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.

O impacto das Bibliotecas Escolares na promoção dos Hábitos de Leitura

Dada a importância que é atribuída à leitura, entendida como ferramenta essencial para a plena inserção dos cidadãos na sociedade, a luta pela melhoria dos níveis de leitura e literacia da população portuguesa tornou-se um desígnio nacional bastante enfatizado nas últimas décadas. Vários estudos sobre hábitos de leitura efectuados na década de 80/90, quer a nível nacional quer internacional, vieram pôr a descoberto as fragilidades de Portugal e o seu atraso em relação aos restantes países da Europa. Os portugueses não revelavam as competências necessárias para ter sucesso na sociedade da informação. O sistema educativo tem um papel chave na mudança que é urgente operar, residindo os alicerces dessa mudança na promoção da leitura e da literacia. É neste contexto que surge a criação da Rede de Bibliotecas Escolares, lançada em 1996, como medida conjunta do Ministério da Educação e da Cultura, com vista a criar condições para que os portugueses pudessem alcançar níveis de leitura mais favoráveis e mais próximos dos restantes países europeus. A promoção da leitura passa a ser uma área de intervenção prioritária das bibliotecas escolares em Portugal. Face aos baixos níveis de literacia dos alunos portugueses, revelados pelo PISA 2000, o governo dá continuidade às suas políticas de promoção da leitura e da literacia. No ano de 2007 é apresentado o Plano Nacional de Leitura (PNL), fazendo-se o apelo à mobilização de todos como condição essencial para a sua eficácia - elevar os níveis de literacia dos portugueses. É importante dar nota que o PNL e as Bibliotecas Escolares estão fortemente conectados, funcionando estas como os “alicerces” que suportam o desenvolvimento dos projectos do PNL. Os resultados desta “parceria” e de todas as iniciativas com vista à promoção da leitura e da literacia têm-se revelado bastante profícuos, e a prová-lo estão os resultados do PISA 2009. Tendo os anos de 2000 e 2009 como domínio de referência a leitura, constatou-se que nesse período de tempo houve uma clara melhoria dos níveis de literacia dos portugueses. Não obstante uma ligeira descida verificada nos resultados do ano de 2012, a OCDE sublinhou as melhorias que o país obteve desde que começou a ser avaliado. No entanto, julgamos pertinente dar nota que, para além desta evolução se ter verificado não apenas em Portugal, há países que evoluíram de forma muito mais acelerada, encontrando-se numa posição mais favorável que Portugal (25º posição), no ranking dos países da OCDE. Com o estudo que aqui apresentamos, baseado na análise de um universo de 8 bibliotecas escolares do concelho de Felgueiras, pretendemos conhecer a realidade destas bibliotecas dentro do contexto nacional. Foi nosso objetivo verificar se cumprem o seu papel na promoção dos hábitos de leitura e da literacia, de que forma o fazem, e as dificuldades concretas com que se deparam. As conclusões apontam-nos para uma realidade que não difere muito da realidade das restantes bibliotecas do país, das quais temos conhecimento. Os professores bibliotecários cumprem o seu papel na promoção dos hábitos de leitura, deparando-se com a falta de apoio de meios humanos, aspecto que se tem agravado de forma preocupante nos últimos anos. A conjuntura atual de desinvestimento nos serviços públicos, não poderia deixar de se fazer sentir. Constatamos no entanto que, apesar das adversidades, as BEs não se reduzem a meros centros de recursos e a locais de lazer para quem as queira visitar. Têm um papel ativo, tomam incitativas diversas de promoção da leitura / literacia, nos moldes definidos pelo MABE, com estímulo à leitura autónoma. Procuram articular as suas acções com os docentes e, em simultâneo, vencer a relativa indiferença e desinteresse destes pela biblioteca, motivando-os para as suas actividades e procurando levá-los a ver na BE um parceiro ativo, capaz de os apoiar na concretização dos programas curriculares e na análise de resultados escolares dos alunos como base para delinear estratégias pedagógicas comuns. Por fim, constatamos que apesar de as BEs procurarem integrar nas suas atividades a comunidade exterior à escola, a adesão, sobretudo das famílias, tem sido débil: os encarregados de educação aderem relativamente bem ao papel de público passivo, mas não assumem o papel de interlocutores ativos, como se pretende. Estas conclusões, ousamos dizer, remetem-nos para a necessidade urgente de uma reflexão séria por parte do Estado Português, em relação à Educação e às suas prioridades.

Participation of women in engineering: challenges and productive interventions

Building science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills in students at all school levels is essential to building the next generation of engineering workers and engineering skills. Despite more than two decades of initiatives, the under-representation of women in engineering has been a longstanding concern in Australia. This is related to concerns about levels of participation in engineering overall, and to current concerns about attitudes to and participation in STEM subjects and career pathways generally, and for women in the natural and physical sciences and higher level mathematics at school, university and the workplace. This review analyses factors affecting the participation of women in engineering, covering the full extent of the STEM pipeline across the schooling years but focusing particularly on girls’ exposure to and engagement with engineering across those years.

Social inclusion and social protection in Nepal

This thesis explores the contribution of social protection to building an inclusive state in the post-conflict democratic era in Nepal. A grounded theory methodology is used to understand the roles of different actors including development partners, civil servants, politicians, the private sector, trade unions, journalists, academics and how recipients of five government funded cash transfers perceive these funds and view their own sense of citizenship.What emerges from the research is insights into how structural and practised forms of exclusion are reproduced, and changed, and the roles of the different actors involved.

FASD: From isolation to inclusion in Australian schools.

This research investigated pedagogical approaches required for the successful inclusion of children and young people living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The research applied an Indigenist constructivist qualitative method working with one school community. The development of a National Framework for Achieving Inclusion for Australian Students with FASD demands urgent policy and support for educators to meet the complex learning needs of students with FASD.

‘Much more than a basic education’: supporting self-determination and cultural integrity in a non-traditional school for Indigenous girls

This paper presents data from an interview-based case study of a secondary school located in a suburban area of Queensland (Australia). The school is a non-traditional education site designed to support disadvantaged girls, many of whom are Indigenous, and is highly regarded for its holistic approach to gender and cultural inclusion and equity. Through lenses that align Nancy Fraser's theories of redistributive and recognitive justice, with Indigenous feminists' equity priorities, the paper identifies and analyses the structures and practices at the school that support the girls' capacities for self-determination and their sense of cultural integrity. The paper is an important counterpoint within the context of mainstream gender equity and schooling discourses that continue to homogenise gender categories, sideline the multiple axes of differentiation that interplay to compound gender (dis)advantage and deflect attention away from marginalised girls. In particular, it provides significant insight into how schools can begin to reconcile the double bind of racism and sexism that continues to stymie the schooling and post-school outcomes of Indigenous girls.

Reflections on using a community-based and multisystem approach to transforming school-based intervention for children with developmental motor disorders

Evidence-based management of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in school-age children requires putting into practice the best and most current research findings, including evidence that early identification, self-management, prevention of secondary disability, and enhanced participation are the most appropriate foci of school-based occupational therapy. Partnering for Change (P4C) is a new school-based intervention based upon these principles that has been developed and evaluated in Ontario, Canada over an 8-year period. Our experience to date indicates that its implementation in schools is highly complex with involvement of multiple stakeholders across health and education sectors. In this paper, we describe and reflect upon our team’s experience in using community-based participatory action research, knowledge translation, and implementation science to transform evidence-informed practice with children who have DCD.

Social participation and interventions supporting teenagers and young adults living with developmental coordination disorder (DCD): results from a Scoping Review

Background: The impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on teenagers’ and young adults’ participation is not well documented. This article aims to synthesize the current knowledge on social participation, which is the performance of an individual in realizing his daily activities and social roles within its life environment. Strategies and interventions to support youths (15-25 years old) with DCD were also synthesized. Methods: A scoping review interrogating three databases and using ‘snowballing techniques’ was performed to identify both scientific and grey literature published between 2004 and 2014. Over 1000 documents were screened and 57 were read in full; 28 met inclusion criteria. A charting form based on 12 life habits described in the Disability Creation Process (DCP) and developed by two reviewers was used to extract data and report the results. Results: All life habits were reported to be affected for teenagers and young adults with DCD, with education and interpersonal relationships being the most frequently discussed. During adolescence and adulthood, new tasks and subsequent difficulties emerge, such as driving. Mental health difficulties emerged as a key theme. Few strategies and interventions were described to support social participation of youths with DCD. Conclusion: Many life habits are challenging for youths with DCD, but few evidence-based strategies and interventions have been designed to help them to increase their social participation.

Condicionantes económicas de Colombia y la alianza del Pacífico

La principal finalidad de este estudio, es presentar una visión actualizada y genérica respecto a las condicionantes económicas de Colombia en particular y las relacionadas con el conjunto de países que conforman la Alianza del Pacífico en general –Chile, Colombia, México y Perú. Se trata de un estudio no experimental, descriptivo-interpretativo con énfasis en la revisión de datos. Entre las conclusiones más importantes se destacan los niveles de crecimiento económico con mayor estabilidad se presentan en Chile y Perú, una dependencia comercial exterior de México hacia Estados Unidos y que en Colombia se tiene el caso de que el aumento de producción que se hace evidente, no impacta tanto como era de esperarse, en la variable empleo.

Environmental Education Experience with Students from One Costa Rican Rural School

This article describes a teaching experience developed in Environmental Education in a Costa Rican rural school with students from ninth year, characterized by the dynamics of a workshop in which stresses the participation in the construction of initiatives to address environmental problems detected by the youth in their communities. The article aims to contribute to the construction of a pedagogical model of self-management training and education of young people in environmental sectors, tourism and agriculture, in the conviction that education constitutes a vital alternative for understanding and solving environmental problems.

Educational Inclusion in the Regular Classroom: an Asperger Syndrome Case

The following paper resulted from the final research project conducted for my Master’s Degree in Teacher Training for Teachers of Primary Education (1st – 6th grade of the Basic General Education). This research project was conducted under the supervision of the Rural Education Division of the Center for Research and Teaching in Education (CIDE-UNA, Spanish acronym), in coordination with the Central America Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC). The research is qualitative with an interpretative approach. Our main objective was to analyze the process of inclusive education in the regular classroom for a person with Asperger’s Syndrome, defined as a type of social impairment. The case study method was used in this research, as it allows a deeper study. A girl was chosen from a public school in an urban area of San José, Costa Rica. Three techniques were used to obtain information: interviews, questionnaires and documentation (personal file, behavior record, and psychological assessment) related to the girl with Asperger. The triangulation of sources was used as a method of analysis. The conclusion of the project was that regular schools may have children miss-diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, and that our schools are still far from achieving inclusive education, but efforts are being made to achieve it. For a more opportune intervention, some recommendations based on this study were provided to the family and the school of the girl with Asperger.