Browsing by Author "Balladares, Jaime"

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    CHALLENGES IN CURRICULAR INNOVATION IN UNIVERSITY TRAINING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACADEMICS
    (INTERCIENCIA, 2022) Riquelme, Galia Meneses; Balladares, Jaime
    Implementing innovations in higher education is a highly chal-lenging process, due to multiple causes. Underestimating the pur-poses of innovation without considering the teaching staff that implements it can generate important problems. The study ana-lyzed the perceptions about innovation in a sample of teachers from different academic programs at a Chilean regional univer-sity. Nineteen members of the university participated in a series of semi-structured interviews and one focus group. The study had a qualitative approach, and the responses were analyzed using the Grounded Theory principles. The results were sorted into three dimensions: a) the political context (micro and macro) in which the innovation processes are implemented, b) the tensions between the institution and innovation, and c) the innovation in terms of meanings and their evaluations. The participants agree that curricular innovation is a very complex process, in which the negotiation of senses and meanings is essential to develop an adequate implementation; consequently, if they feel part of the design processes, they will feel more engaged in the tasks.
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    Cuidar a los que cuidan: Experiencias de cuidadores informales de personas mayores dependientes en contexto COVID-19
    (2021) Aracena Álvarez, Marcela; Balladares, Jaime; Carvacho, Raffaela; Basualto, Patricia; Coli Acevedo, Jazmin; Molina Garzón, Mónica; Catalán, Loreto; Gray-Gariazzo, Nora
    La pandemia COVID ha tenido consecuencias catastróficas a nivel mundial en diversos ámbitos: salud, educación, vivienda, entre otras. Una de ellas fue revelar la fragilidad de los sistemas de protección social en países latinoamericanos, plasmada en la falta de mecanismos alternativos para atender las complejas demandas que la pandemia trajo. Respecto de los sistemas de salud, todos sus esfuerzos se han concentrado en pacientes COVID-19, relegando a aquellos adultos (mayores) dependientes quienes solían recibir atención complementaria en sus hogares. Este hecho, ha provocado un gran estrés en sus cuidadores informales y familia en general. La presente investigación analizó las percepciones, desafíos y expectativas de cuidadores informales en el contexto de pandemia. Se realizaron 12 entrevistas semiestructuradas online durante seis meses. La información analizada mediante los principios de la Teoría Fundada muestra que el periodo ha sido particularmente negativo para los cuidadores a nivel de oferta de servicios públicos de apoyo y organización familiar, además de incrementar la percepción de abandono y vulnerabilidad de estos. Se discute en torno a la necesidad de desarrollar políticas públicas específicas para este grupo.
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    Efficacy and perception of feasibility of structured games for achieving curriculum learning goals in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten low-income classrooms
    (Elsevier Science Inc., 2023) Strasser S., Katherine; Balladares, Jaime; Grau Cardenas, Valeska Valentina; Marin Guajardo, Anneliese Alejandra; Preiss, David
    This paper reports results of an experimental study that assessed the efficacy and teachers' perception of feasibility of a set of structured games for promoting curriculum learning goals in 12 prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in Chile. We developed four structured games aligned with the Chilean curriculum learning goals, and that were adequate to the material and human conditions of low-income classrooms in Chile. Six classrooms implemented the games in the course of 6 months, and the other six received them at the end of the intervention. One-hundred-and-twenty-one children were evaluated in letter-word identification, math problem solving, phonological awareness, and science word knowledge at the beginning and end of the school year. Head teachers were interviewed about the games' feasibility in their classrooms and their ability to engage the children. Multilevel regression results show that children in classrooms that implemented the games increased more than children in no-game classrooms in their letter-word identification, math problem-solving, and phonological awareness scores, controlling for grade level, entry receptive vocabulary, and entry execu-tive function. Head teachers found the games engaging and fun for the children. They reported few difficulties in implementing the games in authentic classroom conditions. Results are analyzed regarding contributions to extant literature on playful learning and games, as well as implications for the successful use of playful meth-odologies for the promotion of academic learning goals in preschool classrooms in low-and middle-income countries.
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    Lexical skills in children with developmental dyslexia and developmental language disorder: An overview
    (2023) Mengisidou, Maria; Balladares, Jaime
    Children with developmental dyslexia (hereafter DD) and developmental language disorder (hereafter DLD) have deficient lexical skills compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. Verbal fluency tasks are often used to investigate one’s lexical skills by asking them to access and retrieve words from the mental lexicon, in addition to executive function skills. In the Greek language, recent research findings showed that part of the variance of poor performance on verbal fluency tasks was accounted for by poorer oral and written language skills in children with DD and/or DLD compared to their TD peers. This study discusses these findings and the variables involved in the processes and presents directions for interventions considering word learning and executive function skills in children with DD and DLD. It also points out that a single verbal fluency task cannot be a comprehensive assessment of one’s lexical skills, but instead if one performs poorly on a verbal fluency task should undergo a comprehensive language assessment to receive a proper diagnosis in preschool and early school years.
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    Playfulness and the quality of classroom interactions in preschool
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024) Strasser, Katherine; Balladares, Jaime; Grau, Valeska; Marín, Anneliese; Preiss, David D.; Jadue, Daniela
    © 2024 Elsevier LtdBackground: A high degree of playfulness in learning activities has been claimed to be more developmentally appropriate for young children than high structure and directivity. However, empirical support for this claim is limited. Most studies that analyze interactions associated to playfulness are correlational, which poses a problem for attributing differences to the degree of playfulness of activities. Aims: The present study sought to compare, in a controlled manner, the interactions and behaviors in prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms during high- and low-playfulness activities. Sample: Participants were teachers, teacher aides, and 377 students in 12 classrooms (six prekindergarten and sic kindergarten) in six public schools from a low-income municipality in the capital city of a middle-income Latin American country. Methods: The behavior of children and teachers during high-playfulness and low-playfulness activities was videorecorded in two visits per classroom per game. High playfulness activities consisted of games designed by our team for this study. Videos were coded for proportion of on-task children, children exhibiting high levels of involvement, and teacher language (teaching, directiveness, warmth, humor). Data were analyzed using multilevel multiple regression to account for nesting in classrooms. Results: Children were more likely to be on-task and show high-involvement during high-playfulness activities than low-playfulness ones. Teaching and directive verbalizations were more likely during two of the low-playfulness activities, but not the rest. Responsivity and warmth were associated only with two of the games and in the opposite direction of our hypothesis. Teachers were more likely to produce humorous remarks during high-playfulness activities.