The aim of the present study was to analyse the neuroendocrine stress response, psychological anxiety response, and perceived match importance (PMI) between expert and non-expert control gamers in an official competitive context. We analyzed, in 25 expert esports players and 20 control participants, modifications in their somatic anxiety, cognitive anxiety, self-confidence, PMI, and cortisol in a League of Legends competition. We found how expert esports players presented higher cortisol concentrations (Z = 155.5; p = 0.03; Cohen’s d = −0.66), cognitive anxiety (Z = 99.5; p = 0.001), and PMI (Z = 50.5; p < 0.001) before the competition than non-experts participants. We found a greater statistical weight in the cognitive variables than in the physiological ones. The results obtained suggest that real competitive context and player’s expertise were factors associated with an anticipatory stress response. The PMI proved to be a differentiating variable between both groups, highlighting the necessity to include subjective variables that contrast objective measurements.

La situación de la investigación cualitativa en Educación: ¿Guerra de paradigmas de nuevo?

La estandarización de pruebas para valorar a los sistema educativos ha ido in-crescendo desde que el discurso de las competencias cobrara protagonismo en la Unión Europea. El análisis de la ideología que sustentan dichas prácticas, así como del paradigma que se esconde tras ellas, son objetivos de este artículo. Para ello se realiza una reflexión por una de las máximas representantes de esta corriente en Europa, las denominadas pruebas PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)(Programa Internacional para la Evaluación de Estudiantes). Los autores plantean una serie de argumentos que tratan de explicar por qué las pruebas estandarizadas representan un modelo de eficiencia en educación y no tanto, de calidad, donde la evaluación es entendida como un proceso de recogida de información útil y valiosa para emprender procesos de mejora. Y analizan algunas de las cuestiones más significativas que se desprenden del uso de pruebas estandarizadas en educación, tales como el uso político que se hace de los resultados, el sobre valor que se le otorga a las materias instrumentales o el desmantelamiento que se produce de la función social de la escuela, entre otras.Palabras Clave: Pruebas estandarizadas, Evaluación, Aprendizaje, Competencias, Sistema educativo. Evaluation and Standardized Tests: A Reflection about the Meaning, Utility and Effects of these Tests in Educational FieldThe standardization of tests to value the educational system has been in- crescendo since the competences speech becomes relevant in the European Union. The analysis of ideology supporting these practices, as well as the paradigm is behind them, is the objective of this paper. This requires a brief review of one of the more representative tests of this trend in Europe, the so-called PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). The authors present arguments trying to explain why standardized tests represent an efficiency model based in education and not quality model based, where evaluation is understood as a process of collecting useful and valuable information that can undertake processes improvement. In the same way, authors analyse main questions about use of standardized tests in education like politic use of results, primacy of some areas about others or detriment of the school social function.Keywords: Standarized tests, Evaluation, Learning, Competences, Educational system.

The aim of the present study was to analyse differences in the psychoneuroendocrine stress responses of high-level, young swimmers depending on whether an autocratic and democratic coaching style was applied. Modifications in cortisol and the motivational climate of 18 young swimmers (15.3 ± 1.86 years, 10 females and 8 males) were analysed before and after two training sessions with equivalent training loads but directed by two coaches applying different approaches, i.e., autocratic (A) and democratic (D). The basal testosterone levels of the coaches were also assessed. The basal testosterone concentration was higher in coach A than in coach D; the athletes perceived them as autocratic and democratic, respectively. Swimmers under coach A’s instructions showed higher cortisol levels, suggesting higher cortisol production related to coaching style. Furthermore, differences in the motivational climate concerning ego (i.e., athletes comparing their ability with that of other athletes) were observed with coach A, whereas differences in motivational climate concerning the task (i.e., athletes comparing their ability with their own past performance) were observed with coach D. Cognitive variables showed negative perceptions affecting athletes’ training experience and performance when they were screamed at or insulted by coach A. There were no gender or age differences in cortisol production or motivational climate. In conclusion, this study suggests that an autocratic coaching style modulates cortisol release in both genders, affecting young elite swimmers’ motivational climate and training experience.

Twitter has positioned itself as one of the social networks most used by teachers, generating teacher affinity spaces for them to share and collaborate. This study analyses the hashtag #CharlasEducativas, to explore whether it represents a teaching affinity space on this social network. It is a hashtag linked to an educational project created in Spain and related to all educational stages in a cross-cutting manner. Using a mixed methods research, 6073 tweets with the hashtag #CharlasEducativas, published between January 2020 and July 2022, were analysed, including a total of 761 Twitter profiles. Using the software MAXQDA, a category system was developed to classify the most frequent topics in the interactions and to study the tone of the discourse. The social network analysis software Graphext was used for in depth analysis of the profiles with the highest participation. It was confirmed that the characteristics of affinity spaces (collaboration, horizontal nature, creation of community, existence of hierarchy and source of informal learning) were met. The interactions linked to this hashtag are positive, friendly and with a close and relaxed tone, which favours the generation of a group feeling, facilitating informal learning. In addition, the space has a strong hierarchy with leadership roles that allows the information to flow and be fed continuously.

Este trabajo presenta un panorama reflexivo con respecto a los problemas de divulgación de resultados de investigación cualitativa en España. En nuestra experiencia, observamos que existe una falta de equidad entre las metodologías cuantitativas y las cualitativas, con un claro predominio de las primeras sobre las últimas, lo que ha hecho que la confianza en la metodología cualitativa como enfoque riguroso de investigación se haya visto fuertemente afectado. Para abordar esta situación se ha analizado la producción en revistas españolas de alto impacto de los últimos cinco años, clasificando el tipo de artículos publicados según metodología, así como las políticas de enfoque y alcance de las mismas. Por otra parte, con el fin de contrastar la información con el análisis documental, se han entrevistado a investigadores especialistas en investigación cualitativa, así como a estudiantes, sobre la problemática para publicar en revistas con alto impacto y las dificultades para obtener proyectos de investigación con este enfoque. Entre las razones que han conducido a esta situación encontramos que, el acceso del profesorado universitario, centrado fundamentalmente en méritos de publicaciones e investigación; y la preferencia de revistas de impacto de trabajos cuantitativos derivada, entre otras cuestiones, del pensamiento hegemónico sobre cómo se genera un conocimiento riguroso, ha generado importantes desequilibrios entre ambas metodologías. Concluimos el artículo considerando posibles propuestas que presumiblemente pondrán en valor la riqueza de la investigación cualitativa como parte indispensable del pensamiento científico en educación.