Sleep and academic performance of Portuguese teenagers

Abstract: Sleep has numerous important functions in the body, such as consolidation of memory, concentration and learning. Changes in sleep cycles in adolescents lead to sleep deprivation with consequences to academic performance. Our research question was What are the sleep habits that influence school performance (study environment, study planning, study method, reading skills, motivation to study, overall school performance) in adolescents? We aimed to identify sleep habits predictors of the quality of school performance in adolescents. Research Methods: Crosssectional analytical study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with socio-demographic questions, sleep habits and school performance scale. The sample consisted of 380 students between 7th and 9th grade, with an average age of 13.56 ± 1.23 years in the school year 2011/2012, from a 2nd and 3rd Cycle Basic School of the municipality of Viseu, Portugal. Findings: School performance in adolescents was associated with better subjective quality of sleep (p=0.000), with longer sleep duration (p=0.000), with watching tv/video before sleep (p=0.000), with the habit of studying before bedtime (p=0.012), with no computer use (p=0.013) and with reading habits before bed (p=0.000). School performance was also associated with adolescents who reported not feeling sleepy during class. The teenagers who sleep more and better, and who watch tv/video, study, do not use computers, and who read before going to bed, have a better school performance.

Autoconceito e bem estar dos docentes no exercício da função educativa na escola pública

Enquadramento - O professor desempenha um papel fundamental na transferência da informação e é um mediador entre o estudante e o objeto de conhecimentos, orientando e organizando o ensino para que a aprendizagem se efectue. Um dos grandes desafios da Educação Municipal está em manter os professores motivados para o desempenho contribuindo assim para o sucesso escolar dos seus alunos. Propomo-nos analisar que variaveis contribuiram para o auto conceito e bem estar dos docentes diante das mudanças e tecnologias inseridas no dia a dia da sala de aula. Método: Optamos pelo método de pesquisa com abordagem quantitativa numa primeira fase. Foi utilizado como técnica de coleta de dados, questionário de Vaz Serra 1986) e, numa 2ª fase o focus groupo com discussão e interpretação dos resultados obtidos em cada dimensão do questionário de autoconceito. A amostra foi constituida por 42 professores, do ensino fundamental publico Brasileiro. Resultados: Os professores eram casados, tinham idades compreendidas entre os 20 e os 40 anos, maioritáriamente de raça negra e 66% trabalham em mais do que uma escola. 80% dos professores apresentam valores de autoconceito abaixo da média. As incongruências, dificuldades e clima organizacional da escola faziam aflorar as discrepâncias emocionais e comportamentais. Mesmo situações descritas como derrotistas ou mesmo limitadoras do raio de ação do sujeito como o trabalho em organismo público, nos sujeitos que se posicionavam nas respostas do inventário com atitudes proativas as dificuldades não representaram um estancamento da ação. Conclusão: O Autoconceito e auto estima do professor são projetados no ambiente como fruto da interação humana atual com os constructos internos do sujeito. É necessário intervir ao nível do autoconceito e autoestima do professor para uma melhor qualidade de ensino e de vivencia escolar mais gratificante. Palavras-Chave: educação; personalidade; autoconceito; autoestima; docente.

Emotional Skills and Promoting School Success in the 3rd Cycle: Students Perception

The perceptions about school play a central role in behavior, performance and learning outcomes. There is evidence that an improvement in emotional skills is associated with a higher school success. The aim of this paper is to know the relationship between internalizing and externalizing behaviors, emotional skills and academic success of students of the 3rd cycle of basic education. In order to promote students social and emotional skills, a pilot study in a School Grouping of the central region (Portugal) was carried out. It was made a diagnosis of disruptive behavior (ASEBA) and identified 6 children aged between 12 and 14 years old and followed by 3 focus groups with students, parents, and teachers, respectively. Six students mostly male were identified, with the predominance of externalizing behaviors and academic failure. They don’t like school and have no motivation for learning. The relationship between parents and teachers is conflictive. All parents have the utmost concern academic success and teachers perceived good practices, but without success. This program is seen in a perspective of empowerment of the educational agents to manage various environments and relationships. The results point to the importance of the systemic intervention program on the improvement of the social and emotional competences and academic achievement.