Predictors of educational aspirations of Roma mothers in Czech Republic, Greece, and Portugal

Roma communities are a disadvantaged minority in Europe which is particularly underrepresented in social and educational research. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of Roma mothers’ educational aspirations for their children in the Czech Republic, Greece, and Portugal. Participants included 461 mothers with a Roma background (135 from the Czech Republic, 130 from Greece, and 196 from Portugal), with a child between 3 to 6 (n = 181) or 9 to 12 (n = 280) years old. Data were based on mothers’ reports, obtained during a structured in-person interview. Material deprivation (microsystem level), frequency and quality of interactions with non-Roma parents, as well as the quality of parent-teacher interactions (mesosystem level), predicted Roma mothers’ educational aspirations. Findings suggest that, in addition to microsystemic variables such as material deprivation, mesosystemic predictors such as those examining contact with non-Roma parents may play an important role in shaping Roma mothers’ educational aspirations and need to be further examined.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cylindrocladium gracile a potential threat to carrot production in Rio Paranaiba Valley.

Resumo 490. Edição dos resumos do Congresso Brasileiro de Fitopatologia, 45., Manaus, AM, ago. 2012

Measuring professionals’ perceptions about collaborative consultation in early childhood intervention

We investigated the reliability and construct validity of the Professionals’ Perceptions about Collaborative Consultation in Early Childhood Intervention Scale (ProPerCECIS), a rating scale developed to measure collaborative consultation in early childhood intervention (ECI). ProPerCECIS was completed by 427 professionals from 78 ECI teams. The full sample was randomised into sample A, 170 participants, for conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) – and sample B, 257 participants, for performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multiple-group analysis, with the overall sample, was conducted. The EFA final solution comprised three correlated factors, with acceptable to very good internal consistency: Intervention, Context, and Planning. The CFA supported the three-factor structure. Results supported configural invariance and partial metric invariance, but partial scalar invariance did not hold. Results supported the conceptual framework of collaborative consultation in ECI and suggest that ProPerCECIS can be a useful measure of professionals’ perceptions about collaborative consultation practices in ECI. ProPerCECIS seems to be particularly suited to assess collaborative practices within services providing routines-based family-centred interventions. Importantly, because the factor structure for ProPerCECIS holds up for different professional groups, it might be used by transdisciplinary ECI teams.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Predictors of shared book reading at home with preschoolers: Are there differences between Roma and non-Roma low-income families?

Previous research highlights several benefits of shared book reading (SBR) for child development, but less studies exist about its predictors (Yarosz & Barnett, 2001). Literature on home SBR in Portugal is scarce (Araújo & Costa, 2015; Peixoto et al., 2008), and studies on its predictors in families at socioeconomic risk or Roma families in this context are, respectively, reduced (Gamelas et al., 2003) or inexistent. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of the frequency of SBR in two ethnically diverse groups of families. Specifically, we studied the associations between child and family (mother) characteristics, parental aspirations, and parental involvement in preschool events and frequency of home SBR. Two hundred and six caregivers of Portuguese Roma ( n = 101) and non-Roma ( n = 105) low-income preschoolers (109 boys; M age = 5, SD age = 0.94) living in the Metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal, completed a survey, in face-to-face meetings. A multiple regression model, using AMOS (v. 25), showed that mothers’ educational level, educational aspirations for their child, and involvement in informal (but not formal) events in preschool were positively associated with frequency of SBR. Ethnicity did not moderate these associations. The overall similar pattern results for Roma and non-Roma low income families is an important finding, suggesting that these families may experience similar challenges in engaging in SBR with their preschool children and, therefore, may benefit from interventions with similar features.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Germinação de sementes de Paspalum notatum Flügge.

Paspalum notatum Flügge destaca-se entre as espécies forrageiras utilizadas na alimentação animal pela alta produção de forragem e bom valor nutritivo. A germinação de sementes de espécies forrageiras associada à dormência tem sido, em todo o mundo um sério problema, principalmente pela baixa porcentagem de germinação e qualidade fisiológica. O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar a germinação de Paspalum notatum por diferentes tratamentos de quebra da dormência. O experimento foi desenvolvido com 8 tratamentos divididos por métodos físico (escarificação) e químico (nitrato de potássio), além do controle, com 4 repetições havendo 50 sementes por repetição. Os tratamentos que havia a presença da escarificação das sementes mostraram os melhores resultados, enquanto que os tratamentos que continham somente o reagente nitrato de potássio (KNO3) obtiveram os piores desempenhos. A escarificação promove a germinação das sementes de paspalum notatum, entretanto o nitrato de potássio é ineficaz na promoção da germinação.SEPE on-line

Teacher and peer reports on preschoolers’ sociometric popularity

This study investigated the association between preschool children’s sociometric popu-larity obtained from peer sociometric nominations and from teachers’ classifications. A total of 1535 children (731 girls and 804 boys), aged between 34 and 89.6 months (M = 61.96, SD = 8.91), and 89 teachers participated in the study. The association between reports from the two sources, although not independent, was weak, with teachers perceiving more children as popular and fewer children as rejected. Teacher and peer classifications were similarly asso-ciated with social skills and behavior problems. Sociometric popularity obtained from teachers, but not from peers, was associated with children’s age and verbal competence. Overall, findings suggest that traditional peer sociometric nominations, even at early ages, are not replaceable by teachers’ classifications of children’s sociometric popularity.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Student-teacher closeness and conflict in students with and without special educational needs

Teachers play a key role in creating effective conditions for students to succeed in school. The quality of student-teacher relationships is consistently associated with social, emotional, behavioural, and academic adjustment and it is even more relevant for students with special educational needs (SEN), considering these students’ emotional, social, and learning vulnerabilities. This study aimed to examine the associations between students’ externalizing and internalizing behaviour, social skills, and academic performance, and teachers’ perceptions of conflict and closeness in their relationships with students with and without SEN. Data regarding 360 students of Year 3rd, Year 5th, and Year 7th grades (169 students with SEN) were collected. Teachers (n = 74) reported on student-teacher relationship and students’ social skills, behaviour problems, and academic performance. Special education teachers (n = 38) provided information regarding the diagnosis and profile of functioning of students with SEN. Results showed that teachers’ reports of students’ social skills and externalizing problems were the strongest predictors of closeness and conflict. Internalizing problems and SEN status also predicted decreased closeness, despite smaller effects. Taken together, findings support the importance of professional development opportunities focusing on facilitating teachers’ relationships with students with perceived challenging behaviour.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Fungos associados as sementes de Paspalum notatum Flügge.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar os gêneros de fungos presentes nas sementes de Paspalum notatum Flügge, as sementes foram analisadas pelos métodos de papel de filtro e plaqueamento em meio de cultura (BDA). As culturas foram mantidas em câmara BOD por oito dias a temperatura de 25°C e fotoperíodo de 12 horas. A identificação dos gêneros fúngicos foi realizada com auxílio de microscópio óptico. Foram detectados os gêneros Fusarium, Aspergilus, Curvalaria e Geniculosporium, além de microrganismos não identificados.SEPE on-line