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

Introduction: language influences the way of thinking, living and the relationships of speakers because its role for reflecting the realities of each human group and the transmission of knowledge. This means that the communication and learning of English as foreign language includes elements present in the language culture. Objective: to design a system of activities to build the intercultural competence in medical students of the Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Enrique Cabrera, La Habana, Cuba. Method: a system of activities is proposed supported by test agenda, documentary study, collection and information gathered through whole research process. Several research methods were used in the study, for instance, the empirical methods (comprising the observational, survey, and interview methods), the theoretical methods (historical-logical analysis, the systemic approach and modeling), also were used the logical thinking procedures and mathematical-statistical methods. Results: learning English as international language and the corresponding intercultural knowledge has a great value in the English subject. This learning process was supported by the application of a system of activities for training of future doctors, who must learn to communicate in this language, which implies mastering the intercultural contents that allow them to interact efficiently with people, authorities, organizations and works in the countries where they perform their functions. Conclusions: learning English as international language and the corresponding intercultural knowledge, using a system of activities, is essential for training of medical students at the Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Enrique Cabrera.

Introduction: interprofessional education is included in the third major health education reform. It consists of health systems-based teaching, focused on local and global competencies. It is the base of an interprofessional collaborative practice that guarantees a comprehensive health care service for patients, families and the community. Objective: to demonstrate the need for interprofessional education process in undergraduate and postgraduate Health Sciences education as a guarantee of an effective interprofessional collaborative practice that contributes to a sustainable and inclusive comprehensive health care. Method: a documentary research, in English and Spanish, was carried out in several databases: Scopus, SciELO, PubMed/MedLine, Redalyc, Google Scholar and the Infomed portal. The information was systematized and authors gave their critical evaluations. Development: collaborative interprofessional practice has been increasing in different scenarios and has become an essential condition for quality care service as demanded by society and healthcare systems worldwide in recent years and it is a necessary requirement for quality and health care safety. Collaborative interprofessional education improves coordination, integration and the merging of useful knowledge among different health and social care professionals. A close relationship between ministries of health and training institutions is required for interprofessional education from undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education. Final considerations: collaborative interprofessional education in health care education contributes to sustainable interprofessional collaborative practice.

The implementation of digital technologies in teaching has demonstrated the importance of teacher digital competence (TDC) as a key element in educating 21st-century citizens. The complex nature of TDC makes it challenging to find a definition that encompasses the full meaning of the term. This paper offers a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA Statement, analyzing the definitions of TDC in 31 publications with the aim of identifying their similarities and differences and reviewing their relationship with the dimensions that make up TDC. The results show an imbalance in the dimensions present, and notably, an almost universal absence of the relational, ethical and security dimension. The paper concludes by offering an integrative definition of TDC that enables teachers and educational institutions to understand the scope of this professional competence.

High rates of dropout from university are a worldwide concern. In an attempt to address this phenomenon, this study presents a predictive model for the level of adaptability of high school students intending to pursue a university education. The objective is to show the relationships existing between the three exogenous variables (study skills, information about the university, and self-efficacy expectations) and the endogenous variable (adaptability) included in the model. The study involved a sample of 290 high school students who had expressed their intention to pursue a university education. The results show a substantial and consistent relationship between the variables of the model, helping to predict the levels of academic adaptability of high school students planning to attend university. This is of interest in designing guidance for pre-university stages of education.

This study explores how elementary and secondary school students solve multiplicative structure problems (multiplication, partitive division, and measurement division). A questionnaire was used with nine problems involving natural numbers and fractions, and the research examined both the level of success of students and the strategies employed for each type of problem (by grade level). The results show a lower level of success in problems with fractions than with natural numbers, with students having difficulty recognizing that the structure of the problems was the same. Algorithms were the most commonly used strategy, but other strategies also emerged, depending on the type of number involved (natural numbers or fractions).

This paper offers a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies that examine school supervision and its effects on quality in education. The objective of this work is to take stock of the effects of supervision on basic-level (primary and lower secondary) schools and identify supervisory practices that help or hinder educational improvement, based on which a typology of supervisors was constructed according to their role and observed impact. The findings show that school supervision has the potential to achieve an impact in improving the quality of education, provided it is not associated with inspectional practices and a system of support is developed to make timely recommendations and provide pedagogical support in schools.

Identifying the factors that influence young Mexicans’ choice of career is essential to generate strategies able to attract new students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The objective of this study was to develop and verify the psychometric properties (realibility and construct validity) of the scales “Student peer support” (APE-STEM) and “Outcome expectations” (EXREC-STEM) in high school students’ choice of STEM college degrees by generating a structural equation model. Likert scales were administered to 167 students from rural and urban schools in southeastern Mexico. The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses show adequate fit and an internal consistency of α = .82 and .84, confirming the empirical soundness of the model and leading to the conclusion that these scales are highly reliable for use in this context.

Feedback on teaching practices is an essential part of teachers’ professional development. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the use of rubrics to improve the quality of feedback on teachers’ performance in the classroom. The study sample comprised 32 participants randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. The experimental group worked together to design their rubric to support and give feedback on teacher performance in the classroom, while the control group was assigned a standardized rubric. The results point to significant differences in the quality of feedback in favor of the experimental group, whose feedback was more formative and offered greater guidance. The research concludes that rubrics designed collaboratively enhance the quality of feedback, providing direction for reflection on teaching practice and promoting teachers’ professional development and a transformation of the teaching-learning process.

This study aims to analyze a meta-concept of historical thinking – historical evidence/sources, their reliability, and scientific method of analysis – in lower and upper secondary students from three schools in Zaragoza (Spain), and compare the results from the two stages of education to determine if there are levels of progression in historical education. The sample was made up of 231 students and the research was descriptive and qualitative in its methods, employing content analysis to analyze data and an ad hoc questionnaire to collect data. The results point to the existence of levels of knowledge, understanding, and historical and critical thinking that, while different, are limited and close to each other. The data analysis indicates that historical education is still at an early stage in terms of implementing historical thinking processes, necessary in 21st-century education.

This paper describes some similarities and differences in interaction and the type of content published on two digital platforms (a Google+ virtual community and the social network Facebook) among young people from two indigenous communities in two regions of the state of Puebla (Mexico). The intention of the research was to explore the use of digital interactive technologies as part of informal learning processes. Data was collected through participant observation, both in person and online, and comparisons were made from digital content produced by indigenous youth. The results show some similarities to previous publications, highlighting, for example, the memories of the people or the oral or written use of indigenous languages, but also identify differences based on each region’s sociocultural resources. The study concludes that these digital platforms become informal learning spaces.