Portuguese Adaptation of Students Engagement in Schools International Scale (SESIS)

The importance of student’s engagement has been recently pointed out in research. However, there has been a lack of engagement assessment instrument, pertaining psychometric qualities. Objective: This paper presents the Portuguese adaptation of the “Student’s Engagement in School International Scale” (SESIS), drawn up from a12 countries international study (Lam et al., 2012; Lam et al., in press). Method: Psychometric properties of this scale were examined with data from 685 students from different grades (6th, 7th, 9th and 10th), from both sexes, and different regions of the country. Results: Factorial analysis of the results, with varimax rotation, lead to three different factors which explain 50.88% of the variance. The scale integrates the original 33 items, and cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions. For the external validity study, the relationship between student’s engagement in school results and other school variables — academic performance, self-concept — was considered, and significant relations were observed, as expected. Conclusion: The data presented highlights the qualities of SESIS, as well as its usefulness for research purposes. Suggestion: It is suggested the investigation of the extension of SESIS’s three-dimensionality, in future studiesKeywords: Innovation, technology, research projects, etc. [Arial 10-point, justified alignment].

STUDENT’ S ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOL: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Students’ Engagement in School has been the focus of debate concerning academic success and school dropout, and pointed out as a mean to address the problems affecting our schools and their students, not only for having value in itself, but also for being an important mediator between several academic variables. This paper reviews the research and literature on this concept and its relations with personal and contextual variables, as well as with academic performance, with the aim of summarizing the main relationships found. Literature presents a significant number of studies which sustain that personal variables, such as self-efficacy and self-concept, as well as contextual - peers, school, family- are related with school engagement. The adoption of mastery goals, for instance, has a positive impact on school, as they are related with the use of cognitive and self-regulatory strategies by students. Positive relationships with peers, teachers support and the quality of family relations are associated with higher levels of engagement and academic performance, while negative experiences, such as bullying, are related with educational difficulties. Following this, we reflect about the relevance of studying engagement in school, in the context of widespread financial crisis, and emphasize the need to rethink educational institutions considering the paradigmatic changes that currently occur.

Portuguese Adaptation of Students Engagement in Schools International Scale (Sesis)

The importance of student’s engagement has been recently pointed out in research. However, there has been a lack of engagement assessment instruments, showing psychometric qualities, such as reliability and validity. Objective: This paper presents the Portuguese adaptation of the “Student’s Engagement in Schools International Scale” (SESIS), drawn up from 12 countries international study (Lam et al., 2012; Lam et al., in press). Method: Psychometric properties of this scale were examined using data from 685 students, of both sexes, and from different grades (6th, 7th, 9th and 10th), and regions of the country. Results: Factorial analysis of the results, with varimax rotation, conducted to three different factors which explain 62,19% of the variance. The scale integrates the original 33 items, and cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions. For the external validity study, the relationship between student’s engagement in school results and other school variables — academic performance, school conduct — was considered, and significant relations were observed, as expected. Conclusion: The data presented highlights the qualities of SESIS, as well as its usefulness for research purpose. Suggestion: It is suggested the investigation of the extension of SESIS’s three-dimensionality, in future studies

Contributos para a análise do ensino médio brasileiro: finalidades curriculares e rendimento escolar - o caso de uma escola pública de Fortaleza

Este estudo, configurou uma investigação de perfil misto, procurando congregar contributos qualitativos e quantitativos, tem como principal objetivo à análise do Ensino Médio brasileiro tentando verificar se as metas que este nível de ensino preconiza estão atendendo às expectativas educacionais de um público diversificado de alunos numa escola pública de Fortaleza. Para tal, realizamos a análise de entrevistas semiestruturadas a doze professores, e aplicamos questionários a 60 professores. Procedemos, também, à análise documental do Projeto Político Pedagógico da escola, das Diretrizes Curriculares e Orientações Curriculares Nacionais para o Ensino Médio, do Mapa Curricular da escola, bem como, o Relatório de notas dos alunos e a classificação dos mesmos no Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) referentes ao ano de 2012. O estudo evidencia a importância das estratégias de ensino, nomeadamente, a meritocracia no contexto escolar, a avaliação interna e externa nas dimensões: ensino aprendizagem e resultados do rendimento escolar, formação e prática docente, o trabalho da equipe escolar, a estrutura da escola, e ainda, a gestão e autonomia nas escolas, mas principalmente, as ideias dos participantes do estudo sobre a importância de trabalhar com uma estrutura de ensino vocacionado composto por áreas e disciplinas que atenda as intenções profissionais e acadêmicas do aluno; ABSTRACT: This study, set up a mixed profile research, looking gather qualitative and quantitative contributions, aims to analyze the Brazilian high school trying to understand if the goals that this level of education advocates are meeting the educational expectations of a diverse audience of students in public school in Fortaleza. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews to twelve teachers, e apply questionnaires to 60 teachers. Proceeded, too, the documentary analysis of the school Pedagogical Policy Project, the National Curriculum Guidelines and Curriculum Guidelines for Secondary Education, Curriculum Map of the school and the students' notes Report and the classification thereof in the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) the brazilian national examination to High School graduates for the year 2012. The study highlights the importance of teaching strategies in particular meritocracy in the school context, internal and external evaluation dimensions: teaching and learning results in school performance, training and teaching practice, the work of the school team, the school structure, and also the management and autonomy in schools, but mainly the ideas of the study participants about on the importance of working with a vocationed teaching structure consists of areas and disciplines that will meet future professional and academic intentions of the student.

Impact of IS/IT Investments on Firm Performance: Does Stakeholder Orientation Matter?

This research project addresses a central question in the IS business value field: Does IS/IT investments impact positively on firm financial performance? IS/IT investments are seen as having an enormous potential impact on the competitive position of the firm, on its performance, and demand an active and motivated participation of several stakeholder groups. Actual research conducted in the Information Systems field, relating IS/IT investments with firm performance use transactions costs economics and resource-based view of the firm to try to explain and understand that relationship. However, it lacks to stress the importance of stakeholder management, as a moderator variable in that relationship. Stakeholder theory sees the firm as the hub centric to the spokes representing various stakeholders who were in essence equidistant to the firm, and survival and continuing profitability of the corporation depend upon its ability to fulfil its economic and social purpose, which is to create and distribute wealth or value sufficient to ensure that each primary stakeholder group continues as part of the corporation’s stakeholder system. Stakeholder theory in its instrumental version, argues that if a firm pays attention to the stakes of all stakeholder groups (and not just shareholders), it will obtain higher levels of financial performance. With this premise in mind, the aim of this paper is to discuss and test the use of stakeholder theory in the IS business value stream of research, in order to achieve a better understanding of the impact of IS/IT investments on firm performance (moderated by stakeholder management). To achieve the expected impact from an IS/IT investment, it is argued that firms need a strong commitment from those stakeholder groups, which lead us to the need of a corporate “stakeholder orientation”. When firm financial performance is measured by returns on assets (ROA), returns on investments (ROI) and returns on sales (ROS), the results show that “stakeholder orientation” impact positively in the relation between IS/IT and firm performance, using a sample of Portuguese large companies.