Brazilian Students Research Articles

THE ACQUISITION OF RUSSIAN GRAMMAR CASES BY BRAZILIAN STUDENTS

The analysis of Russian discourse in the proficiency levels B1 and B2 points out to Brazilian students' assimilation problems regarding the grammar cases. Such problems are interpreted based on the structural comparison between the verb-object relations in Portuguese and Russian: - the verb and object may be connected directly or through a preposition; - the meaning is also intermediated by the grammar cases. To establish interlinguistic equivalents, they are compared structures with similar meaning in the native language compared to the learnt one. The research aims to understand through an empirical approach to Brazilian students' difficulties when learning grammar cases regarding their native language interference. The authors recorded interviews with Brazilian students in the referred proficiency levels, which were considered under the typological comparison; a questionary answered by the same students was then implemented to confirm such difficulties. The results indicate the structural divergence and consequent difficulty of Brazilian students to acquire the Dative and the Instrumental cases when a preposition does not intermediate the verb-object relation.

THE POTENTIAL OF DIALECT PHONETIC MISTAKES IN TEACHING RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

This article examines the problem of presenting phonetic material in texts when teaching Russian as a foreign language (RFL) to Brazilian students. Based on the methodological principles of teaching Russian phonetics, the authors discuss the importance of taking into account students' phonetic needs in selecting text in the educational process. The structure of educational materials and educational texts are analysed as an example of this approach. The authors offer to consider the national specifics of students to increase the efficiency of work on phonetics. To analyse the phonetic material present in texts and expose the specific difficulties Brazilian students experience when learning the Russian language, the authors experimented using a text from the textbook "Poekhali! 1 level". From different regions, fifty-four students were interviewed, and we presented different phonetic problems according to their dialectal characteristics. The most exciting and complex phonetic error is related to the pronunciation of the sounds [r]-[rʲ] and [X]-[Xʲ]; based on this type of error it is possible to determinate the provenience of the interviewed students.

Loneliness and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents: results of national adolescent school-based health survey 2015

ObjectiveTo identify the associated factors to loneliness among Brazilian adolescents, considering this is a knowledge gap and given its severity. The United Nations estimates that mental health problems affect approximately 20% of adolescents worldwide. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study with data from the National Adolescent School-based Health Survey 2015, conducted with students aged 13-17 in Brazil. The statistical analysis was performed with the calculation of the prevalence of feeling loneliness reported. Poisson regression with the adjusted Prevalence Ratio was used to evaluate the association between sociodemographic characteristics, family context, mental health and lifestyles, and feelings of loneliness. Results15,5% of Brazilian students reported loneliness in the last 12 months. Female gender, higher maternal education, insomnia and be bullying victims rarely or sometimes and most of the time or always had a higher prevalence rate of loneliness. Having friends, having a meal with parents or guardians 5 days or more a week and having understanding parents showed a lower prevalence ratio for loneliness. ConclusionLoneliness feeling is frequent among adolescents and is associated with female gender, less social and family support, intra-family violence and risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption and bullying. Policies to promote physical and mental well-being in this age group, stimulating friendship and family participation in the lives of adolescents should be made .

O perfil do egresso do processo de formação no ensino médio brasileiro: entre óticas legais e impactos sobre a sociedade

Com este trabalho objetivou-se verificar se o perfil idealizado, pelas bases legais, para o egresso do ensino médio é mantido quando contraposto a indicadores de monitoramento dos resultados deste processo de formação escolar sobre a sociedade. Para identificação do perfil em estudo foi efetuada a análise de conteúdo de leis de bases e de diretrizes curriculares de 13 unidades territoriais do país, seguida pela contraposição do resultado desta a dados diagnósticos de ensino, empregabilidade, matrícula e conclusão no ensino superior. Dos quatro elementos destacados, a partir da análise das bases legais, para composição do perfil em estudo, dois preservaram, ao serem validados a partir da correlação com indicadores de monitoramento: ‘continuidade dos estudos’ e ‘fundamentação científico-tecnológica’. Este trabalho sinaliza a necessidade de aprofundamento de estudos sobre a ‘preparação para o trabalho’ e ‘participação em sociedade’ no processo de formação no ensino médio.

Prevalence of Orthorexia Nervosa and Its Diagnostic Tools-A Literature Review.

The aim of this article is to present the up-to-date diagnostic tools of orthorexia and markers of its prevalence on the basis of the available literature. The authors searched PubMedCentral (PMC) and Google Scholar with the search entry of “orthorexia”, “orthorexia nervosa”, and “orthorexicbehaviours”. We describe the tools of evaluation of orthorexicbehaviour (i.e., orthorexia self-test—BOT, the ORTO-15 questionnaire, Eating Habits Questionnaire—EHQ, Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale—DOS, Teruel Orthorexia Scale—TOS, Barcelona Orthorexia Scale—BOS, and Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory—ONI), and offer a review of the studies on orthorexia nervosa. We conclude that there are no reliable data regarding the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa. The available studies point to significant differences in the prevalence depending on the value of cut-off points and tools used. The prevalence varies across countries and across populations, ranging from 6.9% in the Italian population to 88.7% in the group of Brazilian students of dieting. Thus, it indicates that some groups seem to be susceptible to the risk of ON more than others. It is a challenge to determine the prevalence of orthorexia, and any obtained results should be treated with caution. Consequently, we claim that the use of the ORTO-15 questionnaire to diagnose orthorexia is questionable due to a high percentage of falsely positive results.

Marketing Differences Study Motivations between Luso and Brazil Students

Motivation to learn is one of the most relevant aspects of student success in the learning process. Measuring motivation is essential in all higher education institutions (HEI). It is also important for teachers to understand the best way to encourage and motivate their students to make enforces in their constant learning. This study’s general objective is to understand if there are differences in motivation to study Marketing curricular units between Portuguese (PT) and Brazilian (BR) students. We applied the Academic Motivation Scale to 156 students (82 PT and 74 BR) to measure their motivation and understand significant differences. The results showed that both groups of students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to study Marketing, although Brazilian students have higher motivation indices. This study contributes to the evolution of knowledge in higher education. It allows institutions to take short, medium and long-term measures on how to increase their students’ motivation levels. The use of the scale adapted to Marketing is also one of the contributions to future studies.

Daily physical activity, human development index and insomnia in a representative sample of Brazilian adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis.

Although there is a growing body of research pointing towards the need to investigate how different movement behaviors, such as physical activity and sleep, influence each other, the joint relationship between these factors and insomnia has been little explored among adolescents in developing countries. To investigate the association between daily physical activity and insomnia in a national sample of Brazilian adolescents, according to the Human Development Index (HDI) of each Brazilian region. Cross-sectional study on 102,072 Brazilian students aged 11 to 19 years, selected from all regions of the country. Information on insomnia and physical activity was self-reported by adolescents. Our analyses revealed that girls who accumulated at least 60 minutes/day of physical activity on up to three days/week were less prone to present insomnia. This pattern of association was maintained only for those who lived in high HDI regions (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.99). For boys, there was a positive association between the number of active days and protection against insomnia, especially for those who lived in high HDI regions. Even amounts of physical activity that were lower than the weekly guidelines, were associated with better sleep quality for Brazilian adolescents, especially girls, and even for those who lived in regions with greater social and economic vulnerability.

International students in Portuguese higher education: who are they and what are their choices?

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the patterns of international student enrolments in Portugal to understand what makes Portuguese higher education attractive. Employing a database of enrolments in Portuguese higher education institutions in 2017/2018, it uses correspondence analysis to characterise the flows of students coming from different countries and the variation by institution type, qualification level, disciplinary area and location. Attractiveness is not homogeneous. Portuguese-speaking students from Africa tend to enrol in undergraduate degrees, but depending on country of origin they prefer certain institution types. European students are attracted to Health-related programmes in private institutions. Chinese and Brazilian students seek primarily postgraduate qualifications in public universities. Thus, different publics choose Portuguese higher education for different reasons, suggesting that attractiveness is multifaceted and varies by students’ country of origin. The implications are that institutions in countries which are emerging players in international student recruitment need to carefully identify their target publics and distinctive assets.

Body Appearance (Dis)satisfaction Scale applied to Brazilian university students

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to estimate the psychometric properties of the Body Area Scale (BAS) applied to a sample of Brazilian university students to support the validity and reliability of the obtained data. Methods We performed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the Comparative Fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). We calculated the average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), and ordinal alpha coefficient (α). All estimates were calculated separately for women and men. A thousand students participated (women = 64.0%, mean [M] age = 20.92, standard deviation [SD] = 2.40 years; body mass index (BMI) M = 23.24, SD = 3.97 kg/m2). Results Considering the CFA results, the original unifactorial model (24 items) did not fit data for women and men. Instead, the two-factorial model with 19 items had adequate fit for male and female samples (CFI = 0.922-0.958; TLI = 0.912-0.952; RMSEA = 0.090-0.096), as well as good convergent validity (AVE = 0.536-0.668) and reliability (CR = 0.920-0.952; α = 0.916-0.948). Once BAS was proposed to evaluate satisfaction/dissatisfaction with one’s own body, and considering the reformulation of the factorial model, we proposed a new name for the instrument: Body Appearance (Dis)Satisfaction Scale (BAS-R). Conclusion Professionals can now include the BAS-R in future protocols to evaluate satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the body in Brazilian students.

Treinamento de consciência fonológica para pessoas com necessidade educacionais especiais no Brasil: uma revisão sistemática

O desempenho dos alunos brasileiros em leitura e escrita, tanto com desenvolvimento típico, quanto atípico, está muito abaixo do esperado e diferentes fatores vêm sendo levantados como causa para esse fracasso. Dos fatores em questão, dois vêm sendo debatidos: 1) alguns alunos necessitam de condições educacionais especiais não oferecidas nas escolas, por apresentarem transtornos do desenvolvimento, alterações neurológicas, deficiência auditiva ou síndromes que afetam a capacidade de aprendizagem e 2) a metodologia adotada pelas escolas não leva em consideração que as habilidades de consciência fonológica (CF), instrução fônica, vocabulário e memória operacional são essenciais para o processo de alfabetização. Esta revisão sistemática teve por objetivo mapear e analisar as pesquisas interventivas que visavam ensinar CF para pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais, realizadas no Brasil. Como resultado, integraram essa revisão 27 estudos publicados de 2007 a 2018, sendo que 13 realizaram intervenções com indivíduos com dificuldade de aprendizagem, 4 com deficiência intelectual, 2 com dislexia, 2 com paralisia cerebral, 3 com Síndrome de Down, 1 com Síndrome de Down concomitante a síndrome de Willams, 1 com crianças surdas e 1 deficientes auditivas. Como pode ser visto, poucos foram os estudos encontrados se considerada a variedade de características das populações estudadas e a demanda de programas de pós-graduação nas áreas de educação, ensino e psicologia existentes no país.

Daily light exposure, sleep–wake cycle and attention in adolescents from different urban contexts

Objectiveto compare daily light exposure, activity-rest rhythm, sleep–wake cycle (SWC) and attention in Brazilian students living in different levels of urbanization. Methods115 adolescents (74 girls), aged 14–18 years (mean 15.5 ± 0.7 years), from the first years of high school have participated. The SWC was evaluated by actimetry and a Sleep Diary for 10 days. Besides, the “Health and Sleep” Questionnaire, the Morningness and Eveningness Scale for adolescents, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale were answered. Attention was assessed by a Continuous Performance Task. ResultsIn the less urbanized region, there were a greater exposure to light during the day accompanied by a higher proportion of morning-types and less occurrence of excessive daytime sleepiness. Otherwise, in the more urbanized region, adolescents showed a trend to sleep less in weekdays and presented more irregularity in sleep duration between weekdays and weekend, with 83 ± 15% of sleep efficiency, 01:04 ± 1:30 h of WASO and 7 ± 6.7 awakenings per night on the weekdays, suggestive of poor sleep quality. Despite of this, they showed better attentional performance: more correct responses (tonic and phasic alertness, and sustained attention) and less omissions (for all components). Regardless of the degree of urbanization, there was partial sleep deprivation, irregular sleep schedules and poor sleep quality in adolescents. ConclusionsThe daily light exposure and activity-rest profiles, SWC and attention in adolescents varied according to the degree of urbanization. Besides, the negative impacts of early school starting times leading to sleep deprivation, irregular sleep times and poor sleep quality were observed irrespective of the degree of urbanization, reinforcing that the early school starting time at morning is a strong temporal challenge for teenagers, having negative impacts on cognition and academic performance.

Teaching English by teaching about race in Brazil

According to the Brazilian National Education Guidelines and Framework Law enacted in 2017, English language teaching is mandatory from the sixth year of elementary school until the last years of high school. However, the curriculum does not guarantee that all Brazilian students will receive English teaching. In 2013, Data Popular, a Brazilian research institute, drafted a report for the British Council analysing the problems concerning knowledge of English in Brazil. The report claims that the low level of English proficiency amongst Brazilians reflects the educational opportunities available in the country. It states that: Even government officials admit that English teaching in basic education has many shortcomings. The National Curricular Guidelines (which outline the curriculum for each subject) are well articulated but cannot be applied fully in practice. (Data Popular 2013: 12) To understand the reasons why English teaching does not seem efficient for all students, it is important...

Brazilian high school students conceptions about alcoholic beverages

Alcohol consumption is high among adolescents. It is important to implement preventive policies to avoid alcohol consumption by adolescents. We assessed the preconceptions of 171 Brazilian adolescents (15 to 18 years) from high school, on the use of alcohol. We compared students’ view with the scientific information to inform educators about the potential social and biological hazards of ethanol consumption that could be used as support material in the classroom. Students’ approval of alcohol consumption was high. However, the knowledge about chronic toxicological risks of alcohol consumption was almost absent. These results indicate that, in the students' conception, the neurobiological reward provided by alcohol outweighs the negative impacts of this substance. Thus, we strongly suggest that basic school curricula must cover the socio-toxicological effects of ethanol consumption as a strategy to increase the visibility and perceptions about the negative impact of alcohol consumption.

Incisor Molar Hypomineralization and Quality of Life: A Population-Based Study with Brazilian Schoolchildren.

Aim To assess the impact of incisor molar hypomineralization (MIH) on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) according to the perception of students and their parents/caregivers. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional population-based study with 463 Brazilian students aged 11–14 years. OHRQoL was measured using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (B-CPQ11-14ISF: 16) applied to students and the short version of the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (B-P-CPQ) applied to parents/caregivers. The diagnosis of MIH followed the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry criteria modified in 2019. Caries experience (ICDAS II), malocclusion (DAI), and socioeconomic and demographic factors were assessed as confounding factors for impact on OHRQoL. Cluster analysis was carried out to dichotomize the negative impact into greater and lesser impact. The chi-square test and Poisson regression were performed (p < 0.05) to verify associations between quality of life and MIH, adjusted for confounding variables. Results The prevalence of MIH was 10.8%. Multivariate regression demonstrated that caries experience was the only oral disease that impacted OHRQoL according to students' self-perception in the functional limitation domain (PR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.20–2.77) and in the total questionnaire score (PR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.00–2.51). However, according to the perception of parents/caregivers, in addition to caries experience, which affected OHRQoL in the oral symptoms (PR = 3.57; 95% CI = 1.71–7.414) and emotional well-being domains (PR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.08–2.69), as well as in the total B-P-CPQ score (PR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.01–2.76), malocclusion also affected OHRQoL in the social well-being domain (PR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.07–2.10) and in the total questionnaire score (PR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.11–2.15). Conclusion According to students and their parents/caregivers' perception, incisor molar hypomineralization did not influence OHRQoL of the studied sample.

Validity and reliability of an instrument to measure factors associated with screen time in Brazilian students

Abstract This study analyzed the validity and reliability of an instrument with scales measuring factors associated with screen time in adolescents. Two cross-sectional studies included students for analyses of validity and internal consistency (n=1138, 51.5% boys) and test-retest reproducibility (n=194, 56.2% boys). Individual (attitude, self-efficacy and expectations), social (behaviors, rules, beliefs and family support and support of school members) and physical environmental (home and bedroom equipment) factors of screen time were evaluated. All the scales of the instrument met the statistical criteria of the validity of the exploratory factorial analysis (p&lt;0.001). The exploratory factorial analysis indicated five one-dimensional and three two-factor scales (self-efficacy, expectations and familiar behavior), with factorial loads of 0.56 to 0.88. There were significant correlations between the scores of almost all the scales and the reported screen time (p&lt;0.05). Eight of nine scales/subscales showed Cronbach’s α value being higher than 0.70, and ICC ranged from 0.63 to 0.83. In conclusion, the instrument presented scales with acceptable validity and reliability and can be used to measure factors associated with screen time in Brazilian students.

Geopolítica, identidade cultural e a língua espanhola no contexto brasileiro

Neste trabalho, busca-se refletir sobre a relação entre questões geopolíticas e identitárias e a língua espanhola no contexto brasileiro, bem como mostrar como o entrelaçamento destes elementos podem ser tratados na sala de aula sob uma perspectiva intercultural objetivando ensinar a língua, fomentar o conhecimento de história da América Ibérica e promover a aproximação do aluno brasileiro ao universo dos povos vizinhos. Para tanto, apoiamo-nos no conceito de geopolítica e o associamos às relações de poder para mostrar como estas influenciam o grau de importância atribuído às línguas. Defendemos que a abordagem destes componentes na sala de aula sensibiliza o aluno e o faz entender que o estudo de uma língua estrangeira deve transcender ideologias e contribuir para aproximar culturas, olhar para o mundo sob diferentes perspectivas e evoluir como ser humano.

On the road: Personality and values of sojourners

We investigated differences in personality traits (Big-5) and human values amongst four groups of Brazilian students staying at home or studying abroad. Two groups came from Brazilian universities: one had no interest studying abroad (n = 112), while the other group was interested studying abroad (n = 227). The third and fourth groups were Brazilian sojourners (n = 121) and Brazilians returning to the country after finishing a degree abroad (n = 150). Results showed that students who were not interested in studying abroad had lower scores on excitement values and on the personality trait of openness when compared to the other three groups. Overall, students interested in studying abroad did not differ significantly from sojourners or returnees, except on the trait of agreeableness and the value of excitement, in which they scored lower than sojourners and returnees, respectively.

The Increase of Brazilian Students in a Portuguese Engineering School

In the last fifteen years, the number of Brazilian students in Portugal has shown an increase of more than 600%. This trend was firstly driven by Portuguese economic recovery, which included investments in university education and incentives for receiving foreign students, through the international student statute, established in 2014. In the same year, Portugal started to accept the Brazilian national exams (ENEM) for the university admission, increasing the educational migratory flux once a directly access was stablished. Moreover, other secondary reasons led to this increase, such as the opportunity to study and live in a safer country and the possibility of obtaining a prestigious foreign degree. Currently, Brazilian students represent more than 33% of the foreign students in Portugal. However, the Brazilian students are highly concentrated in the top 3 Portuguese universities, Coimbra, Lisbon and Porto. In the specific case of the University of Porto, 73% of the foreign students are of Brazilian origin, with the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) representing the largest contingent. This sharp growth in a specific group of foreign students on the engineering courses has created several important educational challenges, as the Brazilian students often exhibit higher failure rates in exams and curricular units as well as increased dropout rates when compared with Portuguese students. This is due to several factors, such as differences on the educational methodology, the quality of the high-school education, cultural differences, difficulty of adaptation and other socioeconomics aspects. The present work evaluates the causes behind the limited academic success of Brazilian students and introduces the measures and methodologies applied to the Brazilian students on the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto, and on the Integrated Master’s in Mechanical Engineering (MIEM) in particular, in the pursuit of maintaining educational equality and ensuring success for all enrolled students, independently of their origin.

Studying the Middle East from Brazil: reflections on a different worldview

This paper describes and analyses the experiences of two Brazilian professors in teaching History and International Relations of the Middle East and the Arab World, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. Essentially, this paper is an exercise of comparison between the limits faced – but also the possibilities found – by the authors in the development of their activities as Latin American professors promoting the study of the Middle East and the Arab World in Brazil. Its main aim is to help scholars involved with these subject-matters to reflect on their pedagogical practices and on the knowledge they are promoting (or inhibiting) with their research proposals and teaching procedures. Anchored in the methodological techniques of participant observation and critical curriculum analysis, this paper reaches the conclusion that the socialisation of Brazilian scholars in the Anglo-Saxon literature on the Middle East when not mediated by a critical posture towards these parochial knowledges that pretend to be global, can make them more reproducers of the discourses produced in the North about the region than thinkers of the Global South capable of offering their educatees a space of knowledge production that is meaningful to them as Brazilian students.

Preparing future entrepreneurs: reflections about the COVID-19 impacts on the entrepreneurial potential of Brazilian students

PurposeThis viewpoint aims to present reflections on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic scenario and the entrepreneurial potential of Brazilian students. Guidelines are proposed to support debates in the academic environment and better prepare future entrepreneurs to the labour market.Design/methodology/approachSince this is a viewpoint article, some statements presented here are characterised by the authors' opinions. However, for a better foundation, bibliographic research related to the theme was carried out.FindingsIn the authors' point of view, the COVID-19 pandemic scenario may negatively influence the decisions of Brazilian students that are characterised as potential future entrepreneurs. Educators can use the guidelines presented here to conduct debates with students in order to clarify aspects related to profile, behaviour and other issues.Originality/valueBy understanding better entrepreneurial aspects in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, Brazilian students can make better decisions. This initiative will contribute to future success in the Brazilian entrepreneurial activity and national economy.