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The relevancy of linear algebra (LA) in different areas and also the difficulties faced by undergraduate engineering students studying this content are well known. Grounded on this premise, we aimed at articulating papers related to the teaching and learning of LA in engineering undergraduate programs through a mapping of the main investigations on the teaching and learning of LA carried out since 2000, by the Work Group Mathematical Education in Higher Education, associated with the Brazilian Society of Mathematical Education (SBEM), together with work produced between 2007 and 2018 by other Latin American studies on this subject in Mathematical Education societies with a representation similar to that of SBEM. We focused specifically on the link between the content of LA and that studied in specific courses. Methodologically, we followed the principles of Content Analysis and, based on a body of eight papers, we noted the following: (1) examples of situations through which it is possible to establish links between LA and contexts of engineering; (2) the role played out by the Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC) in the implementation of these links; (3) the importance of the concepts of eigenvalue and eigenvector in the resolution of problems of engineering; (4) the need to facilitate the mobilization of students to use different registers of semiotic representation, while working with the concepts of LA; (5) the importance of reflecting upon the (initial and continued) training of teachers who teach LA in engineering and ultimately, (6) the use of links between LA and contexts of engineering as an element of motivation for students and for their recognition of when to use them.

The article examines the history of "Casa dos Educandos Artífices" [House of the Artificer Apprentices (1841/1889)] in the Province of Maranhão (Brazil), which received underprivileged boys after the continuous increase of poverty caused by the Rebellion of Balaiada (1839-1841). At the "Casa" children were taught basic literacy instruction, Christian doctrine, and mechanical work at the War Arsenal, government public works and private workshops. As apprentices learned how to read, write and count, they received grammar, singing and instrumental lessons. Professional training included bricklayer, tailor, joiner, welding and copper. This paper aims to recover the history of this institution, which closed in the Republic Proclamation in 1889, drawing from many sources: manuscripts, letters from the directors to the province presidents, reports from the province presidents themselves, regulations, laws and newspapers that circulated in São Luis (Maranhão) from 1841 to 1889. Based on Norbert Elias's theoretical contributions, the analysis focuses on the creation and consolidation of the institution, material space, power relations, flow of subjects and management of school schedules and school actors and regulations. This research aims to contribute to understanding the nature of the professional instruction and the characteristics of a peculiar educational establishment in Maranhão in the nineteenth century.

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the factors that influence the satisfaction and intention of continuity of use, of teachers and students, regarding using Moodle in undergraduate courses in one Campus at the Federal Institute of Rondônia in Brazil. The starting point was an integration of DeLone and McLean's Information Systems Success Model (ISSM) with Davis' Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach was adopted. After the definition of the hypotheses, data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires were designed to measure the five constructs: Quality of Information (QI), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Perceived Usefulness (PU), User Satisfaction (US) and Behavioural Intention to use (BI) that make up the conceptual model of the study. The data were analysed based on 144 valid questionnaires. The technique of maximum likelihood estimation was adopted in the data analysis through structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings: The results confirmed six of the nine hypothesised relationships. QI positively impacts PEOU and US. PEOU positively impacts PU, which in turn positively impacts US and BI. Similarly, US positively impacts Moodle's BI. It was also evidenced that PU is the strongest predictor of US. Practical implications: These results can help educational institutions, managers, administrators and designers of e-learning systems to develop strategies to increase Moodle's user satisfaction. Originality/value: This study provides insights into the perception of students and teachers regarding the use of Moodle. A model that integrates constructs from two models widely used in research related to e-learning (TAM and ISSM) was used in a developing country context. This is important, given cultural differences and social idiosyncrasies in different contexts, particularly in an educational institution in the Amazonia region in northern Brazil.

In contribution to a body of scholarship that examines teaching as a form of learning, the paper addresses a central question: What can be learnt from organised mobilisation to educate in communities eager to strengthen their unique biocultural heritage? The question is explored through an examination of two grassroots education projects in Latin American provincial locations rich in history. Studied ethnographically over a period of fifteen years from the point of view of the educators who run them, these two projects offer a unique opportunity to examine the formation and the mobilisation of value in education. I show how popular education and agroecology methods are used in both cases to face socio-ecological conflicts and refocus developmental tensions. I conclude with a short reflection on UNESCO's 2020 approach to education and its vital role in radically reconfiguring humanity's place and agency on planet Earth.

This paper aims to evaluate and discuss the digital competence of academics at universities, to identify challenges and define recommendations for policy. This study was conducted through collaboration between the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and Metared of the Universia Foundation, surveying 30,407 participants who present the perceptions of their own digital competence levels. These self-reflections took place in universities in seven countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Mexico and Portugal, and used the Check-In tool, which consists of 22 questions based on the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators--or 'DigCompEdu' framework. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed, followed by a qualitative evaluation. Almost 70% of the academics have an average intermediate level of competence when the data is aggregated, with results varying in each DigCompEdu area according to the specific question asked. There is no significant difference between young and senior academics, as well as between men and women. The results present a discussion of whether the age and gender of educators and their work environment have an impact on their digital competence level, and at the same time highlights the areas in which educators perceive themselves to be most and least competent. It shows how the amount of institutional support that is offered affects the academics' perceptions of their level of digital competence. On the basis of the results, recommendations are presented for higher-education institutions, with the aim of supporting the professional development of their academics.

Purpose: There is a great interest in developing eco-friendly operations as alternative uses of resources in the university campus, making the employment of technologies more sustainable. Practices such as energy management and efficiency initiatives have been encouraged to meet these sustainability goals. The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the main features of the GENIIOT project, a system of energy management using Internet of Things applied in a Brazilian university campus to support energy education practices and to promote lasting energy efficiency measures. The focus of the study is directed at the energy consumption of the air-conditioning system, which is responsible for 40% of the total electricity consumption. In addition, this project also scrutinizes processes such as the building occupants' comfort demands, lighting levels and energy waste control. Design/methodology/approach: A case study at the Unicamp campus was conducted to illustrate the design procedures through qualitative description. This study comprises an overview of the physical plant, hardware and software development, energy data monitoring, management process and energy education. Findings: The GENIIOT project enables energy efficiency actions by concerning the use of air-conditioning equipment based on monitored data, different types of monitored rooms, user's behaviors and their feedback. This initiative requires the engagement, awareness and actions from users combined with investment in energy efficiency to achieve an efficient use of this type of equipment. The proposed approach can be applied in the future to similar situations, inside the Unicamp campus and at other university campuses. In addition, this project can contribute to building efficiency analysis by using the hardware structure developed to monitor facilities and carry out evaluations, providing valuable information for strategic initiatives in energy efficiency projects and research and development programs based on practical experience and promoting a discussion about sustainability aspects in the context of the university campus for energy efficiency. Originality/value: The GENIIOT project is aligned with some of the sustainable development goals, among which sustainability and responsible consumption are identified. Considering the sustainability issues, the economic dimension can be evaluated through a cost--benefit analysis of energy efficiency projects with prudent investment, while the social attractiveness of the project is ensured by education and awareness practices for the community that interacts with the system and learns about a more efficient way of using resources in the campus. Furthermore, there is a more conscious use of natural resources by minimizing waste from the use of electricity and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. GENIIOT is part of Sustainable Campus Project, a living laboratory which aims at developing energy-efficiency-related research activities in the university campus to reduce costs in higher and federal institutions of education in Brazil.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore whether formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences contribute to developing sustainable development competencies (SDCs) among students in a Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatory business school. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey based on the students' learning experiences and a questionnaire on sustainability competencies already validated in the literature were given to a sample of 274 bachelor students at a PRME signatory business school. Nominal variables representing students' categories were created to test a set of hypotheses developed according to the literature. Because the data was not normally distributed, non-parametric independent-samples Mann-Whitney U test was conducted, and descriptive statistics was used to help the analysis. Findings: The results suggest that a hybrid format with a combination of formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences is essential to maximising the development of SDCs and raising students' sustainability literacy. Research limitations/implications: This study is one of the first attempts to understand the importance of a hybrid approach in developing sustainable competencies (SDCs). Future studies could adopt longitudinal analysis to check the development of these competencies over time, assess students from different PRME signatory schools or comparing students to those in non-signatory business schools. Practical implications: This study provides insight into how business schools could address challenges in developing sustainable competencies through redirecting their educational systems by balancing formal, informal and non-formal learning approaches to educate future responsible leaders. Originality/value: This research provides evidence on how a hybrid learning approach could maximise the development of sustainable development competencies and, therefore, generating insights for educational policies.

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss how the theory of complex thinking can be considered an interesting element in engineering education, especially in the context in which challenges toward sustainable development are multidisciplinary. Design/methodology/approach: This viewpoint synthesizes the main reflections and discussions generated during a process of debate, research and creation of a proposal for an undergraduate engineering course at a higher education institution in Brazil. The literature on engineering education, sustainability and complexity was considered in an integrated way. Debates were conducted considering the authors' knowledge and experience as professors of engineering courses and researchers in the field of sustainability. A qualitative and reflexive approach was used to organize the main discussions. Findings: The prevailing classical engineering paradigm trains professionals to think from a Cartesian, reductionist perspective, appropriate for solving well-structured problems with known solution paths and convergent answers. However, addressing sustainability challenges requires a different kind of thinking capable of dealing with situations characterized by uncertainty, emergence and incompleteness of knowledge. Complexity thinking can be useful for this purpose as it provides a broad system approach to deal with ill-defined, ill-structured and unpredictable problems. This study can be understood as a call to researchers and professionals to consider the value and importance of complexity thinking to advance engineering education for sustainability. Originality/value: The need to overcome the limits of the classical engineering paradigm is emphasized in the context of sustainability. Complex thinking is considered as a path toward a paradigm shift in engineering education for sustainability. It can contribute to the training of professionals to face pressing challenges now and in the future. This viewpoint provides some insights to enhance debates on education engineering.

The Oswaldo Cruz Scientific Vocation Program is a scientific initiation educational program for High School students, in Biological, Health, Human, and Social Sciences areas. We consider that living in less advantaged neighborhoods impacts on the students, advisors and co-advisors' emotions. In this paper, to illustrate our hypothesis, we selected narratives of a particular student living in Rio's periphery and not acquainted with scientific practices, and the narratives of a co-advisor that lived in a suburb of Rio. Through Bakhtin framework and theoretical contributions from Education, Social Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology of Emotions we conducted and analyzed interviews. In these narratives, we show the emotions through interviewees regarding their experiences, and we identified authenticity feelings such as liking and interest. The specific emotions related to scientific activities detected were friendship, dissatisfaction, appreciation, and interest. These emotions seem to influence future projects and stimulate sociability bringing together affinities and attenuating inequalities.

With current social, environmental and economic challenges, there is an increasing need to encourage more sustainable business models, which include social entrepreneurship, in the education of our future leaders and entrepreneurs. This has resulted in significant research and practice towards improving students' social entrepreneurial intention with higher education programmes. We used survey data collected from 220 university students in Brazil. These students participated in the Enactus programme, which exposed them to social entrepreneurial experience and entrepreneurial education. Our findings highlight the importance of experience-based programmes in forming empathy, essential to self-efficacy development, and in improving the ability to identify social opportunities, which together are indispensable for developing social entrepreneurial intentions. This paper contributes to social entrepreneurship education literature by emphasising the need to integrate experience-based opportunities into higher education programmes. It confirms that social entrepreneurial actions are contextually driven and should be addressed and developed closer to the needs. This results in empathic individuals who can see opportunities others do not see and become social entrepreneurs. In regard to public policy support and the encouragement of social entrepreneurship models, our findings emphasise the need to help universities and encourage experiential programmes to develop students. In this way, universities which develop social entrepreneurship education programmes have the opportunity to act as agents of change, developing human capital to address the social/environmental challenges and create a fairer society.

This paper reflects on the problems faced by refugee students during the COVID-19 pandemic (summer semester 2020) as "calouros," i.e. freshmen during their first year, in a public university in Brazil. Through a content analysis of their personal accounts, collected electronically by their teacher of Portuguese for academic purposes (the first author), we describe how five students (a Syrian, two Haitians, a Venezuelan and a Togolese refugees) (re)visit their experiences, in which several dynamics intersect: being 'calouro', being refugee students, learning the shelter language "in loco," and experiencing social distancing due to the closing of universities. Because learning the language of the host country is not the only factor affected by the pandemic, we also observe how language learning (settings) intersect with other aspects characterising the refugee status: housing conditions, availability of learning materials, and the uncertainty attached to the present and future of their own lives and of other family members.

Diaspora communities use school education as a central way to reproduce their identity throughout generations. However, religious institutions, clubs and specific events can also perform a role in reproducing the groups' cultural identity, working as non-formal spaces of education. We examine how diasporic Armenian families in Brazil perceive the roles that formal and non-formal education play in supporting the conservation of their Armenian identity. The paper draws from an ethnographic study conducted in Armenian ethnic institutions in Sao Paulo. Participants expressed having ambiguous feelings towards these organisations, valuing their educational features distinctly. While they do not perceive the everyday practices of the Armenian school as having a central role in reproducing cultural identities, they acknowledge that non-formal educational spaces and one-day events are pivotal to celebrate these identities.

This paper presents a heuristic tool that can be used to analyse and reflect on the inclusion of digital competences in Health and Physical Education Teacher Education (HPETE) programs. The tool is used to identify and compare how HPETE programs in three Southern Hemisphere countries address digital competency as an aspect of learning to teach Health and Physical Education (HPE). The results reveal that the tool provides an effective way of analysing the development of digital technologies through HPETE. While these programs are concerned with the need for technology education, they do not rely on suggested international frameworks and have a different focus related to future teachers' digital competences. The lack of a systematic policy to improve digital skills in our data suggests that technology education has emerged from localised efforts. We suggest that our heuristic tool can support educators to refine the inclusion of digital competences in HPETE programs.

Purpose: Higher education institutions (HEIs) must take on a leadership role in building a sustainable world, given their responsibility for preparing future professionals and leaders worldwide and considering the role they provide to society. To accomplish this goal, HEIs need to holistically embody sustainability in everything they develop. This study aims to help HEIs in this purpose by developing a method to integrate sustainability into the strategic planning process in these institutions. Design/methodology/approach: In the first stage, the method was developed based on papers selected through a systematic literature review. The proposed method was then applied in a Brazilian HEI to validate and adjust it. Findings: A method that adopts a participatory process to integrate sustainability into HEIs' strategic planning was proposed. Practical implications: This study provides university leaders with a simple and practical method to aid with elaborating on strategic plans for holistic sustainability integration. Originality/value: This study uniquely applied a framework called "HEIs sustainability action archetypes" as the foundation for selecting sustainable objectives, goals and actions to be integrated into these institutions' strategic planning.

Purpose: This paper aimed to examine moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels in physical education. Method: A review of reviews was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The screening process, data extraction, assessment of the risk of bias, and analysis of the results were carried out independently by two reviewers. A total of eight systematic reviews from six databases, which included 224 studies, involving more than 80,000 students (elementary, middle, and high school), enrolled in more than 450 schools worldwide were unpacked. Results: Students fail to meet the 50% recommendation of MVPA lesson time, irrespective of country, school stage, gender, or MVPA measures. Physical education-based interventions increased students' MVPA during lessons (range 14.3%-24%) compared with control groups. Conclusion: Physical education is uniquely positioned to provide physical activity opportunities for students, but teachers must target the provision of adequate MVPA levels, which is not currently happening.

In this paper, we build on southern and decolonial theories of multilingualism and invite a south-north conversation through a concept we propose as "reciprocal multilingual awareness." Reciprocity is a core value of southern societies that balance pluralities of episteme, language, and communality. Central features of southern multilingualisms, including transknowledging (reciprocal exchanges and translation of knowledge), and linguistic citizenship (the exercise of linguistic agency and choice), are usual moves that people make every day. Here, we lift forward southern reciprocities and linguistic citizenship together in conversation with northern conceptualisations of "multilingual awareness." We draw attention to the "longue durée" of expertise and knowledge of multilingualism in post-colonial societies to invite conversation with critical multilingual language awareness (CMLA) as a contribution to this special issue. In this frame, we recognise the potential in 'multilingual awareness' for a dynamic and reciprocal process situated within specific place, time and ideology. We offer eirical experiences of multilingual reciprocities from Australia and Brazil in which community, student and teacher agency are foregrounded to illustrate and amplify southern theorisation of multilingualisms and linguistic citizenship. In conceptualising "reciprocal multilingual awareness as a practice of linguistic citizenship" our primary concern is to offer a contribution to teacher education that can more fully engage with organic, community and student-generated language ideologies.

This article addresses the "National Common Core Curriculum" in Brazil, focusing both on its "Introduction" and the sections dedicated to music teaching. The paper draws on contributions from broad critical curricular perspectives, arguing for the access to "powerful knowledge" as a means of achieving social justice and democratic social relations. It outlines some aspects of an ongoing qualitative research project, which investigates the recent curricular debates about the consistent inclusion of music in the primary and secondary levels of schooling in Brazil. Preliminary results suggest that the "Base Nacional Comum Curricular" (BNCC) relying on the development of pragmatic and generic competencies, is very far from promoting access to the pivotal "epistemic structures" of the discipline. At the same time, we hope to raise awareness about the potential "powers" provided by musical knowledge, which might help the Brazilian music education field to strengthen its curricular and epistemological bases.

Research in the UK suggests that multi-componential interventions focusing on language and pre-literacy skills can improve children's reading and language skills. However, simple translations of such programmes may not produce equivalent effects in diverse communities. The reasons for this are multi-faceted and include factors beyond the rationale and content of the intervention programmes themselves. Understanding these factors is critical for creating programmes that will generalise across settings. In this review, we reflect upon challenges encountered in two reading and language intervention programmes in South America to identify community and cultural contextual factors that can influence the implementation and scalability of educational programmes. We use our findings to develop an education-specific framework to guide the development and implementation of high-quality evidence-based approaches to language and literacy intervention. Our model guides implementation practices in diverse contexts and stresses the importance of the evidence-base and communication.

The effects of affirmative action on the incentives to human capital accumulation are ambiguous from a theoretical perspective and the scarce empirical evidence on the matter provides mixed results. In this paper, we address this issue by investigating the impacts of Brazil's Law of Quotas on the students' performance in the college entrance exam, the ENEM. We provide causal evidence that the law fostered incentives to pre-college human capital accumulation, inducing students to attain higher ENEM scores. Moreover, the effects of the quotas were greater in quantitative-intensive subjects and these impacts increased throughout the first years after the law's implementation.

Purpose: Despite the school organizational culture broad literature, there is still a gap on culture and educational management, mainly in the public environment. To fill out this space, this article wants to point out the cultural factors that creates school management change in the Brazilian public school context. Design/methodology/approach: The sample is a polar multi-case approach with two high performance and two low performance Brazilian schools. The authors conducted 12 interviews, three each school, with school principal, pedagogical coordinator and administrative officer. To analyze the data, the authors applied synthetic analysis to identify the cultural factors and your conduciveness to change in schools. Findings: The results point out organizational culture as low understood in public municipal schools. These results also indicate the cultural dimensions power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, long-term orientation and indulgence as influencers of school management. Therefore, organizational culture is a factor to change and improve performance in public school management. Research limitations/implications: Despite the low comprehensiveness by the school managers, the authors pointed out the importance of the cultural factors, such as power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity, long-term orientation and indulgence, in the school management. Future research could assess quantitatively the cultural factors presented here. Social implications: The paper provides cultural aspects in the school environment that should be considered in the school management improvement process and school principals' actions. Originality/value: The results fulfil the gap of organizational culture and school management in the public sector studies, by pointing out cultural factors of change in the school environment.

Purpose: This paper aim to propose a methodological mapping approach for the evaluation of dissertations and theses of graduate programs in the area of environmental sciences in Brazil in relation to the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: The research is characterized as exploratory with qualitative/quantitative approach. The proposed model was developed as a computational algorithm with a pilot being adopted as a professional master in national network for teaching in environmental sciences (ProfCiAmb) comprising associated courses from nine Brazilian public universities. 230 dissertations completed between 2018 and 2020 were analyzed. Findings: A total of 266 correlations were identified between the texts and descriptors of each SDG. Correlation values between 0.100 (minimum value -- Vmin) and 0.464 (maximum value -- Vmax) were observed. SDG 4 -- Quality Education (Vmax = 0.399) and SDG 6 -- Drinking Water and Sanitation (Vmax = 0.464) were those with the highest correlation values, followed by SDG 3 -- Health and Well-Being (Vmax = 0.299) and SDG 17 -- Partnerships and Means of Implementation (Vmax = 0.249). Practical implications: The construction of the computational algorithm provided consistent quantitative analyses with potential to contribute to the improvement of the multidimensional evaluation of graduate studies, as well as to support public policies related to teaching and research and strategic planning of the programs. Originality/value: The relevance of this study lies in the creation of a model that involves the creation of metrics and tools regarding the impact of graduate studies on society.

This paper contributes to southern theorization of multilingualisms. Noting the predominance of northern-generated academic debates, we discuss perspectives from close engagement with southern socio-historical and political contexts, and through prioritizing community and teacher outlooks on multilingualism. Our account is illustrated with examples of linguistic citizenship that highlight local agency and dialogue in border-crossing across multiple linguistic and institutional regimes. Drawing on examples from our research in Brazil, South Africa and Australia, we focus on four agentic multilingual moves that illustrate linguistic citizenship and challenge coloniality. Each of these moves (contestation, transgression, negotiation, and conversation) implies that teachers must situate their work within relationships of reciprocity, and 'from below.'

This paper is the result of bibliographic and documentary research, whose object was the relationship between citizenship and education in Brazil today. The research problem was to identify the extent to which regressive citizenship, understood as an action aimed at reducing social rights, has impacted the modern social contract and, in it, the educational and non-school educational processes, observing the actions of two regressive social movements: MBL (Free Brazil Movement, or Movimento Brasil Livre, in Portuguese) and "Escola sem Partido" (School Without a Party).

Aim/Purpose: A proposal for a pedagogical model that integrates digital technologies in teaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in K-12 Education. Background: The research is developed within project InTecEdu (Integration of Technology in Education), developed by the research group since 2008, and focusing on social inclusion for highly socially vulnerable K-12 students. Methodology: The research was exploratory and qualitative; data was collected through a questionnaire and participant observation, with 253 students and 9 teachers from 5 Brazilian public schools. Contribution: The research contributes by bringing a pedagogical model for integrating SDGs and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in K-12 education. Findings: All analyzed aspects received a high level of approval, although some opportunities for improvement were identified, such as the duration and frequency of the session. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend the reuse of the pedagogical model, since our intention is for it to be open-source, and free to use. Impact on Society: The paper is aligned with the fourth SDG: Quality Education. It directly contributes with the education of 253 socially vulnerable students from a south American public school, and indirectly contributes with improvement of education. Future Research: To improve the pedagogical model based on the feedback from the questionnaires and apply it with a more extensive scenario.

The paper analyzes how street-level bureaucrats construct and activate the intersectoral network induced by the implementation of the "Bolsa Família" Program (BFP) in a region of extreme poverty in Brazil. BFP is a federal cash transfer program with conditionalities, benefiting 13.8 million families. Based on the educational conditionality, BFP is articulated with other social policies, using beneficiaries, schools, health units, and social assistance centers as vectors that mobilize public organs, processes and agents, triggering complex and dynamic multi-sectoral and intersectoral social networks. Thirty-one multilevel public agents were interviewed, including 14 education professionals in two schools and eight social work professionals in two local centers. The analysis reveals that street-level bureaucracy emerges as hubs at the local level, indicating the social protection network in the territory depends on personal links and mediations among agents, institutions, and public equipment materialized by processes derived from the monitoring of school attendance. The articulation and interaction between school and social agents reflect degrees of intersectoral cooperation, marked by different patterns of comprehension/translation of routines and strategies. The analysis explicitly highlights connections among (im)material elements of the networks induced by the BFP, emphasizing their potential for understanding the implementation of social and educational policies.

This paper reports pedagogical experiences and educational techniques in the field of Mechanics of Structures (Mechanical Engineering degree), resorting to computational tools. Several aspects are addressed, covering CAD (Computer-Aided Design) modelling systems to CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) solutions, in terms of analysis and validation of mechanical resistance calculations. Therefore, structural mechanics fundamental concepts and mechanics of materials are also addressed. Particular focus is given on the development of curricula components related to Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing. Doing so, three-dimensional structural modelling is applied to study the behaviour in selected simple case-studies where an external load is applied and the corresponding deflections are evaluated. Then, analytical and numerical analyses are performed and compared. During classes, patent aversion to solve analytical problems was clearly observed on the part of the students once calculus knowledge was required. The typical trend in engineering students, skipping the manual analytical methodology to solve a problem in order to go straight to numerical simulations via commercial Finite Element (FE) codes, was observed. The main focus of this work is, therefore, to determine the pedagogical effects of allying the analytical procedures and virtual simulators. It was possible to confirm the beneficial aspects of such methodology, considering that the regular engineering student has already a scientific basis on calculus and analytical process. Such knowledge will support mechanical project decisions, from model development to the analysis, and a sounding background to perform criticism of the results provided by the software.

This paper presents a multi-case study in the field of intercultural education and it refers to a project named "Voice of children and young people in the development of intercultural education." The cases are critical action-research projects developed with three groups of middle and high school students. They participated in dialogic processes and shared leadership with their teachers. They co-designed projects, debated and became aware of critical issues related to cultural diversity in their educational communities. The purpose of the research is to analyze participatory processes and associated changes in relation to intercultural education and students' voice frameworks. Personal changes of the students, such as self-awareness and attention to others and to relationships, and group changes such as cohesion, were underlined, as well as changes extended to other actors--teachers, other students, staff, tutors, and other members of the community--creating collaborative relationships, solidarity, and mutual recognition. There were visible changes during the most active period in which projects were held, but sometimes impacts still endured and deepened afterwards. This stresses the relevance of youngsters' participatory projects engaged in intercultural processes and change.

The business economy experienced major changes during the last three decades. The social and economic globalization associated with the fourth revolution put the accounting profession under great pressure toward harmonization and convergence. Still, the route to become a qualified professional accountant varies from country to country all over the world. This paper seeks to understand the evolution of the accounting profession in Brazil and focus on the interaction between higher education institutions (HEIs) and professional bodies, in the context of digital transformation. It is an exploratory study. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data about the perception of the directors of first-degree programs regarding the autonomy of HEIs in defining the curricular contents intended to qualify accounting professionals. The findings show that HEIs are highly influenced by the professional order and Ministry of Education. The limitation associated with this research is that it focusses on one particular professional group in one country.

Only three percent of Brazilians are estimated to speak English despite the status of this language as a mandatory subject in grades 10 to 12 of basic education and preferred foreign language in grades 5 to 9. This paper will analyse possible reasons for this fact. The widespread concept in the Brazilian society that speaking English is beneficial to individuals because it provides access to the globalised world does not seem to be enough to promote the actual learning of the language by the majority of the population, and it is argued here that this fact has to do with a gap in the foreign language teaching policy documents: the 2015 National Education Guidelines and Framework Law (LDB 2015), the Brazilian National Curriculum Parameters for Primary Education (PCN-EF), and the Brazilian National Curriculum Parameters for Secondary Education (PCN-EM). These documents do not prescribe the necessary conditions for English Language Teaching (ELT) to take place effectively, but, instead, provide suggestions for teachers on how to adapt to the status quo, which means focusing on reading to the detriment of the other aspects of the English language due to a number of factors ranging from a lack of resources to a large number of students per class.

The literature emphasizes the interest and need to learn the concept of continuity with understanding, although this meaning it is not consensual nor specified how it may emerge and be developed in the learning process. In this paper we report the results of a study aiming to analyse Brazilian preservice mathematics teachers' understanding of the continuity of a function concept, in a context of a teaching experiment which design is based on a theoretical model for learning with understanding that consider three dimensions: the meanings of continuity concept, the use of its different representations and their application in problem solving that involves it. Data collection includes participant observation with audio and video recording of the lessons, students' written and digital work on the tasks proposed during the teaching experiment, and interviews applied to the students. The qualitative and interpretative data analysis showed that students, in general, assigned different meanings to the continuity, which emerged from their "concept image." At the end of the teaching experiment, they show an adequate conception of this concept, being able to articulate different representations and perform "treatments" and "conversions" to interpret and represent the (dis)continuity of a function, and to correctly apply the criteria of existence of the concept of continuity and the intermediate value theorem in the analysis of errors and in the proving of mathematical propositions, and in solving problems that call for mathematical modelling. Thus, as they revealed a learning with understanding of the continuity concept, the study also provides information to propose innovative mathematics teaching and learning methodologies aimed at improving that learning.

The last forty years have seen significant growth in the area of research in science education in Brazil. Faced with the volume of academic output, studies that present a descriptive character are necessary. However, "states of knowledge surveys" are still rarely found in the field of science education. In this context, the objective of the research presented in this article was to identify and describe the main characteristics and tendencies of Brazilian research on education in science museums, considering dissertations and thesis that address the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in non-formal education spaces, as research problems. A mixed methods approach of qualitative and quantitative research was used, and a documentary analysis was carried out. Thirteen studies that focused on ICT in science museums were mapped, drawn from 11 dissertations and 2 theses that were produced in Brazil over a period of 25 years from 1991-2015. This is a theme that is not well explored nationally. In the paper we seek to contribute to the discussion with a view to listing possibilities for the development of new practices and investigations.

Latin American countries have evolved over the years. Still, after years of military reign, socioeconomicinstability, and civil wars, the region has been known for its anti-hegemonic economic growth (educationalpolicies) strategies. Central and South America's educational system has long been under investigation by researchers both theoretically and empirically. The transition of its education system through the introduction of centralized, liberalized, and populist ideology has sparked many researchers' interest. This paper aims to understand and compare 14 Latin American countries' education orientation. The study uses a matrix table to visualize the qualitative finding.

In this paper we situate a discussion of the decolonial curriculum within the context of a Brazilian postgraduate programme (MPEJA) focused on adult and youth education (EJA). We draw on the work of Paulo Freire in our discussion of decolonial thinking and its pedagogical representation within EJA in Brazil. We suggest that engagement with the programme provides legitimacy and visibility for participants, supporting them in revealing the diversity and specificity of EJA (Cardoso, 2017). MPEJA also counters decolonial thought through the possibilities it provides to EJA educators for reflection on their professional context and the socio-economic influences on the experiences of their EJA students.