Similarity Structure Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling in Studying Latent Structures: An Application to the Attitudes towards Portuguese Language Questionnaire

Several international studies such as PISA and PILRS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), have stressed the importance of positive attitudes and behaviours as facilitators of individuals reading literacy during the school years and throughout their lives. Considering that there are not available instruments for assessing attitudes Towards Portuguese Language, it was proposed the development of the Attitudes towards Portuguese Language Questionnaire – ATPLQ (Questionário de Atitudes Face à Língua Portuguesa: QAFLP, Neto et al., 2011; Rebelo, 2012). The questionnaire has 22 Likert-type items, with four levels of response (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree), spread, through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), over three attitudinal dimensions: Behavioural, Affective, and Motivational.In this study we aimed to analyse the ATPLQ’s latent structure with a pooled sample data of 1441 participants, applying similarity structure analysis (SSA) and confirmatory factor analysis of ordinal data (CFA). The SSA was carried out with Hudap in order to identify the structural properties of the questionnaire and to assess its adequacy in a Portuguese population. The CFA was carried out with LISREL in order to assure structural validity, i.e., accounting for factorial validity, but also for factors’ convergent and discriminant validity, and composite reliability. These psychometric features allowed the comparison of both the EFA derived model and the SSA derived model. We justify the selection of the SSA’s model, and we discuss the similarities between the results generated by SSA and LISREL procedures, highlighting their use in modeling constructs with ordinal indicators

Analytical characterization of ancient mortars from the archaeological roman site of Pisões (Beja, Portugal)

The analytical characterization of mortar samples from the roman archaeological site of Pisões, located in Southern Portugal, were carried out by means of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetry (TGADTA), optical and electron scanning microscopy (SEM-EDS), potentiometry and combustion analysis. The Pisões archaeological complex includes a villa rustica, characterized by well-preserved mosaics and thermal baths, as well as a mill and a mausoleum. Countryside villae epitomized the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula for over six centuries (2nd century BCE–4th century CE). Nevertheless, most of the Roman villae identified in Portugal have not yet been systematically explored and studied. This study provides valuable data on the construction materials and techniques used in Roman times in the Iberian Peninsula. The careful selection of raw materials and the use of natural and artificial pozzolanic materials can explain the favourable state of conservation, mechanical strength and long-term durability of these mortars

Intervenção e Avaliação Inclusivas: Estudo de Caracterização do Desenvolvimento do Potencial em Jovens com Necessidades Educativas Específicas

Este estudo visa caracterizar o desenvolvimento do potencial de alunos, com necessidades educativas específicas que desenvolvem projetos inovadores. A fundamentação teórica apoia-se no modelo inclusivo de Ainscow (1998) que propõe uma avaliação ajustada à diversidade dos alunos, reorganização das escolas para responder adequadamente a todos, e nos modelos sobre potencial humano de Gardner (2000) e Sternberg (1985) focalizados na multiplicidade da inteligência. No estudo empírico de caráter qualitativo com metodologia de estudo de caso de 4 jovens da APPACDM – Évora, utilizaram-se como instrumentos de recolha de informação: entrevista; análise documental; portefólios; observação/avaliação de competências. Os resultados demonstraram que a avaliação inclusiva centrada nas potencialidades facilita a caraterização da funcionalidade de cada um na diversidade dos domínios do desenvolvimento. Os portefólios fomentaram uma avaliação follow-up, destacando-se a autoavaliação, o registo das mudanças do aluno, o feedback contínuo aos professores, aluno e família

Emotional literacy program (ELP) – How to improve learning for well-being

This paper describes the Emotional Literacy Program (ELP) of the main project titled: “Promoting changes in learning - School Communities of Learning Gulbenkian XXI". The main purpose of this project is to promote the quality of student’s learning and their well-being, reflected through the quality of their school results, and manifests itself through the acquisition of basic knowledge within the formal curriculum and reasoning abilities (analytical reasoning, practical reasoning and creativity), resilience and responsibility. The main focus is the unique and the full potential of each student, a compromise between the basic pillars of knowledge and the fundamental pillars of citizenship in order to improve a culture of well-being. This project are implemented in three basic schools from the Portuguese Educational System, namely the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade, and it starts with cohorts of students of the 3rd grade. The pilot program start in academic year 2014-2015 and it expires in July 2018, involving seven classes, in three groups of schools; 79 boys and 72 girls (median of age =9 years old). ELP is designed to promote emotion regulation, empathy and responsible decision making, and it is focalized in identification of basics emotions: joy, fear, sadness, surprise, anger, disgust, and explanation of these emotions in a story “The master of his nose”, from Álvaro Magalhães

Desenvolvimento do Potencial em Crianças em Idade Pré-Escolar em Meio Urbano/Meio Rural - Um Estudo Exploratório nos Concelhos de Évora e Viana do Alentejo

A educação pré-escolar assume um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento das crianças que se quer cada vez mais abrangente e transversal. O nosso estudo tem como objetivo compreender se o desenvolvimento do potencial das crianças em idade pré-escolar está associado à frequência de atividades extracurriculares e ao meio onde residem. Realizou-se com uma amostra de 46 crianças, em dois Jardins de Infância, um de meio urbano e outro rural, nos concelhos de Évora e Viana do Alentejo. Utilizámos os instrumentos de avaliação do Modelo de Spectrum (Krechevsky 2001). A análise de resultados demonstrou que a população urbana apresentou um desenvolvimento do potencial superior à população rural em quase todas as atividades. A concluir destacamos as implicações deste estudo para a educação pré-escolar, nomeadamente no que se refere à sua organização e avaliação

Avaliação do Potencial de Desenvolvimento em meninos e meninas dos 4 aos 6 anos

Desenvolvemos o presente Estudo Exploratório para analisar a adaptação da avaliação de potencial derivada da Teoria das Inteligência Múltiplas ao contexto da Educação Pré-Escolar, com o objectivo de contribuir para a qualidade da intervenção educativa, articulando conceitos como Inteligência, Competência, Potencial, Currículo, Avaliação Dinâmica. Participam no estudo 42 crianças que frequentam Jardim de Infância e integram dois grupos heterogéneos e as respectivas educadoras. A metodologia é de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, apoiando-se na aplicação dos seguintes instrumentos: modelo de avaliação de potencial baseado no Spectrum; Inventário de Quociente Emocional, versão para crianças e jovens (Bar-On Emocional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version), adaptado a educadores por Candeias e Monteiro (2010); questionário de Caracterização do ambiente educativo – Sala de Actividades, adaptado por Candeias e Iglésias (2010); Teste de Avaliação de Habilidades Cognitivas de Solução de Problemas Interpessoais (EVHACOSPI). Os resultados obtidos sugerem a importância de uma avaliação do potencial, baseada na Teoria das Inteligências Múltiplas, que utiliza instrumentos adequados a cada um dos domínios do potencial e da competência humana propostos por H. Gardner: Verbal-Linguística, Lógico-Matemática, Musical, Corporal-Cinestésica, Visuo-espacial, Interpessoal, Intrapessoal e Naturalista. Apontam também para o papel que este tipo de avaliação pode desempenhar na intervenção educativa que se objectiva intencional e fundamentada

Implementation of the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF) in the Portuguese educational system: Attitudes and training needs of special education teachers’.

Since 2008, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - ICF (WHO, 2001) is the framework of reference in the assessment and intervention process with students with SEN, in the Portuguese educational system. As a consequence special education teachers’ training needs emerged from it. In this study, we characterize the received training and the special education teachers’ attitudes and training needs towards ICF. The sample consisted of 913 Portuguese special education teachers who responded to Attitudes Towards Training Questionnaire in ICF - ATTQ-ICF. This study demonstrates that teachers’ training on the use of the ICF should occur as soon as possible in their training and it should be extended to other experts involved in the educational process of the student. The need for more knowledge about the tools and methods to assess functioning, the knowledge about the eligibility criteria for special education and the definition of qualifiers based on the ICF classification system also emerged. Finally the discussion of case studies is also considered crucial in the training process. In summary, a training model is needed that has a sufficient number of training hours; that includes training modalities which support teaching practice in a continuous way; that fosters discussion of the barriers to practical implementation of the ICF and finally, that includes a concrete case discussion

Measuring children perceived social competence (PSC): studies of validity with children and young adolescents from elementary and secondary school

Social competence is a multidimensional construct, with emotional, cognitive and contextual dimensions, that plays a central role in the establishment of positive relations by individuals and its well. Applied to the developmental scope, social competencies play a central role, since they allow individuals to establish positive relationships with others, to adopt appropriate behaviours in social situations, among others. In this sense the assessment of social skills should have a central role to understanding developmental process. However, there is a lack of psychological scales concerning the understanding of social skills in children and young adolescents. In this sense, this study aims to present and discuss studies of validity and stability of a scale that evaluates children and young adolescents ‘perceptions about social competence to deal with interpersonal daily life situations and school situations. Participants were 842 children and adolescents’, 477 girls (56.7%) and 365 boys (43.3%), aged 7 to 16 years old (µ=11.50±2.00), attending the 4th (N=278), 6th (N=313), and 9th (N=251) grades, at elementary and secondary schools, in the northern, central and southern Portugal. These participants fulfill the Perceived Social Competence (PSC; [1]), which consists of five social situations, and express the perception of social performance into two subscales related with perceived poor or excellent performance in all of those situations. PSC was administered in two different assessment moments, with an intermission of one year. Results indicate psychometric qualities of PSC, namely, reliability (consistency and stability) and validity, in this sense the usefulness of PSC to acess social competence is proved. In addiction results also indicates gender differences with statistical significant differences in 6th grade, boys increase his perceived social competence and girls decrease, as if developmental and educational transitions from childhood to adolescence create a different way of looking to social competence in boys and girls. Implications are drawn to the development of future educational interventions that promote social competence of boys and girls. Implications are discussed for the development of educational and counseling interventions within scholar and familiar context

Socially in Action-Peers (SAp)

This study aimed to demonstrate the value and psychometric qualities of an instrument that assesses social competence for children in critical social situations within the relationships with peers in the school context - Socially in Action-Peers (SAp) using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA). This instrument was administered to 182 Portuguese children aged between 8 and 11 years, of 3rd and 4th grades. These children were assessed by three sources: themselves, their peers and their teacher. Additionally, we used the Test of Emotion Comprehension (Pons & Harris, 2002; Pons, Harris & Rosnay, 2004) to assess SAp’s criterion-related validity. Mean differences results in SAp by gender were analyzed. Concerning to gender, we only have found gender significant differences in a few items and in the general assessment made by teachers, in which girls being considered superior. The results of the SAp’s psychometric analysis are satisfactory, both in terms of items’ sensitivity and reliability (internal consistency) in three versions (self-assessment, peer and teacher). Finally, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis that confirmed that the model underlying the instrument’s rational: a hierarchical model with a 1st order factor (composite social competence) that has three factors of 2nd order (consisting of the three sources of evaluation: self, peers and teacher). In addition the CFA data were analyzed through Louis Guttman’s SSA - a non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedure. CFA and SSA confirmed the psychometric qualities of SAp and identified the subscales and dynamic relationships between them. Implications of these findings for social competence assessment and intervention in childhood are discussed, as well as, the advantages and disadvantages of CFA compared to SSA for empirical validation of psychological constructs are examined

Development of socio-emotional and creative skills in primary education: teachers’ perceptions about the Gulbenkian XXI School Learning Communities Project

In recent decades, several authors have warned of the need to equip students with skills that include critical thinking, creativity, and emotional management. Emotions can facilitate or impede children's academic engagement, commitment, and ultimate school success since relationships and emotional processes affect how and what we learn. Teachers are the main emotional leaders of their students, and the foundation for promoting emotional balance within their groups is their ability to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions. The SEL approach defends that, as with academic skills, the development of social and emotional skills must be accomplished through explicit instruction. In the academic year 2014/2015, three schools in the Portuguese region of the Alentejo began an innovative 4-year project to promote change in learning. The main goal was to improve learning by promoting the acquisition of basic knowledge within the formal curriculum and to stimulate the development of analytical and practical reasoning skills, resilience and responsibility, as well as technological, emotional, social and creative skills. To this end, the research team created two programs to be developed in primary school, the Emotional Literacy Program (ELP) and the Creative Thinking Development Program (Flow) as well as a training program for teachers, Mediators for Well- Being Program. This article details a study analyzing the perceptions of primary school teachers who participated in the project. Data were collected by interviews and teachers' reflections were analyzed. Content analysis was chosen as the analytical technique as it is appropriate for treating qualitative data. The results show very positive impacts on the professional and personal development of teachers. Teachers reported improvements in student behavior, in the relationships between them and in the classroom environment. They further emphasized the need for teachers to receive more training in emotional education in their academic and in service education