss of social life. But over a short period of time we both transitioned to our new profession successfully. so what make our successful transition possible?