Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The goal of this study is to statistically compare five aspects related of student motivation towards Mathematics among high school students involved in two types of learning programs -  blended learning and face-to-face instruction. The study followed a quantitative methodology and selected a sample of 186 students enrolled in two types of public high school programs in Northern Mexico who were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their motivation towards Mathematics. The survey revealed their level of interest, importance, use, associated costs in studying Mathematics and self-efficacy expectations. According to the results, high school students in face-to-face learning programs had a statistically higher level of interest, perception and self-efficacy expectations about Mathematics. High School students enrolled in the blended learning modality had a higher score when answering the survey question about the financial cost associated with studying Mathematics.

This article looks at how EFL university students understand the pronunciation of adjectives that end in -ed. The goal is to determine the extent to which students are able to follow pronunciation rules and exceptions of -ed inflections when used as adjectives. The quantitative study presents data gathered from a 20-item multiple choice test that was taken by 61 students.  Overall results reveal that students obtained low scores (M = 7.33, SD = 1.51, n = 61) and even lower scores (M = 2.00, SD = 2.33, n = 61 for non-governed-rule -ed endings) with regards to following rule-governed pronunciation patterns. On average, students were able to identify -ed endings pronounced /ɪd/ 8.2% of the times, followed by /d/ (7.31%) and /t/ (6.49%). Students scored lowest for non-standard pronunciation of participial adjectives (2.72%). The results reveal that students have not yet mastered the rules for the pronunciation of participial adjectives ending in -ed. The author proposes that changes be made to the curriculum and the design of the materials and that current classroom practices be assessed in order to help improve student pronunciation. Lastly, the author highlights the need to conduct further research focusing on pronunciation and auditory perception to attain this goal.

This article is part of a thesis that studies efficiency factors of Cooperative Learning in Physical Education. The objective is to present the results of a review about constraints faced by teachers who use this strategy and, in addition, show how it can be used progressively and effectively in PE classes. A bibliographic review was conducted revealing challenges faced by teachers who use Cooperative Learning strategies. The review included searches in the following databases in late 2018: Teseo, Google Scholar, Dialnet, EBSCOhost, Scopus and Web of Science. Results show that when using this strategy, certain difficulties may arise which we classified into seven categories: 1) Lack of student skills and experience; 2) Previous negative experience of the student; 3) Lack of training among the teachers; 4) Organizational problems at the school; 5) Family opposition; 6) Teacher cannot control classroom behavior; and 7) Unrealistic teacher expectations. Two proposals for executing the Cooperative Learning in PE were found to be progressive and effective. They set variables that influence cooperative learning as well as the necessary conditions to minimize or resolve problems at the onset: The Motor Coopedagogy Approach (Velázquez, 2014, 2015b, 2018), and the Cooperative Learning Cycle (Iglesias, González and Fernández, 2017).

This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aims to address and identify academic progress in the subject of Values Education at Higher Education Institutions in the XXIst century and adapt it today´s context. The point of departure for this international study was based on a systematic database review (Dialnet, Redalyc and Scielo); A total number of 35 articles from Latin America were found based on the following four inclusion criteria: 1. Database Search: Dialnet, Redalyc and Scielo, 2. Fields that included the term Values Education; 3. Studies that covered periods ranging from 2013 – 2018 and, 4. Open access. A final sample of 14 research papers was collected. According to our findings, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) must rethink their purpose and commitment to society in order to educate students with solid ethical and moral values. Faculty requires more training in employing pedagogy skills aimed at teaching good critical thinking and decision-making skills based on a values scale consistent with XXIst century needs and economic and social contexts, directed at enacting government policies in values education. It is suggested that future research focus on implementing and proposing values considered as valid for today´s context.

This study aims to provoke critical thought regarding the use of mathematical models in the classroom based on a pedagogical experiment involving a group of fifth grade students and teachers at a school in Colombia. The study had a qualitative focus with data collected through interviews, observation and documents written by the students themselves, which was then analyzed by the teacher to identify strengths and weaknesses. According to the results, frequent use of mathematical modelling is stimulating for the students. As a result, students become more engaged, acquire a more favorable outlook towards mathematics and earn better grades in the subject. Among the conclusions, greater use of technology in the classroom is recommended to facilitate mathematical modeling. For quality teaching and learning, both teachers and staff administrators must promote opportunities for research, analysis and inquiry, using tangible examples and contextualized situations. The use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the classroom is recommended to facilitate mathematical modeling activities with greater teacher training opportunities, availability of resources and institutional support for adequate planning.

This study provides a personalized interpretation on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at schools with the objective of demonstrating the importance of teachers as educators, particularly with regards to questioning anthropological dynamics of learners which include intellectual, volitional and emotional aspects.  Teachers have a different approach towards these dynamics than do ICTs and teacher motivation is not comparable to that of being perceived as a mere facilitator of information. Thus, through a critical review of relevant studies regarding use of technology at schools by authors with a perspective of comprehensive personalism, it is argued that there is an anthropological need for a teacher-student encounter to appropriately contribute to the personal development of the learner. It is concluded that this encounter may be sustained and reinforced by ITCs as a specific support mechanism and that this interpersonal relationship cannot be replaced by ICTs. Thus, educational systems must either relinquish the use of ICTs in favor of other non-technical skills or use ICTs in such a manner where its use can be reviewed, assessed and limited without losing sight of the obsolete and intuitive nature associated with learning through technology and highlighting the importance for human beings to acquire other skills unrelated to technology.

The goal of this article is to provide evidence as to the validity and reliability of a new Reading Comprehension test aimed at college students which is based on an observational and cross-cutting research design. The test was taken by 244 students in the first year of their major. The results were analyzed according to the Classical Test Theory, the Rasch Model and a Pearson correlation coefficient to compare the scores obtained with first year courses taken by students for their Major. As a result of the study, a 44-item was elaborated with a reliability scale of 0.74 and a statistically significant correlation scores of 0.21 [0.09, 0.33] (p < 0.000) for student grades in first-year courses. It can be concluded that this test could be useful to detect reading comprehension difficulties among first-year university students which could potentially negatively impact their academic performance. The test could also serve as a screening tool in the development of remedial programs to strengthen reading comprehension among these students.

This qualitative study describes the setting for teaching preschoolers English based on the experience of four public preschools in the Central Pacific Region of Costa Rica. The aim was to gain more insight about the public preschool system of which little information is available. Data was obtained mainly from interviews with teachers and classroom observation. A coding system was elaborated to classify the collected information into three main categories: Characterization of preschool bilingual education, the methodology used and academic action fields to improve how English is taught to preschoolers. The most relevant findings reveal that, although teaching preschoolers a foreign language is important, there is much more that should be done to foster these skills in children at this educational stage, such as provide teachers with more English-language training for preschoolers. In addition, the methodology should include games, music, non-verbal routines and language to acquire the target language. These results would further contribute to documenting this field of study for teachers and actions specifically targeted to teaching English at the preschool level in the Costa Rican Public School System.

This article encompasses a bibliographic review of the main types of scientific misconduct in publications based on a search of academic databases and search engines.  The search was performed publications regarding scientific editorial misconduct in research articles. The data obtained was analyzed and each example of misbehavior was classified according to author, editor and peer reviewers. For preventive purposes, formative assessments of undergraduate and graduate students understanding of research methodology are recommended. In addition, journal editorial boards must adopt measures, such as establish a code of ethics and statement of originality, to ensure ethical behavior when publishing research articles.

In Catalonia (Spain), students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) enrolled in inclusive education receive support from the Intensive Support Service for Inclusive Education Program (SIEI), either in mainstream or special needs classrooms.  However, many teachers find it challenging to include ASD students in mainstream classrooms, since they must develop a variety of strategic teaching methodologies: use of clear openings and wrap-ups, use of examples and specific language, presentation of oral information using visual support materials, use of activities to peak student interest and the need to anticipate, just to name a few examples. Given the large variety of teaching methodologies, the objective of this study is to identify which teaching strategies are used with ASD students in mainstream classrooms and compare them with those used in SIEI classrooms. A qualitative and descriptive study was developed based on classroom observation and interviews using a sample of two primary schools. According to the results, both schools use multiple strategies, although some strategies are not considered, such as generalizations. Also, SIEI classrooms tend to place ADD students outside the regular classroom where the support teacher is more of a tutor. However, in regular classrooms, the support teacher spends more time working with low functioning ASD students while high functioning ASD students receive support from their peers. Finally, there is a need to develop more educational programs aimed at teachers to foster greater inclusion of ASD students.