Reading Comprehension in Both Spanish and English as a Foreign Language by High School Spanish Students

Several studies have highlighted that reading comprehension is determined by different linguistic skills: semantics, syntax, and morphology, in addition to one’s own competence in reading fluency (accuracy, speed, and prosody). On the other hand, according to the Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis, linguistic skills developed in one’s own native language (L1) facilitate the development of these skills in a second one (L2). In this study, we wanted to explore the linguistic abilities that determine reading comprehension in Spanish (L1) and in English (L2) in Secondary Education students. To do this, 73 Secondary Education Students (1st and 3rd year) participated in this study. The students carried out a battery of tasks in English and Spanish, all of them related to reading comprehension (expository text) and different linguistic skills, which included syntactic awareness tasks, synonymy judgment tasks (vocabulary), and morphological awareness tasks. The results indicated a positive correlation between linguistic competencies in both languages (indicating a transfer effect between languages), which were determined by school year, with a lower performance in the 1st year than in the 3rd year. Moreover, we found more skills with correlations in English reading comprehension than in Spanish. Finally, reading comprehension in L1 was mainly explained English reading comprehension, while English reading comprehension was predicted by grade, and syntactic awareness, as well as Spanish reading comprehension. This could be explained by the different levels of exposure to L1 and L2 of sample subjects, as the linguistic variables have different influences on the reading comprehension of both languages.

Desfechos Adversos Perinatais Associados A Escolaridade Materna

Objective: To compare different levels of education with adverse perinatal outcomes in low-risk patients. Methodology: Cross-sectional study, puerperae were randomly selected, usual risk, attended in the public network, with single gestation. The evaluated puerperae were divided into 3 groups, according to education: primary or less, secondary and higher or more. The outcomes evaluated were cesarean section, neonatal ICU, low 1st minute Apgar, prematurity, and low birth weight. The calculation of the odds ratio had a 95% confidence interval. Results: the population was divided into 3 groups, 187 (52.9%) puerperal women with primary education or less, 437 (60.5%) patients with secondary education and 98 (13.6%) patients with higher education or more. Maternal characteristics differed in terms of age, previous pregnancies, normal deliveries, previous cesarean sections, age of 1st pregnancy, number of prenatal visits, income, number of people living in the household, and tobacco use. In the newborn profile, there was a difference only regarding cesarean sections. After calculating the odds ratio, it was seen that patients with primary education or less had a lower propensity to perform a cesarean section (0.511 95%CI 0.290-0.900), as well as patients with secondary education (0.530 95%CI 0.322-0.873), both compared to the population with higher education or more. In the other outcomes, no significance was observed. Conclusion: Primary and secondary education proved to be protective factors for cesarean section. No difference was found regarding prematurity, low birth weight, need for neonatal ICU and low 1st minute Apgar score.

Differences in Teachers’ Professional Action Competence in Education for Sustainable Development: The Importance of Teacher Co-Learning

This study builds on a research-practitioner partnership embedded within an education for sustainable development (ESD) project and aims to explore the major potential challenges (i.e., disciplinary boundaries set by subject specialization, especially in secondary education) and success factors (i.e., teacher co-learning experiences in ESD) associated with differences in teachers’ professional action competence (PACesd) in a sample of 557 in-service teachers in primary and secondary schools in Flanders, Belgium. The study employed a recently validated PACesd measurement instrument and involved quantitative data analysis in a structural equation modelling framework. The results show that primary education teachers tend to report higher PACesd levels compared to their peers in secondary education. Moreover, regardless of educational level, gender and teaching experience, all teachers participating in a working group or a learning community in ESD are more likely to show higher levels of PACesd. Implications of the findings, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Contribution of secondary education towards economic growth in Ngara District, Tanzania

The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of secondary education towards economic growth in Ngara District. The study was guided by three research objectives which are; to identify the contribution of the education achieved in secondary school graduates on economic growth, to assess the relationship between secondary school education and economic growth and the last one was to analyze the challenges that face secondary education leavers in the job market. The study was guided by Human Capital Theory which was developed by Schult and Becker .The research used mixed approach technique which entails qualitative and quantitative. In qualitative, the study analyzed the findings by looking at the physical trends while quantitative, the findings were analyzed using measurements in terms of inferential statistics. From the findings, the results reveal that there is a direct connectivity between school education and practical implementation of the knowledge gained in classrooms. Moreover, the findings established that there is low contribution in education achieved in secondary-by-secondary school leavers which cannot cater for their economic income. The study recommends that the government should device friendly curriculum which is environment friendly. This will help secondary school leavers to translate their education into economic growth activities. Moreover, the secondary school leavers are advised to link what they gained in their course of schooling in order to avoid depending much on their guardians and parents.

The positioning of dual qualification studies in Finnish upper secondary education and government policy since the 1980s

This article explores the positioning of dual qualifications (DQs) in the Finnish education policy and the education system since the late 1980s. The analysis is carried out in the context of academic-vocational divide. At the end of the 1980s, Finland questioned the functionality of the strict academic-vocational divide in post-compulsory education, and a unified upper secondary education was initiated. DQ was the result of two contradictory political discourses: the aim to make education system more equal and the 1990s’ market oriented education policy. In the 2000s, although segregation at the upper secondary level was strengthened, the DQ simultaneously became an established study route. However, in 2007 due to changes in political power, the DQ was repositioned on the periphery of education policy and academic-vocational divide became stronger. The main focus as regards the functions of DQs until the end of the 2010s was on efforts to enhance the use of educational resources and improve the possibilities for individual and flexible education choices. The aim of the current government, elected in 2019, is to strengthen cooperation at upper secondary level, which is also expected to include DQs. However, the actualisation might be mitigated by the educational reforms of the previous government.