School governance and academic excellence: the representations of distinguished students in an annual award of excellence

Within a research project on «academic excellence in the state school», this paper is a contribution to the sociological reflection on the cultural and organisational characteristics of the school and its relationship with the academic success of students. The data we present stem from a case study underway at a secondary school in the north of Portugal, referring to the universe of students that since 2003 have distinguished themselves for achieving grades equal to or greater than 18 (on a scale of 0 to 20) and have thus been included in the school’s Framework of Excellence. From a contextual approach to this educational practice, we focused on the cultural characteristics of the school/subject as analytical support for the study of school and non-school dimensions in their mutual connections. To this end, we used the information from document analysis and data collected from a questionnaire survey administered to more than two-thirds of the students included in the above-mentioned Framework of Excellence. Subsequently, we will use the data from this survey to understand the extent to which academic excellence is perceived as an indivisible social construction of the school’s political and organisational matrix, particularly in terms of the educational and teaching guidelines adopted by the management body. We will conclude by questioning the meaning of the school’s management policies regarding the emphasis on educational outcomes, with particular focus on the representations of excellent students in the processes of school leadership, teaching organisation, school merit and justice.

A new perspective of students allocation satisfaction in engineering courses in Portugal

Publicado em "AIP Conference Proceedings" Vol. 1648

Form tutors in the joint teaching of music: perspectives and experiences

In the Portuguese school system, form tutors (FTs) are an intermediate education management structure. The form tutor is responsible for a position of coordination and orientation with a «threefold function»: a relationship with students, relationship with the student’s family and relationship with other class teachers. The joint teaching of music is a part of the educational system in basic education. It is optional and provides musical and instrumental training to students who are interested in taking it. In order to achieve this, there is a system, subject to protocols, between general education schools and schools specializing in teaching music. There is also the position of FT in specialized schools and it also includes a «threefold function». However, these FTs have the additional role of representing music teachers at the class council, which is held at the general education school. Thus, in these cases, both FTs have a fourth joint area, between the music school and the general education school, which makes the relationship between them even more complex. This paper is based on the analysis of empirical data obtained from the testimonies of FTs regarding their representations and experiences in leadership and the coordination of teachers among schools in which there is a joint teaching system. The aim of collecting narratives is to look into some of the main challenges and confrontations related to leadership issues, which we assume to be the focus of those who have the role of form tutor in that specific context.

O professor como construtor do currículo: integração da tecnologia em atividades de aprendizagem de matemática

O desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de matemática, por meio de progra¬mas nacionais e formações contínuas, deve proporcionar experiências que envolvam investigação, pensamento, planeamento, prática e reflexão. No caso da tecnologia, não nos devemos focar nas ferramentas em si, mas no modo como são usadas pelos docentes em contexto de sala de aula. Existem taxonomias de atividades de apren¬dizagem baseadas no conteúdo assentes na ideia do professor como construtor do currículo, que, para integrar com sucesso a tecnologia educativa nas aulas, desenvolve o conhecimento pedagógico e tecnológico do conteúdo (TPACK), e apresenta-se a de matemática. Desse modo, reflete-se, por meio de vários estudos nacionais e internacionais, que as tecnologias deverão ser usadas pelos professores de acordo com objetivos, conteúdos e pedagogias específicas para terem um efeito positivo na aprendizagem dos alunos sobre as atividades baseadas no conteúdo que melhor se enquadram com essas tecnologias.

Estudo exploratório sobre as concepções e estratégias de intervenção de professores em face do bullying escolar

Este estudo qualitativo objetivou identificar o conhecimento de professores do 6º ano do ensino fundamental sobre o bullying e as intervenções por eles desenvol- vidas. Participaram dez professores, e os dados foram coletados por meio de questio- nários estruturados. As análises seguiram os pressupostos da análise de conteúdo, em sua modalidade temática. Verificou-se, nos resultados, uma compreensão insuficiente dos professores que incidia na capacidade de identificação e na maneira como intervi- nham nos episódios de bullying entre os alunos. Depreende-se que o bullying constitui um aspecto importante a ser trabalhado com os professores, considerando a proximi- dade com a questão e o papel essencial que podem assumir no seu enfrentamento.

Impact of an educational hands-on project on the antimicrobial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties of plants on Portuguese students' awareness, knowledge, and competences

Promoting environmental and health education is crucial to allow students to make conscious decisions based on scientific criteria. The study is based on the outcomes of an Educational Project implemented with Portuguese students and consisted of several activities, exploring pre-existent Scientific Gardens at the School, aiming to investigate the antibacterial, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties of plant extracts, with posterior incorporation in soaps and creams. A logo and a webpage were also created. The effectiveness of the project was assessed via the application of a questionnaire (pre- and post-test) and observations of the participants in terms of engagement and interaction with all individuals involved in the project. This project increased the knowledge about autochthonous plants and the potential medical properties of the corresponding plant extracts and increased the awareness about the correct design of scientific experiments and the importance of the use of experimental models of disease. The students regarded their experiences as exciting and valuable and believed that the project helped to improve their understanding and increase their interest in these subjects and in science in general. This study emphasizes the importance of raising students’ awareness on the valorization of autochthonous plants and exploitation of their medicinal properties.

School health promotion and teacher professional identity

PURPOSE – Health and education are inextricably linked. Health promotion sits somewhat uncomfortably within schools, often remaining a marginal aspect of teachers’ work. The purpose of this paper is to examine the compatibility of an HP-initiative with teacher professional identity. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – A qualitative research design was adopted consisting of semi-structured interviews. In total, 49 teachers in two school districts in the Auvergne region in central France were interviewed in depth post having completed three years’ involvement in a health promoting schools initiative called “Learning to Live Better Together” (“Apprendre a Mieux Vivre Ensemble”). FINDINGS – Teachers in the study had a broad conceptualisation of their role in health promotion. In keeping with international trends, there was more success at classroom than at whole school level. While generally teachers can be reluctant to engage with health promotion, the teachers in this study identified having little difficulty in understanding their professional identity as health promoters and identified strong compatibility with the HP-initiative. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS – Teachers generally viewed professional development in health promotion in a positive light when its underlying values were commensurate with their own and when the context was seen as compatible with the school mission. The promotion of health in schools needs to be sensitive to professional identity and be tailored specifically to blend more successfully with current teacher identity and practice. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – The promotion of health in schools needs to be sensitive to professional identity and be tailored specifically to blend more successfully with current teacher identity and practice.

Relatório de atividade profissional

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências - Formação Contínua de Professores (área de especialização em Biologia e Geologia)

Relatório de atividade profissional

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências – Formação Contínua de Professores (área de especialização em Biologia e Geologia)

The Portuguese language version of social phobia and Anxiety Inventory: analysis of items and internal consistency in a Brazilian sample of 1,014 undergraduate students

OBJECTIVE: Theoretical and empirical analysis of items and internal consistency of the Portuguese-language version of Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI-Portuguese). METHODS: Social phobia experts conducted a 45-item content analysis of the SPAI-Portuguese administered to a sample of 1,014 university students. Item discrimination was evaluated by Student's t test; interitem, mean and item-to-total correlations, by Pearson coefficient; reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: There was 100% agreement among experts concerning the 45 items. On the SPAI-Portuguese 43 items were discriminative (p < 0.05). A few inter-item correlations between both subscales were below 0.2. The mean inter-item correlations were: 0.41 on social phobia subscale; 0.32 on agoraphobia subscale and 0.32 on the SPAI-Portuguese. Item-to-total correlations were all higher then 0.3 (p < 0.001). Cronbach's alphas were: 0.95 on the SPAI-Portuguese; 0.96 on social phobia subscale; 0.85 on agoraphobia subscale. CONCLUSION: The 45-item content analysis revealed appropriateness concerning the underlying construct of the SPAI-Portuguese (social phobia, agoraphobia) with good discriminative capacity on 43 items. The mean inter-item correlations and reliability coefficients demonstrated the SPAI-Portuguese and subscales internal consistency and multidimensionality. No item was suppressed in the SPAI-Portuguese but the authors suggest that a shortened SPAI, in its different versions, could be an even more useful tool for research settings in social phobia.

Common mental disorders among medical students

OBJECTIVE: Common mental disorders (CMD) have a high impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life and are potential underlying causes for the development of more serious disorders. Medical students have been indicated as a risk population for the development of CMD. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of CMD in undergraduate medical students and to identify related factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in a sample population of medical students. CMD was identified according to the 20-item Self-Report Questionnaire. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-three students completed the questionnaire. The overall prevalence of CMD was 29.6% and its presence was independently associated with sleep disorders, not owning a car, not working and sedentary lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a high prevalence of CMD in the sample studied and are important for supporting actions to prevent mental disorders in future doctors and for reflecting on the curricula currently in use in medical schools.

The impact of urban noise on primary schools: perceptive evaluation and objective assessment

This paper aims to assess the impact of environmental noise in the vicinity of primary schools and to analyze its influence in the workplace and in student performance through perceptions and objective evaluation. The subjective evaluation consisted of the application of questionnaires to students and teachers, and the objective assessment consisted of measuring in situ noise levels. The survey covered nine classes located in three primary schools. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used for data processing and to draw conclusions. Additionally, the relationship of the difference between environmental and background noise levels of each classroom and students with difficulties in hearing the teacherâ s voice was examined. Noise levels in front of the school, the schoolyard, and the most noise-exposed classrooms (occupied and unoccupied) were measured. Indoor noise levels were much higher than World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values: LAeq,30min averaged 70.5 dB(A) in occupied classrooms, and 38.6 dB(A) in unoccupied ones. Measurements of indoor and outdoor noise suggest that noise from the outside (road, schoolyard) affects the background noise level in classrooms but in varying degrees. It was concluded that the façades most exposed to road traffic noise are subjected to values higher than 55.0 dB(A), and noise levels inside the classrooms are mainly due to the schoolyard, students, and the road traffic. The difference between background (LA95,30min) and the equivalent noise levels (LAeq,30min) in occupied classrooms was 19.2 dB(A), which shows that studentsâ activities are a significant source of classroom noise.

A supervisão pedagógica como prática de transformação: o lugar das narrativas profissionais

Este texto tem como objetivo discutir o lugar das narrativas profissionais, de natureza autobiográfica, produzidas por professores em contexto de formação pós-graduada em supervisão pedagógica. Começando pela discussão do conceito de qualidade em educação, e que radica numa concepção de educação para o desenvolvimento sustentável e para a transformação de pessoas e de contextos, a autora passa para uma análise do papel dos professores no desenvolvimento de práticas pedagógicas de qualidade. Embora os contextos de educação e de formação tenham um papel determinante, os professores, principalmente através das expectativas que detêm face aos seus alunos, têm um papel crucial no combate a formas de discriminação e de exclusão nas escolas. O conceito de supervisão que informa este texto também se coloca ao serviço da qualidade em educação enunciada, ao ser tomado enquanto teoria e prática de regulação crítica e colaborativa da pedagogia e do desenvolvimento profissional, numa visão da educação para a transformação e para a sustentabilidade. O texto finaliza com a ilustração do modo como as narrativas profissionais se constituem enquanto estratégias de autossupervisão do trabalho docente num contexto de formação pós-graduada. Desenvolvidas em contextos profissionais, e estabelecendo pontes entre o conhecimento acadêmico e experiencial, elas incidem na análise dos modos como o trabalho docente se coloca (ou não) ao serviço de uma pedagogia e de um desenvolvimento profissional docente assente em valores de sustentabilidade e de transformação, identificando os constrangimentos estruturais e apontando rumos de ação.

Para uma pedagogia das literacias: das conceções e práticas docentes aos conceitos e competências discentes. Um estudo da aula de língua portuguesa no 2º ciclo do ensino básico

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Educação (Especialidade em Literacias e Ensino do Português)

Eating behavior and body image among psychology students

OBJECTIVE: To characterize eating habits and possible risk factors associated with eating disorders among psychology students, a segment at risk for eating disorders. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study. The questionnaires Bulimic Investigatory Test Edinburgh (BITE), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and a variety that considers related issues were applied. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 11.0 was utilized in analysis. The study population was composed of 175 female students, with a mean age of 21.2 (DP ± 3.6 years). RESULTS: A positive result was detected on the EAT-26 for 6.9% of the cases (CI95%: 3.6-11.7%). The prevalence of increased symptoms and intense gravity, according to the BITE questionnaire was 5% (CI95%: 2.4-9.5%) and 2.5% (CI95%: 0.7-6.3%), respectively. According to the findings, 26.29% of the students presented abnormal eating behavior. The population with moderate/severe BSQ scores presented dissatisfaction with corporal weight. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that attention must be given to eating behavior risks within this group. A differentiated gaze is justified with respect to these future professionals, whose practice is jeopardized in cases in which they are themselves the bearers of installed symptoms or precursory behavior.