Gil Pla-Campas

This study investigates the impact of project-based learning (PBL) on the perception of professional competence in Early Childhood Education (ECE) among pre-service teachers in Spain. A total of 586 students from four Spanish universities participated in a pre-post test design using the ECPP-FIM scale to measure the impact of the PBL approach on the perception of professional psychomotor intervention skills of ECE. The PBL approach involved close collaboration with preschools, providing students with hands-on experience designing and implementing movement-based activities in natural contexts. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including ANOVA, were used to analyse the data. Results indicate substantial improvements in the perception of professional competence across all five areas of the ECPP-FIM scale. Moreover, students from vocational education backgrounds showed consistently higher pre-and post-test scores than those from other academic pathways. Findings support the effectiveness of PBL in bridging the theory-practice divide and emphasize the importance of integrating real-world experiences in teacher training. To conclude, this study highlights the key characteristics that an ordinary university subject should incorporate to enhance the perception of professional competence.

Background. Interest in aquatic programs for babies has grown significantly, with many families participating worldwide. While numerous studies have examined the effects of these programs on motor development or aquatic learning, little attention has been given to the emotional experiences of the interaction. Understanding how emotions appear in each subject and how they influence the learning process opens a valuable area of exploration in early childhood motor development. Objectives. The goal of this research was to explore the emotional responses of both subjects of the baby-adult dyad during an aquatic programme for babies, and their relation to the aquatic learning process of the baby. Methods. Using a descriptive and intrasubject approach, the study observed fortnightly the emotional reactions to the aquatic motor behaviour of the babies of four dyads during a four-month aquatic programme. We designed an ad hoc system of categories of observation of the babies’ behaviour and the emotional response of both subjects in levels of positive, neutral and negative emotions. Results. The analysis of 1,962 individual emotional responses indicates that each dyad and their subjects behave differently and independently. Results show that an increase of tasks difficulty correlates with more positive emotional responses from adults. In contrast, there is no significant relationship between the difficulty of the tasks of the baby and its emotional responses. Conclusions. Since this is a first approach to the study of emotions in aquatic programmes for babies, its results invite us to debate the relationship between emotions and learning.

Propósito: Dada la dificultad existente en la implementación de los Modelo Basado en la Práctica (MBP) en la educación física (EF) expresada en la literatura, se presenta un estudio sobre la aplicación del Aprendizaje Cooperativo (AC) en la EF de primaria. Método: Un equipo investigador trans-institucional (escuela-universidad) experto en AC, supervisó y desarrolló un análisis temático narrativo de caso único a partir de los relatos autoetnográficos creativos, pero no ficticios, de una maestra de EF de 5° curso. Resultados: Se presentan cinco relatos no ficcionales que narran en crudo eventos significativos de cada una de las condiciones básicas de la AC. Discusión/Conclusión: La investigación evidencia el valor de las narrativas como motor de reflexión educativa que contribuye a mostrar la complejidad en la aplicación del AC en un aula y a disminuir la brecha existente entre la teoría de los MBP y su aplicación práctica.

Torsional disorders of the lower limb are common in childhood, and they are one of the primary reasons parents seek consultation with healthcare providers. While clinical manoeuvres can assess femoral and tibial torsion, their reliability is medium to low. Various imaging-based techniques, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, fluoroscopy, biplanar radiology and ultrasonography, have been used to evaluate torsional alterations of the lower extremity. Among these, ultrasound assessment offers certain advantages: it is a low-cost, non-irradiating technique, which allows the follow-up of children’s torsional development. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, its validity and reliability have not been summarised in a systematic review. This study aims to analyse the validity and reliability of ultrasonography in determining femoral and tibial torsion in children and adolescents. A search from Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus and CINAHL databases were performed from inception to 16 March 2023. No restrictions were placed on the publication year or language. The methodological quality of all eligible studies was independently reviewed by two authors using QUADAS and STARD checklists. Overall, 1546 articles were identified through the searches; 30 were considered eligible for full-text screening; and 8 studies were finally included in this review. The included studies were conducted in Germany, Norway and the UK. Among them, 7 studies analysed the validity of ultrasonography compared with other imaging techniques such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and biplanar X-ray, and 4 studies assessed intra- and inter-observer reliability. All the studies assessed femoral torsion, but only one of them also included tibial torsion.     Conclusion: Ultrasound is a good alternative for routine evaluation and follow-up of femoral torsional alterations in children and adolescents due to its safety, accessibility and immediate results in the clinical examination room. Although ultrasound has good accuracy and reliability for routine evaluations, there is controversy about whether it is sufficient for surgical planning. In cases where greater accuracy is required, magnetic resonance imaging and biplanar radiography are the preferred imaging techniques. What is Known:• Several imaging-based techniques have been described for the assessment of torsional alterations of the lower extremity.• Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, biplanar radiology and ultrasonography are the most used and studied methods. What is New:• Ultrasonography represents a good alternative for the assessment of femoral and tibial torsional alterations in children and adolescents, given its safety, accessibility and immediacy of results in the consultation room.• Its accuracy and reliability are good but not sufficient for surgical planning, in which case MRI and biplanar X-ray will be the preferred choices.

Introduction: Ruptures of the rotator cuff tendon are one of the most common causes of pain and dysfunction in adults, and total rupture affects approximately 20% of the population, with this number increasing significantly after the age of 50. When conservative treatment fails, surgical repair is necessary. Studies show that aquatic rehabilitation improves joint balance early in the initial stages after rotator cuff surgery and that the aquatic environment is a safe and protective environment for the integrity of the sutures. The aim of this study is to present an early, intensive and complementary aquatic rehabilitation protocol for arthroscopy of the rotator cuff. Materials and methods: Consensus was reached by the Delphi method. Twelve experts in aquatic rehabilitation were recruited to evaluate the proposed protocol. They were selected considering their experience in aquatic rehabilitation as well as their knowledge of the subject based on the expert competence coefficient. The questionnaires were completed online through a website created for this study. The questions were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, and a minimum threshold of 80% favourable responses was regarded as consensus. Results: Three sessions of 30 minutes of active functional exercises in the water for three weeks will achieve the proposed goals. Conclusions: The experts agreed on the early, intensive and complementary aquatic rehabilitation protocol following arthroscopic repair of the rotator cuff.

La noción de competencia acuática en la infancia es un enfoque de análisis emergente que demanda de mayor apoyo científico. El presente estudio se enmarca en el ámbito del desarrollo motor y tiene impacto en el área del aprendizaje. Mediante una aproximación cualitativa, descriptiva e intrasujeto; el estudio observa cuatro díadas bebés-adulto (n = 4) durante un programa cuatrimestral de natación para bebés. Para ello se diseña un sistema ad-hoc de categorías de observación del comportamiento motor acuático del bebé y la actividad conjunta de la díada. El sistema de categorías se diseña sin habilidades apriorísticas a observar y de acuerdo con niveles crecientes de dificultad a través de dimensiones: respiración y equilibrio. Los resultados indican que es posible observar la evolución de la competencia y describir su naturaleza social sin observar habilidades. La aproximación del estudio sugiere posibilidades emergentes de análisis de los procesos de aprendizaje y desarrollo motor. The water competence in childhood is an emerging study approach that demands further scientific support. This work is framed in the field of motor development and has an impact on the study of learning. Through a qualitative, descriptive and intrasubject approach; the present study looks at four infant-adult dyads (n = 4) during a four-month baby-swimming program. Thus, an ad-hoc system of categories, built for observing the baby's water motor behaviour and the joint activity of the dyad, is used. The category system is designed without deductive skills to observe and, instead, is based on increasing levels of difficulty of aquatic motor behaviour in two dimensions: breathing and balance. Results indicate that it is possible to observe the evolution of the competence and describe it in its social nature without the observation of skills. The study suggests emerging approaches to analyse motor learning and development in other motor learning environments.

El impacto de Twitter se percibe de forma contundente en diferentes ámbitos del desempeño profesional y cotidiano. Combinando métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos se analiza cómo los jóvenes universitarios crean contenidos en Twitter desde el entorno académico, y cómo perciben esta actividad. Para ello se conformó una muestra intencional de tres grupos de estudiantes, se recolectó una muestra de 10 291 tuits publicados y se desarrolló un grupo focal por cada grupo universitario. Entre otros aspectos, el trabajo evidencia que los estudiantes priorizan las exigencias y directrices académicas y señalan que la utilización que hacen de la plataforma varía en función de si se trata, o no, de un encargo académico.