Open University of Catalonia

About: Open University of Catalonia is a education organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Higher education. The organization has 1943 authors who have published 4646 publications receiving 64200 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya & UOC.

Gender differences in computer attitudes and the choice of technology-related occupations in a sample of secondary students in Spain

Abstract: The dearth of women in technology and ICT-related fields continues to be a topic of interest for both the scientific community and decision-makers. Research on attitudes towards computers proves that women display more negative computer attitudes than men and also make less intense use of technology and computers than their male counterparts. For this reason, the main aims of this study are threefold. Firstly, to analyze the existence of gender differences in three dimensions of computer attitudes in a group of 550 secondary students in Spain (mean of age=15years old; SD=1.73). Secondly, to study the moderating influence of a group of contextual variables on those gender differences in computer attitudes. And thirdly, to examine the predictive role of computer attitudes on the intention to pursue technology-related occupations. Some of the analyses of variance carried out show more positive computer attitudes in boys than in girls. These differences are more salient among students coming from rural areas and the upper social class, who are also enrolled in the domain of technology in secondary education, and whose mothers have no occupation outside the home. Finally, simple logistic regressions were carried out in order to prove that all dimensions of computer attitudes predict the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations. Nonetheless, gender only moderates the relationship between the cognitive dimension of computer attitudes and the enrollment intentions to pursue technology-related occupations.

Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health.

Abstract: Pregnancy and the postpartum period involve numerous physiological adaptations that enable the development and survival of the offspring A distinct neural plasticity characterizes the female brain during this period, and dynamic structural and functional changes take place that accompany fundamental behavioral adaptations, stimulating the female to progress from an individual with self-directed needs to being responsible for the care of another life While many animal studies detail these modifications, an emerging body of research reveals the existence of reproduction-related brain plasticity in human mothers too Additionally, associations with aspects of maternal caregiving point to adaptive changes that benefit a woman’s transition to motherhood However, the dynamic changes that affect a woman’s brain are not merely adaptive, and they likely confer a vulnerability for the development of mental disorders Here, we review the changes in brain structure and function that a woman undergoes during the peripartum period, outlining associations between these neural alterations and different aspects of maternal care We additionally discuss peripartum mood disorders and postpartum psychosis, and review the neuroimaging studies that investigate the neural bases of these conditions

The Value of Feedback in Improving Collaborative Writing Assignments in an Online Learning Environment.

Abstract: This exploratory study aims to analyse the nature of teacher feedback during a collaborative writing assignment, and to identify the possible effects feedback has on the revision of a text written by university students in an asynchronous online learning environment. Under analysis are three editions of a master’s course in e-learning, during which, over a period of two weeks, the students (n = 83) divided into 16 work groups to carry out a co-evaluation assignment with the support of a technology tool. The results obtained indicate that, when teacher feedback includes suggestions and questions, instead of direct corrections, the students respond more constructively, they discuss the content they are working with, and, as a result, they effect significant changes in the arguments of the text they are revising.