Emotional competences and promotion of school success: Preliminary data of an intervention programme with teachers

Teachers’ emotional competences and well-being are fundamentally important to developing and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom, which can contribute to improving pedagogical action. References to several intervention programmes are found in the literature with the purpose of changing the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of teachers, who show evidence of a significant improvement in personal competences and school success. Therefore, an intervention with teachers integrating a broader line of research was carried out, involving parents and students as well. It consists of a programme which promotes personal (well-being and emotional intelligence) and professional (acquiring differentiated pedagogical strategies) competences over a period of six months, followed by a focus group to assess the contribution of an empowerment programme with the intention of promoting school success. The preliminary action-research study involved 10 teachers of two classes with students who show disruptive behaviour in the 7th year in a school in the central region of Portugal. The teachers, of both genders, are aged between 44 and 52, and belong to several recruitment groups. The main research question was: “To what extent does an intervention programme, intended for training, contribute to developing personal and professional competences in teachers of the 3rd cycle of basic education?” The teachers revealed a rather favourable view of their participation in the programme, considering that it helped them perceive some behaviours and practices which are less adjusted to their action in the classroom with these students (shouting, scolding, etc.). From the pretest to the posttest, statistically significant differences were found in assessing their own emotions and in their use. Signs of improvement in positive affections and satisfaction with life were also found, though with a marginal significance. The preliminary data in this empowerment programme for these educational agents points towards the importance of teachers’ awareness in what concerns their pedagogical action, as well as the need to change traditional pedagogical practices that contribute to discouraging students towards learning. The need to establish closer and systematic contact with the students and their families in order to meet their needs and expectations was also highlighted.

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.

Emotional skills and promoting School Success in the 3rd cycle: students perception

Problem Statement: The perceptions about school, play a central role in behavior, performance and results. There is evidence that an improvement in emotional skills is associated with a higher success. Research Questions: What is the relationship between internalizing and externalizing behaviors, emotional skills and academic success in the 3rd cycle of basic education? Purpose of Study: To promote social and emotional skills of students, in the 3rd cycle of basic education. Research Methods: A pilot study with groups of 7th year at a school central Portugal. Made diagnosis of disruptive behavior (ASEBA) was identified 6 children aged 12 0s and 14 and followed by 3 focus groups with students, parents, and teachers respectively. Findings: 6 students mostly male were identified (70 %), with the predominance of externalizing behaviors and academic failure. Not like school (80%) and have no motivation for learning. The relationship between parents and teachers is conflituoso. 100 % of parents have the utmost concern academic success and teachers perceptional good practices, but without success. Conclusions: This program is seen in a perspective of empowerment of the various educational agents to manage various environments and relationships. The results point to the importance of the focus group in the awareness of relational problems in schools. Less adjusted change behaviors imply the involvement of all educators.

A família, a escola e os alunos : relação com o desempenho escolar em alunos do 6° ano numa escola em Taquarana, Alagoas, Brasil

Enquadramento: O sucesso/insucesso escolar é motivo de preocupação quer para a escola quer para as famílias. A entrada para a escola gera mudanças na criança pela adaptação a diferentes ambientes e contextos, pelos relacionamentos com os professores e colegas, pelos os hábitos e estilos de vida dos alunos. A família, quer em casa quer nas relações com a escola, exerce um papel fundamental no desempenho escolar dos filhos, pelo acompanhamento e envolvimento ativo que deve ter nos projetos educativos. Objetivos: Avaliar o desempenho (sucesso/insucesso) dos alunos do 6º ano; caracterizar o perfil sociodemográfico dos alunos e da família dos alunos; avaliar alguns hábitos de vida dos alunos; avaliar o envolvimento dos pais com os alunos e com a escola. Material e métodos: Estudo exploratório-descritivo, quantitativo e correlacional, com os pais e os alunos duma Escola pública, Maria Iraci Teófilo de Castro, Alagoas, no ano de 2015. A escola tem uma população de 1782 alunos de várias séries e a nossa amostra foram os alunos de 6º ano, num total de 325. Para a colheita de dados futilizamos um questionário de caraterização dos alunos, da familia e da escola e uma escala de envolvimento parental com a escola (QEPE-versão pais). Realizamos ainda 40 entrevistas com pais dos alunos do 6º ano. Resultados: A maioria são rapazes (56,6%) com uma média de idades de 11,96 anos (de 10-16 anos). Estão distribuídos por 8 turmas (de 30 a 47 alunos). Residem maioritariamente em zona rural (61,5%), vivem com os pais (59,1%) e cerca de 40% referem ter os pais solteiros ou separados. Os pais, 50,2% têm o ensino fundamental I e 37,2% não têm instrução. A deslocação para a escola é em média de 15 minutos. As crianças não têm habitos tabágicos ou alcoólicos e realizam atividades de ajuda ás famílias (74,5%). 41,2% de alunos referem ter sono nas aulas e 43,1% levantam-se antes das 6 horas. 33,5% dos alunos gostam pouco ou nada da escola. Quanto ao desempenho escolar 24,3% autoavaliam o seu desempenho como abaixo da média e 44,0% já reprovaram alguma vez. A falta de estudo (31,5%) e as faltas (35,7%) são os motivos mais apontados para as reprovações. Dos motivos para não estudar, 23,6% referem ser por causa de ajudar em atividades em casa. A quase totalidade refere ter bom ou muito bom relacionamento com os pais, mas cerca de 25 % referem que só às vezes os pais os ajudam nos problemas e no incentivo à leitura e a visita regular dos pais à escola é referida por 36,3%. Conclusões: Existem mais reprovações no sexo masculino, nos alunos em que os pais não ajudam na lição em casa e nem os incentivam à leitura e nos alunos que referem sono nas aulas. Os alunos que gostam da escola e se sentem motivados são os que menos reprovam. Verificamos fraco envolvimento dos pais na vida escolar dos filhos, não ajudam na realização das tarefas e incentivos ao estudo e não mantêm um contato regular com o professor e a escola. PALAVRAS-CHAVE – família, aluno, escola, sucesso, insucesso,

Motivation and relationship of the student with the school as factors involved in the perceived learning

Motivation should be seen as a very important factor in the learning process. The motivated student has the inner strength to learn, to discover and capitalize on capabilities, to improve academic performance and to adapt to the demands of the school context. Contextual factors like the psychological sense of school membership may be also especially important to students’ classroom engagement, their motivation and learning success. So with this study we intend to examine how the sense of school belonging and intrinsic motivation influences perceived learning.A structural model reveals that the negative sense of school belonging has a negative impact on intrinsic motivation and on perceived learning. In turn, intrinsic motivation positively and significantly influences perceived learning in the course.