ALBERT

Description: Mathematics education for sustainable development is perceived as a core keystone, although its concept is related to its typical issue of ecology and economy in the educational realm. Thus, through current information and communication technology (ICT) impacts, altering pedagogy is highly conflicted in teaching/learning mathematics. This research attempted to classify and investigate criteria for mathematics education with a multi-criteria decision analysis/fuzzy-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (MCDA/F-DEMATEL) method in the context of the system of flipped e-learning. In particular, the sustainable development of this research focus is in mathematics education in view of pre-service teachers (PSTs) adapting to their pedagogical changes. With the MCDA/F-DEMATEL, the main criteria and sub-criteria were selected after the consultation of a group of experts as follows: mathematics education, sustainable development, and flipped-e-learning technology criteria. Then, with fifteen sub-criteria, the definitive analyses results were gauged with simple additive weighting (SAW) along with their weight coefficients’ calculation, sensitivity analysis (i–v scenarios), and a professional survey. The results described as the most important criteria for adapting to PSTs pedagogical changes in sustainable mathematical education through a flipped e-learning system were the flipped e-learning technology criteria (scenario i), with an 83% positive perception by professionals’ survey; among its sub-criteria, information technology usage contents (0.43) was the most affected variable, with a 42% very likely perception. Scenario iii, which was the slightly more preferred criteria than mathematics education, got a 78% positive perception from professionals’ survey. Therefore, this proposed methodology could be employed to validate the most important sustainable mathematics with flipped e-learning criteria for adapting to PSTs’ pedagogical changes with corresponding education contexts in more long-term learning.

Description: Selecting and ordering components for sustainable science education is a critical issue, which is presently obtaining increased attention because of being at an early stage and scarce application in higher education. Though the flipped e-learning scheme is one of the novel information and communication technologies (ICTs), it can be of great relevance in a long-term learning program for various sustainable science education criteria. This research presents an approach to identify and analyze elements for science education for sustainable development with multi-criteria decision analysis-fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (MCDA-FDEMATEL) method by flipped e-learning system. With the method proposed, the main elements are collected as science-education, sustainable-development, technology-infrastructure and flipped-e-learning elements. The final results’ analyses with sixteen sub-elements are assessed with weighted linear combination (WLC) and sensitivity-analysis (I to VI implementations) in the context of the MCDA-FDEMATEL method. The most important element and sub-element for science education for sustainable development through flipped e-learning teaching are sustainable-development (as an element), VI implementation with 0.540 weight, and environmental contents (as a sub-element) with 0.570 weight. Consequently, this proposed approach could be used in different studies to validate the most important aspects of science education for sustainable development through flipped e-learning teaching elements and sub-elements with equivalent and comparable education settings.

Description: Due to the learning difficulties in mathematics education, a new teaching methodology have been proposed for its improvement. Difficulties in mathematics learning indicate that students are not able to properly deal with resolving calculations and/or problems. This research examines the evolution of the attitudes of pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) toward mathematics learning when an open calculation based on numbers (OCN) method was followed in a flipped classroom. It was conducted in a general mathematics course, Primary Education bachelor’s degree during the course of 2019/2020. A total of 143 students participated in the study (230 students enrolled), with a pre- and post-test survey questionnaire. Based on the analysis of survey questionnaires, the obtained results demonstrated that the attitudes (own beliefs and conceptions (OB), positive (ATP), and negative (ATN) attitudes) of PSTs improved positively after completing the flipped-OCN method toward mathematics learning. Regarding the statistical analyses, all questions had a significant difference that showed the influence of the flipped-OCN method, improving the PSTs attitudes toward mathematics learning (p 〈 0.005). According to the structural equation modeling—partial least squares (SEM-PLS) analysis, it demonstrated that the components relation effects of OB, ATP, and ATN of PSTs toward mathematics learning, and the influence of their educational background. Finally, with the principal component analysis (PCA), it can be found out that the science and technology background were positively correlated after the flipped-OCN method comparing with the rest of PSTs. The influence of the proposed method indicated a significant improvement in these components. Therefore, the results concluded that this study allowed to draw a promising tendency about the PSTs’ attitudes toward mathematics learning with the OCN method in the flipped classroom. Additionally, these outcomes could advance our comprehension of how to help pre-service education for teachers’ enhancement and maturity of positive attitudes about themselves as future teachers. Then, it would be a fundamental piece in building logical and critical thinking and development for children.

Description: Studies for monitoring the bioavailability of dietary flavonoid compounds generate great interest. Among them, low-molecular-weight phenolic acids, secondary metabolites present in colonic catabolism and urinary excretion, have been proposed as biomarkers of polyphenol intake. Using 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid as a template, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized for selective extraction of these hydroxylated metabolites from human urine samples and posterior analysis in an HPLC-DAD-MS system. Polymers were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and binding experiments. MIP presents specific recognition ability for template and analogues molecules. This capacity of recognition and the pH dependence of the binding strength was also studied. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.25–40 mg/L, r2 〉 0.995. In the optimized conditions, the recovery value was 94% with RSD 1.2%. The Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) were 1.22 and 3.69 mg/L, respectively. In our knowledge, it is the first time that this methodology is applied to analyze urinary catabolites of the polyphenol compound and to provide a specific method and simple analysis alternative. The selective extraction of these metabolites improves the application and results obtained by other less sensitive analysis methods than the validation method. It also facilitates the development of new screening methods.