The Psychological Adjustment of Children with Asthma: Study of Associated Variables

As part of a larger research project aimed to understand the impact of asthma in the psychological adjustment of children, this study focuses in the identification of factors associated with this process. The sample of this study consisted of 89 children, aged 8 to 12 with physician diagnosed asthma. To assess children’s adjustment, the Portuguese versions of the following instruments were used: School-age Temperament Inventory (McClowry, 1995) Schoolagers Coping Strategies Inventory (Ryan-Wenger, 1990); Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – PedsQL (Varni, Seid & Kurtin, 2001); The Self-perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985), Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach,1991); Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990). The results revealed that negative reactivity predicts the level of anxiety/depression, task persistence and perceived coping efficacy predicts social skills and that self-esteem is a significant predictor of the perceived quality of life. A significant proportion of shared variance was also found what seems to confirm the existence of multi-determination in the process of adjustment. The main conclusion is that two dimensions of temperament (negative reactivity and task persistence), as well as perceived coping efficacy and self-esteem, play a significant role in influencing the psychological adjustment of children with asthma.Como parte de un proyecto de investigación más extenso cuyo objetivo es comprender el impacto del Asma en el ajuste psicológico de los niños, este estudio se centra en la identificación de los factores asociados a este proceso. La muestra de este estudio incluyó a 89 niños con edades comprendidas entre los 8 y 12 años y con diagnóstico médico de asma. Para medir el ajuste de los niños se utilizaron versiones en portugués de los siguientes instrumentos: School-age Temperament Inventory (McClowry, 1995) Schoolagers Coping Strategies Inventory (Ryan-Wenger, 1990) ; Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – PedsQL (Varni, Seid & Kurtin, 2001; The Self-perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985), Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach,1991); Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990). Los resultados revelaron que la reactividad negativa predice el nivel de ansiedad/depresión , la persistencia de tarea y la eficacia de afrontamiento percibida predicen habilidades sociales y que la autoestima es un predictor significativo de la calidad de vida percibida. Se encontró también una proporción significativa de la varianza compartida lo que confirma la existencia de multi determinación en el proceso de ajuste. La conclusión principal es que dos dimensiones de temperamento (reactividad negativa y persistencia en la tarea), así como la eficacia de enfrentamiento percibida y la autoestima, juegan un papel significativo en el ajuste psicológico de los niños con asma. Palabras clave: asma, ajuste psicológico, correlatos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Personal and Social Factors Influencing Students’ Attitudes Towards Peers with Special Needs

AbstractWithin inclusive education, it is crucial to consider how students with special needs are valued as members of school community and may fully and actively take part in school-life. The present study aims: 1) to assess students’ attitudes towards peers with special needs; 2) to understand how personal factors (age, gender, school achievement and social competence) and social factors (contacting with persons or family member with SN) predict students’ attitudes variation.Participants were 200 Portuguese students from 6th to 12th grade. Instruments were administered during class: (i) CATCH (Rosenbaum, Armstrong & King, 1986), comprising a cognitive and an affective-behavior subscale (ii) Social goals Scale (Wentzel, 1993), comprising a social responsibility and a prosocial subscale.We conducted exploratory factor analysis on CATCH and stepwise regression analysis using attitudes as dependent variable. Affective-behavior attitudes were higher in girls and in students with contact with special needs peers and showed moderate correlations with social competence; Cognitive attitudes were higher in older students and were not related with social competence. Prosocial goals were the best predictor of attitudes towards peers with special needs.Resultsshowed that attitudes towards peers with special needs may be influenced by personal and contextual factors. Confirming other findings girls showed more positive attitudes. Also students who have contact with peers with special needs have more positive attitudes, evidencing the potential impact of inclusive settings. The relation found between attitudes and social motivation (mainly prosocial goals) has implications for educational intervention

The Relationships between Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, and Achievement, Along Elementary School

Investigating the relationships between student’s intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic motivation (EM) and their effects is critical for offering a more complex perspective on which types of motivation promote optimal learning and achievement. The goal of this study was to analyse IM and EM as two independent forms of motivation or, alternatively, as two opposite poles of a continuum ranging from a poor (extrinsic) to a good (intrinsic) form of motivation. Participants were 200 students, who were longitudinally assessed along elementary school using separate measures of IM and EM, and academic of achievement. Results supported that IM and EM can coexist and are not contradictory. Whereas IM was steadily associated to better achievement, a negative relationship emerged between EM and student’s achievement by the end of elementary school.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Personal and social factors influencing students' attitudes towards peers with special needs

Within inclusive education, it is crucial to consider how students with special needs are valued as members of school community and may fully and actively take part in school-life. The present study aims: 1) to assess students' attitudes towards peers with special needs; 2) to understand how personal factors (age, gender, school achievement and social competence) and social factors (contacting with persons or family member with SN) predict students' attitudes variation. Participants were 200 Portuguese students from 6th to 12th grade. Instruments were administered during class: (i) CATCH (Rosenbaum, Armstrong & King, 1986), comprising a cognitive and an affective-behavior subscale (ii) Social goals Scale (Wentzel, 1993), comprising a social responsibility and a prosocial subscale. We conducted exploratory factor analysis on CATCH and stepwise regression analysis using attitudes as dependent variable. Affective-behavior attitudes were higher in girls and in students with contact with special needs peers and showed moderate correlations with social competence; Cognitive attitudes were higher in older students and were not related with social competence. Prosocial goals were the best predictor of attitudes towards peers with special needs. Results showed that attitudes towards peers with special needs may be influenced by personal and contextual factors. Confirming other findings girls showed more positive attitudes. Also students who have contact with peers with special needs have more positive attitudes, evidencing the potential impact of inclusive settings. The relation found between attitudes and social motivation (mainly prosocial goals) has implications for educational intervention.8C1E-AFB9-6BE1 | Maria Teresa Martins Gon?alvesN/

The added value of narratives in the understanding of adolescent’s

Evidence shows that living with diabetes during adolescence is a challenging experience. Besides the disease and treatment implications, it is important to comprehend how young people make sense of and manage their illness. Illness perceptions have been associated with a range of physical and mental health outcomes in adolescents with chronic disease. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the adolescent’s experiences with diabetes, this study aimed at1 describing illness perceptions of young people with diabetes2; understanding whether and in what ways, an in-depth analysis of the adolescent’s narratives, o%ers additional insight into their experience of living with diabetes. Participants were 32 adolescents with diabetes, aged 12 to 18 years, who completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and wrote a text about “What it is like to have diabetes”. Narratives were analysed with thematic analysis and illustrate how adolescents experience their disease, and the strategies adopted by them to maintain a sense of normalcy. Signi*cant associations with the scores for illness perceptions were found, as for example, adolescents who reported a better understanding of their illness, evaluated the experience of having diabetes as less restrictive (r = -0,445; p = 0.011). The use of narratives proved very informative on the adolescent’s experiences with diabetes. For clinical interventions aimed to promote the adaptation of young people with diabetes, this study *ndings address the need to focus on normalizing their lives, and to promote more positive illness beliefs and coping strategies, to balance the restrictive impact that diabetes has on adolescent’s lives.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A autonomia da Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior no seio das instituições do ensino superior politécnico

Relatório Profissional para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Direito,em Direito, especialidade em Ciências Jurídicas. Orientador:Professor Doutor Pedro Trovão do RosárioO presente relatório tem como objetivo analisar as autonomias da Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior integrada no Instituto Politécnico de Santarém. Numa primeira abordagem são identificados os diplomas legais que estiveram na base da criação do ensino superior politécnico, do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém e da Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior. São igualmente analisados o Estatuto e Autonomia dos Estabelecimentos de Ensino Superior Politécnico, plasmado na Lei n.º 54/90, de 5 de setembro, revogado em 2007 pelo Regime Jurídico das Instituições de Ensino Superior previsto na Lei n.º 62/2007, de 10 de setembro. São analisados os conceitos de autonomia estatutária, científica, pedagógica, administrativa, financeira e patrimonial, das instituições de ensino superior politécnico e das escolas superiores, no quadro das Leis n.os 54/90, de 5 de setembro e 62/2007, de 10 de setembro. Foram realizadas entrevistas aos ex-diretores e atual diretora da Escola Superior de Desporto de Rio Maior, ao presidente e ao administrador do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, tendo em vista obter as suas opiniões sobre os aspetos dos referidos regimes que merecem ser destacados, e saber qual dos dois melhor se adequa à realidade da ESDRM. As respostas dos ex-diretores e atual diretora levam-nos a concluir que a ESDRM deverá ter uma intervenção mais ativa no seu próprio destino. Bastante diferentes foram as respostas do presidente e administrador do Instituto, os quais entendem que esse papel deve ser desempenhado pelo Instituto. As respostas foram consistentes com o cargo institucional que cada entrevistado ocupa. Concluiu-se, pois, que o modelo organizativo atual carece de ser revisto e ajustado em função da realidade vivida na ESDRM, a qual necessita de mais autonomia administrativa e financeira, por forma a que possa ser desenvolvido o seu projeto científico e pedagógico. - The aim of this study is about the concept of autonomy in higher education, specifically related to the Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior, as an unit of the Institute Polytechnic of Santarém. In this report, first, we identified the legislation about the constitution of higher education polytechnic subsystem, concerning the Institute Polytechnic of Santarém and the Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior. We also analyzed the status of the autonomy of these establishments, under the Law nº 54/90, from 5th September, repealed in 2007 by the legal regimen of higher education institutions, under the Law n.º 62/2007, from 10th September. We analyzed the concepts of the statutory, scientific, educational, administrative and financial autonomy, on the polytechnic institutions and colleges, under the Laws nº 54/90, from 5th September, and nº 62/2007, from 10th September. We interviewed the former directors and the current director of the Rio Maior Sport Sciences School, the president and the administrator of the Institute Polytechnic of Santarém, about their opinions on the subject on research, and also to know what they feel as the best suited to the reality of ESDRM. We concluded that the answers are quite different concerning the position about the local or central management. The interviewed considered that ESDRM could have a major role on their own destiny or on opposition their considered that should be the Institute to have that major role. It depends on their positional perspectives. The answers were consistent to their positions. We fell that the current organization model needs to be reviewed and adjusted on the basis of the local reality, with more administrative and financial autonomy to develop the scientific and educational project of the school