La educación superior en el siglo XXI

The goal of this study was to assess the longitudinal effectiveness and impact of study abroad programs on teachers’ content knowledge and professional perspectives. The study focused on a recent Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad to Botswana (summer 2011) and compares results with an earlier Fulbright-Hays program to Singapore and Malaysia (summer 1995). Data were obtained through multiple objective and open-ended instruments administered before departure and several months after participants returned to the United States. The results suggest significant trends and outcomes. Quite clearly, the knowledge base of the participants increased as a result of the project, though much of the factual material might have been obtained without leaving home. However, it was within the qualitative and affective domains that the most intriguing results occurred. Participants’ perspectives on their own personal and professional development, cultural awareness, teaching methodologies, and choice of curricular content indicated sustained positive growth throughout the program.

The longitudinal effects of study abroad programs on teachers' content knowledge and perspectives: A Fulbright-Hays in Botswana

The educational response to students with specific needs for educational support associated with disability could not be understood within the current educational landscape without addressing how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is used within those responses. ICT support is not a matter of fashion or one-off use due to the current circumstances brought about by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Programmes and materials are already being developed to enable such application. Even from the Universal Learning Design approaches, it is precisely the use of technologies in learning processes, with special emphasis on educational inclusion processes, which are a key focus. This study deals with the perception that teachers have of this use of ICT with students with disabilities: How are the resources available to them and how good is their training in this respect? To do this, a section of a questionnaire was used, which forms part of the R + D + I project awarded under a national call in Spain, and which in one of its categories precisely focuses attention on this use of ICT. In turn, this category, according to the confirmatory factor analysis carried out, is subdivided into three subcategories: didactic use, spaces and resources, and finally teacher training. We are also interested in knowing if there are differences of opinion between population groups grouped according to sex, ownership of the education centre and location of the centre (urban, or rural). The results indicate that although there is good use and good preparation of teachers, the level of resources is low and teacher training needs to be reinforced.

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Use of ICTs in the Educational Response to Students with Disabilities

In increasingly diverse cultural contexts, the intercultural perspective favors an enriching coexistence between cultures, with volunteering being an exercise that allows for a critical transformation of reality in order to achieve a more supportive and equitable society. This article aims to find out how university students conceive of volunteering, as well as their level of participation. The sample was made up of 208 students from the Pedagogy and Social Education degrees of the University of Granada during the 2019/2020 academic year. An ad hoc questionnaire was applied, which incorporated a standardised instrument (Adapted Values Test), as well as questions designed by the authors. The results underline the positive axiological perception of volunteering. The participants understand volunteering as a helping role that depends on the social, personal, and professional motivations of the students. However, this positive perception is not transformed into active participation and continuous links with voluntary organisations. The conclusions indicate that university students value volunteering as a necessary task for the social good, although their participation is low, and it is necessary to transform the pro-social awareness of university students into real participation.

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Volunteering in the University Context: Student Perception and Participation.

The strategic approach to enhance cultural skills is aligned with social feeling and sense of belonging as an important element to underlie the interaction pathway with others’ diverse backgrounds. Such an approach of teaching model could be transformed and prepared to encourage ability to communicate and relate to others from diverse backgrounds. The following phase of sufficient integration amongst cognitive, social and emotional substance is reflect in the culturally responsive and communicative teaching (CRCT). This mode is an important element to advance the diverse students amidst an increasingly complex and pluralistic society. This paper is aimed at examining CRCT by having a critical look into the partnership commitment amongst interracial teachers’ daily school interaction. Data collection was conducted with 10 interracial teachers with a focus on the approach of how their partnership commitment is reflected and practiced in their daily school interaction. Thematic analysis was employed to obtain the main points of data to give insight into the multicultural school society. The findings reveal that an understanding of CRCT articulated into partnership engagement commitment has a core of three main points. These are: expanding self-awareness on cultural identity; enhancing culturally mediated emotion of social situations; and developing instructional practice for cultural sensitivity. The implication for students’ experiential learning in the multicultural classroom was also discussed. The contribution of this paper can be exerted among those involved in the education sectors. These include students, educators, principals, learning facilitators, researchers, educational technologist, instructional designers and practitioners. This is also included among the researchers who are interested in exploring, understanding and developing discerning perspectives on diversity and diverse learners in 21st century education. This study is expected to contribute by giving solving skills with the strategic approach articulated into a particular guideline to give a clear understanding in responding the multicultural classroom in the interracial school society context. This study is considered to elaborate the good feedback on the importance of CRCT in responding to emerging trends on the facades of diversity among diverse learners.

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Reflecting Culturally Responsive and Communicative Teaching (CRCT) through Partnership Commitment

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate teacher perceptions on the training received in intercultural education. Methods: The article presents a quantitative, non- experimental and ex-post-facto type of research; directed to inquire about the perceptions of the teachers of primary education in Andalusia (Spain) in relation to the intercultural training received. Based on the descriptive survey method, two questionnaires were administered to a sample composed of 320 students and 80 teachers. Results: The results show certain strengths of the training teacher programs in the field of interculturality (encouragement of reflection, participation and collaboration …), as well as weaknesses (decontextualization, inflexibility, primacy of theoretical learning, non-transversal character, etc.). Conclusions: Despite strengths, intercultural teacher training continues to be a challenge in Andalusia.

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Teacher Training in Intercultural Education: Teacher Perceptions.

Within the R + D + I project “Study of the educational response to students with Specific Need of Educational Support hereinafter (SEN) associated with disability”, one of the areas analyzed covers extracurricular and complementary activities and if these meet the needs of students with specific educational support needs. Our objective in this research is to describe and analyze the inclusion of students with SEN associated with disability in the development of extracurricular activities. A total of 1496 teachers from Spain participated in this study, answering a questionnaire prepared ad hoc. The independent variables in the study were sex, type of center (rural or urban) and ownership (public or private). The results showed that the teachers consider that most of the centers allow the participation in extracurricular activities of the students with SEN; in parallel, it was discovered that these centers are not fully equipped to serve students with SEN.

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Victoria Figueredo-Canosa

Papers

Teacher Training in Intercultural Education: Teacher Perceptions.

Participation of Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in Extracurricular Activities in Compulsory Education