Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify psychosocial correlates of harmful alcohol use among young Mexican students, and to comparatively prove the predictive validity of three theoretical models, each one capable to support the research of the problem and to guide the design of theoretically and empirically grounded preventive and treatment programs: a) the alcohol expectancies theory, b) the social learning theory by R. Akers, and c) the planned behavior theory. Findings indícate that these three models are appropriate predictive models for harmful alcohol use in the studied group. The highest predictive weight belongs to positive expectancies associated to the effects of alcohol, followed by alcohol use among friends, low risk perception, and self-control of alcohol drinking as a protective factor. Findings suggest the convenience of the application of a composed multi-varied algorithm, integrated by factors and variables extracted from the three models.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.).

Abstract

Social media have enhanced the innate human capacity for knowledge sharing. The so-called social media have emphasized the ‘social’ aspect, i.e., the collaborative and cooperative qualities, and social learning is one of the results. Information professionals, who have always been inclined to share information and innovations related to their discipline, have taken advantage of the possibilities that social learning offers. Strengthened by solid networking that has been fostered by years of initiatives like EXIT or E-LIS, librarians and information scientists improve their daily practice by learning collaboratively. From ground-breaking lists like IweTel or Públicas  to blogs like Biblogtecarios or Dokumentalistas , each professional has been able to build her or his own personal learning environment. Various professional networking online environments are described, and special attention is given to the recent Social Biblio project and its active learning network.