The Role of the European Inspections in the European Educational Space - Echoes from Portugal Regarding the Assessment of Schools

This paper is an approach to the construction of a European educational space (Nóvoa & Lawn, 2002), which is due to new modes of regulation in education. The policy under consideration is the institutional evaluation of schools carried out by the Portuguese General Inspectorate of Education. The aim is to explore how concepts and policies get “contaminated” by the European models (Barroso, 2003, 2006) and understanding how the regulation is outlined by the Inspectorates in some European countries, including Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. This paper owes to the phenomena associated to “travelling policies” (Alexiadou & Jones, 2001), to “policy transfer” (Dolowitz et al, 2000; Stone, 2001), and to “policy borrowing” (Halpin & Troyna, 1995; Steiner-Khamsi, 2004). The authors‟ perspective on the influences of the international movement of policies is free from simplistic and deterministic logics (Lingard & Rizvi, 2000), advocating that the internationalization of ideas come along with national reflections on how these ideas are materialized (Popkewitz, 1996). At the local/regional levels, the regulation of educational systems can be characterized as a growing „multi-regulation' - that comes from a growing number of sources and a variety of tools (assessment, monitoring and sharing best practices) - which mingle with modes that exist in a more traditional, bureaucratic regulation (Afonso & Costa, 2010). Thus, each country has its own overview about the structures, and effects of globalization, which do not occur simultaneously, nor in the same way in the different 'nation states' (Lingard & Rizvi, 2000)

A Statistical Model to Explain the Mendel--Fisher Controversy

In 1866 Gregor Mendel published a seminal paper containing the foundations of modern genetics. In 1936 Ronald Fisher published a statistical analysis of Mendel's data concluding that "the data of most, if not all, of the experiments have been falsified so as to agree closely with Mendel's expectations." The accusation gave rise to a controversy which has reached the present time. There are reasonable grounds to assume that a certain unconscious bias was systematically introduced in Mendel's experimentation. Based on this assumption, a probability model that fits Mendel's data and does not offend Fisher's analysis is given. This reconciliation model may well be the end of the Mendel--Fisher controversy.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-STS342 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Economics for marketing revisited

This paper aims to provide evidence supporting the following: that recent theoretical, empirical and methodological advances in microeconomics are decisive to the progress of marketing science. That such a notion is not yet mainstream and uncontroversial, we contend, is more due to insufficient knowledge dissemination and outdated perceptions about irreconcilable differences between economists and psychologists than to lack of intrinsic value or cognitive appeal. Evidence is provided by describing these advances in a concise manner, showing how they can contribute to tackle complex marketing issues and providing examples from published matter in which this contribution already takes place.Marketing Science, Economic Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Experimental Economics

Recognizing Best Practice in Portuguese Higher Education Libraries

The purpose of this paper is to identify best practices in order to improve the quality of services in Portuguese academic libraries. This article describes an ongoing project to assess the performance of library services, resulting from a partnership of six Portuguese higher education libraries. The study has three main steps: (1) selection of criteria to be evaluated and selection of their corresponding performance indicators; (2) data collection and analysis; (3) identification of best practices. The selection of the criteria to be evaluated is based on a mixed model combining the Common Assessment Framework and the Balanced Scorecard. The associated performance indicators are in accordance with International Standards ISO 11620:1998 and ISO 2789:2006

Hyaluronic acid nanocapsules for the intracellular delivery of anticancer drugs

The main goal of this thesis has been the development of hyaluronic acid nanocapsules (HA-NCs) as a multifunctional platform for the encapsulation and delivery of diverse anticancer drugs, such as hydrophobic drugs and hydrophilic biomolecules. The first step was the development of a spontaneous emulsification method, where HA-NCs were formulated without the need of organic solvents, heat or high energy input, providing conditions for the incorporation of sensible biomolecules while decreasing the environmental impact. Another advantage of this system is based on the use of a hydrophobically modified HA derivative that allowed the preparation of HA-NCs by hydrophobic interactions rather than by electrostatic forces, and thus, it reduced the toxicity associated to the addition of a cationic surfactant as counterion. Once formulated, HA-NCs had a size around 130 nm and a negative zeta potential about -20 mV. Moreover, these NCs were markedly stable under storage conditions and diluted in human plasma, taking forward this system as a potential carrier for intravenous administration. The versatility of this nanocarrier was confirmed by the incorporation of different drug models: docetaxel, a cytostatic drug, was incorporated into the oil core, whereas anti-gasdermin B, a monoclonal antibody, was entrapped into the polymeric shell. Docetaxel was highly encapsulated, released in a sustained manner and its cytotoxicity in A549 lung cancer cell line was maintained. Finally, anti-gasdermin B was successfully associated to the polymeric shell of HA-NCs and its intracellular delivery confirmed by confocal microscopy. Once inside the cell, anti-gasdermin B was able to escape the endosomal compartment and to target the intracellular protein gasdermin B, promoting an important decrease in the migratory and invasive behavior of HCC1954 breast cancer cell line. All these results highlight the potential of self-emulsifying HA-NCs as multifunctional systems to carry diverse anticancer drugs, with special emphasis in the intracellular delivery of monoclonal antibodies, an ambitious challenge that could open new avenues to fight cancer

Using an escape room activity to enhance the motivation of undergraduate life science students in mathematics classes: A case study

Mathematics is one of the school subjects where demotivation, dislike and failure are frequent concerns. To address this, it is important to actively engage students in the classroom and employ resources that make math classes more appealing and captivating, leading to meaningful learning experiences. Active, cooperative, and participative learning methods should be prioritized over traditional didactic teaching and the mere transmission of knowledge. Active learning methods offer alternative approaches to the conventional lecture format, actively involving students in the learning process. The concept of an escape room, a gaming experience where participants must solve challenges to escape from a locked room, has gained popularity in educational contexts. The educational escape room is an extension of this concept, aiming to promote real-time problem-solving, teamwork, and discovery of clues and mysteries to facilitate active learning. By engaging in various tasks within a room, students work together in teams, fostering an active learning environment. The educational escape room offers several benefits, including the enhancement of problem-solving skills, student performance, and motivation. By incorporating gamification strategies into teaching and learning processes, this approach proves to be an effective way of promoting active learning in mathematics. In this paper, we present a case study that explores the use of an educational escape room with first-year undergraduate students from a Portuguese higher education institution, with the goal of improving their mathematical problem-solving skills. The study aims to evaluate how escape rooms can contribute to increased student motivation. To assess the perception of students regarding this escape room methodology, a quantitative survey was conducted. The findings indicate that using the escape room as an educational approach effectively increased student interest and improved learning outcomes in mathematics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

As relações entre a escola e as famílias: a participação das famílias no jardim de infância

Relatório de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Educação Pré-EscolarEste trabalho foi realizado no âmbito da Prática Profissional Supervisionada II em contexto de Jardim-de-infância. O estágio foi realizado com um grupo de crianças heterogéneo de uma escola pública inserida num contexto rural e ocorreu durante cerca de quinze semanas, entre setembro de 2016 e janeiro de 2017. Pretende-se apresentar de forma reflexiva e fundamentada todo o processo que sustentou a minha prática pedagógica. A caracterização realizada ao contexto onde se insere a prática foi fundamental para delinear um conjunto de intenções educativas que se refletiram numa prática pedagógica sustentada e refletida. Numa perspetiva de melhoramento e adequação de uma prática pedagógica de qualidade, efetuou-se uma investigação sobre a importância das relações entre o jardim-de-infância e as famílias. Fruto de modificações ocorridas na sociedade, onde a escola pretende dar respostas às necessidades das famílias, é importante promover e desenvolver um trabalho de parceria e cooperação entre os dois contextos. É necessário reconhecer as famílias como primordiais para a educação das crianças e incuti-las em todo o seu processo pedagógico. Para operacionalizar a investigação, pretendeu-se promover uma participação mais ativa das famílias na vida escolar dos seus educandos e envolvê-las nos diferentes momentos da ação educativa. Para além de se colocar em prática algumas estratégias, foram também conhecidas as conceções sobre os diferentes intervenientes, a equipa educativa, as famílias e as crianças, através da realização de entrevistas e questionários. Todo o processo vivenciado na prática permitiu uma profícua aprendizagem e crescimento, refletindo-se numa saudável construção da profissionalidade em educação de infância, complementando com a minha evolução pessoal.ABSTRAT This work was carried out within the scope of Supervised Professional Practice II in the context of kindergarten. The internship was done with a heterogeneous group of children from a public school inserted in a rural context, which took place within approximately fifteen weeks, between September 2016 and January 2017. It is intended to present the process in a reflective and grounded manner that sustains my pedagogical practice. The characterization of the context, where the practice is inserted, was fundamental to delineate a set of educational intentions that were reflected and sustained in a pedagogical practice. With a view to improving and adapting a quality pedagogical practice, an investigation was made on the importance of the relationship between the kindergarten and the families. As a result of changes in society, where the school intends to respond to the needs of families, it is important to promote and develop a work of partnership and cooperation between the two contexts. It is necessary to recognize families as primordial in the children’s’ education and instill them throughout their pedagogical process. In order to operationalize the research, it was intended to promote a more active participation of the families in the school life and involve them in all the different moments of the educational process. In addition to putting into practice some strategies, the concepts of the different parties, the educational team, families and children were also known through interviews and questionnaires. The whole process experienced allowed for a profitable learning and growth, reflected in a healthy construction of professionalism in childhood education, complementing with my personal development.N/

¿"A Escola funciona bem"? : participación y descentralización en una favela de Río de Janeiro /

Consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaLa tesis pretende tratar la introducción y el impacto de la descentralización educativa en una comunidad educativa de un entorno socialmente desfavorecido. Un proceso amplio, que envuelve la descentralización administrativa, la descentralización pedagógica y la participación de la comunidad y está influenciado por las cuestiones económicas, sociales, políticas y culturales de nuestro tiempo y que se pretende analizar en su complejidad a partir del trabajo etnográfico. Un proceso de descentralización educativa que surge en la forma de reforma educativa, que está basada en postulados y cuestionamientos planteados a partir del ámbito externo, tanto de la sociedad como de la realidad escolar. Tiene objetivos predeterminados y fijados con un tiempo específico para su implementación, independientemente de la estructura vigente y de las dificultades, re-elaboraciones y resistencias que pueden surgir tanto dentro de la comunidad escolar como en la propia comunidad civil que ahora debe de participar de este proceso. En este sentido, todo indica que los planteamientos político-ideológico para las actividades educativas, entre ellas la descentralización educativa, niegan y son distanciadas de las prácticas sociales y culturales de los agentes educativos y de la sociedad en general. En esta investigación se partirá de la idea de que una reforma educativa no necesariamente produce cambios e innovaciones en el sistema. En primero lugar, se considera la descentralización educativa como una medida de control del Estado. En sus planteamientos existen objetivos y valores explícitos e implícitos que deben ser analizados con detalle para observar su relación e impacto en la realidad educativa. En segundo lugar, se considera fundamental analizar cómo se aplicará en la práctica y cuáles serán sus transformaciones y sus posibles resultados. Para terminar, se partirá de la idea de que el cambio e la innovación sólo serán posibles con el planteamiento y la participación activa de los agentes envueltos en el proceso, o sea, los miembros de la comunidad escolar, compuesta por los docentes, los directores, los funcionarios de las escuelas, los alumnos y los responsables de alumnos y los miembros de la comunidad de vecinos. El objetivo general de esta investigación es comprender cómo los diferentes grupos sociales relacionados al proceso educativo observan, definen y evalúan la reforma educativa, más específicamente la descentralización administrativa y pedagógica y la participación de la comunidad. Además se pretende analizar las posibilidades de cambio e innovación educativa con la introducción y práctica de la descentralización y la participación de la comunidad en un contexto de reforma. Para la alcanzar este objetivo realizamos un estudio de caso en una escuela en Río de Janeiro. La escuela seleccionada empezó a adoptar los planteamientos reformistas y se localiza en un barrio con grandes problemas socioeconómicos. Un estudio de caso que es relevante para el contexto en que se realizará la investigación visto que aún no se ha realizado en las escuelas de Rio de Janeiro trabajos etnográficos como el que se propone en esta Tesis Doctoral, es decir, que consideren tanto la institución escolar como la comunidad y ambas influenciadas por la sociedad, política y la economía. Al mismo tiempo, se pretende realizar un estudio de caso en una comunidad que siempre ha sido estigmatizada y excluida. Por esto, es necesario un estudio que valorice la comunidad y la escuela como agentes sociales y culturales, intentando oírlos y comprenderlos.This thesis aims at looking upon introduction and impact of educational decentralization in a learning community within a socially unfavorable environment. This process is extensive as it comprises administrative decentralization, pedagogical decentralization and community participation, which is influenced by economic, social, political and cultural questions of our time. This decentralization will be analyzed in its complexity from an ethnographical groundwork onwards. The educational decentralization originated in the educational reform and is based on postulates and questions raised from an external environment, as well in society as in school reality. This reform has predetermined and fixed objectives laid in a specific timeframe for its implementation, independent from the structure in force and from difficulties, re-elaborations and resistance that might come up as well in a learning community as in the proper civil society which must participate in this process now. In this sense, it can be regarded that the political-ideological positioning for educational activities, the decentralization process within those, are denied and are far from social and cultural practices of educational agents and of the general society alike. This thesis is found on the idea that an educational reform does not necessarily produce changes and innovations in the system. In the first place, educational decentralization is considered a measure of State control. There are explicit and implicit objectives and values in the positioning that must be analyzed in detail to observe its relation and impact within the educational reality. Secondly, it is considered of high importance to analyze how these values and objectives will be put in practice and which will be their transformations and possible results. To conclude, the study parted from the idea that change and innovation will only be possible with the positioning and the active participation of the agents involved in the process, that is, members of the school community made up of professors, directors, school staff, students, parents and members of neighboring communities. The general objective of this study is to understand how the different social groups related to the educational process observe, define and assess the educational reform, to be more precise, the administrative and pedagogical decentralization as well as community participation. Furthermore, it aims at analyzing possibilities of change and educational innovation with an introduction and practice of decentralization and community participation within a reform context. To accomplish this objective a case study was carried out in a school in Rio de Janeiro. The chosen school is located in a neighborhood of serious social-economic problems and begun to adopt reformist positioning. A case study which is relevant for the context in which the survey is carried out, keeping in mind that ethnographical analysis like this one in the Doctorate thesis have not been done yet in schools in Rio de Janeiro, that is, surveys that consider the institution as well as the community, both influenced by society, politics and the economy. Concurrently, a case study is envisaged in a community that has always been stigmatized and excluded. Therefore, a study that values the community and the school as social and cultural agents is required so as to try hearing and understanding these two groups

La descentralización educativa y la participación de la comunidad : etapas iniciales de una investigación

Desde el principio de la década de los 90 se percibe un movimiento de reformas educativas en Brasil y en sus vecinos latinoamericanos. Es en esta nueva realidad educativa que se desarrolla mi tesis doctoral 1 , un estudio de caso etnográfico que pretende comprender y analizar la introducción y el impacto de la descentralización educativa en un entorno socialmente desfavorecido. Es una tesis en curso, que en este momento, después de realizado el trabajo de campo y del retorno a las lecturas teóricas, se encuentra en el análisis del material obtenido.</p