The complex dielectric permittivity of eight different amino acids in water solutions was determined in the frequency range from 0.2 to 20 GHz at room temperature, trying to span the whole range of solubility in each case. Two relaxations were observed at room temperature in this frequency range, which can be mainly assigned to the rotation of amino acids in the aqueous environment, and the reorientational motion of water molecules, respectively. Although the amino acids have a charged (zwitterionic) nature with huge dipole moments, the tendency towards dipolar alignment seems to be very weak, over the investigated concentration ranges. For these small bio-molecules, water screens solute–solute interactions and amino acids remain typically as isolated hydrated monomers. The dielectric results were used to estimate the number of water molecules restrained by each solute molecule. Finally, the comparison between the amino acid relaxation times made it possible to discuss the relationship between rotational dynamics and the structure and hydrodynamic coupling of the amino acid studied.

Most research on emotions and behaviors in science education has used observational or declarative methods. These approaches present certain strengths, but they have important limitations for deepening our understanding of the affective domain. In this work, we develop a method for analyzing the dynamics of affective variables during an inquiry-based activity with an artificial intelligence system that recognizes facial expressions. Although the study was carried out on 12 students, here we analyze data from one person to describe the method in detail. The videos were processed with a software which outputs behavioral and emotional signals. To analyze them, we applied centered moving averages with different widths. This allowed us to align and interpret the dynamics of emotional, behavioral, and learning actions. We found spikes of Surprise when the student seemingly implemented their models, and their predictions were not met. Our analysis suggests the existence of four phases in the inquiry-based activity with specific dynamic profiles. This work lays the foundations for researchers and teachers to develop tools to monitor emotions and behaviors.

The After School Programs (ASPs) are classified as Nonformal Education. Several researchers have reported the positive benefits of these activities in the development of interpersonal competencies, critical thinking and personal maturity of the schoolers. In 2007, almost 92.0% of the Spanish Primary students took part in an ASP. This paper presents a systematic review of the articles published from 2000 to 2020 on ASPs carried out in Spain, as well as a study to characterize their nature, based on the results of a survey referring to the 2018/2019 school year, which was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. From the systematic review, it was found that more than 62.0% of the students are enrolled in ASPs, preferably Recreational activities. Regarding the survey, there are no marked preferences between Cognitive and Recreational activities (50.2% vs. 49.8%). Among Recreational ones, boys participate 1.9 times more than girls in Sports (Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, etc.), while girls enroll 7.6 times more in those related to Performing Arts (Dance, Ballet, Flamenco, etc.). Most of the schoolers (76.7%) spend 2 to 4 days per week in these activities. Only 26.7% of students attend the afterschool activities in the same space where they receive the formal education, the school. Forty five percent of the parents declare they spend 70€ or more per child every month in these kinds of activities. A change in the trend towards Cognitive extracurricular activities should be noted, with the appearance of new ones such as Robotics, Programming and Scientific Activities. The choice is made by the children themselves, maintaining the gender bias in their decision. Finally, the high cost of the ASPs could represent another element of social exclusion of poor families.

In the last years, “Inquiry-Based Science Education” methodologies (IBSE) are being recommended by European institutions in order to improve the competence levels and the attitudes towards science of primary and secondary school students. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of an IBSE methodology, the Methodology of Problem Solving as an Investigation (MPSI), for the teaching-learning process of planning of experiments in the fourth level of Spanish Secondary Education. By means of the students’ solutions for a series of open problems, the progress in the learning of the competences related to the planning of experiments has been analyzed, along with the influence of the methodology on the development of these competencies. The results show a students’ command from higher to lower levels on: emission of hypothesis, design of the experiment, qualitative analysis, identification of variables and reformulation of the open problem. Furthermore, the Methodology has contributed to an improvement of the scientific competence in the area of planning experiments.

La indagación conforma un enfoque beneficioso para el aprendizaje de las ciencias, pero demanda un diseño cuidadoso de las actividades y del rol del profesor para conjugar un aprendizaje conceptual, procedimental y actitudinal. El artículo se vincula a una propuesta para la asignatura de Didáctica de la Química del Máster en Formación del Profesorado, para formar al futuro profesorado sobre estas metodologías. Así, tras ofrecer vivencias personales sobre el aprendizaje por indagación, el trabajo busca examinar los logros de los estudiantes en la resolución de problemas abiertos sobre el cambio químico. A partir del análisis de los informes escritos individuales, se comprueba una mejoría en la competencia científica de los participantes, especialmente acusada en las dimensiones más conceptuales, y menor en las asociadas al diseño de estrategias experimentales de resolución.