Universidad Nacional De Costa Rica Research Articles

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In 2021, Costa Rica was still dealing with the sanitary conditions caused by the COVID-19 virus, which eminently impacted the educational system. Therefore, at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA), the pedagogical praxis had to be mostly developed through the remote learning modality; this research explains the mediation process carried out in two English I courses, which specifically addressed the reading skill through four main principles and seven determined strategies. The results of this study show that students highly benefited and improved in the reading ability, which in turn, helped them in the listening, speaking, and writing macro-skills as well as in the grammar, phonetics, and vocabulary micro-abilities.

Analysis of the School Climate Scale in University Environments (ECEAU)

[Objective] The aim of this paper is to verify the factorial structure of the School Climate Scale in University Environments (ECEAU) through structural equation models (SEM). [Methodology] A non-experimental cross-sectional study was carried out with a random sample of 381 students of the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA), to whom the ECEAU was applied. A SEM model was proposed to confirm the factor structure of the scale and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to provide the basis for an alternative SEM model with a different structure. The reliability of scales was determined using McDonald’s omega, and the goodness of fit indexes used for the SEM models were the RMSEA, the CFI, the TLI and the GFI. The analysis was carried out using R software. [Results] The reliability of the scales in both models was adequate (w >0.70), although the metrics in the proposed model produced better results. The AFE suggested a different structure for the ECEAU, keeping some dimensions of the original structure and modifying and eliminating others. The goodness of fit indexes in both models were almost identical, with RMSEA=0.02, CFI=0.99, TLI=0.99 and GFI=0.98, which provides supporting evidence for the factorial structures proposed. [Conclusions] The original structure of the ECEAU was confirmed, while the differences in the results of the estimation and rotation methods generated another equally valid factorial structure for measuring the school climate construct in this university, and could be applied to other similar contexts.

La Cultura y su Relación con la Interpretación de Implicaturas Conversacionales

Language and culture are two components that cannot be separated when learning a language; therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine the impact of Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) and Universidad Hispanoamericana (UH)’s English teaching major's cultural courses in 2022 senior students’ interpretation of conversational implicatures. The methodology involves a qualitative study in which a survey, a questionnaire, and an interview were applied. Findings showed that media is participants’ primary source of cultural knowledge, certain implicatures are harder to interpret due to the nature of their corresponding maxims, and that lack of cultural knowledge is a factor that influences implicature interpretation. Few participants was the most relevant limitation of the study. It is recommended to carry similar research with a bigger sample of participants and implementing different methodologies.

Violence and prison: an approach to culture within walls from overcrowding in Costa Rica

This work has been undertaken as part of the academic project UNA pedagogía para el reencuentro: derechos humanos, educación y literatura en centros de atención institucional de Costa Rica of Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) and the Instituto de Estudios Latinoamericanos (IDELA). It covers the problem of prison overcrowding in the Costa Rican penal system: due to this issue, a large number of human rights are violated day by day to the extent of becoming a worrying and urgent problem to address. The country has entered a prison crisis where the dignity of people deprived of liberty has been diminishing with ill-treatment in terms of food, recreation, and health. The accumulation of these factors has generated the constitution of a violent prison culture; human interaction between walls is constituted between tensions and indifference among inmates.

Theoretical-Methodological Reflections for the Approach to Older Adults in Vulnerable Situations: From Social Education to Social Pedagogy, a Study in the Province of Alajuela, Costa Rica

This article systematizes theoretical and methodological considerations to care to vulnerable elders. It also systematizes the experiential process in jointly building a network of older adults in Santa Rita de Alajuela, as part of the 2013-2018 Social Pedagogy project being implemented by Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) at Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Educación (CIDE) [Center for Education Teaching and Research] of UNA’s Division of Basic Education (DEB). The methodology is based on the naturalistic paradigm and holds that participating adults and older adults are both builders of previous stages and social actors at current stages in their lives. This field is addressed by social pedagogy through participatory action research. A conclusion reached by the research team in the project is that the elderly population in this type of community requires not only care and healthcare but also leisure and recreational spaces as tools to improve health thoroughly. This will result, in turn, in enjoyment, well-being, and quality of life and will be reflected in the emotional and physical health of the elderly.

Reflection on Praxis as an Axis of Pedagogical Training of Faculty of Universidad Nacional

This essay will explore the process of teacher training at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA). A historical overview of the approaches to teacher professional development and an analysis of future challenges is made. The need for the inclusion of reflection on praxis as the axis of training is argued, through specific strategies, such as the systematization of experiences, learning communities, and pedagogical partners.

Barreiras à institucionalização da extensão universitária: Experiência da Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica

The current challenges demand that the statutory social mission of public universities be strengthened, where the university extension stands out as key. The incoherence of academic management in many universities restricts this integration due to conceptual, methodological and operational gaps present in the extension process. The present article shows the results of a qualitative research, Rica, through the study of case, carried out in Escuela de Planificación y Promoción Social of the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, with the objective of exploring the university barriers that disturb the contribution of higher education to the fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: to achieve quality, inclusive, and equitable education with expanded opportunities for more people.

A Register-Based Perspective to Suprasegmentals in ELT

The current paper is a systematization of EFL experiences around the teaching of suprasegmentals courses from a register-based perspective. Simply put, the proposal is based on the notion that prosodic elements must be taught from a communicative perspective, where speech acts are adjusted to specific communicative situations considering the formality level required (casual, informal, formal, or fixed). To a large degree, the approach derives from the authors’ empirical evidence gained while teaching suprasegmentals at Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica (UNA) and Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) over the course of four years.

Sondeo de Casos en Personas Mayores sobre Actividades Cotidianas y Utilización de Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en Tiempos de Pandemia

República Dominicana, Costa Rica y Argentina fueron el escenario para este sondeo realizado por un equipo interdisciplinario que cuenta con investigadores en los tres países mencionados, quienes se interesaron por conocer algunas de las condiciones que viven las personas mayores (PM) tras el distanciamiento social por la COVID-19 impuesto a partir del 19 marzo 2020. El objetivo fue auscultar a partir de la pandemia si las PM mantienen una vida activa y cuál es el nivel de utilización de las TIC para establecer relaciones, actividades de aprendizaje, recreación y estado emocional. La metodología consistió en recolección de datos utilizando la herramienta de gestión de formularios de Google Forms y para la presentación se utilizó la herramienta R Studio versión 1.3.959, para equipos Apple. La información sobre aprendizaje y estado emocional se complementó con registro anecdótico de asistentes al Programa de Atención Integral de la Persona Adulta Mayor (PAIPAM) de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Los resultados arrojaron que las PM de esta muestra se mantienen activas realizando tareas del hogar, y utilizan TIC para comunicarse con familia y amigos, aprender nuevos conocimientos y recreación. La pandemia impactó emocionalmente a más de la mitad de la población estudiada, por lo que garantizar las condiciones que faciliten las relaciones vinculares y nuevos aprendizajes en esta época, resulta indispensable. Se concluye así la importancia que las TIC tienen para las PM y la necesidad de crear espacios de capacitación tecnológica que refuercen relaciones intergeneracionales e interpersonales y políticas públicas que lo posibiliten.

CLAGistas: The Rise of Women in Latin American Geography

CLAGistas:The Rise of Women in Latin American Geography T. Shawn Mitchell the conference of latin american Geographers (CLAG) and I are both fifty this year, making it an apt time for celebration and introspection. When I finished my doctorate in 1997, pregnant with my second child, I didn't know how to balance fieldwork in Central America with motherhood, so I continued to teach as an adjunct but put my career on hold. Now that I am re-entering the academic world, I feel like Rip Van Winkle waking up after a twenty-year maternity leave to find an explosion in the number of women engaged in Latin American geography. In honor of our semi-centennial, I'd like to use this essay to outline the growth of women in CLAG ("CLAGistas") over the past five decades and then provide my perspective as an academic late bloomer. Statistically, men still dominate geography, making up 65 percent of faculty in colleges and universities and 70 percent of employees in non-academic geographical professions (AAG, 2018). Those numbers belie the gains made by women on many fronts, from leadership to publications and employment. Publications serve as a valuable metric for assessing women's progress because they reflect not only the ability to conduct research, but also access to resources and institutional support. In most universities, peer-reviewed articles remain the "corner-stone of professional advancement" (Fredrich & Salazar, 1990, p. 361). To put CLAG's numbers in perspective, female contributors to the Annals of the American Association of Geography rose from zero in 1956 to 35 percent in 2016, with a similar trend in The Professional Geographer (AAG, 2015). According to Fredrich and Salazar (1990), women authored only 10 percent of articles in the first decade of CLAG's Publication Series. To provide a more complete picture of female authorship over time, I used the online archives of CLAG publications (Publication Series, Proceedings, Yearbook, and Journal of Latin American Geography) to tally articles with female authors and co-authors in fiveyear intervals between 1980 and 2019. There was little growth over the first three decades, but female contributions rose significantly after 2000, and in 2019 women (as authors and co-authors) contributed an impressive 65 percent of articles and 43 percent of reviews (Figure 1). CLAGista research is diverse and leans more toward applied than theoretical topics. Agricultural and historical themes dominated the early decades, but migration, globalization, and environmental issues are now ascendant. Feminist geography "[a]lthough not solely a subject of interest to women … is perhaps the only subfield in geography [End Page 20] that is clearly dominated by women" (Schroeder, 2002, p. 149). Of the thirty-two articles and reviews with gender-related titles published between 1990 and 2019, 82 percent were authored or co-authored by women. The word "women" appeared in eighteen titles, "gender(ed)" in eight, and "mujer(es)," "feminist/feminism," "feminista," and "latina" each showed up twice. Since this count is based solely on titles, it overlooks articles in which the content might be gender related. It also neglects work CLAGistas do outside of academic publication to promote women in geography, like the "Let Girls Map" program started by Patricia Solis. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Female authorship as a percent of total journal content for select years, 1980–2019. (Articles include introductory essays, research articles, JLAG Perspectives, and "From the Field" notes. Those written by female co-authors may also have male authors. Reviews include reviews of films, websites and books). Conferences provide another gauge of women's participation in Latin American geography. There were no female presenters at the first CLAG meeting in Muncie, IN, in 1970 (Davidson, personal communication, 18 May 2018). In the subsequent decade, women presented only 9 percent of papers, inching up to 17 percent in the 1980s (Fredrich & Salazar, 1990). At the 2018 conference in San Jose, Costa Rica, women presented nearly half of the papers, and received all eight of that year's student travel awards. While host universities are disproportionately represented at any given conference, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, and the University...

Evaluation of the Design and Didactic Development of Three Blended Learning Subjects. A Pilot Plan of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica

This article presents the results of the exploratory pre-experimental evaluation process of design and didactic development of three subjects using the semi-distance learning model or blended learning, through a pilot application plan in bachelor’s degrees of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. First, the blended learning model was applied. Later, scientific information was collected through a survey of students, a panel discussion with teachers, and an analysis of the contents of the study programs. The results show that the interaction between students and teachers increases through their favorite activities such as forums and tasks, which strengthen the individual and collaborative work and the reflective analysis, aspects that favor building learnings. Various lines of research arise from this study; they are necessary to go in depth, specifically, in quasi-experimental studies. Some of these lines are the following: to show the assumptions of the blended learning and educational factors that favor the development of meaningful learning for the student; to determine what the cognitive processes, carried out in mixed learning environments, are; and to test the positive relationship between the student’s academic performance and the semi-distance didactics.

Factores relacionados con la deserción estudiantil en la cohorte 2016, de la carrera de Bachillerato y Licenciatura en la Enseñanza de la Matemática de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA)

El estudio abarca la problemática de la deserción universitaria en los estudiantes de la carrera de Bachillerato y Licenciatura en la Enseñanza de la Matemática de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Se pretende describir a la cohorte 2016 y determinar algunos factores asociados con la deserción, mediante la aplicación de entrevistas telefónicas semiestructuradas a los desertores. Se consideraron, para el análisis descriptivo, variables como la nota del colegio de procedencia, la nota del examen de admisión, la nota tipificada, el índice de desarrollo social, el estrato, el sexo, el tipo de financiamiento del colegio, la condición de beca, la zona de residencia, los créditos matriculados y aprobados. Como resultado de la investigación, se encontró que existen diferencias entre desertores y no desertores en las variables nota de admisión, créditos matriculados y aprobados. Además, la deserción afecta más a las mujeres, estudiantes no becados y de zonas urbanas. Se entrevistaron 11 desertores y se ilustraron tres de esos casos, en los cuales se logró determinar que los aspectos vocacionales, los económicos, los métodos de enseñanza y las expectativas no satisfechas hacia la carrera son los principales factores asociados con el abandono escolar.

Charter of Healthy Pedagogy: Reunions of Life, Dialogue, and Peace

The purpose of this document is to promote the Charter of Healthy Pedagogy, which constitutes a declaration in favor of life, dialogue and peace. From a methodological point of view, it is based on a research project conducted at the Centro de Investigacion y Docencia en Educacion (CIDE, Center for Teaching and Research in Education) of the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA, National University of Costa Rica). Based on the project titled “Healthy Pedagogy” conducted by the Division de Educacion Basica (Department of Basic Education), CIDE, between 2013 and 2016, a robust theoretical framework has been constructed, which invites and confronts the reader to reconsider the pedagogical processes as vital ones. This Charter is a direct result of the entire research process, which extends the horizon of considerations and actions regarding the ethical commitments and challenges to discover new education landscapes towards a culture of care and a reunion with life. The Charter of Health Pedagogy transcends the scope of college education and constitutes a document that inspires healthy pedagogic mediation processes throughout all education levels in an attempt to experience vital spaces in favor of integral growth. From the principles this Charter is based on to promote education from complexity, the student as a whole, the ethics of care in pedagogic mediation, the construction of learning communities, the religation, and the existence of a cosmic conscience are all recognized.

Resolución de problemas en la enseñanza del cálculo diferencial e integral en una variable: Perspectiva de los docentes de matemática

Las líneas de investigaciones en resolución de problemas en la enseñanza de las matemáticas son muchas y con similitudes y discrepancias entre sí. En particular, lo que se entiende por resolución de problemas presenta diferencias entre la teoría y la práctica. En la enseñanza de la matemática superior, el cálculo diferencial e integral en una variable es un área rica para el uso de la resolución de problemas por sus contenidos y la cantidad de carreras universitarias que la incluyen en sus planes de estudios. Por esto se quiso indagar sobre el uso que le dan docentes de matemática a la resolución de problemas en la enseñanza del cálculo diferencial e integral en una variable. Para esto se aplicó un cuestionario a docentes con experiencia en la enseñanza del cálculo diferencial e integral en una variable de la Universidad de Costa Rica, la Universidad Nacional, el Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica y la Universidad Estatal a Distancia. Los resultados revelan contradicciones entre las concepciones de docentes sobre lo que es un problema matemático y su implementación en el aula.

Perspectivas y retos de la mujer guanacasteca: un análisis reflexivo desde la obra literaria de Joaquín García Monge

El propósito fundamental de la presente comunicación es promover un diálogo sobre el rol de la mujer en la obra literaria de Joaquín García Monge (1881-1958) y su reflejo en la sociedad de Guanacaste de ayer y de hoy. En esta obra, se encuentran referentes claves implícitos en la vida de los personajes femeninos de García Monge y sus vivencias, permitiendo así establecer un análisis descriptivo y comparativo con el rol de la mujer en la sociedad guanacasteca. En los relatos de Joaquín García Monge, se nos invita a viajar al pasado y ser cómplices de acontecimientos vividos por mujeres que evocan estilos de vida, prejuicios y estereotipos muy latentes hoy para, de esta manera, enlazar el pasado con el presente y valorar el futuro desde esta concepción. Esta reflexión se une a la lucha por la igualdad de género y destaca los avances logrados y los desafíos por resolver según la voz, los aportes y las percepciones de las mujeres guanacastecas, académicas y estudiantes de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Sede Regional Chorotega, Campus Liberia.

Entornos personales de aprendizaje de estudiantes universitarios costarricenses de educación: análisis de las herramientas de búsqueda de información

<p class="RESUMENCURSIVA">Buscar y gestionar la información constituyen componentes fundamentales de los Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje (PLE). En este estudio se analiza el nivel de conocimiento, uso y capacitación de los estudiantes de Educación de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, así como las finalidades que se pretenden y las actividades que se desarrollan cuando manejan herramientas tecnológicas para el acceso a la información.</p><p class="RESUMENCURSIVA">Basándose en un diseño ex post facto de carácter transeccional, se aplicó un cuestionario construido ad hoc en el que participaron 381 alumnos. Los resultados muestran como los PLE de estos estudiantes necesitan un mayor desarrollo acorde con la vertiginosa evolución de la tecnología. Destaca su desconocimiento de ciertas herramientas, especialmente web 2.0, así como el escaso uso y la limitada capacitación que poseen. Se recomienda fortalecer la formación tecno-pedagógica de los estudiantes de manera que se pueda enriquecer su PLE en su doble vertiente de usuarios y futuros formadores.</p><em><strong></strong></em>

La formación académica del director coral y sus herramientas para el desarrollo de coros infantiles. Situación actual en Costa Rica y España

This qualitative research seeks to understand the current situation of choral conducting studies in Costa Rica and Spain, emphasizing on the tools required to work with children´s choirs. The curriculum of choral conducting careers at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica and the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid was studied by means of an analysis of documents and an analytic comparison with the SWOT method. The study of plans primarily focused on subjects related to pedagogy and singing as essential foundations in the specific area of children’s choirs. Additionally, an analysis of interviews to choral directors from both countries visualized the experiences of directors in their performance with children´s choirs, what skills were acquired in their undergraduate education, as well their perception of what should change or adjust in the curriculum. Significant shortcomings were perceived in teacher’s training in relation with the subjects of the career. A strengthening with more contents in teaching methodologies and pedagogical resources was suggested.

El proceso vocacional del estudiantado universitario en condición de logro y rezago académico: Un análisis desde el enfoque evolutivo de Donald Super

This article is based on an investigation whose main purpose was to analyze students’ vocational development in statuses of achievement and academic lagging in Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Chemistry at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, during 2014, by implementing Donald Super’s evolutionary approach. A naturalist paradigm, a design of collective case studies of four people (two students from each academic status), four data gathering tools (in-depth interviews, semi-structured interviews, in-depth discussion meetings, and observation), and the categorical thematic analysis method were applied. It was found that there are differences in the vocational process of the four cases studied when referring to one academic status or the other, where the category of achievement is more leaning trend to a better vocational performance, even though it is not a predictor of this; while the academic lagging presents more difficulties in its different vocational stages. Therefore, it is recommended not to neglect academic, vocational and personal-social support to any of both populations, considering their particularities related to the specific vocational processes and the evaluations they carry out during the career.

Abordajes de la educación sexual en universidades públicas costarricenses: Un estudio exploratorio

This research paper aims to show the panorama and scope of the current existing sex education practices carried out by the Costa Rican public universities. It analyzes different initiatives, its theoretical approaches that guide the actions, their purposes and other relevant aspects. The analysis includes secondary information as well as the point of view of students and university staff, as inputs for decision-making aimed at improving the overall education of young people. The findings take part of an exploratory research based on qualitative and quantitative methodologies based on gender and constructionism perspective. The information was gathered via the application of a questionnaire to a specific uneven stratified cluster groups, composed by 766 enrolled undergraduate students since first semester 2011 at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. The statistical margin of error was 1.5% and the confidence level of 95%. In addition, two focus groups with students and depth interviews with 16 persons were made. Data were tabulated with CSPRO software and analyzed using R software. The findings suggest that Costa Rican universities recognize the importance of sex education as an essential part of overall development of students. Most of the initiatives are institutionalized; however, the lack of guidelines or policies on the subject, in most institutions, affects quality, consolidation and expansion of services. The need to strengthen and expand training activities on sexuality was identified as well. The students have a high opinion about the services offered, but few of them use these services, because they are perceived as less accessible and friendly. This paper concludes that it is a priority to maintain and strengthen existing initiatives on sexual education, so that they can effectively satisfy the needs of youth, with timely interventions and quality to enjoy a healthy and safe sexuality free from violence.

Educación sexual de la población joven universitaria: Algunos determinantes y desafíos

In general terms, higher education institutions not only face the challenge of teaching some discipline to their students, but also of strengthening their life skills. Since university students are majorly young, the desire to provide them with comprehensive training is particularly relevant, since it is at this stage of life when they model their behavior for adulthood. In this training challenge, sex education plays a decisive role. This research paper aims to show that factors such as information gaps, unsafe sexual practices, myths, prejudices and stereotypes persist in the university student population and do not allow them to live sexuality safely and pleasurable. Moreover, these factors show Costa Rica’s need for higher education institutions to strengthen their actions in sex education. A brief tour is made from various angles through the sexual experiences of the university student population, namely: their perceptions about the training requirements they face, their main concerns, their unsafe sexual practices, their inability to negotiate sexual and reproductive health care, their knowledge and preventive practices in terms of sexual and reproductive health, the existence of forms of violence within university life, among others. The findings set out are part of a larger research, based on contributions from the theory of gender and social constructionism. Such data derives from the application of a questionnaire to a sample stratified by unequal conglomerates composed of 766 regular students of undergraduate courses, enrolled in the first cycle of 2011, at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. The margin of error is 1.5% and the confidence level, 95%. The data was tabulated using the software CSPRO and analyzed with software R. After obtaining the results of the instrument’s application, a focus group was created with the participation of professionals who teach sexuality courses in this university, and two other groups with students, aimed at analyzing the findings and propose actions for their care, at a university level.