Effects of national policies on teachers' sense of professionalism: findings from an empirical study in Portugal and in England

This paper reports on research aimed at investigating the ways in which teachers in Portugal and in England are experiencing recent changes in the policy environment which have affected their sense of professionalism and their professional identity. Data were collected through questionnaires and focus group interviews. Findings suggest the existence of some strengths in teachers' views on their professionalism, namely the importance of vocationalism, continuing learning and collaborative cultures, the relevance of project‐oriented work at school and an integrated perspective of the curriculum. However, a number of limitations also emerged, such as feelings of ambivalence and conflict, associated with increased bureaucracy, qualities of school leadership, cultures of loneliness and the lack of understanding and ownership of the process of change.

Cet article rend compte des données sur une étude réalisée au Portugal et en Angleterre sur la manière dont les enseignants des deux pays vivent les plus récents changements dans leur travail en résultat des politiques nationales. Plus concrètement, l'étude a analysé la manière dont les enseignants des deux pays caractérisent leur professionnalisme et leur identité professionnelle. Les données ont été recueillies à travers des questionnaires et des entretiens en groupe. Les résultats suggèrent quelques points forts, notamment l'importance du sentiment de vocation, de l'apprentissage continu, des cultures de collaboration et du travail de projet ainsi qu'une perspective intégrée du curriculum. Par contre, les points plus faibles ont été les sentiments d'ambivalence et de conflit, ainsi que la bureaucratie, la culture de solitude et l'absence de compréhension du processus de changement.

El artículo se basa en un estudio realizado por las Universidades del Minho (Portugal) y Nottingham (Inglaterra) sobre la forma como los profesores de los dos países han reaccionado a los recientes cambios en la política curricular, bien como sobre sus implicaciones en su profesionalismo y su identidad. Los datos fueron recogidos a través de cuestionario y entrevista de grupo. La lectura que surge de los datos indica un conjunto de puntos fuertes en la definición del profesionalismo de los profesores, especialmente la importancia atribuida al aprendizaje continuo y a las culturas de colaboración, así como la importancia del trabajo de proyecto y un entendimiento más amplio de los papeles de la escuela y de los profesores. Sin embargo, también surgieron algunas limitaciones, sobretodo en lo que respecta a sentimientos de alguna manera ambivalentes y conflictivos, determinados por el aumento de la burocracia, de la cultura individualista y la falta de comprensión y asimilación de los procesos de cambio.

Dieser Artikel berichtet über eine Studie, welche untersucht hat, inwiefern Lehrer aus Portugal und England die jüngsten Veränderungen im politischen Umfeld erleben, und inwiefern sich diese Veränderungen auf die berufliche Einstellung und Identität der Lehrer auswirken. Die Daten wurden durch Fragebögen und Fokusgruppeninterviews erhoben. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zeigen, dass die Lehrer ihre Weiterbildung und Mitarbeitskultur, projektorientierte Schularbeit, eine integrierte Perspektive des Curriculums und ein breites Verständnis für die Schule und für die Lehrerarbeit als wichtig erachten. Es wurden jedoch auch einige Schwachpunkte identifiziert, wie beispielsweise mit erhöhtem Bürokratismus verbundene Ambivalenz‐ und Konfliktgefühle, Einsamkeitskultur, sowie Verständnislosigkeit gegenüber dem Veränderungsvorgang.     

Improving Academic Performance of Sport and Exercise Science Undergraduate Students in Gross Anatomy Using a Near-Peer Teaching Program

Peer and near-peer teaching programs are common in medical undergraduate courses. However, there are no studies that have investigated the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of undergraduate students pursuing sport and exercise science coursework. This study was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of such a program for students who participated in a course on the functional anatomy of the locomotor apparatus. A total of 39 student participants were divided into two groups: students in one group voluntarily attended at least one session of a near-peer teaching program, and students in the other group attended no sessions. The final grade (range 0–100%) was recorded and used as an indicator of academic performance. The final grade of students who attended the near-peer teaching program (69.5 ± 16.0%) was 38.7% higher (P = 0.002, d = 1.06) than those who did not (50.1 ± 20.4%). When the academic performance of the same students was evaluated in another course (exercise physiology) that did not offer a near-peer teaching program, there were no significant differences between the groups (students who attended or did not attend the near-peer teaching program). A significant positive association was found between near-peer teaching program frequency and the number of students approved and not approved in the course (P = 0.041). A significant difference (P = 0.001) was found in the attendance at regular classes between the group who participated in the near-peer teaching program (median: 62 hours; IQR [interquartile ranges]: 4.0 hours) and those who did not (median: 58 hours; IQR: 4.0 hours). Gender was not a moderating factor on academic performance or near-peer teaching program attendance. These results highlight the effectiveness of a near-peer teaching program on the academic performance of students from a sport and exercise science degree program while enrolled in an anatomy course. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.     

The Role of Anatomy Computer-Assisted Learning on Spatial Abilities of Medical Students

Currently, medical education context poses different challenges to anatomy, contributing to the introduction of new pedagogical approaches, such as computer-assisted learning (CAL). This approach provides insight into students' learning profiles and skills that enhance anatomy knowledge acquisition. To understand the influence of anatomy CAL on spatial abilities, a study was conducted. A total of 671 medical students attending Musculoskeletal (MA) and Cardiovascular Anatomy (CA) courses, were allocated to one of three groups (MA Group, CA Group, MA + CA Group). Students' pre-training and post-training spatial abilities were assessed through Mental Rotations Test (MRT), with scores ranging between 0-24. After CAL training sessions, students' spatial abilities performance improved (9.72 ± 4.79 vs. 17.05 ± 4.57, P < 0.001). Although male students in both MA Group and CA Group show better baseline spatial abilities, no sex differences were found after CAL training. The improvement in spatial abilities score between sessions (Delta MRT) was correlated with Musculoskeletal Anatomy training sessions in MA Group (r = 0.333, P < 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.342, P < 0.001), and with Cardiovascular Anatomy training sessions in CA Group (r = 0.461, P = 0.001) and MA + CA Group (r = 0.324, P = 0.001). Multiple linear regression models were used, considering the Delta MRT as dependent variable. An association of Delta MRT to the amount of CAL training and the baseline spatial abilities was observed. The results suggest that CAL training in anatomy has positive dose-dependent effect on spatial abilities.     

Engaging plant anatomy and local knowledge on the buriti palm (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mauritia flexuosa</Emphasis> L.f.: Arecaceae): the microscopic world meets the golden grass artisan’s perspective

Considering that both Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems share a common ground—observations of the natural world—the dialogue between them should not only be possible, but fruitful. Local communities whose livelihoods depend on traditional uses of the local biodiversity not only develop knowledge about nature, making several uses of such knowledge, but, with that process, several inquiries about nature can be raised. Here we present our experience with the engagement of Western Science with golden grass artisan’s knowledge about the buriti palm (M. flexuosa). We applied 25 semi-directive interviews, combined with field diary and participative observation, in two quilombola communities from Jalapão region (Central-Brazil). One of the inquiries that emerged from the artisan’s perspectives was about the differences between male and female buriti palms’ fiber. We then engaged both local and scientific perspectives regarding this issue using plant anatomy as a dialogue instrument. Here we describe this experience and resort to Paulo Freire’s ideas on dialogue to argue that, to integrate Western Science and Local Knowledge Systems in a collaborative and contextualized perspective, the research should be faced as a mutual learning practice.     

The role of word recognition,oral reading fluency and listening comprehension in the simple view of reading: a study in an intermediate depth orthography

Empirical research has provided evidence for the simple view of reading across a variety of orthographies, but the role of oral reading fluency in the model is unclear. Moreover, the relative weight of listening comprehension, oral reading fluency and word recognition in reading comprehension seems to vary across orthographies and schooling years. This study aims to examine the direct effects of these three variables on reading comprehension and to test for the existence of indirect effects of word recognition and listening comprehension on reading comprehension via oral reading fluency in European Portuguese, an orthography of intermediate depth. A sample of 264 students was assessed at the end of grades 2 and 4. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that listening comprehension, word recognition and oral reading fluency predicted reading comprehension in both grade 2 and grade 4. Moreover, the three variables measured in grade 2 predicted later reading comprehension in grade 4. Listening comprehension was always the strongest predictor. Oral reading fluency mediated the relationship between word recognition and reading comprehension, but it was not a mediator variable in the relationship between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. These findings indicate that, similarly to what has been found for other orthographies, the simple view of reading is a valid framework to account for reading comprehension variability in European Portuguese and that interventions to increase reading comprehension levels should focus on word recognition, fluency, and, especially, listening comprehension.     

The desire to emulate parental emotional strategies and its relation to emotion dysregulation among emerging adults

Emotion regulation (ER) is an integral aspect of emerging adults’ mental health, yet little is known about interpersonal factors that influence ER in during this period. This investigation examines emerging adults’ desire to emulate parental ER skills in the relation between perceived parental ER and emerging adults’ emotion dysregulation.A sample of 79 emerging adults (M_age = 18.55 years, SD = .32; 88.6% female, 69.6% White) completed measures of perceived parental ER (Affective Style Questionnaire [ASQ]Hofmann and Kashdan 2010), emotion dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [DERS]Gratz and Roemer 2004), and desire to emulate parental ER (Perception of Emotion Regulation Scale [PERS]).A desire to emulate parental ER skills moderated the relationship between perceived parental ER and emerging adults’ emotion dysregulation in general (B = -.10, SE = .048, t = ?2.07, p = .043), and low emotional awareness in particular (B = -.04 SE = .02, t = ?2.47, p = .02).Findings suggest that emerging adults with an increased desire to emulate parents with lower ER skills report greater emotion dysregulation. Implications for clinical practice, along with future directions for the field of ER, are discussed.     

Self-selected or imposed exercise? A different approach for affective comparisons

The aim of this study was to compare the psychological and physiological responses of self-selected and imposed sessions of equivalent intensities and durations and allowing to participants a free control of pace during the self-selected session. Seventeen participants completed three sessions on a cycle ergometer. Participant’s VO_2Peak and lactate threshold were measured during an incremental exercise test. During the second and third sessions, participants could view a virtual cyclist on a monitor. During the self-selected session, participants were allowed free control of the intensity and duration. To ensure that the imposed session replicated the self-selected session in intensity, participants were instructed to follow an additional virtual cyclist, which was displayed on a monitor using the CompuTrainer 3D software. Power output and physiological and psychological variables were recorded during the sessions. A two-way ANOVA showed no effect of condition for power output (P = 0.940), heart rate (HR) (P = 0.965), VO₂ (P = 0.898), blood lactate (P = 0.667), Feeling Scale (P = 0.877), Felt Arousal Scale (P = 0.924) and CR100 (P = 0.939). A paired t-test showed no significant difference in Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale scores between sessions (P = 0.054). In contrast to previous studies, the self-selected session did not provide better affective responses than the imposed session with same intensity and duration.     

Acute responses to sprint-interval and continuous exercise in adults with and without exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

The purpose was to compare the airway response to sprint interval exercise (SIE) and continuous exercise (CE) in active adults with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIBC), and to compare ventilatory and oxygen delivery responses between adults with and without EIBC. Adults with EIBC (n = 8, 22.3 ± 3.0 years) and adults without EIBC (n = 8, 22.3 ± 3.0 years) completed a SIE (4 × 30 s sprints separated by 4.5 min of active recovery) and CE (20 min at 65% peak power output) session. Lung function was assessed at baseline, during exercise, and up to 20 min post-exercise. Ventilatory parameters and tissue saturation index (TSI) were recorded continuously throughout the sessions. The decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s was similar following SIE (?8.6 ± 12.6%) and CE (?9.0 ± 9.3%) in adults with EIBC. There were no significant differences in any of the ventilatory parameters or in TSI during SIE or CE between those with and without EIBC. These findings suggest that SIE and CE affect airway responsiveness to a similar extent. Future research using a lower intensity CE protocol in an inactive sample of adults with EIBC is needed.     

THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR A NEW CENTURY: LINCING WOMEN AND MINORITIES INTO TOMORROW'S COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERSHIP ROLES

The Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, the Iowa Association of Community College Presidents, and Iowa State University Higher Education Program created a partnership to develop women and minorities for leadership roles in community colleges. The Leadership Institute for a New Century (LINC) program, which is in its eleventh year, uses a combination of national and state community college leaders, community leaders, trustees, and university faculty members to offer personal and professional development activities for participants. University credit that may be used as part of an academic degree program and for state licensure purposes is granted. Participants are nominated by their college; participate in monthly seminars; and complete projects related to local, state, and national issues. Nearly 70% of participants reported receiving a leadership promotion or advancement during or since their acceptance into the LINC program. The majority indicated that the program was very influential in their advancement. With the predicted impending administrator shortage, more cooperative leadership development programs need to be developed. The future of our community college system depends on the development of leadership opportunities and an infusion of leadership.