Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design.

For most people, body satisfaction is crucial to develop both a positive self-concept and self-esteem, and therefore, it can influence mental health and well-being. This idea has been tested with younger people, but no studies explore whether body image interventions are useful when people age. This research validates a specific program designed for older people (IMAGINA Specific Body Image Program). This is done by employing a mixed experimental design, with between-subject and within-subject comparisons that focus on body satisfaction before and after experimental treatment, comparing two groups. Using this experimental methodology makes it possible to identify the effect of the intervention in a group of 176 people. The score obtained with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) was the dependent variable, and the IMAGINA program was the independent one. As for age, gender, relationship status, season, and residence environment, these were controlled variables. There were significant differences in body satisfaction between the two programs, obtaining better results with IMAGINA. The controlled variables had a much less significant effect than the treatment. Therefore, it is possible to improve body satisfaction in older adults through interventions similar to the one presented here.

Dataset of factors impacting second language learning from Teachers' experience.

Developing an accurate second language competence different from the mother tongue has become an essential skill in today's globalized world, and therefore it is a highly valued and demanded learning among the main educational institutions and models. However, it is a complex process that is influenced by numerous and, in many cases, unknown factors, which are not usually taken into consideration when designing second language learning processes, which tend to lead to inadequate teaching and may lead to school failure that could have been avoided. 216 in-service teachers from all non-university educational stages of the Community of Madrid, Spain, evaluate the significance of 44 factors traditionally associated with second language learning, which are grouped into four general categories (factors linked to students; factors linked to teachers; learning structure and organisation; and learning environment) through a five-point Likert scale. The data were collected using a Google Forms questionnaire through the research described in Arigita-García et al. (2021) [1]. The sample is heterogeneous concerning different attribute variables such as age, teaching experience, gender, school ownership, and the language in which classes are taught. The sample was obtained through social networks and teacher forums. The data collection offers essential information to better understand the process of second language learning, as it gathers the experience and learning accumulated by the teachers who took part in this work, which implies direct information from the educational reality that they are intended to improve.

Pre-eminence of determining factors in second language learning: An educator's perspective from Spain.

Second language acquisition as a process is subject to factors related to the student, the teacher, the learning structure and learning organisation, and also to the learning environment. The research hereby presented aims to establish the relevance of the above-mentioned factors in the process of second language learning. The study addresses the point of view of teachers, as their perspective concerning the learning process is privileged. If it were not to be included in a scientific process, this detailed and contextual knowledge would not be able to contribute to the improvement of teaching. The data obtained will allow for the designing of teaching strategies focused on learners' needs and requirements. This is a descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study with the participation of 216 practicing teachers within the Community of Madrid in Spain. The information was collected through an online questionnaire using the Google Drive tool Google Forms. Then, it was analysed and validated with IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0. The outcomes of the study show that the factors linked to the teacher are the most dominant for those educators in the Community of Madrid. Regarding the teacher-student relationship, the use of teaching resources and materials adequate for learning, together with the communication, strategies used, the linguistic input received by the students and the planning of lessons, are factors showing the greatest capacity to determine the process of teaching and learning a second language.

Online Explorative Study on the Learning Uses of Virtual Reality Among Early Adopters.

Virtual reality (VR) has shown great educational potential because it makes it possible to simulate any desired situation or event, thus playing an important role in addressing current educational challenges. Despite the unlimited learning possibilities that VR may offer, unless users are willing to apply virtual devices to education, the investment of time, money, and effort will be fruitless. It is therefore crucial to assess the educational interest of the first generation of VR users and to identify their current needs. To this end, in this study we designed an online questionnaire and applied it through the SaaS (Software as a service) of a private server. The sample consisted of 117 early VR adopters recruited via a main portal of communication and information technologies in Spain. In order to engage participants, we posted a thread in the main forum, which is dedicated to the advances and potential uses of VR. Once the responses were gathered, we analyzed the relationship between 12 variables (mean contrasts with Snedecor's F, and contingency analysis with chi-square and Sommer's d). The results showed that the current profile of a VR user is a male over 35 years old, with university studies, and who has purchased his viewer recently (<1 year). As for the learning and teaching applications that these users were interested in, only 13.7% of the participants in this study use VR for educational purposes, although 28.2% were interested, indicating that perhaps the lack of applications or learning experiences may be hampering the use of VR within education. Almost half of the early adopters surveyed would like to learn using VR technology and are somehow optimistic about the relationship between VR and education, particularly those who are younger.

Measurement of different types of intelligence (general, verbal vs. non-verbal, multiple), academic performance and study habits of secondary students at a Music Integrated Centre.

According to many relevant scientific researches conducted in the last few years [1-3], the study of music-related subjects implies greater development of both intellectual and executive functions of students. Those functions comprise musical intelligence [4] and the rest of multiple intelligences [5], as well as the general and factorial intelligence [6]. The present research may help students organise and plan their studies with an improvement of their study habits, thus better self-organising their daily work. Unfortunately, the percentage of secondary students at Music Integrated Centres is less than 0.01% of the total centres; indeed, there are only 10 centres in Spain out of 34,149 total number of non-university education centres of this type [7]. Hence, the sample obtained from this data collection is a rara avis of a great scientific value [8,9]. In this study, a sample of 28 first-year secondary students at a Music Integrated Centre has been collected. In Music Integrated Centres, learners simultaneously study the General Education System and music-related courses from their third year of Primary Education until the second year of Baccalaureate. In order to obtain the data, several measurement tests have been conducted, namely general and factorial intelligence, multiple intelligence and study habits. Moreover, the study collects the academic performance of students in two evaluations carried out the school year 2017-2018 of the general courses on Spanish Language (mother tongue of the students), Mathematics, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and English as a Foreign Language, as well as the music-related subjects, in particular Musical Language, Instrument and Choir. The data gathered for this field study can be useful if related to other researches on students belonging to other levels and modalities at Secondary Education with a focus on multiple intelligences and learning strategies, among others.

Early virtual reality adopters in Spain: sociodemographic profile and interest in the use of virtual reality as a learning tool.

This study describes the social and demographic profile of the first generation of users of marketed virtual reality (VR) viewers in Spain and, subsequently, it assesses the interest in its use as a learning tool. For that purpose, an online questionnaire created ad hoc was administered to a sample of 117 participants. The relationship between twelve variables was analysed comparing means through the Snedecor's F distribution and the contingency tables through the Chi-squared test and Somers' D. Among other issues, it was concluded that the virtual reality user profile at present corresponds to a person older than 36, mainly men, with higher education and having acquired their viewer no longer than one year ago. Concerning the interests of virtual reality users as a learning tool, only a few of them currently use virtual reality for this aim, but they mainly show an interest in using the virtual reality as a learning method and they feel optimism regarding the future use of this technology as a learning tool. However, this is not the case among users of video game consoles (PSVR), who are mainly men not interested in their use as a learning tool at present. Finally, it can be stated that current use as a learning tool among teachers and students is occasional and preferably via smartphones.

Improvement of Body Satisfaction in Older People: An Experimental Study.

Aging typically manifests itself in a variety of physical and cognitive alterations and challenges that are not always easily accepted. Feeling dissatisfied with these changes can also affect the mood and self-esteem of older people causing body image problems. The present study focuses on body satisfaction in Spanish older people (176 participants; M and SD = 64.03 ± 1 8.06; age range 50 to over 75) by employing experimental research to test whether psychosocial interventions may have a positive impact. Our aims are threefold: (1) To describe the body satisfaction of older people considering intervening variables, such as age, gender, having a stable partner, time of the year, and place of residence; (2) to compare body satisfaction improvement in older people participating in a specific body satisfaction program designed for this purpose versus a non-specific program run by the Spanish Red Cross; and (3) to examine the relationship between age, gender, having a stable partner, time of the year, place of residence, body satisfaction and participating in the experimental condition. The IMAGINA specific body image program yielded a significant improvement in body satisfaction when compared with the non-specific program in both men and women regardless of marital status and in some age groups: 50 to 54 years old, 60 to 64 years old, and 65 to 69. Male participants, as well as singles, were more satisfied with their bodies, and the contrary was true for divorced and separated. The IMAGINA program was particularly useful in participants with more body image problems. As shown, the pressure to fit beauty standards and related problems do not go away with age, a fact that is embodied and experienced differently in men and women.

Demographic data, habits of use and personal impression of the first generation of users of virtual reality viewers in Spain.

Taking into account that the first virtual reality viewers started to be marketed in Spain at the end of 2016 (Gadelha, 2018; Parong and Mayer, 2018; Rizzo and Koenig, 2017) [1], [2], [3], a questionnaire was designed in order to show the social and demographic profile of this first generation of users of virtual reality experiences, itemising their ages, genders, educational level, professional field and present work status. Furthermore, the participants' habits of use, interests, attitudes, assessments about the future potential of virtual reality in a range of areas and their preferences in this area are shown through the other items of the questionnaire. A wide sample of 117 participants, who were early adopters of virtual reality viewers, was obtained posting a new thread in the virtual reality forum of the Internet website 'Elotrolado.net'. The data were collected by means of an online questionnaire hosted at the private servers of 'Encuestafacil.com'. The sample did not undergo any pre-treatment and the obtained data were not altered.