Spanish Context Research Articles

‘Against imposition, we defend education’: teachers’ movements against austerity and neoconservative reforms in the Spanish context

ABSTRACT Between 2011 and 2015, at the dawn of the global financial crisis, Spain went through severe austerity measures that led to social unrest and to the emergence of new expressions of collective action. In the educational field, teachers’ unions and grassroots movements organised against the neoliberal and neoconservative policies promoted by the central government and several regional governments. The case of the Teachers’ Assembly in the Balearic Islands is particularly relevant because it was a highly successful protest experience that triggered unprecedented social mobilisation and broad social support. Drawing on social movement theories and combining semi-structured interviews with document and media analysis, this study finds that the combination of alliance-building, disruptive collective actions, and framing processes was key to explaining the success of the social mobilisation.

Effective Stance in Conservative Newspaper Opinion Articles on Irregular Immigration and Refugee Humanitarian Crises

This paper presents a quantitative and contrastive analysis of expressions of effective stance in conservative newspaper opinion articles related to irregular immigration and humanitarian crises involving refugees in both English and Spanish contexts. Drawing upon the seminal works of Langacker (2013) and Marín-Arrese (2021a, 2021b, 2023), the study examines six fundamental categories of effective stance expressions established according to factors such as orientation towards self or others, degree of control about the realisation of the event, and agreement with social norms. The dataset under examination comprises a 120,000-word corpus of opinion articles obtained from two conservative newspapers, The Telegraph from the United Kingdom and El Mundo from Spain. The words are evenly distributed, with each newspaper contributing 30,000 words in articles pertaining to three humanitarian crises involving refugees: Syria (2015), Afghanistan (2021), and Ukraine (2022-2023), and 30,000 words relating to articles on irregular immigration coinciding in time with each of the three refugee crises. The primary objective of the paper is to discern notable differences between the two newspapers and across the different refugee and irregular immigration crises under investigation. The analysis of the results, which uncover a larger number of effective stance expressions in the English subcorpus as well as distributional differences of subcategories across the subcorpora in both languages, provides a valuable understanding of the intricate patterns of usage and distribution of effective stance expressions within the realm of newspaper discourse, thereby enriching our comprehension of journalistic portrayals concerning the complexity of refugee crises and migratory movements.

Fostering language awareness for integration through teacher-researcher collaboration in a Spanish bilingual education context

Research on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes has shown that teachers find it difficult to integrate content and language in their teaching, and that this may be due to a lack of a specific type of teacher language awareness (TLA) for this type of teaching. This study explores how TLA for CLIL is manifested in metatalk in the context of a collaborative professional development activity, which took place in a bilingual secondary school in Madrid (Spain). Content and language teachers in pairs designed content and language integrated instructional sequences, implemented them, and assessed the students’ output. Four sessions in which teachers reflected on the activity, in collaboration with researchers, were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. The data were analyzed using a social realist framework for investigating knowledge-building practices, Legitimation Code Theory (LCT). The analysis showed how content and language teachers refer to three types of knowledge (content, language, and language and content integration) in terms of ‘what’ is known (conceptual frameworks) and ‘how’ it is approached (following specific methods). The results confirm the importance of developing CLIL teachers’ language awareness through on-site collaboration which is closely linked to their normal teaching activities.

Citizen profiles based on social capital in the Spanish fiscal context: Profile development and multivariate consistency analysis

Previous studies have established that social capital plays a significant role in individual tax-related behaviors, including inclinations toward tax evasion and compliance. This study seeks to extend the understanding of tax morale in Spain using data from the Public Opinion and Fiscal Policy Survey (CIS, Study 3332). We use factor analysis with maximum likelihood extraction and Varimax rotation to identify key social capital variables and tax attitudes. We identify profiles based on their social capital and tax compliance using cluster analysis. We will apply hierarchical clustering with Ward's chaining and k-means clustering. The robustness of the resulting profiles will be confirmed by discriminant analysis and a multilayer perceptron neural network, which will look for higher rates of correct classification as an indicator of improved profile consistency. Our findings suggest that identifying Spanish tax citizens' profiles helps analyze social capital in tax policy. After our analysis, we have determined that enhancing the accumulation of social capital variables leads to better tax adherence.

Effectiveness of cooperative, collaborative, and interdisciplinary learning guided by software development in Spanish universities

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) proposes to enhance active learning and student protagonism in order to improve academic performance. In this sense, different methodologies are emerging to create scenarios for self-regulation of their learning. In this study the cooperative, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning methodologies were compared in Spanish universities. The main objectives were to evaluate their effects in higher education and to explore the relationship between perceived group cooperation and self-perceived ability to work in a group, differences between educational Spanish contexts, educational methodologies and gender. To this end, a quasi-experimental design was carried out. Data analysis included the descriptive metrics, correlations and analysis of variance to evaluate the differences among pedagogical methods, their effects on cooperative learning, teamwork outcomes and gender differences, comprising a total of 229 students in Spain from Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Primary Education and Computer Engineering completed the two questionnaires. Results showed that the highest correlation between perceived cooperative activity and self-perceived ability to work in a group was found among computer science students, especially among women, suggesting that the interdisciplinary learning focused on software tool development may be the most effective methodology to improve teamwork and cooperative learning outcomes. Despite these findings concern only to Spanish universities, limiting the generalizability of results, the interdisciplinary methodology seems promising for improving both teaching quality and teamwork skills. The learning methodologies of interdisciplinary projects may therefore need to be implemented within the framework of cooperative and collaborative methodologies.

Cross-validation of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy second edition (CAPL-2) for Spanish children

Background/objectiveThis study aimed to explore physical literacy (PL) using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy, second edition (CAPL-2), adapt it to the Spanish context and provide evidence of its validity...

Patient-reported assessment of compassion in Spanish: a systematic review.

This systematic review aims to: (1) explore which tools have been used in Spanish to measure compassion; (2) know which of these tools could be used to assess compassion in healthcare settings from the perspective of patients; (3) evaluate the quality of these patient-reported measures in Spanish contexts; and (4) determine which of these instruments would be best suited to be used in healthcare settings. Compassion has been recognized as a fundamental dimension of quality healthcare. Several scientific databases were consulted for relevant records published up to December 16th, 2021. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, 64 studies were included. while existing instruments, validated in Spanish, allow for the measurement of self-compassion or compassion to others, there are no valid and reliable measures currently available in Spanish to measure patient-reported compassion. In order to ensure and promote compassion in the health care context, it is essential to have a valid and reliable tool to measure this construct in a patient-informed way, and this is currently not possible in the Spanish-speaking context because of the lack of such an instrument in Spanish.

Socioeconomic Dimensions of Artistic and Culture Labor: Insights from the Spanish Context

This study examines the socioeconomic status of professionals in the artist’s labor market by comparing two different data sources that reveal the persistent coexistence of two generally segregated economic sectors: the formal and the informal. The methodology adopts a dual approach, combining cumulative distribution functions and statistical inference via a logistic ordinal model. Key findings indicate that younger artists are less likely to have high earnings, while earnings tend to increase with age, and women are more likely to have lower earnings than men. There are also notable differences between the two data sources in the impact of education on earnings, although education contributes to higher earnings in both samples. These findings provide a foundation for discussing the potential impact of existing measures and those yet to be implemented in the context of the Statute of the Artist in Spain, which is committed to the specific reform plan for the culture and arts sector to promote equity, sustainability, and inclusion within this sector.

Gender Inequalities of Health and Quality of Life in Informal Caregivers in Spain: Protocol for the Longitudinal and Multicenter CUIDAR-SE Study.

The aging population and increased disability prevalence in Spain have heightened the demand for long-term care. Informal caregiving, primarily performed by women, plays a crucial role in this scenario. This protocol outlines the CUIDAR-SE study, focusing on the gender-specific impact of informal caregiving on health and quality of life among caregivers in Andalusia and the Basque Country from 2013 to 2024. This study aims to analyze the gender differences in health and quality of life indicators of informal caregivers residing in 2 Spanish autonomous communities (Granada, Andalusia, and Gipuzkoa; Basque Country) and their evolution over time, in relation to the characteristics of caregivers, the caregiving situation, and support received. The CUIDAR-SE study uses a longitudinal, multicenter design across 3 phases, tracking health and quality of life indicators among informal caregivers. Using a questionnaire adapted to the Spanish context that uses validated scales and multilevel analysis, the research captures changes in caregivers' experiences amid societal crises, notably the 2008 economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. A multistage randomized cluster sampling technique is used to minimize study design effects. Funding for the CUIDAR-SE study was in 3 phases starting in January 2013, 2017, and 2021, spanning a 10-year period. Data collection commenced in 2013 and continued annually, except for 2016 and 2020 due to financial and pandemic-related challenges. As of March 2024, a total of 1294 participants have been enrolled, with data collection ongoing for 2023. Initial data analysis focused on gender disparities in caregiver health, quality of life, burden, perceived needs, and received support, with results from phase I published. Currently, analysis is ongoing for phases II and III, as well as longitudinal analysis across all phases. This protocol aims to provide comprehensive insights into caregiving dynamics and caregivers' experiences over time, as well as understand the role of caregiving on gender inequality in health, considering regional variations. Despite limitations in participant recruitment, focusing on registered caregivers, the study offers a detailed exploration of the health impacts of caregiving in Spain. The incorporation of a gender perspective and the examination of diverse contextual factors enrich the study's depth, contributing significantly to the discourse on caregiving health complexities in Spain. DERR1-10.2196/58440.

ICT integration in FLT: An analysis of TPACK implementation in Spanish Primary Teacher Education

This study explores primary teachers´ initial training programs, focusing on Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) and its integration with technology. The research is grounded in two dimensions of contemporary society: plurilingual competence and digital literacy. The study employs the conceptual framework of "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge" (TPACK) (Mishra & Kohler, 2006) and applies content analysis methodology. The scientific interest lies in the scarcity of studies examining this specific area within the Spanish context, because research on TPACK in FLT has primarily focused on Asia and the Middle East. To address this void, a comprehensive national study encompassing 39 public universities was conducted. This study involved an in-depth analysis of 496 course guides within the field of FLT in primary education teacher training programs. The research findings indicate that less than half of the subjects incorporate technology, and when they do, two prominent trends emerge: the integration of TPACK and the presentation of technology as a broad competency, not specifically tailored to FLT. The primary conclusion drawn from this study is that the incorporation of TPACK in this context is moderate, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive integration of technology within FLT teacher training programs.

Dismantling stereotypes: Sexual orientation and risk for substance use in adolescence.

Substance use and abuse is a major public health problem. Research has generally shown that sexual minority groups such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other (LGBT+) people are among the most at-risk vulnerable groups for substance use. However, research in the Spanish context is very scarce and has not analyzed these issues. This research, therefore, aimed to analyze substance use in young people according to their sexual orientation through two studies using representative samples of adolescents. The analyses revealed only some differences in substance use by sexual minority groups. Bisexual adolescents showed a higher frequency of use in some indicators of tobacco, cannabis and alcohol, and lesbians showed a higher frequency of heavy alcohol use but no other indicators of differential use. Questioning adolescents, on the other hand, had the lowest rates of use compared to the other groups on many indicators. Results derived from both studies could indicate, at least with these samples and indicators, that there is no generalized and more frequent use of substances by people of sexual minority groups, which could suggest the existence of a stereotype rather than a fact.

Systematic review on the characteristics and efficacy of school preventive programs for drug addiction in Spain.

The school environment is of great relevance in the prevention of drug use in students because it is where they spend most of their time and, since education is compulsory until upper secondary school in Spain, interventions in this area can reach the majority of children up to that stage. The objective of this systematic review is to determine the level of efficacy of the school preventive programs that have been implemented in Spain. Following the PRISMA recommendations, a systematic literature search was carried out in the Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. The search yielded 274 studies, of which 29 studies were selected. It was found that 48 drug addiction prevention programs have been implemented in Spanish school context, of which only 18 (37.5%) had an evaluation of their effectiveness following the criteria and standards of effective prevention. Conversely, the programs that were not evaluated are far from these standards in their design. It is concluded that there are two models of school prevention of drug addiction in Spain: a model that meets this description; and another model classified as "pseudo-prevention", since its design does not meet the standards of effective prevention nor has its preventive efficacy been demonstrated.

Multidimensional Measure of Well-Being, Translation, Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Reliability and Validity of the PERMA-Profiler in Spain

The main objective of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the PERMA-Profiler in a Spanish context. The PERMA-Profiler, developed by Butler & Kern (Int J Wellbeing 6(3):1-48, 2016) to measure Seligman’s (Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being, 2011) PERMA model of flourishing, consists of five domains that assess well-being: Positive Emotion (P), Engagement (E), Relationships (R), Meaning (M), and Accomplishment (A). We translated and adapted the PERMA-Profiler, analyzed the instrument’s reliability, its validity based on an internal structure through three confirmatory factor analyses, gender and age invariance, and its convergent and discriminant validity. A total of 2525 participants completed all measures. The results of the analyses to confirm the internal consistency are very acceptable in all the domains and in Overall Well-being (PERMA), except for the Engagement domain. The results of three confirmatory factor analyses show that the model of five independent interrelated factors (domains) presents the best fit. The analysis shows the invariance across gender and age groups. The analyses of the convergent validity show that are positively and significantly related to satisfaction with life (SWLS), to the six evaluated dimensions of psychological well-being (PWB), to positive affect (PANAS) and dispositional optimism (LOT-R) and the general physical and mental health status (SF-36). The discriminant validity analyses show that are related negatively and significantly to negative affect (PANAS), the total score of depression (BDI-II) and the Cognitive-Affective and Somatic-Motivational factors. The findings of this study indicate that the PERMA-Profiler is transferable to the Spanish context, and the Spanish version is a reliable and valid measure of well-being.

Evaluation of a program of social intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (PROSEAR)

Purpose The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) surpasses 2% in some regions. However, there is a lack of manualized programs targeting the social skills of adolescents with these disorders, particularly in the Spanish language context. This study aims to introduce PROSEAR, an innovative social skills program for adolescents with ASD implemented in a Day Hospital setting. Design/methodology/approach The evaluation used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Social Skills Scale (EHS) as measures, administering pre- and postintervention tests for each patient. Findings SDQ exhibited the most significant improvement in the domain of peer problems. In terms of EHS, it demonstrated beneficial effects across all evaluated domains, with statistically significant improvements observed specifically in the expression of anger or disagreement. Limitations include a small sample size and lack of a randomized control group. Originality/value The outcomes align with existing literature supporting the intervention as positive in clinical practice. Overall, the PROSEAR intervention shows promise for enhancing social skills in adolescents with ASD. Further research is needed to improve therapeutic approaches for this population.

Methodological Proposal for Sustainable Territorial Communication—The Case of Castilla y León

The proximity television model adopted by Castilla y León since 1999 is based on promoting territorial identity and closeness to citizens, in line with the principles of identity and proximity in regional television, albeit with the particularity in the Spanish context of being a regional television system managed by a private concessionaire. In response to the current challenges of the television sector, a consultancy project is implemented with a methodological approach based on a SWOT analysis and the participation of multiple actors. This work details the methodology followed during the different phases of this interdisciplinary consultancy work: definition of bases, development of a base document, and concretion of actions, until reaching the elaboration of a detailed guide that establishes strategic objectives and specific actions. This strategic approach translates into a proposal to improve the performance of regional television and its contribution to the economic and social development of the region; however, the difficulty for its effective implementation due to an uncertain political scenario is pointed out.

Differential Object Marking in Structurally Complex Contexts in Spanish: Evidence from Bilingual and Monolingual Processing

This study examines whether Differential Object Marking (DOM) realization and word order in relative clauses (RCs) in Spanish affect processing and interpretation among monolinguals and highly proficient Catalan–Spanish bilinguals. RCs are parallel in Catalan and Spanish, but DOM is much more restricted in Catalan than in Spanish, and, interestingly, the distinction between subject and object RCs relies mainly on the presence/absence of DOM. To examine DOM optionality, we concentrate on the top portion of the animacy scale and test the human/non-human contrast. Exploring these two populations allows us to test whether they resort to different strategies for the following three reasons: (1) bilingualism places an increased burden on memory processes); (2) the partial overlap between both DOM systems might lead to the influence from Catalan into Spanish); and (3) optionality has been proposed to characterize bilingual grammars). Findings from a word-by-word non-cumulative self-paced reading task showed that DOM modulates RC processing. With [+human] obligatorily marked objects, both monolinguals and bilinguals read subject RCs faster than object RCs, suggesting a strategy favoring subject RCs. However, monolinguals solved the interpretation early while processing but bilinguals, despite the more restricted DOM character of Catalan, are sensitive to DOM albeit displaying delayed spill-over effects. With [−human] optionally marked objects, bilinguals performed faster than monolinguals. We suggest that the uneven experience with DOM in Catalan, particularly with the non-standard variety that frequently displays DOM and that our bilinguals also speak in everyday conversations, facilitates bilinguals’ adaptation to the optional marking of non-human objects in Spanish, much in the same manner that they accommodate the presence or absence of DOM with both human and non-human objects in other native language.

Evolutionary regulatory dynamics in a pluralist and polarized journalism landscape: a case study of the normative framework in Spanish media

Within the European Union, the pluralist polarized journalistic model suggests the presence of journalistic cultures rooted in the connections between political parties and media organizations. In this classical framework, the state exerts significant intervention to influence a media system characterized by lower levels of professionalization. In this regard, Spain serves as a well-examined example of a pluralist polarized Western democracy. Our study entails a systematic review based on two distinct dimensions. Firstly, we scrutinized all legal documents pertaining to media regulation in Spain published between the Spanish transition and the present 1977–2024. From this perspective, we propose a chronological evolution to categorize this extensive collection of norms. Secondly, we complement our primary source assessment with an examination of secondary sources to validate the proposed evolution. Our findings indicate that the Spanish media regulation is evolving due to two pivotal factors: the influence of the European Union and the preservation of the narrative established during the transition to democracy. While contemporary communication grapples with issues such as the rise of artificial intelligence, journalistic instability, algorithmic communication, and fragmented user consumption, these areas are only addressed peripherally within the Spanish media normative context.

The application of ecosystem assessments in land use planning: A case study for supporting decisions toward ecosystem protection

This paper proposes a flexible methodology for ecosystem assessment oriented to climate-change adaptation and mitigation policies focused on ecosystem protection. This analysis is based on a methodology developed at the European level which is adapted and applied in a specific Spanish context, providing a practical application that can be replicated in other European contexts after cartographic adaptation. The novelty of the proposed method is the inclusion of ecosystem assessment for land use planning as an element to consider when justifying the reasons for land protection. It involves three main steps. The first step introduces the spatial information of the different ecosystems of the study area, including the identification of ecosystem services (ES) and the capacity of the different ecosystems to provide them. The second step proposes the ecosystem assessment methodology at the regional and local planning scale based on the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) project. The third step concerns the evaluation of the expected impacts on the ecosystems due to land-use-planning-related development trajectories to depict the possible negative consequences on ES. Such results show how the integration of ES assessments into land use planning tools could motivate land protection through providing evidence information on ecosystem risks, ES loss, or both.

Holistic exploration of reading comprehension skills, technology and socioeconomic factors in Spanish teenagers

The intricate relationship between teenagers' literacy and technology underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding, particularly in the Spanish context. This study employs explainable artificial intelligence (AI) to delve into this complex interplay, focusing on the pivotal role of reading comprehension skills in the personal and career development of Spanish teenagers. With a sample of 22,400 15-year-olds from the PISA dataset, we investigate the impact of socioeconomic factors, technology habits, parental education, residential location, and school type on reading comprehension skills. Utilizing machine learning techniques, our analysis reveals a nuanced connection between autonomy, technological proficiency, and academic performance. Notably, family oversight of technology use emerges as a crucial factor in managing the impact of digital technology and the Internet on reading comprehension skills. The study emphasizes the necessity for a balanced and supervised introduction to technology from an early age. Contrary to current trends, our findings indicate that online gaming may not contribute positively to reading comprehension skills, while moderate daily Internet use (1–4 h) proves beneficial. Furthermore, the study underscores the ongoing nature of acquiring reading comprehension and technological skills, emphasizing the need for continuous attention and guidance from childhood. Parental education levels are identified as partial predictors of children's performance, emphasizing the importance of a holistic educational approach that considers autonomy and technological literacy. This study advocates for addressing socio-economic and gender inequalities in education and highlights the crucial role of cooperation between schools and families, particularly those with lower educational levels.

“I will never be Spanish enough”. Gender-based Islamophobia in Spain: socio-educational aspects

ABSTRACT Recent studies have highlighted that Muslim women, as the most likely recipients of Islamophobia, are uniquely vulnerable to this complex phenomenon. In Spain, these are still very incipient, and practically non-existent from a socio-educational approach. Based on the life stories of 10 Muslim women, this research analyses in depth their experiences with gender-based Islamophobia in the Spanish context, and how it influences their processes of identity construction, feelings of belonging and religiosity. The sample includes Moroccan women, women of Moroccan origin (belonging to the so-called second generation) and converts. Four main thematic blocks emerged from the analysis: identity/feeling of belonging, religiosity, Islamophobia and education. In the discourses analysed, the hijab emerges as a key element of empowerment for many of them. In a context where Islam is often presented as incompatible with Western values, the analyses revealed how the participants experience continuous identity contradictions, producing both a rejection of their culture and roots, and a greater identification with it, sometimes in a reactive way. We argue that it is important for educational and social institutions to address the stereotypes and prejudices associated with Muslim women and to promote the positive construction of multiple, positive and non-exclusive identities.