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Copyright of Profesorado: Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado is the property of Profesorado: Revista de Curriculum y Formacion del Profesorado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Spain, the number of universities holding "archivos personales" is growing. This article analyses, on a global scale, the management of personal papers in 110 universities selected from across all continents and within diverse archival cultures. The starting point is an examination of terms similar to "archivo personal" in English and French. The main sources used are the database of the Multilingual Archival Terminology project (led by Dr. Luciana Duranti), the official websites of each of the 110 selected universities, their own publications on their "fondos personales" and the results of surveys carried out among responsible for the archives. The analysis of all the data obtained provides, on a comparative basis, answers to questions such as: why do universities keep "fondos personales"? How do they acquire them? How do they describe them? What kind of services are provided to make these records available for research? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When laws change the rules of the game, it is important to observe the effects on the players' behavior. Some effects can be anticipated while others are difficult to enunciate before the law comes into force. In this paper we have analyzed articles authored by Spanish accounting academics between 1996 and 2005 to assess the impact of a change in the Spanish university regulation. Results indicate a switch from publishing professional papers to academic ones and also to change research methodologies in order to meet the new requirements. This was to be expected due to the explicit mention of the law in favor of academic journals. However, we have also detected a significant decrease in the publication of professional papers. These side-effects could have a negative impact on the transmission of knowledge from university to society putting the relationship between accounting research and professional practice in jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of El Profesional de la Información is the property of EPI SCP and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of REICE. Ibero-American Journal on Quality, Effectiveness & Change in Education / REICE. Revista Iberoamericana Sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio en Educación is the property of Red Iberoamericana de Investigacion sobre Cambio y Eficacia en Educacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Nobel Prizes are an important indicator of research excellence for a country. Spain has not had a science Nobel Prize winner since 1906, although its gross domestic product (GDP) is high, research and development (R&D) investments, in monetary terms, are high, and conventional bibliometric parameters are fairly good. Spanish research produces many sound papers that are reasonably cited but does not produce top-cited publications. This absence of top-cited publications suggests that important achievements are scarce and, consequently, explains the absence of Nobel Prize awards. I argue that this negative research trend in Spain is caused by the extensive use of formal research evaluations based on the number of publications, impact factors, and journal rankings. These formal evaluations were introduced to establish a national salary bonus that mitigated the lack of research incentives in universities. When the process was started, the results were excellent but, currently, it has been kept too long and should be replaced by methods to determine the actual interest of the research. However, this replacement requires greater involvement of universities in stimulating research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigates the representation of an assigned reading-to-write task by third-year level university students in Spain as indicated by the type of papers they produced and the relationship between the linguistic quality of those papers and the type of task representation. They interpret such task in different ways, therefore producing different types of papers. Their ability to write syntactically complex sentences does not lead to cognitively sophisticated composing. The authors also found that the ability to write with grammatical accuracy is not an indicator of the student's ability to express elaborated ideas which lead them to write more syntactically complex sentences.

Objective: A new method known as 'current-day dietary recall' (current-day recall) is based on an application for mobile phones called 'electronic 12 h dietary recall' (e-12HR). This new method was designed to rank participants into categories of habitual intake regarding a series of key food groups. The present study compared current-day recall against a previously validated short paper FFQ.Design: Participants recorded the consumption of selected food groups using e-12HR during twenty-eight consecutive days and then filled out a short paper FFQ at the end of the study period. To evaluate the association and agreement between both methods, Spearman's correlation coefficients (SCC), cross-classification analysis and weighted kappa statistics (κ w) were used.Setting: Andalusia, Spain, Southern Europe.Subjects: University students and employees over the age of 18 years.Results: One hundred and eighty-seven participants completed the study (64·2 % female, 35·8 % male). For all particpants, for all food group intakes, the mean SCC was 0·70 (SCC≥0·62 were observed for all strata); the mean percentage of participants cross-classified into categories of 'exact agreement+adjacent' was 90·1 % (percentages≥87·8 % were observed for all strata); and the mean κ w was 0·55 (κ w≥0·53 in ten of the twelve strata).Conclusions: For the whole sample and for all strata thereof, the current-day recall has good agreement with the previously validated short paper FFQ for assessing food group intakes, rendering it a useful method for ranking individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Documentación Científica is the property of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the current situation of higher education institutions in Spain regarding the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals in the classroom, and what is the role of mathematics in this task. Design/methodology/approach: A review is made of how the concept of sustainability has evolved in higher education, its gradual introduction in the University and the way in which this subject is approached in the field of mathematics. Findings: The study concludes that higher education has a key role to play in designing strategies that lead to the global sustainability of the planet. This implies major changes in degree curricula, assessment, competences and teacher training. Cross-disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity between different subjects within the same degree is a strategy for students to analyse the Sustainable Development Goals using mathematical techniques. Social implications: The University as an institution must train socially responsible professionals who are aware of the importance of promoting a sustainable world. Changes should be made to introduce values in the classroom that promote and encourage sustainability. Training should be seen as a continuous process that leads to the preparation of professionals committed to society and nature and who develop strategies aimed at improving the planet through values. Originality/value: Through practical activities, the Sustainable Development objectives can be analysed from several subjects of the same degree, emphasising the interdisciplinary and transversal nature that should be the central axis of higher education. Each subject can develop a strategy for change in favour of sustainability that will be reinforced and increased by working together on the proposed teaching practice. In this way, the contents of the different subjects are not isolated, but rather the student can see how there is an interrelationship between them and with real life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Info DaF: Informationen Deutsch als Fremdsprache is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Lasallista de Investigación is the property of Corporacion Universitaria Lasallista and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: One of the main challenges facing individuals with an intellectual disability is the stigma associated with the various obstacles that hinder their process of full integration. Despite the efforts made, more research is called for to explore the reference environments and reveal how public and self-stigma are perceived in higher education. This scientific paper's overriding aim is to analyse how different university stakeholders (students, lecturers, and admin and service staff) perceive the presence of young people with intellectual disability. Method: An ex post facto design has been used with a sample of 306 participants and a validated instrument for measuring the perception of individuals with an intellectual disability. Results: Our findings reveal that women perceive less stigma than men, and when the analysis is broken down into the collectives involved, students with disability are clearly more conscious of public or self-stigma than their peers without any disability. Conlcusion: The disparity between gender and roles underscores the need for socioeducational interventions to promote inclusion in higher education and address self-stigma, thereby fostering self-sufficiency and emotional wellbeing among young individuals with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sheds light on how to develop inclusive pedagogy in higher education, from the point of view of 42 inclusive faculty members from 6 Spanish universities. A qualitative methodology was used through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data analysis was inductive, using a system of categories and topics. The results reveal that the faculty members which develop inclusive pedagogy in general have beliefs linked to the social model of disability and inclusive education approaches. They do not usually have specific training or knowledge about disability. They design their curricula in a flexible and open way to accommodate all students. They show a positive attitude toward students with disabilities and use diverse and participatory teaching methodologies, giving prominence to students. These data are consistent with those found in previous studies and offer keys to those faculty members who are interested in developing an inclusive pedagogy at the university. This paper examines in detail how faculty members of six faculties of educational sciences develop a theoretical framework comprising beliefs, knowledge, designs and actions. The research has found that faculty members hold beliefs about disability based on the social model of disability and inclusive approach. In general, inclusive faculty members' knowledge of disability and attention to diversity issues is scarce. The design of courses and teaching programmes led by inclusive university faculty is characterised by being open, flexible and providing clear and detailed information to students. Faculty who develop inclusive pedagogy use varied, participative and active methodologies, which are combined with a positive and approachable attitude towards students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spanish Journal of Comparative Education / Revista Española de Educación Comparada is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Spanish legislation obliges the public administration to ensure equal opportunities and support for access to higher education for people with disabilities. This work has one central goal: to analyse and understand the causes for the potential inequality for people with disabilities in accessing higher education in Spain and the barriers they encounter during their academic life. This paper focuses on the differences in inclusive education between people with disabilities and people without disabilities by sex, age, and type of university. A mixed research design is used: qualitative research of two focus groups and fourteen interviews to sixteen students with disabilities; and statistical analysis of the Social Integration and Health Survey 2012, using two-way and multi-way cross-tables. There are significant differences between presence of disability and learning variables. Controlling by sex and age, almost every age-group is significant. Using sex as independent variable, and controlling by disability, there is no relationship with the variables relating to barriers to accessing education; therefore, the larger differences by sex are in the group of people without disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, research findings are presented from a small, longitudinal study using qualitative data on the long-term impacts of a unique, semester-long, study abroad program at Franklin Pierce University. In this programme, students study the history and contemporary renaissance of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and then walk the entire route in northern Spain as pilgrims. Alumni who participated in one of four trips conducted in the fall of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 were asked in 2022 to respond to five open-ended questions about how their semester abroad impacted their lives, to what degree they thought their study-abroad group functioned as a 'family' and how that impacted their experience. Twenty-one alumni responded to the questionnaire; all indicating to varying degrees that the program had life-changing impacts that had influenced and were continuing to shape their lives. Their responses are organised into seven themes that describe the long-term impacts of the program. The researcher's interpretations also draw on his memories and extensive field notes on experiences that occurred on the four trips, as well as the reflective essays students wrote based on their personal journals immediately upon their return from their semester abroad. The results are situated in the context of research on short and long-term impacts of study abroad and within the liberal education mission of U.S. institutions of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central theme in the literature has been the identification of the factors that drive the creation of entrepreneurial universities. The application of these factors and university institutional commitment become essential to overcome the institutional barriers that may exist. Moreover, some authors have warned that in some university systems, transformation becomes a challenge due to high dependence on the State. In this paper, we have examined whether the dependence of Spanish universities on the State can be interpreted as an inhibitor of the transformation process, as well as the institutional commitment of several universities to become entrepreneurial entities, in a national framework that—considering the literature—would not seem the most optimal to achieve it. We note that the State is not an inhibitor, but not all universities show the same internal commitment. When universities are committed to change, the process is accelerated by the sum of two impulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to visualize the inter-university and international collaboration networks generated by Spanish universities based on the co-authorship of scientific articles. Design/methodology/approach - The approach takes the form of formulation based on a bibliometric analysis of Spanish university production from 2000 to 2004 as contained in Web of Science databases, applying social network visualization techniques. The co-authorship data used were extracted with the total counting method from a database containing 100,710 papers. Findings - Spanish inter-university collaboration patterns appear to be influenced by both geographic proximity and administrative and political affiliation. Inter-regional co-authorship encompasses regional sub-networks whose spatial scope conforms rather closely with Spanish geopolitical divisions. Papers involving international collaboration are written primarily with European Union and North and Latin American researchers. Greater visibility is attained with international co-authorship than with any other type of collaboration studied. Research limitations/implications - Impact was measured in terms of journals rather than each individual paper. The co-authorship data were taken from the Web of Knowledge and were not compared with data from other databases. Practical implications - The data obtained in the paper may provide guidance for public policy makers seeking to enhance and intensify the internationalization of scientific production in Spanish universities. Originality/value - The Spanish university system is in the midst of profound structural change. This is the first paper to describe Spanish university collaboration networks using social network visualization techniques, covering an area not previously addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tonos Digital: Revista de Estudios Filológicos is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates feelings and emotions in intercultural development through an analysis of students' journals. It looks into the affective reactions to life in Spain and how these relate to the intercultural development of a cohort of 26 American students participating in a calendar year study abroad programme (SAP) in a Spanish university, a pertinent study given that Spain, which hosts 9,5% of total American students abroad, has become the third preferred destination of American university students (Institute of International Education, 2019). Although the literature on cultural dissonance highlights the prevalence of feelings of distress when sojourners are removed from their social support systems, findings divulge a myriad of feelings classified into 9 areas that show a balance between uncertainty and stress of study abroad (SA), and excitement and feelings of well-being. Departing from affective reactions, analysis has likewise been conducted on how students come to terms with a different reality. Data evince that understanding new meanings and symbols is done through a comparative/contrastive problematising orientation through which SA is presented as challenge rather than as threat. The paper concludes that SA and reflection upon it contribute to reassess and shift frames of reference, influencing intercultural development and personal growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic led to higher education institutions adopting alternative teaching models to continue their work while complying with health measures. Specifically, in Spain, once the lockdown period was over, universities adopted the blended learning (BL) model, which allowed for a partial return to the classroom. The BL model meant a completely new approach for students that impacted their learning experience. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), this paper explores in-depth students' experience with BL—social–behavioural, cognitive–affective, sensory and formative—and tests the impact of BL on students' satisfaction and their commitment to learning. Data were collected from a sample of 467 undergraduate students at Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) who filled out a self-administered questionnaire. The model proposed shows fit indices above the recommended thresholds, indicating an adequate model fit. Results suggest a positive influence of the different dimensions of BL experience on satisfaction. In addition, satisfaction with BL had a positive impact on students' affective commitment. Going by these results, the students' experience with BL has been positive, increasing their willingness to study. Finally, the implications of these results for higher educational institutions are discussed and future research lines suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Memoria y Civilizacion is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Navarra, S.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to analyse the internship expectations gap amongst the three main internship stakeholders: employers (company supervisors), academic supervisors and students, in an effort to detect the variables which could assist closing the gap between students' perceptions and the labour market employers and then, between the academic supervisors in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the students. This paper analyses firstly, the variables that determine students' perceptions and overall satisfaction with the internships. After, it examines the differences with the employers' expectations of the interns' performance. Finally, this paper analyses the variables that determine the academic supervisors in HEIs grading of the interns with the overall satisfaction about the students' internship performance. This research serves as a guide for the improvement, refinement and expansion of university internship programme design together with internship best practices definition to close the expectation gaps between the HEIs and the Business World. Design/methodology/approach: Two quantitative surveys were designed to measure students' and employers' perceptions of the internships. Additionally, one semi-structured qualitative interview is performed to deepen understanding of each student's perception of the internship. The authors perform a triangular analysis of students' perceptions and employers' (company supervisors) and academic supervisors' expectations. A T-test analyses the differences between cognitive, transversal and social skills developed in an internship as perceived by students and employers (company supervisors). Finally, linear regressions are run both to identify the variables that determine the students' internship overall satisfaction and also detect the variables that determine the final internship grade assigned by the academic supervisor from the university. Findings: The authors highlight the following interesting findings. While the students feel that the internships are highly useful and perceive that they were fully integrated into the company's culture, they also state that they learn how to develop their transversal skills much more than the cognitive skills learnt in the whole study programme in their degrees. In parallel, employers (company supervisors), for their part, perceive that students have strong social skills and adjust perfectly to the company's culture, but expected the students to have more creativity and cognitive skills. Finally, the academic supervisor's value the students' written skills together with the company's supervisor valuation more than the students' transversal skills. These main expectation gaps detected must be solved to improve internship outcomes and closing the gaps between the Higher Education and Business World. These findings consolidate existing research and add more quantitative results contextualised to Spanish Higher Education Institutions. Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this research are that it only embeds a HEIs in Spain and the sample should be enlarged with more universities not only from Spain but also from around the world. Thus, the findings in this research can be used to improve the internship programme in this HEIs and its best practices, however they cannot be extrapolated to other HEIs still. Nevertheless, other HEIs can learn from this experience. Regarding the surveys these can be reviewed and homogenised for the student's perception items to be more aligned with the company supervisor's expectations and the academic supervisor's requirements of an internship. As implications, the authors have divided them into theoretical and practical. From the theoretical point of view, there needs to be more research about internships done in Economics, Law and Business Degrees field. From the practical point of view, the authors highlight several implications. First, HEIs must develop internship programmes further and promote the three stakeholders, employer–academic supervisor–student communication more fluid. This communication flow will maximize and align both employer and academic supervisor expectations about the students' performance in their internships. This way, student perceptions of their internship experience will improve and align further. Second, internships must be promoted in the Economics and Business Degrees as they are a unique opportunity for students to apply cognitive, transversal and social skills acquired in their study programmes, developing themselves as future professionals. Third, there is a growing need for HEIs to strengthen links with different companies, not only to teach students the skills employers' value but also to ensure that graduates are aware of what is happening in the labour market. Finally, through the internships developing further, academic supervisors must open their assessment to the students' professional skills (critical thinking, creativity, capacity to solve short term problems efficiently,) aligning with labour market needs. Originality/value: This paper is significant because it shows the growing need for universities to strengthen links with a variety of companies (Business World). Internships are becoming compulsory, having assigned a high percentage of European Credits Transfer System (ECTS) credits to students' Grade Point Average (GPA) in Economics, Law and Business. This research work shows HEIs should improve internship design to close the gap between Higher Education's supply of graduates and the business world's demand for adequately prepared professionals. The results in this paper can help the academic actors start improving the internship design and best practices definition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for making meaning out of gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper aims to focus on professional learning communities as a process to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge.Design/methodology/approach This paper has analysed the relationships between professional-learning communities and counter-knowledge using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students to identify whether there is a significant impact on student achievement by professional learning communities. This study uses PLS-Graph software version 3.0 to conduct an analysis of the data collected.Findings Outcome findings support that professional learning communities provide a way of counteracting counter-knowledge and the noise heard through gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths.Originality/value Results also confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between learning and student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and quality of online intellectual capital (IC) disclosure released via websites and social media in relation to university stakeholders' information needs in Spanish public universities. In addition, this paper examines whether there are differences in the online IC disclosure according to the type of university. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies content analysis and a survey. The content analysis was used to analyse the websites and social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram) of all Spanish public universities in the year 2019, whereas the survey was submitted to all members of the Social Councils of Spanish public universities. Findings: The findings indicate that university stakeholders attach great importance to online disclosure of specific information about IC. However, the findings emphasise that Spanish universities' website and social media content are still in their infancy. Specifically, this study found that the quality of disclosed information on IC in public universities' websites is of low level, particularly with regard to the disclosure of relational capital. The study found that the information provided by Spanish public universities via social media mainly concerns the structural and relational capital. Likewise, the results of this paper evidence that the larger and more internationally focused universities reveal more online information on IC. Practical implications: The results of the research may be beneficial for managers of higher education institutions as a basis for developing adequate strategies addressing IC disclosure through the websites. In order to satisfy the information needs of university stakeholders, Spanish universities can be recommended to focus on reporting higher-quality information on financial relations, students' satisfaction, quality standard, work-related knowledge/know-how and collaboration between universities and other organisations such as firms, local government and society as a whole. Originality/value: This study explores two innovative tools to provide IC disclosure in the higher education institutions context, namely, websites and social media, whereas previous studies focused on traditional tools as annual report. Likewise, this study considers the quality of this information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the moderating role of alcohol-related risk perception and perceived vulnerability to alcohol consequences in the relationship between descriptive drinking norms and personal alcohol use, and to determine if this moderation was, in turn, moderated by gender Methods: 538 college students (78.0% women, mean age = 21.2) from three Spanish universities completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Simple moderation and moderated moderation analyses were conducted Results: Risk perception and perceived vulnerability moderated the relationship between drinking norms and alcohol use. This relationship weakened as perceived vulnerability and risk perception increased. High levels of risk perception and perceived vulnerability nullified the effect of perceived peer drinking on drinking quantity among both men and women, but higher values were necessary to nullify these effects among men Conclusions: Risk perception and perceived vulnerability appear to be useful in identifying specific subgroups more vulnerable to the effects of drinking norms and might be effective strategies for weakening its impact on alcohol use, with such strategies being more beneficial for women than men. These variables could thus be incorporated into norm-based interventions as they may improve their effectiveness. Our findings highlight the importance of designing gender-specific interventions to reduce the potential negative impact of alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing competition among higher education institutions (HEIs) explains their increasing interest in reinforcing strategies by incorporating knowledge transfer (KT) objectives into their strategic plans. However, this strategic formulation must be aligned with the implementation of performance management systems (PMSs) to properly achieve KT objectives. Thus, the aim of this paper is to examine whether aligning PMSs with KT strategic objectives improves KT performance while misalignment worsens it. To that end, PMSs are measured with respect to planning; cybernetic control; policies and procedures and reward and compensation elements. KT is specified as R&D contracts, extended patents, patents and licences. With a sample of 3812 Spanish university lecturers, we test the theoretical positive and negative effects of PMS–KT strategy alignment and misalignment on KT performance respectively. The results show not only that this alignment is effective for KT strategy implementation but also that misalignment has unintended effects on the achievement of long‐term KT objectives. Therefore, lecturers' behaviour is influenced by how closely KT strategy and PMSs are aligned. The findings are useful for managers and academics to develop PMSs that effectively contribute to the achievement of universities' strategic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study analyses the design of programming literacy in the sixth grade of Primary Education, starting from the use of simple activities with visual block‐based programming, through Scratch, and progressively linking difficulty to the use of the Unity engine, and the C# language, with simple activities identical to those created in Scratch. Objectives: This research aims to evaluate future teachers' abilities and attitudes regarding programming and its educational possibilities. We intend to evaluate the viability of a teaching proposal that combines a visual block‐based programming environment and a more advanced one, based on C#. Method: In the settings of two public Spanish universities, we analyse the possibilities in the training of future teachers who are studying for a degree in Primary Education Teaching and a degree in Pedagogy. Based on a test and three scales, descriptive data and statistical inference are detailed through a quasi‐experimental design with a Student's t‐test in the first dimension, and a Wilcoxon test in the second dimension. Results: The participants improved their performance and attitudes towards programming with the intervention of the study in the use of coding. Conclusions: It can be concluded that coding is essential in teacher training, and that a greater presence of programming training in higher education is essential. The benefits are visible in the pedagogical approach of coding related to creativity, innovation, motivation, an active approach and interest, highlighting the fact that the implementation of visual block‐based programming by blocks and engines is feasible in Elementary Education. The training proposal—provided by appropriate progression, selection, and sequencing of content—fosters basic and practical teacher training, and this can be defined as an apt training solution. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Visual Programming Language (Scratch) provides benefits in educational contextsEducational Technology in classroom provides motivation and encouragement.Active methods and interactions are interesting and beneficial to elementary school students What this paper adds: Visual programming and game engine are feasible in Elementary Education, detailing significant improvements regarding academic outcomesWe found benefits in this pedagogical approach related to creativity, innovation, motivation, active approach and interest. Implications for practice and/or policy: Due to the benefits and positive results obtained in this research it is recommended to implement Visual Programming LanguageWe recommend the introduction to engine in educational settings in 6th grade in primary education though a cross‐curricular implementation.We recommend to apply an active approach, innovation, and learning computational concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Together with the growth in the presence of e-learning in higher education institutions, the advance of technology allows for the possibility of creating tailored institutional strategies to improve the experience of their students. Moreover, placing the students at the centre of their learning in self-regulated environments also implies offering a more tailored experience that focuses in their learning styles. In order to do so, it is essential to distinguish the different student profiles that arise in these contexts from a meta-cognitive and motivational perspective. The current paper uses hierarchical clustering on a sample of students enrolled in distance education programmes at a medium-sized Spanish university to obtain a set of distinct profiles and show how this technique can be useful both to assess the needs and limitations of the students from the perspective of exogenous and intrinsic factors in TEL environments and to provide specific services for each of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the European Union's Erasmus Plus (E+) Program has resulted in the possibility of joint initiatives across-borders led by teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), who can bring classroom practice closer to education as a key area for employability and prepare students for work and communication in multicultural and multilingual settings. Thus, a novel context for project-based learning (PjBL) has emerged, which allows for experimentation, innovation, and research in the classroom. To illustrate this concept, Project Estonia is presented in this paper, introducing interconnected project work to provide a purposeful, real-world experience that extends the classroom setting beyond national frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has undergone far-reaching changes in most countries in recent years. University systems are in the midst of profound transformation and institutions are under growing competitive pressure to improve their performance. This tendency to introduce market mechanisms in education and extend more professional management systems to universities has translated into the appearance on the scene, unprecedented in some countries, of private universities, many as for-profit organizations. This article aims to assess the impact of private universities’ activity on academic research. To this end, it conducts a case study of the Spanish university system, comprising 78 universities, 49 public and 29 private. Most of the latter were founded in the 1990s or later in response to a policy geared to enhancing performance in higher education by heightening competition. The conclusion drawn is that private universities, particularly the for-profit kind, conduct research less intensively than public institutions. Their contribution to this, the public good dimension of the university mission, is consequently still scant, for their focus is on teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the hypothesis that the university context may partially determine the growth of university spin-offs (USOs), with a cross-national analysis and using an “interactionist” approach.Design/methodology/approach Two samples of USOs, from Spain and Italy (531 and 952 firms, respectively), were examined over the 2005-2013 period. Multilevel modelling was applied to empirically test the hypotheses.Findings The results confirmed that the university context is a critical and effective element for explaining USOs’ growth. The university context affected USOs’ growth only for the Spanish firms, while for the Italian spin-offs the evidence does not report a significant determining influence of the university context. This finding may be interpreted as the localization externalities, determined by the Spanish universities, have a more effective impact at firm level compared with those generated by the Italian universities.Research limitations/implications The paper provides evidence that the university context has a significant role in supporting USOs’ growth in Spain, but not in Italy. This finding, together with the fact that the Italian USOs showed lower growth rates over the period of analysis, may suggest that greater involvement by the Italian parent universities is needed to foster USOs’ growth. The main point to be underlined to decision makers is that policies aimed at fostering USOs need the active involvement of the parent university in the whole growth process of the nascent firm, rather than just in the USO creation process.Originality/value A multilevel approach provides both methodological and theoretical contributions to the study of USOs’ growth, which was adopted as an “interactionist” approach is recommended by literature. In addition, a cross-national approach allows for exploration of the actual effect of the university on the growth of USOs, taking into account international differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess higher education institutions' (HEIs) social sustainability by applying Integrated Social Value (ISV) analysis to eight universities belonging to the Catalan Association of Public Universities in Spain. Design/methodology/approach: ISV analysis is a social accounting methodology that considers both the economic value and the social value created for all the organisation's stakeholders through a participatory and systematic process. Findings: The authors have shown that ISV analysis can be effective to assess the impacts on social sustainability of HEIs. The monetised results facilitate understanding about the valued impacts and allow integration with the universities' financial data. Research limitations/implications: The research advances the under-researched topic of social sustainability assessment in higher education. Practical implications: Quantifying universities' social impacts in monetary terms may help to transform conventional financial accounting and improve HEIs' internal strategy and management according to sustainability principles. Social implications: The process of measuring the social value created by universities provides a way to meet the rising demands for greater accountability and transparency and facilitates engagement with stakeholders on how these institutions are contributing to sustainable development. Originality/value: ISV analysis represents an innovative approach to assess how HEIs create benefits for its internal and external stakeholders and contribute to solutions to social challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educación XX1 is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We introduce a novel methodology for mapping academic institutions based on their journal publication profiles. We believe that journals in which researchers from academic institutions publish their works can be considered as useful identifiers for representing the relationships between these institutions and establishing comparisons. However, when academic journals are used for research output representation, distinctions must be introduced between them, based on their value as institution descriptors. This leads us to the use of journal weights attached to the institution identifiers. Since a journal in which researchers from a large proportion of institutions published their papers may be a bad indicator of similarity between two academic institutions, it seems reasonable to weight it in accordance with how frequently researchers from different institutions published their papers in this journal. Cluster analysis can then be applied to group the academic institutions, and dendrograms can be provided to illustrate groups of institutions following agglomerative hierarchical clustering. In order to test this methodology, we use a sample of Spanish universities as a case study. We first map the study sample according to an institution's overall research output, then we use it for two scientific fields ( Information and Communication Technologies, as well as Medicine and Pharmacology) as a means to demonstrate how our methodology can be applied, not only for analyzing institutions as a whole, but also in different disciplinary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ECTS, European Credit Transfer System, is now widely used throughout higher education institutions as it facilitates student mobility within Europe and the comparison of study programs and courses. Most European institutions provide students with the number of ECTS each course and module is worth. A full-time student needs to complete 60 ECTS per academic year, which represents about 1500 to 1800 h of study. However, there is a lack of research showing that ECTS metrics have been properly implemented in different degrees and universities. The aim of this paper is to assess the relevance of the ECTS metric as a valid indicator of students’ and courses’ workloads. Detailed workload measurements have been taken in two Spanish universities, with 250,000 work hours monitored from 1400 students. This is the first study published with such a large dataset that includes a range of simultaneous courses and throughout a whole semester. Empirical distribution functions of workload indicators have been obtained. Evidence is provided indicating that nominal ECTS credit hours may be overestimated, that the variability of student workload could be too large for ECTS to sensibly characterize course workload, and that workload statistics of courses with same nominal ECTS are generally not comparable. Although the ECTS metric conception seems to be a valid metric to facilitate mobility between different institutions and higher education systems, in practice, according to this study, it requires revision, at least in the two institutions that have been included in this study. Further studies like the present one are required to test if this is a broader problem that has implications for the comparability of degrees across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After two decades of use in many universities and educational centres worldwide and several international projects based on its use, the cartography of controversy approach based on Actor-Network Theory is still little known in Spain. However, it is gradually beginning to be used. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of this approach, as well as the different methods (extensive and abbreviated) that we propose for using it in the analysis of socially acute questions. We reflect on some of the experiences we have carried out in University and Secondary Education, as well as on its possible extension to non-formal contexts, to promote the transition to action on socially acute questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the hypothesis that the notions of teaching quality used in the higher education sector have a political nature; in other words, they may describe the approaches agents take as regards the duties they perform in institutions of higher education or the model of governance those institutions should adopt. This paper uses the statements academics have made through a survey to describe the prevailing attitudes in Spain's public universities and assess the influence that certain sociodemographic variables may have on the academics' preferred options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This study aims to analyze the main factors that might determine the extent to which Spanish organizational management educators use environmental stand-alone subjects to equip students with alternative views of business. To give a more qualitative study, this paper also provides a more detailed curriculum analysis from a double point of view: first, the authors analyze the environmental integration in curricula by means of the presence of environmental embedded subjects. On the other hand, the authors analyze the main environmental topics covered by curriculum of Spanish universities. Design/methodology/approach -- A Web content analysis and non-parametric mean comparison statistics of the curricula of undergraduate degrees at all universities in Spain was conducted. Findings -- One of the main conclusions of this paper is that public universities in Spain are more likely to require an environmental course than private universities. Other factors, such as size, political orientation or chairs/research institutes are not statistically explanatory of environmental education. Another important finding is that environmental training in management courses offered by Spanish universities is still relatively underdeveloped. Comparatively, the authors found that the most common method of teaching environmental issues in Spain is by means of embedded subjects (horizontal integration) in comparison with stand-alone subjects (vertical integration) as a response of the necessity of providing a systemic and holistic approach toward environmental aspects. From this perspective, the main topics covered in curriculum are environmental management, sustainable tourism, environmental economy or environmental impact. Originality/value -- There is a lack of empirical research focuses on analyzing determinant factors to environmental education in management undergraduate curricula of Spanish universities. Indeed, most of previous studies provide a descriptive review of environmental courses in management education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose In this paper, the results of an investigation aimed at analysing and comparing the environmental competences of future teachers undergoing training in two universities are presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the difference in the acquisition of environmental competences amongst two groups of students enrolled in two universities with different levels of introduction of the environmental education (EE) and sustainability contents in their curriculums. This objective is inserted into a wider finality: to provide recommendations regarding the redesign of pre-service teacher training curricula and learning programmes.Design/methodology/approach A specifically designed questionnaire was used in this study to analyse the environmental competencies of students in the final year of their degree in primary education in two Spanish universities. One of them had a highly environmentally oriented programme, and the other had a scarcely environmentally oriented programme.Findings Results show that no significant differences were observed in the results related to the greening level of the training programmes. Pre-service teachers have insufficient environmental knowledge, but with quite positive, responsible attitudes towards environmental issues, and pro-environmental actions that could be categorised as moderate. Results point to the need for further and better pre-service teacher training in environmental issues.Originality/value One of the main factors in the appropriate treatment of EE in schools is teacher training. Despite this principle being widely recognised, not all pre-service teacher training programmes adequately address EE. The added value of this paper is the comparison established between the students that followed a degree with a high impact of the environmental competences in its curriculum and another one that has very few references to these competences in the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing an inclusive education to students with intellectual disability in higher education is an emerging challenge. This paper presents the results of a research study that analyses the perceptions of graduates from the Promentor Programme (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain). The study follows a phenomenological design and employs qualitative research methodology. Two focus groups are conducted, with 14 participants in total. The participants' perspective is structured around the following categories: (a) Quality of life and training received; (b) barriers encountered; (c) supports received; and (d) lecturers' competences. In general, participants give their experience a positive assessment in relation to aspects such as social inclusion, professional and personal development or self-esteem. The study's conclusions highlight the convenience of an inclusive and qualitative research design that will serve to hear the voices of persons with intellectual disability, as well as their perception of the positive impact of university education on their lives. This article focuses on the perspective of Spanish university students with intellectual disability in order to understand their perceptions of their training experience in an inclusive higher education course. An inclusive research design is adopted which seeks to give voice to people with intellectual disability not only as participants, but also as members of the research team. The study confirms that, from the students' perspective, university environments can be suitable for the education of students with intellectual disability; therefore, the creation of inclusive higher education programmes should be encouraged. University lecturers should receive training in inclusive education. Higher education institutions must take into account the voices of vulnerable groups of students in order to effectively eliminate existing barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for recognition and measurement of intellectual capital (IC) in Spanish universities. Design/methodology/approach - In this study the authors developed a questionnaire which was sent to members of the social councils of Spanish public universities in order to identify which intangible elements university stakeholders demand most. The study results served as a basis to develop a model of IC measurement for Spanish universities. Findings -The results of the empirical study are used to identify which intangible elements need to be measured and to define a battery of indicators. Practical implications - This paper aims to provide a set of IC indicators to help universities on the path to presenting useful information to their stakeholders, contributing to a greater transparency, accountability and comparability in the higher education sector. Originality/value - Although the scientific and professional literature has provided numerous proposals for measuring and reporting a firm's IC, further research is still needed since there are few empirically supported models for the measurement and reporting of IC in universities. This need is especially relevant when considering empirical supported IC models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the web accessibility of home pages of universities in Spain, Chile and Mexico. The sample used in this study was the 15 top universities listed in the ranking Webometrics. The study has been carried out using automatic tools in order to analyze the level of compliance with the WCAG 2.0 guidelines. The results reveal that the selected Web sites have barriers of access to information and that these difficulties are even greater in the case of those who make use of assistive technology. Users of the analyzed Web sites can encounter difficulties mainly with the perception of information and with navigating the site, just as previous studies of web accessibility have shown. This paper concludes that the 3 analyzed countries show low levels of web accessibility on the selected Web sites, proving that there still exist many shortcomings with regard to meeting the regulation and respecting the fundamental rights of all people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Reti Medievali is the property of Firenze University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper explores the relationship between regional human capital (HC) and the processes of knowledge creation and mobilisation due to higher education institutions. Although the nexus between these dimensions emerges frequently in both scholarly and policy discourses, to date no study has explicitly investigated how their connection works. Using occupations as a proxy for the skill content of jobs, we analyse individual (gender, schooling and age) and regional (university orientation) factors that influenced the HC employment structure in Spanish regions in the period 2003-2010. The main finding is that the teaching aspect of a university's mission is a robust predictor of high-skill employment, while the impact of engagement (research and knowledge transfer) activities is more sensitive to the structural characteristics of the regional socio-economic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]