(2017). Tuning History in Latin America, Arts and Humanities in Higher Education: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice. This article analyses the development and achievements of the area of History in the Tuning-Latin America Project from its launch in 2004 to its completion in 2013. Through two phases and nine general meetings, academics from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, along with academics from Spain, Portugal and Italy, discussed the professional formation of future generations of historians. The debate centred on the concept of "competences" as the axis of training, a concept which generated innovative thinking and understanding but also friction due to specific historiographic traditions and regions. The Tuning-Latin America Project generated a significant body of documentation on the new challenges implicit in training historians in a globalized world. However, it has not received sufficient analysis from the Latin-American perspective. This article contributes to this by providing insight on the Tuning Project's successes and limitations in Latin America, as well as evaluating its progress more than a decade after it was introduced. [More] Descriptors: Historians, History Instruction, Innovation, Thinking Skills
(2017). Understanding the Role of Noncognitive Skills and School Environments in Students' Transitions to High School. REL 2018-282, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. The purpose of this study was to: examine differences in students' perceptions of their noncognitive skills and school environments by race/ethnicity, and explore whether students' perceptions of their noncognitive skills and school environments were related to three outcomes that have been identified in the research as mattering most for a success transition to high school–grade 9 GPA, grade 9 absences, and grade 9 course failures. The study used administrative and survey data from students in 14 high schools in New Mexico. Regression analyses were used to investigate differences in students' responses on scales measuring their perceptions of their noncognitive skills and school environments. Structural equation modeling was used to assess relationships between students' perceptions of their noncognitive skills and school environments and their grade 9 outcomes. The results of this study revealed significant differences in students' perceptions of their noncognitive skills and school environment by race/ethnicity. The results also suggest that students' perceptions of their noncognitive factors and school environments are associated with the grade 9 outcomes. Although no casual relationships can be derived from this study, the results can help schools or districts to determine where they might want to focus some of their efforts with regard to helping students to make successful transitions to high school. Given that Hispanic and Native American students have lower graduation rates, improving the noncognitive skills or school environment factors that are strongly related to grade 9 performance for these groups may well provide a substantial return on investment in dropout prevention. [More] Descriptors: High School Students, Grade 9, Student Attitudes, Educational Environment
(2017). How Do Teachers Teach? Insights from Teachers and Students. Teaching in Focus No. 18. Educational quality is defined and shaped by the classroom practices implemented by teachers in our schools. The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)-PISA link presents a unique opportunity to explore what takes place in the classroom by listening to the voices of teachers and students. Teachers, with their professional training and knowledge, are experts on various instructional approaches, methods and lesson features. Since students are exposed to a variety of teachers in different subjects over an extended period of time, they can also be considered experts on different modes of teaching. Both opinions provide a rich and complex picture of what happens in the classroom. Almost all mathematics teachers across participating countries (Australia, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Singapore and Spain) use clear and structured teaching practices, according to both teachers and students. Cross-country differences are weak regarding the use of structuring practices, but moderate regarding the use of student-oriented practices and enhanced learning activities. Overall, mathematics teachers tend to report, more often than students, that they use a given teaching practice. The gap between teacher and student reports about the use of a given teaching practice varies across countries. Overall, the highest degree of convergence is observed for structuring practices, and the smallest is observed for student-oriented practices [More] Descriptors: Educational Quality, Educational Practices, Teaching Methods, Teacher Surveys
(2017). Grammaticality Differences between Spanish-Speaking Children with Specific Language Impairment and Their Typically Developing Peers, International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. Background: A limited number of studies have analyzed grammaticality in monolingual Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment (SLI). Most of the available data are based on bilingual speakers. Aims: To extend previous studies by doing a more detailed analysis of grammatical types in monolingual Spanish-speakers with and without SLI. Methods & Procedures: Forty-nine Spanish-speaking children (18 with SLI, 17 age-matched typically developing controls, 14 language-matched controls) were recruited from schools in Mexico and observed in a spontaneous narrative task. Outcomes & Results: The findings were inconsistent with those of previous studies. Significant differences were found for article, connector and preposition omissions, and the per cent of ungrammatical utterances. There were no significant differences found for clitics and verb phrases, though clitic substitutions were frequent. Language-matched controls did not produce different frequencies of ungrammatical utterances. Conclusions & Implications: Significant differences were found for three main items: the per cent of ungrammatical utterances, the omission of articles and the omission of prepositions. Therefore, we propose these components be taken into consideration when distinguishing typically developing children from children with SLI. [More] Descriptors: Grammar, Spanish Speaking, Children, Foreign Countries
(2017). English 540: Teaching Stretch and Studio Composition Practicum, Composition Studies. In the course overview, the authors state that this course prepares those who enroll to teach Stretch and Studio Composition at the University of New Mexico by introducing relevant theory and pedagogy in the areas of basic writing, multilingual writing, metacognition, and reading instruction. While the English 537: Teaching Composition Practicum aims to provide a broad understanding of teaching composition using a genre approach, this course asks those who enroll to consider how to tailor their pedagogy for students who may require additional layers of support. The authors encourage student teachers to above all else, view their students' existing skills and literacies as resources that can be built upon in the class. Those who enroll will also be supported in developing a course that will promote their students' progress toward student learning outcomes. [Note: Title on PDF differs from that shown on the Table of Contents: "Stretch and Studio Composition Practicum: Creating a Culture of Support and Success for Developing Writers at a Hispanic-Serving Institution."] [More] Descriptors: Writing Teachers, Writing Instruction, Teaching Methods, Writing (Composition)
(2017). Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop, an Outreach Program Designed to Introduce Students to Science through a Hands-On Mystery, Journal of Chemical Education. The Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop was designed to (i) target and inspire fourth grade students to view themselves as "Junior Scientists" before their career decisions are solidified; (ii) enable hands-on experience in fundamental scientific concepts; (iii) increase public interaction with science, technology, engineering, and mathematical personnel by providing face-to-face opportunities; (iv) give teachers a pathway forward for scientific resources; (v) meet the New Mexico K-5 Science Benchmark Performance Standards; (vi) most importantly, ensure everyone has fun! For this workshop, the students are told they will be going to see a Chemistry Magic Show, but the performance is stopped when the Chemistry Dog is reportedly stolen. The students first clear their names using a series of interactive stations and then apply a number of science experiments to solve the mystery. This report describes the workshop in detail, which is suitable for large (~100 students per day) audiences but has flexibility to be modified for much smaller groups. An identical survey was given three times (before, immediately after, and 2 months after the workshop) to determine the impact on the students' perception of science and scientists as well as determine the effectiveness in relaying scientific concepts through retention time. Survey responses indicate that scientific information pertaining to the workshop is retained for up to 2 months. [More] Descriptors: Chemistry, Science Instruction, Elementary School Science, Middle Schools
(2017). Disparagement of Health Warning Labels on Cigarette Packages and Cessation Attempts: Results from Four Countries, Health Education Research. Health warning labels (HWLs) on cigarette packs that use strong fear appeals may evoke defensive responses including acts of disparaging the warnings. Whether warning disparagement undermines HWL effectiveness remains unclear. We assessed correlates of one type of HWL disparagement and its association with subsequent cessation attempts. Longitudinal data (2012-14) on adult smokers from Australia, Canada, Mexico and the United States (US) were analyzed. HWL disparagement was assessed as the frequency of making fun of HWLs in the past month. Using Generalized Estimating Equation models we estimated correlates of HWL disparagement and whether HWL disparagement predicted subsequent cessation attempts. In each country, across all waves, 24-31% of smokers reported making fun of the warnings at least once in the past month. More frequent disparagement was found among males, younger participants, those with higher education and greater addiction, and those who recently attempted to quit. Attention to, avoidance of and talking to others about HWLs were all positively associated with HWL disparagement. In all countries, except the US, this type of HWL disparagement was an independent predictor of subsequent cessation attempts. HWL disparagement among smokers may indicate greater warning relevance and processing and does not result in counterproductive effects on cessation efforts. [More] Descriptors: Smoking, Health Promotion, Longitudinal Studies, Adults
(2017). Promising Digital Practices for Nondominant Learners, International Journal of Educational Technology. This case study took place during an after-school program in a public Texas school district along the U.S./Mexico border. We explore a focal participant's technology access and use as part of our larger digital literacy research. We asked: What in- and out-of-school digital literacy skills, access, and experiences did Robot Boy (pseudonym) possess? How did he behave as a rhizome? Overarching theoretical frameworks were postmodernism and New Literacy Studies; within these theories, we focused on rhizomic principles and digital literacies. This research is part of a larger mixed methods research study (Bussert-Webb & Henry, 2016) focused on an exploration of Latino children's digital literacy and online reading. Data sources included participant observation, interviews, and the Digital Divide Measurement Scale for Students (DDMS-S). Interviewees included 16 children (including Robot Boy) and six Latino staff; 310 children (87% Latino) responded to the DDMS-S. Emerging qualitative themes were Robot Boy's responses to rhizomic rupture. Robot Boy, a bilingual and biliterate middle school youth, demonstrated promising digital practices, which we can apply to other nondominant learners. He assigned rupture by reworking restrictive maps, collaborating with others, and valuing diversity to create multiple pathways. [More] Descriptors: Case Studies, After School Programs, Access to Computers, Educational Technology
(2017). Choguita Rarámuri (Tarahumara) Language Description and Documentation: A Guide to the Deposited Collection and Associated Materials, Language Documentation & Conservation. Choguita Rarðmuri (Tarahumara) is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Northern Mexico of great typological, theoretical, and historical significance. This paper presents an overview and background of the Choguita Rarðmuri language description and documentation project and provides a guide to the documentary collection emerging from this project. This collection, deposited in the Endangered Languages Archive, is the result of collaboration with community members with the long-term goals of aiding in language preservation efforts and the development of a reference grammar of the language. While the production of linguistic analysis in the form of the reference grammar and other publications motivates a significant amount of the documentary corpus, the collection was also theorized from the perspective of a variety of audiences and provides an example of community-based design of documentary materials. This paper provides details on the development of the project, which allows readers to contextualize the scope and nature of the resulting corpus. This paper also discusses current restrictions on access to the collection, as well as an overview of existing associated materials and work underway that seeks to provide direct links between the deposited collection and products of linguistic analysis. [More] Descriptors: Documentation, Language Research, Language Maintenance, American Indian Languages
(2017). Adolescent Students and Their Experiences of Dealing with Pregnancy: A Mexican Mixed-Method Study, International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education. In impoverished communities in Mexico, most adolescent mothers do not attend school; but typically, they become pregnant once they dropped out. Understanding the experiences of adolescents who have had a pregnancy and continue in school is complicated since few manage to do it. The goal of this study is to describe experiences within the family and school context and plans for the future of a sample of Mexican students who have had a pregnancy. We analyze information from the questionnaires of 68 women and 44 men and interviews to 6 women and 5 men. First intercourse was at age 15 and first pregnancy at 16; 39% of men and 57% of women already have a child; 54% of men and 19% of women work and study simultaneously. Dropping out because of a pregnancy/marriage was reported by 41% of women and 14% of men. The support of family and teachers is crucial to stay in school; but the institution remains indifferent to their plight. The immediate needs easily defeat their aspirations. It is fundamental to acknowledge and notice the experiences of these vulnerable young people in order to design focused strategies promoting their success in adult life. [More] Descriptors: Pregnancy, Mixed Methods Research, Poverty, Mothers
(2017). Interdisciplinary Teaching of Theatre and Human Rights in Honors, Honors in Practice. Since spring 2012, the author has taught a 300-level Theatre and Human Rights class in the University of New Mexico Honors College. One of the centerpieces of honors education is careful research and thorough analysis of what is taught and why it is taught. In creating the honors class Theatre and Human Rights, the author explored how she would teach the course and the various components best suited to teaching this topic. After first considering the topic of human rights and its relevance to theatre in an honors context, she then considered the value of interdisciplinary teaching in such a course and what its impact could be on helping students understand human rights, specifically through the study of Athol Fugard's 1982 play "'Master Harold' . . . and the Boys." Considering the topic of theatre and human rights, its background, pedagogy, and philosophy may provide an example of the kind of work that goes into making honors education a distinct segment of higher education in North America today. In this article, the author discusses why a theatre course is one of the best approaches to discussing human rights and interdisciplinary teaching. [More] Descriptors: Interdisciplinary Approach, Honors Curriculum, Civil Rights, Teaching Methods
(2017). Scientific and Religious Beliefs about the Origin of Life and Life after Death: Validation of a Scale, Universal Journal of Educational Research. The variety of explanations to questions about the origin of life, life after death or about the role itself of being in the world are built on the rational reflection that integrates the ideology of human beings as well as less rational practices and more emotional ones than in the whole nourish what has been called "beliefs". Therefore, the aim of this study was to construct an instrument to measure beliefs about the origin of life and life after death. A scale with a Likert 5-point response type was made up of 52 reagents; it was applied to 913 people of the Metropolitan Zone of Mexico City to obtain their psychometric characteristics, all whose schooling was either basic or an academic PhD degree. To identify the discriminative power of each test item, internal consistency, exploratory factor analysis and Pearson's correlation, data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. The final scale was formed by 48 reagents distributed in 4factors that threw a Cronbach Alfa of 0.874. In conclusion, these results reveal a valid and reliable instrument as well as a useful tool for studying the phenomenon of the origin of life and life after death. [More] Descriptors: Beliefs, Likert Scales, Factor Analysis, Statistical Analysis
(2017). Adolescents' TV Viewing Patterns in the Digital Era: A Cross-Cultural Study, Comunicar: Media Education Research Journal. The deep-rooted changes that have taken place in the media world over recent years have brought about changes in both television itself and in the relationships established with this medium. Consequently, it is important to understand how young people watch television today, in order to design strategies to help them develop the capacities they require to ensure responsible use. With this aim, the present study analyzes the television viewing habits of 553 adolescents (267 boys and 286 girls), aged between 14 and 19, from Ireland, Spain and Mexico. Through the implementation of two questionnaires (CH-TV 0.2 and VAL-TV 0.2), four viewing patterns were detected that can be generalized to all the contexts studied. Two of these patterns clearly distinguish between boys (critical-cultural) and girls (social-conversational), with boys viewing more cultural and information-oriented programs, and girls tending to watch shows with a view to talking about them later with their friends. Two of the variables which best distinguish between the other two patterns identified are the perception of a conflictive climate (conflictive-passive viewing) and the perception of responsible parental mediation (committed-positive viewing). Moreover, preferred television genre was found to be the factor with the greatest discriminatory power in relation to these patterns, while time spent watching television, perceived realism and cultural context were not found to be significant. [More] Descriptors: Adolescents, Television Viewing, Questionnaires, Gender Differences
(2017). Developing Self-Efficacy through a Massive Open Online Course on Study Skills, Open Praxis. Self-efficacy is a strong predictor of academic performance, and an area of interest for higher education institutions. This paper reports on a massive open online course (MOOC) on study skills, aimed at increasing self-efficacy. Participants (n = 32) were from Mexico and Colombia, with ages ranging from 21 to 45 years. At the beginning and the end of the MOOC, learners answered a survey that included the General Self-Efficacy Scale, items on specific study skills, and space for optional comments. Findings show statistically significant increases in general self-efficacy after completing the MOOC, as well as in the perceived self-efficacy related to five out of six study skills. Comments suggest that participants are aware of and value their own improvement. For students, MOOCs can represent low-risk, formative opportunities to widen their knowledge and increase their self-efficacy. For academic institutions, well-designed MOOCs on study skills provide a means to support students. [More] Descriptors: Self Efficacy, Skill Development, Online Courses, Foreign Countries
(2017). State of Texas Children 2017: Child Well-Being in the Rio Grande Valley, Center for Public Policy Priorities. Located on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Rio Grande Valley is a place of rich culture and possibilities. However, on many indicators of children's health, education and financial security, the Valley is not doing as well as Texas overall, revealing a pattern of disinvestment in children's futures. In order to "raise the bar" in child well-being for all Rio Grande Valley area kids, Rio Grande Valley has to "close the gaps" in outcomes between children. Doing this means intentionally breaking down obstacles and creating equitable opportunities for good health, an excellent education, and economic security for every child. This is the only way to ensure the Rio Grande Valley's economic future is strong for both businesses and families. This Rio Grande Valley report is part of a larger series of reports in the Texas Kids Count project that focuses on equity in child well-being across Texas and in several of its major metro areas. [Texas Kids Count is a project of the Center for Public Policy Priorities. For the 2016 report, see ED582932.] [More] Descriptors: Well Being, Children, Child Health, Metropolitan Areas