Exploring Strategies to Strengthen Re-Engagement Through Second Chance Education for Early School Leavers

This survey is a qualitative analysis of written interviews of teachers (n= 367) working in Second Chance Schools, an educational institution consisting of structures operating inside and outside detention facilities in Greece. In particular, it examines teachers' proposals for reforms that will increase the socio-economic integration prospects of second-chance learners, who make up a population of former early school leaver and prisoners. This research provides a focused assessment of the inclusive teaching and learning offered by school second education. The results highlight the need for reforms in the structure and operation of second-chance structures that operate inside and outside detention centers, enhancing the training-labor market connection and creating a competitive working profile, and also the need of establishing equivalent to second-chance structures at all levels of education from primary to upper secondary to ensure a seamless educational path to entry into higher and vocational education institutions.

30 años de La Crónica de Leodegundo: aproximación a la gran saga de la historieta histórica española

RESUMEN: En 1991 vio la fecha de venta al público el inicio de una de las más importantes sagas de la historieta histórica española. Marcada por una palpable consulta de estudios y fuentes históricas, convirtió en su autor, Gaspar Meana, en uno de los mejores y más prolíficos autores de tebeos del género en España. Originalmente, una serie de desatinos a la hora de su comercialización le hizo difícil su difusión en la mayoría del público lector de historieta español que ahora ve una segunda oportunidad gracias a la reedición por una universidad española, garante de la soberbia calidad del título. Pese a que los amantes del género conocen o saben de su existencia, los estudios sobre cómic no han podido sino hacer aproximaciones ligeras a la obra precisamente por su gran extensión. Nuestro estudio pretende recopilar comentarios de la crítica de cómic acerca La Crónica de Leodegundo en el 30.º aniversario de su publicación y profundizar en ella mediante una aproximación al estudio de sus páginas como un documento desde la óptica de la corriente de la Historia de la Cultura Escrita. ABSTRACT: In 1991 the release date to the public saw the beginning of one of the most important sagas of the Spanish historical comic strip. Distinguished by an obvious consultation of studies and historical sources, its author, Gaspar Meana, became one of the best and the most prolific author of comics of the genre in Spain. Originally, a series of mistakes at the time of its commercialization made it difficult for it to be known among the majority of the Spanish comic reading public. Nowadays it sees a second chance thanks to the reprinting by a Spanish university, guarantor of the superb quality of the title. Despite the fact that lovers of the genre know or they are aware of its existence, studies on comics have only been able to make light approaches to the work precisely because of its great extension. Our study aims to compile commentary from comic book critics about La Crónica de Leodegundo on the 30th anniversary of its publication and to deepen it through an approach to the study of its pages as a document from the perspective of the current of the History of Written Culture

Seeking Incentives for a Successful Second and third Business Opportunity after Bankruptcy in Times of Recession

In the years of the financial and sovereign debt crisis in Greece, many viable businesses that are facing financial difficulties are led to liquidation rather than timely restructuring, with very few entrepreneurs having a second chance. This corporate failure faced by Greek companies in recent years may have been caused by either endogenous or exogenous factors or a combination of these two. In this paper we investigate the factors (economic, social and political) that will help to facilitate entrepreneurs' access to a second and third opportunity, taking also into account socially vulnerable groups such as disabled people and women entrepreneurs. Moreover, we try to find the characteristics that would encourage honest bankrupt entrepreneurs to a second business venture and the sectors where a second chance may have increased chances of sustainability in Greece. The aim of our research is to lead Greece to higher levels of self-employment, reduction in unemployment, and exit from the crisis.

NO SECOND CHANCE FOR A FIRST IMPRESSION: THE ROLE OF AESTHETICS IN EARLY ACCESS VIDEO GAMES

This paper investigates the impact of aesthetics in early game development based on a quantitative of 367 early access games. We identified the relationship between aesthetic perception in early video games reflected in the user reviews, comments, and subsequent positive and negative video game recommendations over time. We find that customer co-creation in product innovation is increasingly negative feedback over time when the game’s aesthetic early impression is perceived as negative. The implications for innovation management are that aesthetics design impacts the response to customer-ready prototypes. Managers should take the aesthetic design and user perception in early development into account and not delay the attention to aesthetics to a later product release stage.

Second chance schools: background, training and current instructional practices of teachers

PurposeThe objective of the present study was to assess which teachers hired to teach secondary school dropouts are most likely to adapt their practices to match their students' characteristics. Chile recently initiated a system “second chance” schools for dropouts. Most of the teaching staff were recruited from the secondary schools from which the students had withdrawn. There was little variation in instructional practices or schedules. The second chance schools provide intensive instruction, small classes and flexibility in schedules and sequence of courses. The study sought to identify the teachers most likely to adapt old practices or learn new ones in order to provide students a different educational experience than that offered in conventional secondary schools.Design/methodology/approachThe sampling design for this study was developed by the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Education. Taking enrollment into account, they randomly selected second chance schools from 13 of Chile's 16 regions. Then, they randomly selected 617 teachers from 38 of the selected schools. The teachers were invited to respond to a self-administered survey questionnaire that covered beliefs about and attitudes toward dropouts, and frequency of use of different teaching methods. The analytical procedures used include nonparametric correlations and logit regression.FindingsTeaching methods in the second chance schools are influenced mostly by type of in-service training and not by student characteristics. Most teachers expect most students to graduate; teachers with more years of teaching are the least optimistic.Originality/valueRelatively little research on second chance schools has been published in Latin America. The Second Opportunity Schools are the first effort in Chile to provide public secondary school to dropouts. The study provides detailed information about background and training linked to current teachers' instructional practices. The findings suggest actions that can be taken to improve the new schools.