MEMORIAL PARA PROMOÇÃO DOCENTE AO CARGO DE PROFESSOR TITULAR DA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL

Este memorial faz parte de minha promoção docente para o cargo de professor titular da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Nele, apresento minha trajetória acadêmica, enfatizando minha carreira como pesquisador na área psicoeducacional e psicometria. This memorial is part of my promotion to the position of full professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. I present my academic trajectory, emphasizing my career as a researcher in the psychoeducational and psychometrics fields.  Article visualizations

TIME SERIES IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: APPLICATION IN THE STUDY OF COGNITIVE ACHIEVEMENT

The study proposes the utility of time series methodology in the study of processes in educational psychology. Conjointly, the study applies time series in the study of cognitive achievement. Thirteen students from seventh to ninth grades performed an inductive reasoning test. The performance was measured in 20 different occasions and the observations were aggregated to generate a times series of 260 observations (20 different occasions by each individual multiplied by 13 participants). Result shows that a seasonal ARIMA (0,0,1) (1,1,1) adequately fits the data through a model comparative approach. Concluding, despites the complexity, ARIMA methodology is capable to investigate process, reducing the object of the study without lost its fundamental properties and dynamical aspects.  Article visualizations

Em busca de um modelo psico-educativo para a avaliação de softwares educacionais

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.Introdução. Uma das questões que merece grande destaque em nosso cenário contemporâneo é a questão da aprendizagem por meio das Novas Tecnologias. Afinal, o que é aprender? Por quê aprendemos e como aprendemos? E como podemos aprender utilizando a Internet, ambientes virtuais, a inteligência artificial, etc? Neste sentido, este trabalho estabeleceu critérios que venham a servir de guia para uma análise do modo como os Softwares Educacionais enfocam e mobilizam o processo de aprendizagem do seu usuário (o aluno). Objetivo. Buscar definir um Modelo Psico-Educativo que norteie referenciais conceituais e estabeleça critérios para a análise operacional dos Softwares Educacionais e sua forma de intervenção junto ao processo de aprendizagem. Método. Foram determinados os seguintes passos: 1. A fundamentação do Modelo Psico-Educativo, através da Teoria da Modificabilidade Cognitiva Estrutural e da Experiência de Aprendizagem Mediada, de Reuven Feuerstein, e sua aplicabilidade junto aos Softwares Educacionais. 2. A concepção de Instrumentos de Análise, visando a operacionalização da avaliação dos Softwares Educativos, junto às suas formas de intervenção frente ao processo de aprendizagem. 3. A proposição de uma classificação geral para os Softwares Educacionais, tendo em vista sua postura frente ao processo de aprendizagem e intervenção cognitiva junto ao educando. Conclusão. A existência de teorias construtivistas, que englobam o processo cognitivo, sustenta novas possibilidades de confecção e análise do papel dos Softwares Educacionais junto ao processo de aprendizagem. Além dos avanços teóricos, avanços tecnológicos, tais como a Inteligência Artificial, vêm possibilitando a emergência de um novo paradigma a respeito da função dos Softwares e sua aplicabilidade junto à Educação. Introduction. One of the questions that merely great emphasis in our contemporary scenario is the learning question through the New Technologies. Finally, what's meaning the word learn? Why do we learning and how we learning? And how we can learn using the Internet, virtual environments, artificial Intelligence, etc? In this sense, this work aim focus the teaching and learning process and the Educational Software, building criterions that could serve of guide to a cognitive analysis of the learning process involving by the Educational Software programming. Objective. To define a Psycho-Educative Model that create both elemental concepts and criterions to a operational analysis of the Educational Softwares and your intervention shapes relative the learning process. Method. The steps was determined in this way: 1. The creation of Psycho-Educative Model, through Feuerstein's Structural Cognitive Modifiability Theory and Mediated Learning Experience, and your applicability to Educational Softwares. 2. The conception of the Analyze Tools, to aim the Educational Softwares evaluation, relative them intervention shapes about the learning process. 3. The proposition of a general classification to Educational Softwares. Conclusion. The existence of construtivistic theories, that embrace the cognitive process, support new possibilities of confection and the analysis of the Educational Softwares role relative the learning process. Behind the theoretical advances, technological advances, like Artificial Intelligence, go to the possibility to the emergency of the new paradigm in respect of the Softwares role and them applicability about Education

Advocating the broad use of the decision tree method in education

Predictive studies have been widely undertaken in the field of education to provide strategic information about the extensive set of processes related to teaching and learning, as well as about what variables predict certain educational outcomes, such as academic achievement or dropout. As in any other area, there is a set of standard techniques that is usually used in predictive studies in the field education. Even though the Decision Tree Method is a well-known and standard approach in Data Mining and Machine Learning, and is broadly used in data science since the 1980's, this method is not part of the mainstream techniques used in predictive studies in the field of education. In this paper, we support a broad use of the Decision Tree Method in education. Instead of presenting formal algorithms or mathematical axioms to present the Decision Tree Method, we strictly present the method in practical terms, focusing on the rationale of the method, on how to interpret its results, and also, on the reasons why it should be broadly applied. We first show the modus operandi of the Decision Tree Method through a didactic example; afterwards, we apply the method in a classification task, in order to analyze specific educational data.(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PROPOSING A METHOD TO CREATE METACOGNITIVE SCHOOL EXAMS

Metacognition is defined as the capacity of the persons to monitor, to regulate and to construct knowledge about their inner processes. Theoretically, this construct is relevant to Education and correlated areas, since the process of learning and knowledge construction involves metacognition. Besides, there are evidences that certain metacognitive components are predictors of academic achievement of the students. Regarding these aspects, this paper proposes a methodology that permits educators to elaborate metacognitive school exams, which are capable of measuring both the students' knowledge of an educational domain (i.e., concepts pertaining to biology, chemistry, history, mathematics, physics, and so on), and the following metacognitive abilities: feeling-of-knowing, monitoring (detection of errors), self-management, and judgment. In this paper, we present the methodology stressing on the steps that enable the teacher to elaborate a school exam capable of measuring a target educational domain, as well as the stated metacognitive abilities. Concomitantly, we apply this methodology, showing the construction of the Metacognitive School Exam in Electrostatics.  Article visualizations

Predicting school achievement rather than intelligence: does metacognition matter?

This paper investigates the role of specific and general metacognitive ability on specific and general academic achievement, controlling for the effects of intelligence. Four hypotheses were elaborated and empirically tested through structural equation modelling. The sample was composed by 684 students (6th to 12th graders) from a private Brazilian school, which answered to three intelligence tests and three metacognitive tests. The modeled hypotheses presented a good data-fit (χ² = 51.18; df = 19; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = 0.05), showing that the general metacognitive ability explained general academic achievement rather than intelligence, but did not explain specific academic achievement. On the other hand, specific metacognitive ability explained specific academic achievement rather than intelligence, but did not explain general academic achievement. The predictive power of the general metacognitive ability was greater than fluid intelligence in the explanation of general academic achievement. In the same line, specific metacognitive ability had a greater predictive power than intelligence and specific knowledge in the explanation of specific academic achievement. Finally, a new structural model of metacognition and its role in academic achievement are proposed

PROPOSING A METHOD TO CREATE METACOGNITIVE SCHOOL EXAMS

Metacognition is defined as the capacity of the persons to monitor, to regulate and to construct knowledge about their inner processes. Theoretically, this construct is relevant to Education and correlated areas, since the process of learning and knowledge construction involves metacognition. Besides, there are evidences that certain metacognitive components are predictors of academic achievement of the students. Regarding these aspects, this paper proposes a methodology that permits educators to elaborate metacognitive school exams, which are capable of measuring both the students' knowledge of an educational domain (i.e., concepts pertaining to biology, chemistry, history, mathematics, physics, and so on), and the following metacognitive abilities: feeling-of-knowing, monitoring (detection of errors), self-management, and judgment. In this paper, we present the methodology stressing on the steps that enable the teacher to elaborate a school exam capable of measuring a target educational domain, as well as the stated metacognitive abilities. Concomitantly, we apply this methodology, showing the construction of the Metacognitive School Exam in Electrostatics

Validade Estrutural do Questionário de Aspirações Escolares

The self-determination theory claims that three basic needs (autonomy, relatedness, and competency) guide the human motivation. This theory serves as background for many psychological instruments. However, no one differentiates the students’ occurrence perceptions and students’ values about the basic needs. The School Aspirations Questionnaire has this goal, but its structural validity was not investigated yet. The present study evaluated the structural validity of the questionnaire. The sample was composed by 716 middle and high school students from a private school in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A model was tested. This model possessed eight correlated latent variables representing, in terms of values and occurrence perceptions, the three basic needs and the immediate pleasure domain. The model showed good data fit, permitting the conclusion that the questionnaire is capable of distinguishing in the school context the values and the occurrence perceptions about the basic needs, as well the immediate pleasure domain.A teoria da autodeterminação afirma que três necessidades básicas (autonomia, vínculo e competência) norteiam a motivação humana. Muitos instrumentos psicológicos têm como base esta teoria. No entanto, nenhum distingue as percepções de ocorrência das necessidades básicas, e o quanto estas necessidades são valorizadas. O Questionário de Aspirações Escolares foi criado com esse objetivo, mas carece de qualquer análise de sua validade estrutural. O presente estudo pretende realizar esta análise. Os dados analisados provêm de 716 estudantes, ensino fundamental II e médio, de uma escola privada de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Foi testado um modelo com oito variáveis latentes correlacionadas representando as necessidades básicas e o domínio do prazer imediato, em termos de percepção e valores. O modelo apresentou bom ajuste aos dados, possibilitando concluir que o questionário é capaz de distinguir, no contexto escolar, os valores e as percepções sobre as necessidades básicas e o domínio do prazer imediato

Fundamentos y aplicabilidad del Modelado Exploratorio de Ecuaciones Estructurales en contextos psicoeducativos

In last few years, the use of confi rmatory factor analysis (CFA) has become dominant in structural validation of psychological tests. However, the requirement of latent variables only loading on specific target items introduces some constraints on the solutions found, namely a factor solution that links some items only in one specific dimension. The most recent use of exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), which allows items to be predominantly related to a factor, with non-zero loadings on other factors, has been identifi ed as the one that best respects the proper functioning of the assessed psychological attributes. Method: In this study we compared the two approaches to structural validity using the answers of a sample of 2,478 fi rst-year higher education students to a multidimensional questionnaire of academic expectations. Results: The results show clear gains in information collected when combining CFA and ESEM. Conclusions: In conclusion, some implications are highlighted for research and practice of psychological assessment.En los últimos años, el uso del Análisis Factorial Confi rmatorio (AFC) se ha convertido en un tipo de análisis predominante en la validación de tests psicológicos. Sin embargo, el requisito de que las variables latentes únicamente carguen sobre algunas de las respectivas dimensiones de destino conlleva algunas restricciones a las soluciones obtenidas; es decir, una solución factorial que requiere la vinculación de ciertos ítems solo en una dimensión. El uso más reciente del Modelo Exploratorio de Ecuaciones Estructurales (ESEM), que permite que los ítems puedan ser predominantemente relacionados con un factor y con cargas diferentes a cero en otros factores, ha sido identifi cado como aquel que mejor respeta el buen funcionamiento de los atributos psicológicos evaluados. Método: en este estudio, con las respuestas de una muestra de 2.478 estudiantes de primer año de la enseñanza superior a un cuestionario multidimensional de expectativas académicas, hemos comparado los dos enfoques de validez estructural. Resultados: los resultados muestran claros benefi cios en la información recopilada al combinar el AFC y el ESEM. Conclusiones: como conclusión se señalan algunas implicaciones para la investigación y la práctica de evaluación psicológica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Presenting the Meta-Performance Test, a Metacognitive Battery based on Performance

The self-report and think-aloud approaches are the two dominant methodologies to measure metacognition. This is problematic, since they generate respondent and confirmation biases, respectively. The Meta-Performance Test is an innovative battery, which evaluates metacognition based on the respondent's performance, mitigating the aforementioned biases. The Meta-Performance Test consists of two tests, the Meta-text, which evaluates metacognition in the domain of reading comprehension, and Meta-number, in the domain of arithmetic expressions solving. The main focus of this article is to present the development of the battery, in terms of its conceptual basis, development strategies and structure. Evidence of its content validity is also presented, through the evaluation of three experts in metacognition, two experts in Spanish language, two experts in mathematics and five students who represent the target population. The results of the judges' evaluations attested to the Meta-Performance Test content validity, and the target population declared that both the battery understanding and taking are adequate. Contributions and future research perspectives of the Meta-Performance Test in the field of metacognition are discussed