Interdisciplinary projects play an important role in the development of a student profile based on the 21st century skills. Nevertheless, the implementation of an interdisciplinary approach is a challenge for both teachers and teacher educators. The aim of this study is to create an interdisciplinary model for teacher education, and to provide an empirical study which analyses its impact on learning. An educational innovation project was carried out with preservice teachers who experienced and subsequently designed a Problem Based Learning with interdisciplinary activities including Mathematics and Social Sciences, using the National Archaeological Museum as an educational resource. The proposals were implemented amongst children to evaluate the project’s effectiveness, considering two aspects: (a) improved teaching skills for preservice teachers (N = 26) and (b) improved learning for Mathematics and Social Sciences content amongst primary school children (N = 58). In the case of the student teachers, the variance analysis implemented showed sufficient empirical evidence of the improvement between the pre and post treatment, in different dimensions of the teaching skills and competences. On the primary school students, some significantly statistic progresses were found concerning the learning of both subjects, as well as their perception of museums as place for learning.

To investigate whether inclusion of self-help groups into the hospital treatment programme improves the prognosis of alcohol dependence through the treatment period; and to examine therapeutic adherence and prognosis during continuing care. Patients attending the treatment programme at the ‘Hospital 12 de Octubre’ were randomized into two groups. In Group A (n = 123), patients received the usual treatment included in our programme, whereas in Group B (n = 126), patients also attended self-help groups. Patients were assessed with psychological scales at baseline, at the end of the treatment period and after completing the continuing care visits. Data were collected over a total of 6 years. During the treatment period, patients in Group B accumulated more months of abstinence and dropped out less. During continuing care, patients in Group B accumulated more months of abstinence and therapeutic adherence was higher. Variables that were associated with these results during the continuing care period were: visits to the GP, scores on anxiety, impulsivity and meaning of life scales, and belonging to the group that attended the alcoholic associations. Mutual help groups incorporated into a public treatment programme appear to improve outcomes during treatment and on into continuing care. This experience supports cooperation between public health centres and alcoholic associations in treating alcoholism. Including alcoholic associations into the public treatment programme for alcoholism of the ‘Hospital 12 de Octubre’ in Madrid was shown to be associated with better outcomes in terms of months of accumulated abstinence, dropout rates and therapeutic adherence, during the treatment and continuing care periods.

This research arises from the university’s need to contribute to the training of professionals, especially teachers, who, in turn are committed to contribute to a more sustainable and socially just world at the institutions for which they are professionals. In this context, a pedagogical approach emerges to promote the development of the civic and social competences of higher education students’ using the methodology of Service Learning. The aim of this study is to analyse the acquisition and development of the socio-educational commitment and self-efficacy variables of student teachers based on their participation in Service Learning programmes, comparing this with the results of carrying out university volunteering activities. A quantitative correlational study was carried out with preservice teachers (N = 207). The basic hypothesis is that the results would be in favour of the participation in Service Learning activities on the fundamental variables of the study: socio-educational commitment, teaching self-efficacy and self-efficacy in the creation of instructional materials. For this purpose, a specific scale was designed to measure Teachers’ socio-educational commitment with favourable psychometric characteristics. The results show sufficient empirical evidence (p < 0.01) for the development of socio-educational commitment and self-efficacy variables in favour of those who participated in Service Learning programmes.

Este trabajo se enmarca en el Proyecto de Investigación de la Universidad Pontificia Comillas denominado EDUCOMPET. El artículo presenta el proceso de diseño y de validación de una escala para medir la autopercepción del nivel de desarrollo de la competencia de aprender a aprender en estudiantes universitarios. La integración de las competencias clave a nivel europeo requiere de una fundamentación teórica sólida que sustente la adecuación de los instrumentos para su medida. En este trabajo se propone una estructura del constructo desde la perspectiva de la autorregulación. La estructura se centra en tres dimensiones: gestión del aprendizaje, autoevaluación del proceso de aprendizaje y autoconocimiento como aprendiz. Se ha aplicado el instrumento a una muestra de 458 estudiantes universitarios. Se realizaron análisis exploratorios y confirmatorios para validar el modelo teórico del que se partía y se obtuvo una fiabilidad e índices de ajuste adecuados para justificar la validez del instrumento.

Mobile learning (mLearning) is now being increasingly used in university education, with positive impacts on the motivation and predisposition of students when learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the use of mobile applications as a learning resource in applied biomechanics, with regard to attitudinal variables (interest, motivation, applicability and learning experience) and its efficacy in the learning of general physics contents. A quasi-experimental design was proposed, with the random assignment of participants to experimental and control groups, with the post-trial measurement of a sample of 76 university students studying Applied Biomechanics, who were given an ad-hoc questionnaire in order to evaluate attitudinal aspects, as well as a test of knowledge. With regard to attitudinal aspects, higher scores were observed among the group which used the applications as learning instruments (the experimental group) when evaluating their interest in biomechanics (t = 2.79; p < 0.05; d = −0.641), the applicability of the applications in real life (t = 7.34; p < 0.001; d = −1.687) and the general evaluation of the practical sessions (t = 6.45; p < 0.001; d = −1.481). At the conceptual level, significant differences were observed in the contents worked on with the KinematicLab Jump© application. Our results show the positive effect of the use of applications on important attitudinal aspects in the learning of university students, without any relevant effect on the acquisition of conceptual learning.

Academic studies show that one of the main predictors of early school dropout at secondary education is student truancy behaviour, usually beginning at primary education. This is a problem that gets worse in socially vulnerable environments. This study analyses the prevalence and types of truancy in a population of students with high social risk in Madrid city, studying the relationship between truancy and their school performance. A questionnaire was answered by mentor teachers of students at the preschool and primary stages (N = 120), who reported information from a total of 433 students from 12 different schools. Results showed a high level of prevalence in the different types of truancy (Active and Passive). Among these behaviours, 46.86% of students skipped entire days without a valid excuse and 42.51% did not usually do their homework. Overall, 60% showed underachievement and great rates of curricular gap. In 6th grade, the last year of primary school, 74.42% of students had repeated one grade and 27.91% more than one. Moreover, significant correlations were found between truancy and school performance. The detection and early action against truancy in primary education with this type of student will reduce early dropouts and make school a key actor for the development of these students.