The study of school bullying has recently assumed an international dimension, but is faced with difficulties in finding terms in different languages to correspond to the English word bullying. To ...investigate the meanings given to various terms, a set of 25 stick-figure cartoons was devised, covering a range of social situations between peers. These cartoons were shown to samples of 8- and 14-year-old pupils (N - 1,245; n = 604 at 8 years, n = 641 at 14 years) in schools in 14 different countries, who judged whether various native terms cognate to bullying, applied to them. Terms from 10 Indo-European languages and three Asian languages were sampled. Multidimensional scaling showed that 8-year-olds primarily discriminated nonaggressive and aggressive cartoon situations; however, 14-year-olds discriminated fighting from physical bullying, and also discriminated verbal bullying and social exclusion. Gender differences were less appreciable than age differences. Based on the 14-year-old data, profiles of 67 words were then constructed across the five major cartoon clusters. The main types of terms used fell into six groups: bullying (of all kinds), verbal plus physical bullying, solely verbal bullying, social exclusion, solely physical aggression, and mainly physical aggression. The findings are discussed in relation to developmental trends in how children understand bullying, the inferences that can be made from cross-national studies, and the design of such studies.
En Islande, les écoles et les enseignants ont une grande latitude quant à la manière d’enseigner les mathématiques et d’organiser leurs programmes et aucun examen de fin d’études secondaires ...standardisé n’est imposé. Cette latitude vient à la fois de ce que le système scolaire comprend un grand nombre de petites écoles, du fait de la faible densité de la population, et de ce que le curriculum des disciplines scolaires est peu détaillé et laisse aux enseignants la charge de le compléter. Pour les écoles, l’accent est mis sur l’inclusion et l’égalité des chances pour tous les élèves. Cette organisation a des avantages et des inconvénients. On observe des écarts importants entre les connaissances mathématiques des étudiants qui entrent à l’université et, dans les faits, les élèves n’ont pas les mêmes chances d’étudier les mathématiques.
A study of bullying, victimisation and the coping strategies employed to tackle it is presented in the first study of bullying in the workplace conducted in Iceland. Participants were 398 members of ...a union of store and office workers and members of a national organisation of bank-employees. A factor analysis of bullying items identified two factors: general bullying and work-related bullying. Males score higher on both factors, but when asked directly if they have been bullied or not, no significant gender difference appears. A measure of coping strategies when faced with bullying is presented. A factor analysis and multidimensional scaling of these strategies identified four clusters: assertive response, seek help, avoidance and do nothing. These can be arranged on a passive vs. active dimension, which may reflect the severity or duration of the bullying situation. Multiple regressions indicate that males seek help less and use avoidance less than females, and males are more likely to use assertive strategies, confirming gender stereotypes about what constitutes appropriate behaviour. Increased bullying is also associated with the use of avoidance and passive response (do nothing). These results are mainly in accordance with findings from schools. It is suggested that active coping styles are employed during the initial stages of bullying but that victims resort to more passive coping strategies as the bullying becomes more serious. The need for a longitudinal design is proposed to understand the relationship between duration and severity of the bullying experience and the choice of coping strategies.
Abstract
Memory T-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection have been extensively investigated but many studies have been small with a limited range of disease severity. Here we analyze ...SARS-CoV-2 reactive T-cell responses in 768 convalescent SARS-CoV-2-infected (cases) and 500 uninfected (controls) Icelanders. The T-cell responses are stable three to eight months after SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of disease severity and even those with the mildest symptoms induce broad and persistent T-cell responses. Robust CD4
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T-cell responses are detected against all measured proteins (M, N, S and S1) while the N protein induces strongest CD8
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T-cell responses. CD4
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T-cell responses correlate with disease severity, humoral responses and age, whereas CD8
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T-cell responses correlate with age and functional antibodies. Further, CD8
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T-cell responses associate with several class I HLA alleles. Our results, provide new insight into HLA restriction of CD8
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T-cell immunity and other factors contributing to heterogeneity of T-cell responses following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Among 41 participating countries in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003, the gender difference in favour of females was greatest in Iceland in the three subjects tested: ...mathematics, science and reading. The aims of this article are to put these findings in national and international context, and report on a number of attempts to explain them. This large gender difference is confirmed and given concurrent validity through the results of the annual Icelandic national standard tests in these subjects. The female advantage is apparent at 4th and 7th Grade, depending on subjects, and is maintained through university level. A comparison of PISA 2003 results with PISA 2000 and recently with PISA 2006 indicates that the year 2003 was somewhat exceptional. However, the basic stability of the gender differences over the past years is demonstrated. A number of explanations for the overall female superiority in PISA and the national standard test performance in Iceland are examined, namely gender difference on low versus high stakes tests, regional effects, school variability and psychological factors. No evidence is found for a stable school effect on gender differences across years, stable regional differences or for the explanation that male disadvantage only appears in 'low stakes' exams like PISA. Various psychological factors such as anxiety and self-esteem are shown to have stronger links with academic performance for girls compared with boys. (DIPF/Orig.).
Aim. This paper is a report of a study conducted in 2004 on the determinants of attitudes towards hormone replacement therapy in the aftermath of the report on the findings of the Women's Health ...Initiative study.
Background. The unexpected findings of the Women's Health Initiative study, published in July 2002, showed that the risk of using combined hormones exceeded their benefits. This complicated women's decision‐making about hormone use and made it important to study the determinants of their attitudes to hormone therapy, as these are likely to influence their behaviour.
Methods. A cross‐sectional design was conducted with a sample of 561 women drawn from the National Registry of Iceland. A self‐administered questionnaire, measuring attitudes towards hormone replacement therapy, attitudes towards menopause, extent and source of menopausal education, symptom experience, health and lifestyle and knowledge about the findings of the Women's Health Initiative, was used. The overall response rate was 56%. Attitudes to hormone replacement therapy were compared using anova, t‐tests and correlations.
Results. Participants generally had positive attitudes. Knowledge about the Women's Health Initiative study was not associated with more negative attitudes. However, receiving the information from and discussing it with a doctor were associated with more positive attitudes. Positive attitudes towards hormone therapy were also associated with higher age, time since last menstrual period and current use of hormone replacement therapy. Negative attitudes were associated with use of natural remedies and receiving information from or discussing hormone therapy with family or friends.
Conclusion. Research is needed to identify the dynamics of the medical interview, and the nature of input from friends, spouse and other family members. The content of these messages may be different and conflicting, for example, between doctors and family members. The nature of this conflict and conflicts of interests need to be identified in order to inform women's decision‐making. In addition, action needs to be taken in order to strengthen the advisory role of nurses.
The Icelandic health care system ranks favourably in international comparison but patients' experience of interaction with the health service has not been well studied. The goal of this study was to ...examine the satisfaction of patients admitted to the Acute Cardiac Unit (ACU) at Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland.
A questionnaire based on the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire III was mailed to patients admitted to the ACU between 1 January and 29 February 2012. Questions were presented as statements and participants asked to respond how strongly on a scale from 1 to 5 they agreed or disagreed with each statement. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach´s alpha for internal consistency of scales and principal components analysis, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests for comparison of groups and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients for correlation between variables.
The questionnaire was mailed to 485 individuals of whom 275 (57%) responded. The median age of the participants was 62 (range, 19-95) years and 132 (48%) were women. Internal consistency of the scales was mostly high (Cronbach's alpha 0.62-0.91) and principal components analysis revealed one main factor. The mean score of the questionnaire was 6.8 ±1.0 and 91%, and 86% of the participants were pleased with their interaction with physicians and nurses, respectively. Similarly, 88% were pleased with the care they recieved but 25% felt they received insufficient explanations of their symptoms or that follow-up care was lacking.
Patients of the ACU generally appear to be satisfied with their care. However, our results suggest that improvement is needed in several areas, including information provided at discharge and follow-up care.
L’enseignement des mathématiques Aravena Vásquez, María José; Arnoux, Pierre; Artigue, Michèle ...
Revue internationale d'éducation de Sèvres,
10/2023
Journal Article
Recenzirano
L’enseignement des mathématiques fait partie des enjeux prioritaires de tous les systèmes éducatifs. À travers dix études de cas, réparties sur quatre continents, ce numéro se propose de cerner ...quelles mathématiques sont enseignées dans le monde, et dans quels buts. Quatre textes portent sur des pays européens (France, Islande, Portugal et Royaume-Uni). Ils manifestent d’assez nettes différences en ce qui concerne l’organisation de l’enseignement des mathématiques et les résultats des élèves. Deux articles venus d’Asie (Chine et Inde) montrent un éclairage original sur un enseignement des mathématiques qui puise ses racines dans des cultures ancestrales mais évolue, sans doute davantage qu’en Europe, au rythme des mutations sociales et économiques de ces pays. Les deux articles sur des pays d’Amérique latine (Argentine et Chili) insistent sur les efforts des chercheurs pour équilibrer savoirs disciplinaires et didactiques dans la conception des programmes et la formation des enseignants. L’article sur le Québec propose une voie qui retient l’attention, en façonnant une culture des mathématiques en contexte scolaire, tracée dans la continuité et avec pragmatisme, qui aboutit à des résultats enviables pour les élèves. Cet ensemble est complété d’une analyse des résultats en mathématiques issue d’une évaluation internationale menée dans les pays francophones d’Afrique subsaharienne (Pasec 2019). Cette étude met en évidence le faible niveau des acquis en primaire et, du côté des enseignants, la fragilité de leurs connaissances, aussi bien en termes didactiques que de contenu. À la lecture de ce dossier, se font jour cinq questions liées les unes aux autres. Les enjeux actuels de l’enseignement des mathématiques sont-ils les mêmes partout ? Quels sont les contenus mathématiques à enseigner et comment ont-ils évolué durant les dernières décennies ? Comment ces mathématiques sont-elles enseignées, avec quelles marges de manœuvre des écoles et des enseignants ? Qui enseigne les mathématiques et quelle est la place de la formation des enseignants ? Enfin, que nous disent les évaluations nationales et internationales, telles que Pisa et Timss, des effets de cet enseignement et quel est leur impact ? En matière d’enseignement des mathématiques, les systèmes éducatifs sont nombreux à rencontrer de grandes difficultés pour atteindre les objectifs qu’ils se sont fixés, aussi bien sur la qualité de la formation réservée à tous les élèves que sur l’égalité des chances selon l’origine sociale ou le genre, ou encore sur le recrutement des enseignants. The teaching of mathematics is a one of the top priorities of all education systems. Through ten case studies from four continents, this issue sets out to identify what mathematics is taught around the world, and for what purposes. Four articles relate to European countries (France, Iceland, Portugal and the United Kingdom). They vary quite distinctly in terms of the organisation of mathematics teaching and pupil attainment. Two articles from Asia (China and India) shed an original light on mathematics teaching that is rooted in ancestral cultures but changing, probably more so than in Europe, in response to the social and economic changes these countries are currently undergoing. The two articles from Latin America (Argentina and Chile) highlight the efforts of researchers so that curriculum design and teacher training balance disciplinary and didactic knowledge. The contribution from Quebec sets forth a path that is attracting attention for shaping a culture of mathematics in schools based on continuity and pragmatism, leading to enviable results for students. This is supplemented by an analysis of results in mathematics from an international evaluation carried out in French-speaking countries of sub-Saharan Africa (Pasec 2019). This study highlights the low attainment of primary school pupils, as well as the fragility of teachers' understanding of content and teaching methods. Five interrelated questions emerge from the issue as a whole. Are the current challenges in mathematics teaching the same everywhere? What mathematical content should be taught and how has it evolved over the past few decades? How is mathematics taught, and how much leeway do schools and teachers have? Who teaches mathematics and what role does teacher training play? Finally, what do national and international assessments such as Pisa and Timms tell us about the effects of this teaching and what is the impact of such studies? When it comes to teaching mathematics, many education systems are facing major challenges in achieving the objectives they have set themselves in terms of the quality of the education offered to all pupils, equal opportunities based on social background or gender, and teacher recruitment. La enseñanza de las matemáticas figura entre las preocupaciones importantes de todos los sistemas educativos. A través de diez estudios de casos, repartidos en cuatro continentes, este número se propone averiguar qué matemáticas se enseñan en el mundo, y con qué objetivos. Cuatro textos ponen en evidencia las especificidades nacionales de los países europeos (Francia, Islandia, Portugal y Reino Unido). Aunque estos países pertenezcan a una misma zona geográfica, aparecen unas diferencias importantes de concepción en lo que toca a la organización de la enseñanza de las matemáticas y a los resultados de los alumnos. Dos artículos asiáticos (China e India) echan una luz original sobre una enseñanza de las matemáticas que se arraiga en unas culturas ancestrales, y cuya evolución, sin duda alguna más que en Europa, traduce hoy en día las mutaciones sociales y económicas de estos países. Los dos artículos sobre América latina (Argentina y Chile) insisten sobre el lugar y los esfuerzos de los investigadores para encontrar un equilibrio entre saberes disciplinares y didácticos en la concepción de los programas y la formación de los docentes. Un artículo de y sobre Quebec propone, por su parte, una vía que resulta ser llamativa, forjando una cultura de las matemáticas en contexto escolar concebida en la continuidad y el pragmatismo, con unos resultados enviables para los alumnos. Esta serie de artículos se completa por un análisis de los resultados en matemáticas de una evaluación internacional llevada a cabo en los países francófonos de África subsahariana (Pasec 2019), que revela los bajos niveles de las competencias de los alumnos de primaria, así como la fragilidad de los conocimientos de los contenidos y didácticas de los docentes. A la lectura del conjunto de estos estudios, cinco preguntas se destacan, vinculadas las unas con las otras. ¿Son los retos actuales de la enseñanza de las matemáticas los mismos por todas partes? ¿Cuáles son los contenidos matemáticos que hay que enseñar y cuál fue su evolución en las últimas décadas? ¿Cómo se enseñan estas matemáticas, con qué márgenes para las escuelas y los docentes? ¿Quién enseña las matemáticas y cuál es el lugar de la formación de los profesores? Por fin, ¿qué es lo que nos revelan las evaluaciones nacionales e internacionales, como Pisa y Timms, sobre los efectos de esta enseñanza, y cuál es su impacto? En un contexto casi mundial de crisis del reclutamiento de los docentes de la enseñanza secundaria, en particular en matemáticas, estas preguntas se imponen más que nunca si consideramos los retos actuales, los contenidos en plena evolución y la autonomía creciente de los establecimientos escolares. En materia de enseñanza de las matemáticas, los sistemas educativos son numerosos en hallarse ante unas grandes dificultades para alcanzar los objetivos que se han fijado sobre la calidad de la formación para todos los alumnos, sobre la igualdad de suerte sea cual sea el origen social o el género, sobre el reclutamiento de los docentes.
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