Autonomy and collage adjustment: A study with 1st-year Portuguese college students

Los niveles de autonomía psicológica de los alumnos desempeñan un papel importante en su ajuste a las presiones y desafíos de la vida universitaria. En este sentido, el presente estudio analiza las relaciones entre los niveles de autonomía de los estudiantes en su entrada en la Enseñanza Superior y la calidad de su ajuste académico al final del primer año. Se aplicó el Iowa Developing Autonomy Inventory (IDAI; Hood y Jackson, 1983) en el inicio del año lectivo, y el Questionário de Vivências Académicas (QVA; Almeida, Soares y Ferreira, 2000) al final de ese año, a una muestra de 420 alumnos de primer año de la Universidade do Minho. Los resultados revelan que los alumnos poseen percepciones bastante positivas en cuanto a sus niveles de autonomía en las áreas de Gestión del tiempo, Movilidad e Interdependencia, y niveles más bajos en la Gestión del dinero, observándose algunas oscilaciones en función del género. Por otro lado, los alumnos cuya entrada en la Enseñanza Superior no implicó su abandono del hogar familiar, especialmente los de sexo masculino, presentan niveles más elevados de ajuste académico. Finalmente, los resultados sugieren que el ajuste académico se encuentra asociado a los niveles de autonomía de los alumnos, en particular en lo que concierne a la Gestión del tiempo, Independencia emocional de sus compañeros e Interdependencia.Students’ psychological autonomy levels play an important role in their adjustment to the pressures and challenges of college life. In this sense, the present descriptive study analyzes the relationships between autonomy levels reached by students at the moment they entered Higher Education and the quality of their academic adjustment at the end of 1st academic year. It was applied the Iowa Developing Autonomy Inventory (IDAI), in the beginning of 1st semester, and the Academic Experiences Questionnaire (AEQ) at the end of that academic year, to a sample of 420 1st year University of Minho students’. Results show that students had quite positive results in what concerns to Time management, Mobility and Interdependence, and lower results in Money management. It was observed some gender effects. On the other hand, the students whose entrance in the Higher Education did not imply family separation, especially male students, present higher levels of academic adjustment. Finally, results suggest that academic adjustment was associated to students’ levels of autonomy, in particular in what concerns to Time management, Peer emotional independence and Interdependence

Photorelease of amino acids from novel thioxobenzo[f]benzopyran ester conjugates

Aiming at the enhancement of the performance of (9-methoxy-3-oxo-3H-benzo[f]benzopyran-1-yl) methyl ester as photocleavable protecting group for the carboxylic acid function at long-wavelengths, 9-methoxy-3-thioxo-3H-benzo[f]benzopyran-L-valine and L-phenylalanine model conjugates were prepared through a thionation reaction of the corresponding oxo-benzobenzopyrans. These thioxobenzobenzopyran derivatives were subjected to photocleavage reactions in the same conditions as the parent oxo-benzobenzopyrans at different wavelengths of irradiation, and photocleavage kinetic data was obtained. It was found that the exchange of the carbonyl by a thiocarbonyl group enhanced the performance of the heterocyclic protecting group at 419 nm by improving the photolysis rates, making it an appropriate group for practical applications at long wavelengths.Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) - POCI 2010Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - REDE/1517/RMN/200

Bioconjugados fluorescentes : síntese e aplicação em estudos de clivagem foto-induzidos

Dissertação de mestrado em Química MedicinalCom o objectivo de desenvolver grupos protectores fotocliváveis para síntese orgânica e também para aplicações caging, baseados em novos derivados fluorescentes policíclicos de oxobenzopirano e oxazole, sintetizaram-se os compostos funcionalizados 4-(clorometil)-6-metoxi-2-oxo-2H-benzo[h]benzopirano, 4-(hidroximetil)-6-metoxi-2-oxo- 2H-benzo[h]benzopirano, 2-(bromometil)nafto[2,3-d]oxazole e 2-(bromometil)-8-metil-6- oxo-6H-benzopirano[6,7-d]oxazole. Estes compostos foram usados na preparação de bioconjugados fluorescentes do tipo éster e uretano, usando como moléculas bifuncionais modelo aminoácidos neurotransmissores (glicina, alanina, β-alanina e ácido γ-aminobutírico (GABA)). No sentido de avaliar a capacidade de biomarcação dos fluoróforos e de determinar os parâmetros necessários à monitorização do processo de fotólise foram efectuados estudos de espectroscopia de UV/visível e de fluorescência dos compostos obtidos em etanol e metanol/tampão HEPES (80:20). Todos os bioconjugados sintetizados foram submetidos a estudos de clivagem foto-induzida em soluções de metanol/tampão HEPES (80:20) a diferentes comprimentos de onda de radiação (254, 300, 350 e 419 nm). A monitorização foi efectuada por HPLC e RMN de protão, tendo sido possível obter dados cinéticos para as reacções de fotoclivagem de todos os bioconjugados.Aiming at the development of new polycyclic fluorescent oxobenzopyran- and oxazole-based photocleavable protecting groups for organic synthesis and also for caging applications, the novel functionalised 4-(chloromethyl)-6-methoxy-2-oxo-2Hbenzo[ h]benzopyran, 4-(hydroxymethyl)-6-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-benzo[h]benzopyran, 2-(bromomethyl)naphtho[2,3-d]oxazole and 2-(bromomethyl)-8-methyl-6-oxo-6Hbenzopyran[ 6,7-d]oxazole were synthesised. These compounds were used in the preparation of fluorescent bioconjugates, by linking through an ester or urethane bond to several model neurotransmitter amino acids (glycine, alanine, β-alanine and g-aminobutyric acid, (GABA)), which were chosen as models of bifunctional molecules. In order to assess the ability of biolabelling of the fluorophores and to determine parameters for the monitorisation during photolysis, UV/visible and fluorescence studies in ethanol and methanol/HEPES buffer (80:20) solutions were carried out. All synthesised bioconjugates were subjected to photo-induced cleavage studies in methanol/HEPES buffer (80:20) solutions at different wavelengths of irradiation (254, 300, 350 and 419 nm). The monitorisation was carried out by HPLC and proton NMR, and for all bioconjugates photocleavage kinetic data were collected.FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia pelo financiamento da minha bolsa de investigação inserida no Projecto PTDC/QUI/69607/2006, “Desenvolvimento de novos grupos fotocliváveis como phototriggers e grupos protectores: síntese, estudos fotofísicos e de fotoclivagem”

Envolvimento académico : confronto de expectativas e comportamentos em universitários do 1º ano

No presente trabalho analisam-se as expectativas dos estudantes acerca do seu envolvimento em diversas dimensões associadas à vida académica, assim como os comportamentos vivenciados uns meses após essa entrada tomando as mesmas dimensões. A amostra considerada é formada por 314 estudantes do 1º ano de três agrupamentos de cursos (Ciências e Engenharia; Ciências Económicas; e Ciências Sociais e Humanas) da Universidade do Minho. Estes alunos responderam, no início do ano e a meados do 2º semestre, ao Questionário de Envolvimento Académico (QEA; Soares & Almeida, 2001) nas suas versões de expectativas (Versão A) e comportamentos (Versão B). Os resultados sugerem níveis elevados de expectativas iniciais dos es- tudantes no momento da sua entrada na Universidade, registando-se uma diminuição significativa de tais índices no segundo momento da avaliação, em particular nas subescalas de envolvimento institucional e de envolvimento vocacional. Algumas oscilações nos resultados foram encontradas tomando os alunos de acordo com o agrupamento do curso frequentado, com o género, os níveis escolares dos pais ou o facto de frequentarem ou não um curso de 1º opção.This paper analyses students’ initial expectations concerning personal investment in different domains of academic life, as well as behaviours some months later in those same dimensions. The sample included 314 first year students of the University of Minho from three graduations areas: science and engineering, economic sciences, and social sciences and humanities. A questionnaire of academic involvement (QEA; Soares & Almeida, 2001) was applied to students at entrance (expectations version) and at middle of first semester (behaviours version). Results suggest higher levels of initial expectations at the entrance in the university, and a significant decrease of those levels some months later, namely in the institutional and vocational subscales. Some significant changes have been found considering the domain and option of graduation studies, gender and academic level of parents.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian - Programa de Apoio a Projectos de Pesquisa no Domínio Educativo (2001/04) - projecto “Transição, adaptação e sucesso académico de jovens no Ensino Superior

Academic achievement on first-year Portuguese college students : the role of academic preparation and learning strategies

This paper analyses the impact of learning strategies, gender, academic field attended and students’ entrance classification to the university on academic achievement at the end of the first academic year. The study, developed with 445 first-year college students (68.5% female), ages between 17 and 57 years old (M = 18.3; SD = 2.17), from the University of Minho (Portugal), implicated answering a questionnaire on learning strategies, which concerned five dimensions (comprehensive approach, surface approach, personal competency perceptions, intrinsc motivation and organization of study activities). Regression analyses showed that academic achievement was more related to students’ entrance classifications to the university than to their learning strategies, independently of the academic field attended. Despite the significance of the other variables, these results seem to highlight the relationship between students’ academic preparation and their achievement at the end of the first-year.Cet article analyse le rôle de la préparation académique et des stratégies d’apprentissage dans la prediction des resultats académiques des étudiants collegiens portugais de premiere année, considerant le sexe des étudiants et le champ d’etudes poursuivies. Un échantillon de 445 etudiants collegiens de première annee (68,5% féminin) de l’Universite de Minho (25,8% inscrits en economie, 35,3% en sciences et technologies et 38,9% en sciences humaines) a participe à cette étude. Les étudiants ont répondu à un questionnaire sur les stratégies d’apprentissage, dans la classe à la fin du premier semestre, lequel consistait à 44 items organisés en cinq dimensions : approche comprehensive, approche de surface, perceptions des competences personnelles, motivation intrinse que et organisation des activites d’étude. Les resultats académiques (moyenne des notes à la fin de la premiere année) et la préparation acadeémique (score combinant les résultats academiques à l’école secondaire et les résultats aux examens d’entree à l’universite) furent obtenus en consultant les dossiers académiques conservés à l’université Les résultats ont montré que la préparation académique était le plus fort prédicteur des résultats académiques lors de la première année. Seulement une variance marginale additionnelle était expliquee par les stratégies d’apprentissage tel qu’évaluées par le questionnaire auto-rapporté. En dépit des différences relatives au sexe des étudiants et au champ d’études, ces variables ne semblent pas assez puissantes pour affecter les résultats. Malgré tout, les differents pourcentages de variance expliquée par chaque modèle et les differents poids associes à la preparation academique stimulent l’utilisation de ces variables ou d’autres variables personnelles et contextuelles lors de l’analyse du phenomene.E l presente trabajo analiza el papel de la preparación académica y las estrategias de aprendizaje en la predicción del rendimiento de los estudiantes del primer curso de la universidad, teniendo en cuenta el sexo de los estudiantes y el campo académico al que pertenecen. La muestra consistio´ en 445 estudiantes del primer curso (68,5% mujeres) de la Universidad de Minho (25,8% matriculados en economı´a, 35,3% en ciencia/tecnología, y 38,9% en humanidades). Los estudiantes contestaron a un cuestionario sobre las estrategias de aprendizaje al final del primer cuatrimestre, el cual consistió en 44 ítems organizados en cinco dimensiones: enfoque comprensivo, enfoque superficial, percepción de la competencia personal, motivación intrínseca y organización de las actividades de estudio. El rendimiento académico (la media de las notas al final del primer curso) y la preparación académica (la nota de acceso a los estudios superiores) fueron obtenidos de los registros de la universidad. Los resultados demostraron que la preparación académica fue el predictor más importante del rendimiento acadeémico en el primer curso y solo la varianza marginal adicional fue explicada por las estrategias de aprendizaje recogidas en el cuestionario de auto-informe. A pesar de las diferencias de género y campo académico, estas variables no parecen suficientemente fuertes como para afectar a los resultados. Aún así, los diferentes porcentajes de varianza capturados por cada modelo y los diferentes pesos asociados a las notas de acceso a los estudios estimulan el uso de estas y/u otras variables personales y contextuales al analizar este fenómeno

Photolysis at long wavelengths of amino acid ester derivatives based on 4-methyl-6-methoxy-2-oxo-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyrans

Ester derivatives of fused 4-methyl-6-methoxy-2-oxo-2H- naphtho[1,2-b]pyran, using valine and phenylalanine as model bifunctional molecules were synthesised, to assess its applicability as a photocleavable protecting group, for solution phase organic synthesis and in caging applications, at longer wavelengths. The behaviour of the corresponding derivatives towards photolysis was evaluated by irradiation in mixture of HEPES buffer and acetonitrile or methanol, in a photochemical reactor at 350 and 419 nm, followed by HPLC/UV monitoring. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements were used to elucidate the dynamics.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) -PTDC/QUI/69607/2006, SFRH/BD/61459/2009Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) - REDE/1517/RMN/200

Condicionantes percepcionadas na entrada para a universidade: estudos com alunos do 1º ano da Universidade do Minho

Poster apresentado no Simpósio Internacional e Multidisciplinar "Transições ao longo da vida : família, escola, trabalho e saúde", Coimbra, Portugal, 5 - 6 Maio 2005.A transição para o Ensino Superior confronta os jovens com inúmeros desafios nos diferentes planos da sua existência. Neste contexto, e considerando a massificação e heterogeneização registada nos últimos anos no acesso e frequência do Ensino Superior em Portugal, interessa conhecer a “nova” composição social desta população, para que as instituições universitárias possam responder eficazmente às suas “novas” características e necessidades. O presente trabalho, inserido num projecto de investigação (financiado pela Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), procura caracterizar as razões de escolha da Universidade do Minho, bem como as dificuldades antecipadas nesta transição educativa, nos alunos que ingressaram na 1ª fase do Concurso Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino Superior na Universidade do Minho. Esta análise considera variáveis sócio-demográficas (género e habilitações literárias dos pais) e da trajectória escolar dos alunos (nota de ingresso e opção curso e estabelecimento de ensino de entrada na Universidade)

Oxazole light triggered protecting groups: synthesis and photolysis of fused heteroaromatic conjugates

Fused oxazole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as new light triggered protecting groups by using amino acids as model bifunctional molecules. The photosensitivity of ester conjugates was tested under irradiation at 254, 300, and 350 nm. Oxazole conjugates were readily photolyzed with complete release of the amino acid, the best results obtained for naphtho[2,3-d]oxazole at 254 and 300 nm, being the first reported application of this type of heterocycles as photocleavable protecting groups for carboxylic acids.Thanks are due to the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal) for financial support through project PTDC/QUI/69607/2006 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007449) and Centro de Quimica (Universidade do Minho). The NMR spectrometer Bruker Avance III 400 is part of the National NMR Network and was purchased in the framework of the National Program for Scientific Re-equipment, contract REDE/1517/RMN/2005 with funds from POCI 2010 (FEDER) and FCT

Rendimento académico no Ensino Superior: estudo com alunos do 1º ano

No quadro do projecto “Transição, adaptação e sucesso académico de jovens no Ensino Superior”, financiado pela Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, avaliamos de forma sequencial uma amostra de 314 alunos do 1º ano da Universidade do Minho (UM) procurando, desse modo, identificar as variáveis pessoais e contextuais preditoras do rendimento académico no final do 1º ano. A par do Questionário de Vivências Académicas (QVAr; Almeida, Ferreira, & Soares, 1999), aplicado no decurso do 1º semestre para avaliar a qualidade das experiências universitárias dos alunos, aplicou-se no final do 2º semestre o Inventário de Atitudes e Hábitos de Estudo (IACHE; Tavares et al., 2002). Recolheram-se, ainda, junto dos Serviços Académicos da UM a média de candidatura dos alunos ao Ensino Superior e as classificações obtidas no final do 1º ano. Algumas diferenças com significado estatístico foram observadas nas vivências e nos métodos de estudo segundo o tipo de curso frequentado e a opção do curso em que o aluno se encontra. No entanto, mais que estas variáveis, é a própria média de candidatura do aluno à Universidade que melhor prediz o rendimento dos alunos no final do 1º ano, sendo o seu peso bastante diferenciado em função do curso que os alunos frequentam.As part of the project “Transition, adjustment and academic success of college students”, financed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, we tried to identify personal and contextual predictors of academic achievement in the end of the first academic year. A sample of 314 first-year college students of University of Minho (UM) has been considered. To evaluate the quality of student’s academic experiences, we used the Questionnaire of Academic Experiences (QVAr; Almeida, Ferreira, & Soares, 1999) during the first semester, and the Inventory of Attitudes and Habits of Study (IACHE; Tavares et al., 2002) at the end of the second semester. We have also obtained, from the Academic Services of the university, data of students’ entrance classification to Higher Education and the academic achievement at the end of the first-year in college. Some significant statistical differences were observed in the experiences and in the methods of study according to the academic field attended and choice of degree. Nevertheless, in the regression analysis, the entrance classification to Higher Education was the best predictor of students’ academic achievement at the end of the first year, being it is weight differential according to the academic field attended.En el cuadro del proyecto “Transición, adaptación y éxito académico de jóvenes en la Enseñanza Superior”, financiado por la Fundación Calouste Gulbenkian, evaluamos de forma secuencial una muestra de 314 alumnos de 1º año de la Universidad do Minho (UM) procurando, de ese modo, identificar las variables personales y contextuales predictoras del rendimiento académico en el final del 1º año. Junto con el Cuestionario de Vivencias Académicas (QVAr; Almeida, Ferreira, & Soares, 1999), aplicado en el transcurso del 1º semestre para evaluar la calidad de las experiencias universitarias de los alumnos, se aplicó en el final del 2º semestre el Inventario de Actitudes y Hábitos de Estudio (IACHE; Tavares et al., 2002). También se recogieron de los Servicios Académicos de la UM la media de acceso de los alumnos a la Enseñanza Superior y las clasificaciones obtenidas al final del 1º año. Algunas diferencias con significado estadístico fueron observadas en las vivencias y en los métodos de estudio según el tipo de titulación y la opción a través de la cual accedió a la universidad. Aún teniendo en cuenta estos resultados, la media de acceso del alumno a la Universidad fue la variable que mejor predijo el rendimiento de los alumnos al final del 1º año, siendo su peso bastante diferenciado en función de la titulación a la que los alumnos pertenecen.Fundação Calouste Gulbenkia

Clarifying changes in student empathy throughout medical school: a scoping review

Despite the increasing awareness of the relevance of empathy in patient care, some findings suggest that medical schools may be contributing to the deterioration of students' empathy. Therefore, it is important to clarify the magnitude and direction of changes in empathy during medical school. We employed a scoping review to elucidate trends in students' empathy changes/differences throughout medical school and examine potential bias associated with research design. The literature published in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French from 2009 to 2016 was searched. Two-hundred and nine potentially relevant citations were identified. Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes of empathy scores variations were calculated to assess the practical significance of results. Our results demonstrate that scoped studies differed considerably in their design, measures used, sample sizes and results. Most studies (12 out of 20 studies) reported either positive or non-statistically significant changes/differences in empathy regardless of the measure used. The predominant trend in cross-sectional studies (ten out of 13 studies) was of significantly higher empathy scores in later years or of similar empathy scores across years, while most longitudinal studies presented either mixed-results or empathy declines. There was not a generalized international trend in changes in students' empathy throughout medical school. Although statistically significant changes/differences were detected in 13 out of 20 studies, the calculated effect sizes were small in all but two studies, suggesting little practical significance. At the present moment, the literature does not offer clear conclusions relative to changes in student empathy throughout medical school.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio