First-year law students’ and teacher’s questioning in class

Classroom questioning can be considered a key factor in the promotion of student engagement. This case study explored classroom questioning practices and perceptions of a group of 47 first-year law students and their teacher. Eight lessons of 90 min were observed and audio-recorded and afterward the students and the teacher answered a questionnaire. The teacher was also interviewed. Researchers examined the number and type of questions asked by the teacher and by the students in the classroom and analyzed the students' and the teacher's perceptions about the importance of classroom questioning. Results indicated that the teacher and most students consider questioning important or very important for student learning. The number of questions posed by students as opposed to by their teacher was not balanced, as the teacher was responsible for 93% of the questions. The analysis of the type of questions posed by the teacher and by the students showed a predominance of low-order questions. Therefore, classroom questioning in this case study did not seem to promote students' autonomous thinking. The current study suggests the importance of examining the teacher and students' patterns of questioning together, analyzing its similarities and discrepancies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese principals' professional development needs and preferred learning methods

Due to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools' improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals' training needs from their viewpoint, particularly in Portugal. Through individual interviews (n = 19) and a questionnaire (n = 117) to principals, we collected data that enable us to understand principals' perceptions on their training needs, focusing on learning areas, skills to be developed and learning methods. Results show considerable variability, reinforcing the relevance of tailored and contextualised approaches to professional development. Globally, principals request management skills and training opportunities that enable them to develop leadership skills (e.g., personal, interpersonal/socioemotional). Moreover, principals need training on instructional and distributed leadership practices. Collaborative and reflective methods are the ones principals prefer. Practical implications for the design of systematic professional development practices, in a lifelong perspective, are also discussed

Giving voice to problems faced by school leaders in Portugal

Worldwide, leadership stories are narratives of principals facing very different problems. The purpose of this study was to identify the current problems faced by Portuguese school principals, through these actors' voice. Nineteen public school Portuguese principals participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, coded, and categorised using Nvivo11 Pro. The analysis revealed that Portuguese principals have the same problems as their colleagues worldwide, but there are problems specifically related to the Portuguese educational system: problems from the process of school clustering and the leader-centred system of school management of this country. A framework to analyse the emerged problems and practical recommendations are proposed for school leaders, researchers, and policymakers to improve educational leadership

Perceções de alunos do 3º ciclo sobre a aprendizagem : um estudo com grupos de discussão focalizada

Este estudo teve como objetivo compreender as perceções de alunos do 3º ciclo de escolas privadas acerca dos aspetos que facilitam e dificultam a sua aprendizagem. O conhecimento das perceções dos alunos sobre a sua aprendizagem permite melhorar a qualidade dos processos de aprendizagem dos alunos. O estudo enquadra-se na metodologia qualitativa. Foram realizados, com um guião semiestruturado, cinco grupos de discussão focalizada, em cinco escolas diferentes, com 32 alunos de 7º, 8º e 9º anos. A seleção dos participantes foi aleatória e questões éticas foram ponderadas. A análise dos dados seguiu um processo semi-indutivo de codificação descritiva. Os resultados realçam o papel fundamental do professor para a aprendizagem; a importância da ação dos alunos na sala de aula versus passividade; a relevância da dimensão emocional e relacional para o envolvimento do aluno e das estratégias de autorregulação da aprendizagem. Como implicações sugere-se a concretização de ações junto de professores e alunos que sejam promotoras da metacognição de ambos e a importância de atender à construção de relação para o envolvimento dos alunos. Investigações futuras podem procurar compreender as perceções dos alunos ao longo dos diferentes ciclos de ensino.This study aimed to understand the perceptions of students 3rd cycle of basic education about the aspects that facilitate and hinder their learning. The knowledge of students´ perceptions about their learning allows for improvement of learning processes. This study follows a qualitative methodology. Five focus groups were conducted, with a semi-structured script, in five different schools, with students from 7th, 8th and 9th grades. The selection of participants was random and ethical issues were considered. The data analysis followed a semi-inductive process and descriptive coding of data. The results highlighted the key role of teachers for learning; the importance of students´ action in the classroom versus passivity; the relevance of emotional and relational dimension to enhance students’ engagement, and learning self-regulation strategies. For practitioners, the results of this suggest working with teachers and students to address the conceptions of both learning and the importance of meeting relational and emotional dimensions to enhance student engagement. Future research may seek to understand student´s perceptions towards learning across schooling years

Parental involvement during pandemic times: challenges and opportunities

Due to COVID-19, many countries implemented emergency plans, such as lockdown and school closures. This new situation has significantly affected families, namely, the involvement required to support children's learning at home. The current study aimed to analyze Portuguese parents' perceptions of their home-based parental involvement in their children's learning during the lockdown and school closures in 2020 due to COVID-19. An online survey, using a closed-ended questionnaire, was employed. Variables included parents' sociodemographic and COVID-19 related characteristics; students' sociodemographic characteristics; distance learning context; parental involvement; and students' autonomy. Data were collected from a sample of 21,333 parents with children from elementary school to secondary education, and statistical data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26. Findings revealed that Portuguese parents supported their children during the pandemic mainly through the monitoring of attention in classes and task realization. However, several variables appear to significantly determine parental involvement time, which is higher when students attend public schools, when they are less autonomous and younger, when parents' level of education is lower, when the child is a boy (except in secondary education where gender is not relevant), and when the online school time is higher. Findings highlight the need for a significant investment of time from parents, particularly of primary school children, making it difficult to cohere work or telework with school activities. Implications for policies, schools, families are discussed in order to promote children's learning and success.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

¿Qué facilita y dificulta el aprendizaje? La perspectiva de los adolescentes

Este estudo qualitativo teve como objetivo analisar as perceções de alunos adolescentes acerca dos aspetos que facilitam e dificultam a sua aprendizagem. O conhecimento das perceções dos alunos sobre a sua aprendizagem permite melhorar a qualidade dos processos de ensino-aprendizagem. A partir de um guião semiestruturado, foram realizados cinco grupos focais, em cinco escolas privadas do Norte de Portugal, tendo participado 32 alunos selecionados aleatoriamente. Os participantes eram alunos do 3º ciclo do Ensino Básico (7º, 8º e 9º anos), com idades compreendidas entre os 12 e os 15 anos. A análise dos dados seguiu um processo semi-indutivo de codificação descritiva. Os resultados realçam o papel fundamental do professor na aprendizagem; a importância da ação vs passividade dos alunos na sala de aula; a relevância da dimensão emocional e relacional para o envolvimento do aluno; e a relevância das estratégias de autorregulação da aprendizagem. Como implicações sugere-se a concretização de ações junto de professores e alunos assente nos dados recolhidos e analisados, que sejam promotoras da metacognição de ambos.This qualitative study aimed to understand the perceptions of adolescent students about what facilitates and hinders their learning. The knowledge of students’ perceptions about their learning allows to improve the quality of the learning processes quality. Five focus groups were conducted, with a semi-structured script, in five different private schools from the North of Portugal, having participated in 32 students randomly selected. Participants were students from 7th, 8th and 9th grades, with ages between 12 and 15 years old. The data analysis followed a semi-inductive process and descriptive coding of data. The results highlighted the key role of teachers in students’ learning; the importance of students´ action versus passivity in the classroom; the relevance of emotional and relational dimension to enhance students’ engagement, and the relevance of learning self-regulation strategies. As for implications, it is suggested that actions be carried out with teachers and students based on the data collected and analyzed, in order to promote metacognition of both.Este estudio cualitativo tuvo como objetivo analizar las percepciones de alumnos adolescentes acerca de los aspectos que facilitan y dificultan su aprendizaje. El conocimiento de las percepciones de los alumnos sobre su aprendizaje permite mejorar la calidad de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. A partir de un guión semiestructurado, cinco discusiones en grupos focales se llevaron a cabo en cinco escuelas privadas en el Norte de Portugal, que han participado 32 estudiantes seleccionados aleatoriamente. Los participantes eran alumnos del 3º ciclo de la Enseñanza Básica (7º, 8º y 9º años), con edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 15 años. El análisis de los datos siguió un proceso semi-inductivo de codificación descriptiva. Los resultados subrayan el papel fundamental del profesor para el aprendizaje; la importancia de la acción de los alumnos en el aula versus pasividad; la relevancia de la dimensión emocional y relacional para la participación del alumno y de las estrategias de autorregulación del aprendizaje. Como implicaciones se sugiere la concreción de acciones junto a profesores y alumnos acerca de los datos recogidos y analizados, que sean promotores de la metacognición de ambos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese Principals’ Professional Development Needs and Preferred Learning Methods

Due to the crucial role principals have on school outcomes, investing in their training is a cost-effective approach for schools’ improvement. Research shows that principals attribute pertinence to their ongoing professional development. However, little research has been conducted on principals’ training needs from their viewpoint, particularly in Portugal. Through individual interviews (n = 19) and a questionnaire (n = 117) to principals, we collected data that enable us to understand principals’ perceptions on their training needs, focusing on learning areas, skills to be developed and learning methods. Results show considerable variability, reinforcing the relevance of tailored and contextualised approaches to professional development. Globally, principals request management skills and training opportunities that enable them to develop leadership skills (e.g., personal, interpersonal/socioemotional). Moreover, principals need training on instructional and distributed leadership practices. Collaborative and reflective methods are the ones principals prefer. Practical implications for the design of systematic professional development practices, in a lifelong perspective, are also discussed

Student's online learning readiness in times of Covid-19: self-report of undergraduate psychology students in Portugal

In times such as these of world pandemic where the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the shutdown of schools and universities for face-to-face learning activities, the use of digital technology was intensified. The online learning environment is different to the regular classroom environment. Technology may offer multiple opportunities for learning and diverse means for teaching. The use of technological solutions to enable the continuity of learning from home raised challenges to continue effective teaching-learning processes. Considering online learning, some dimensions have been identified as relevant for learning to occur and be effective. Students’ readiness for online learning is one of these dimensions. This brief study aimed to measure undergraduate Psychology students’ online learning readiness at a Portuguese university. Participants exhibited above-medium levels of readiness toward online learning and presented highest readiness in the subscale of technical skills, followed by communication competencies, and the lowest readiness in the subscales related to social competencies both with classmates and the instructor/teacher. From these results, we can derive implications for teaching practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Problem-based learning in an undergraduate Psychology course: a description of a possible implementation

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional learner-centred approach successfully implemented in numerous undergraduate courses around the world. It is an active and self-directed learning strategy where students work collaboratively in learning teams to achieve a solution for a presented problem related to their course and syllabus content. In a PBL learning environment, faculty takes the role of learning facilitators/tutors. Over the years, the use of PBL has widespread through all areas in higher education, including Psychology, showing positive influences on students’ employability competencies, as well as engagement and quality of learning. This poster presents a description of the application of a Hybrid Problem-Based Learning Model, adapted to large undergraduate classes in the 1st year of a Bachelor in Psychology course (Learning, Memory and Motivation) in Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculty of Education and Psychology. A total of 63 students participated in this course (consent forms signed) with one Faculty member and one Teaching Assistant. Data was collected throughout the semester with the help of one researcher with no teaching contact with the students. The main goals were to understand the faculty’s and the students’ perceptions of the use of PBL for students’ learning and skills' development (discipline-specific skills and generic/transversal skills).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A qualitative study of school professionals’ perspectives about whole-school universal wellbeing screening

Mental health (MH) and well-being in schools remain a contemporary international concern. The Multi-Tiered System of Supports model (MTSS) is a leading model of school-based MH and well-being interventions, which is based on universal screening power for early identification of MH needs and well-being promotion. However few applications of this framework are known in Portuguese schools using universal screening, focused on MH and wellbeing data collection, from pupils to headteachers. The following study aimed to understand the perspective of key school agents (e.g., teaching staff, managers, support service staff) from a secondary state school about the usefulness and acceptability of universal school-based MH screening for pupils and school professionals. Nine individual interviews were conducted with staff members from a secondary school in Portugal (headteacher, school psychologist, year tutor teachers, teachers from different disciplines, and non-teaching staff). This poster will present the initial results of a thematic analysis of these individual interviews which contribute to answering the following specific research questions: 1) How is screening all school staff for mental health and wellbeing perceived by participants? 2) Is it perceived as useful and acceptable? 3) What possible facilitators and barriers are pointed out to implement universal school-based screening for mental health and wellbeing in the participants’ school?.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio