Education In Portugal Research Articles

Impact of grade retention and school engagement on student intentions to enrol in higher education in Portugal

AbstractGrade retention and inequalities that derive from grade retention can influence student school trajectories and careers. Grade retention can discourage students from education, and increase school failure and dropout. This study explored the relationship between grade retention and student intentions to enrol in higher education. We also studied the role of school identification and behavioural engagement in this relationship. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,089 students (grades 6 to 10) from Portugal, one of the European countries with the highest rates of grade retention. We employed multilevel probit regression modelling with random intercept and fixed slopes to explore both the individual and school level effects of grade retention. The analyses showed that retained students had a lower probability of intent to enrol in higher education and that there was a contextual effect of the number of retained students in the school, on students' probability of intent to enrol in higher education. This association was partially explained at the individual level by students' school identification. Retained students presented lower levels of school identification, which in turn results in lower probabilities of enrolling in higher education. Student behavioural engagement was not associated with grade retention nor student intentions. Our findings suggest the need for interventions that foster students' school identification to overcome the adverse effects of grade retention.

Implementation of the legal framework for inclusive education in Portugal (Decree-Law 54/2018) – A qualitative assessment by primary and secondary school teachers

Abstract Successful inclusive education requires school transformations and changes to the education system. In Portugal new legislation passed in 2018 (Decree-law 54/2018) brought a new perspective in inclusive education for all educational agents. Three years later, it is essential that the legislation is evaluated by the teachers implementing it. Forty-three primary and secondary school teachers and two coordinators of multidisciplinary teams providing inclusive education support were the participants of our study. The data collection instruments were a questionnaire and interviews. This study values the participants’ narratives, highlighting the new concepts and attitudes required for the implementation of the new inclusive education legal framework in Portugal. The results of the thematic analysis were organized around four key themes: 1. Theoretical representations; 2. Practices; 3. Challenges; and 4. Training. It is also worth noting the notions of collaborative work, the need for reflective teachers and the development of learning communities to support the implementation of the new legislation.

Potentialities and Challenges of Online Mathematics Teaching: example of an experience with Engineering students from Polytechnic Education in Portugal

Resumo Este artigo é o resultado de um projeto realizado nas turmas dos cursos de Licenciatura em Engenharia no Ensino Superior Politécnico em Portugal, no período em que as aulas foram lecionadas de forma remota. Para adaptar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem a esta nova realidade, diferentes abordagens e métodos de avaliação foram implementados no âmbito do ensino de cálculo. A constatação de que uma avaliação tradicional no modelo online poderia ter as suas potencialidades reduzidas devido à possibilidade de o aluno utilizar diferentes ferramentas de auxílio quando é avaliado à distância, nos levou a colocar em prática um modelo de avaliação assente em trabalhos de grupo fundamentado na aprendizagem baseada em problemas. Considerando a aplicabilidade da determinação de máximos e mínimos de uma função no dia a dia, foram criadas várias situações-problema. Para a sua resolução seriam necessários conhecimentos de Geometria e de Modelagem Matemática: envolvendo a formulação de hipóteses, o questionamento por parte do aluno e a sua capacidade de análise. Com a intenção de incrementar os conhecimentos tecnológicos dos alunos, foi utilizado no projeto o software GeoGebra para relacionar de um modo mais visual e dinâmico o cálculo diferencial com a Geometria. Os resultados obtidos e o feedback positivo dos grupos de alunos revelaram que o projeto é uma boa alternativa ao modelo de avaliação tradicional, podendo mesmo servir de referencial para o trabalho de outros professores.

The Contribution of Game-based learning: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dyscalculia

This paper explores the potential of games to mathematics learning and promotion of globalpsychomotricity, relational/social skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Dyscalculia students of Basic Education in Portugal. Inspired by Space Adventure: Defend the Planet! (SADP), an educational research-based game to children's primary mathematics’ learning [PTDC/COM-CSS/32022/2017], a game-based intervention was created to psychomotricity sessions at school facilities. The study was conducted by the researcher, Superior Technician of SEN and Rehabilitation. A mixed method approach is used to research: what impact does the intervention have on participants' motivation, engagement, learning of mathematics and development of participants? Five schools in Portugal participated in the study, between December 2021 and March 2022, with 12 sessions, one session/week, 45 minutes. The sample: 19 participants: 12 boys, 9 with ASD and 3 with Dyscalculia; 7 girls, 2 with ASD and 5 with Dyscalculia. The average age is M=8.6 with SD=1.8. Prior to the intervention, the following instruments were applied: pre-tests of math skills, communication and social interaction, receptive and expressive language; Childhood Autism RatingScale; a Battery Movement Assessment Battery for Children; questionnaire Technologies/Video Games and Questionnaire of Support Measures for Learning and Inclusion. During the intervention, an observation grid and alternative communication materials were used per session. A PC, the SADP, gymnasium/relaxation room with a chair, table and gym supplies. From the results, computers, tablets, and mobile phones are the most frequently used by children. GRID/ABC Autism, Bini ABC/Human Body, and Minecraft/Troll are video games often played by participants. One girl aged 12 explained to the researcher how to create worlds on Minecraft, which is an indicator that “good” video games could be beneficial for ASD. “I feel free to explore my imagination!”- she said. Most children expressed rich verbalizations about SADP: “I love it”, “This game is interesting”. As preliminary results children were motivated, participative, engaged with learning math, and able to co-create motor activities inspired by SADP challenges. The data analysis of the present study is in progress and will be presented.

Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities: Regular Education Teachers’ Professional Development and Practices

This article focuses on how curricular and pedagogical differentiation for students of special education is perceived by teachers of the second cycle of basic education in Portugal. The objectives of this research were (i) to inquire about the teachers’ perceptions regarding their training path and their training needs; (ii) to characterize the teaching practices of teachers, aimed at students of special education; and (iii) to learn the perceptions of these teachers regarding their curricular and pedagogical practices directed at students of special education—this called for an interpretative methodology. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and subjected to content analysis. The results indicate a widespread concern with teachers’ current professional development and the management of diversity. The respondents’ perceptions, shown as favorable to change, are in line with personalized work, enhancing visible contributions to students’ personal and social development.

Researching higher education in Portugal

ABSTRACT Despite relatively recent, higher education has evolved into a consolidated field of study. This paper examines how this field evolved in Portugal. The goal was to understand when it first appeared, how it evolved over time, which scientific areas was it associated with, and what have been its main objects of study. Tight’s classification of objects of study was used to inspire content analysis, which was used to systematise information on doctoral theses in higher education held or recognised in Portugal between 1970 and 2019. Descriptive statistics completed this analysis in accordance with the study objectives. The study findings reveal that the number of theses on higher education-related themes or subthemes has increased over time, particularly in the last decade. Two major clusters of objects of study were also identified, one more relevant, focusing on Teaching and Learning and Students and the other, less representative, focusing on System Policies, Quality, Institutional Management, and Academics. Moreover, findings suggest that research in higher education in Portugal is focused on the ‘usual’ scientific areas, namely social sciences, and education. Despite some limitations, the study adds significantly to the understanding of higher education as a field of study, opening-up new avenues for future research.

PORTUGUESE SIGN LANGUAGE CURRICULUM

The Portuguese Sign Language (hereinafter LGP) is linked to the deaf education in Portugal for decades. Its genesis is found in the first institutes in Lisbon and Porto in the 19th century, in which a considerable number of deaf people had gathered and developed signed communication systems. During the 19th century, the methodologies used in their education were based on these signed systems and the manual alphabet. With the advent of oralist methodologies introduced in Portugal, these signed communication systems were banned from the classroom, although deaf students continued to develop their sign communication clandestinely. The LGP was rescued in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century as a result of the studies carried out by the University of Lisbon in partnership with the Portuguese Association of the Deaf, and of the first attempts to implement bilingual education for deaf students. Both developments demonstrated the need to teach LGP as a first language to deaf students and the construction of an LGP curriculum. The first national LGP curriculum is published (DGIDC, 2008) with the publication of the Decree-Law 3/2008, which regulated deaf bilingual education for the first time in its Article 23. In 2018, two new Decree-Laws were published (54/2018 and 55/2018) that revoke the previous Decree-Law and promote a curriculum review of all school subjects. To understand the effectiveness of the 2008 LGP curriculum, we carried out an exploratory study. We interviewed four deaf LGP teachers who suggested the reformulation of the LGP curriculum, respecting the 2018 legislation and the reality of the current deaf school population.

The Adequacy of Accounting Education in the Development of Transversal Skills Needed to Meet Market Demands

With the ongoing digital transformation, accountants will need a more technological profile and greater mastery of transversal skills. In this context, higher education institutions (HEIs) assume a fundamental role, as they must adapt the teaching methodologies of accounting courses to meet new market demands. This study aims to identify the transversal skills most needed by accounting professionals to meet market demands and analyze the suitability of higher education in Portugal for the development of those skills. To this end, semi-structured interviews were carried out with people who directly or indirectly deal with accounting professionals and focus groups that included lecturers, students, and recent graduates. Conclusions indicate that communication is the most valuable transversal skill to respond to the new requirements of the profession, followed by being proactive, showing initiative, successful teamwork, and the ability to adapt to new contexts. Accountants are also required to invest more time in information and communication technologies (ICT) training. Evidence indicates that accounting education in Portugal does not seem to adequately prepare students with these skills, continuing to rely on traditional approaches to teaching and assessment.

Sustainable Development in Basic Education Sciences in Portugal—Perspective of Official Curriculum Documents

This study aims to identify and characterize the understanding of the concept of Sustainable Development in the official scientific educational documents of basic education in Portugal. Methodologically, it is a qualitative study that fits into the interpretive paradigm; its implementation is based on an interpretative-descriptive strategy of exploratory nature. The study involved the organization of the analysis corpus and the subsequent content analysis of the selected documents. The documents included in this corpus are the official educational documents on the teaching and learning of Natural Sciences in Basic Education (1st to 9th grade—ages 6 to 15): the Essential Learning and two transversal documents (the Student Profile on Leaving Compulsory Schooling and the Environmental Education Framework for Sustainability). The obtained results show that these documents frame and guide the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development, in all its dimensions, throughout basic education. However, this does not happen in an equitable way, neither in all documents nor in all years of schooling.

Competition and diversification in higher education: Analysing impacts on access and equity in the case of Portugal

AbstractIn recent decades, higher education has experienced a massive expansion worldwide, which has often been linked to increasing higher education diversification. New sectors and new types of institutions emerged with this massification process to offer more diversified types of advanced training. At the same time, this expansion was often embedded in a political economy that increasingly favoured market forces, leading to growing privatisation and competition in the higher education sector. This article explores the relevance of institutional diversification and competition in higher education for access and equity in Portugal. The case of higher education in Portugal is particularly interesting since Portugal has a diverse system both in secondary education and in higher education, with significant vocational and private sectors at both levels (besides the more common academic and university tracks and public institutions). We analyse the profile of new cohorts of entrants by sector (public vs. private higher education institutions) and fields of study. Our results suggest that private secondary schools provide an advantageous track for accessing higher education, especially to prestigious programmes and institutions to which students compete to access. The analysis also indicates that socioeconomic background is a very relevant factor for access to higher education. Although students whose parents do not have a higher education degree may enrol in higher education, those whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment tend to enrol in more prestigious programmes and institutions, to which access is more competitive.

Problem-based learning in a flipped classroom: a case study for active learning in legal education in international law

ABSTRACT Higher education in law should develop students’ skills such as working collaboratively, communicating, and influencing others through critical legal reasoning. Traditional legal education is partially based on active learning methods, but problem-based learning (PBL) is still relatively rare, with a comparatively smaller number of field applications reported in available literature, and no reports of its use of in legal education in Portugal. This paper describes the application of the problem-based learning method to an Erasmus class of International Public Law in a Portuguese university, during an academic semester. The method was applied to half of the classes, with the remaining half being taught using traditional methods. Students’ perceptions and preferences for the different methods were assessed through surveys. In general, our results offer novel insights into the effectiveness of PBL, suggesting that student perceptions of the PBL method depend on their social skills, previous knowledge of the topics, and personal preference. Considering experiences from previous years, the teacher’s assessment is that using PBL methods allowed for feedback and closer follow-up on the students’ progress and created the opportunity for the development of relevant skills, which would otherwise be excluded from the classroom. These results, as well as limitations, are discussed.

Entrepreneurial intention among women: A case study in the Portuguese academy

AbstractA growing interest in academic entrepreneurship has characterized the past few years. Young university students are increasingly encouraged to create their companies to boost their region's social and economic development. In this regard, women entrepreneurs have been playing a decisive role. They have been increasing in number, becoming of key importance due to their status and significance for the gender impact on entrepreneurship. This research evaluates women's entrepreneurial intention in the Portuguese academy, denoting which entrepreneurial intent is influenced by environmental factors such as closer valuation and social valuation and motivational factors such as attitude toward the behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology was used. A questionnaire was applied to 731 female students of higher education in Portugal. The analysis of the results allowed us to perceive which variables under study influenced the entrepreneurial intention. The findings will reinforce the literature, thus, contributing to strengthening the theoretical framework on entrepreneurial intentions in women and launching clues for action within public decision‐makers, universities, and civil society, allowing to adopt practices that will increase entrepreneurship in women. To our knowledge, this research is one of the few studies on female entrepreneurial intention in academia in a peripheral region of Europe such as Portugal.

GÊNERO E PRÉ-ESCOLA: EXPERIÊNCIAS E ESTRATÉGIAS DE HOMENS EDUCADORES DE INFÂNCIA

Abstract This study analysed the gender dynamics prevailing in the context of early childhood education in Portugal. We sought to observe whether early childhood educators experience the negative consequences associated with tokens and the possible emergence of phenomena related to the social construction of masculinity. The thematic analysis of the contents of 14 semi-structured individual interviews with early childhood educators originated six themes and highlighted the specificity of the professional insertion of men. The experiences and strategies described by the male interviewees and perceived by the female interviewees highlight the effects of the social construction of masculinity and confirm part of the effects of their status as tokens, although differently to the ways revealed by studies focused on women in this situation.

Determinants of Students' Satisfaction in an Online Environment in Portuguese Higher Education Institutions

Online education assumed an increasing relevance in the last two years in face of the successive pandemic-motivated lockdowns by SARS-Cov-2. Considering the potential strengthening of this type of education in Portugal, particularly in the context of higher education, this study aims to analyze the perspective of students on three vectors of the online education quality, namely the overall quality of classes, the assessment process, and the online teaching tools available. Students' perceptions regarding these vectors will be assessed from the demographic variables, and factors that underlie online education according to the literature. The research is based on a quantitative methodology. Data was carried out through a structured questionnaire applied online, which had the answers of 2,107 students from different courses and higher education institutions in Portugal in July 2020. Factor analysis and logistic regression were used. The findings identified a significant association between the three vectors of the quality of online education proposed, and the factors usually proposed in the literature that are part of the student, instructor, and technology dimensions. It is expected that this research provides the inputs to the different players involved either in the implementation or development of courses offered through online learning in Portugal.

Contextos de democratização do acesso ao ensino superior uma abordagem sociológica sobre o Instituto Politécnico de Viseu

The institution of polytechnic education in Portugal allowed an effective democratization of access to higher education. However, this process took time to implement and was not free from persistent dichotomies with its similar university system. It unquestionablethat, the institution of the binary higher education system, allowed a redistribution of the regional offer and the possibility of socioeconomically disadvantaged sectors of society access to higher education, contributing to mitigate geographic, socialand economic dichotomies. In this reflection, we intend to address the specific case of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, as the first institution of this teaching subsystem to be implemented at national level. We start from data obtained in investigations that took place between 2006 and 2020, seeking, in a longitudinal perspective,verify changes in the social profiles of its students, their motivations in accessing education and professional’sexpectations after obtaining a graduate degree. The results show an increase in the representation of the finalists from classeswith low economic and qualification resourcesand a decrease from themiddle class,the persistence of a regional demand for higher education and the existence of high expectations aboutthe importance of a diploma in their professional future.

Undergraduate Nursing Degree: Overview of leadership education in Portugal

Enquadramento: A liderança eficaz na prática de enfermagem relaciona-se com a preparação dos estudantes durante a formação académica. Objetivo: Identificar conteúdos sobre liderança nos programas do Curso de Licenciatura em Enfermagem em Portugal. Metodologia: Consulta online dos programas das unidades curriculares de 17 cursos com conteúdos acessíveis, de 39 instituições de ensino superior que lecionam enfermagem, em setembro-dezembro de 2018. Dados organizados com o software Excel para caracterização das unidades curriculares e análise de conteúdo com software IRAMUTEQ 0.6 alpha 3. Resultados: Identificados conteúdos sobre liderança em unidades curriculares que apresentavam os termos “gestão” e/ou “administração”, associados com “enfermagem” e/ou “saúde”, e outros termos associados, salientando-se “organização dos cuidados de saúde”. Conclusão: O ensino da liderança está presente como conteúdo programático em todos os currículos, embora não seja lecionada como disciplina própria em nenhum dos Cursos de Licenciatura. Reconhece-se ser fundamental o ensino da liderança para o desenvolvimento de habilidades e competências dos estudantes. Não foram encontradas nas unidades curriculares dos cursos ligações do ensino da liderança à prática clínica.

Two Problem-Solving Experiences: Presential vs Virtual

Problem-solving is a transversal skill considered at any level of education in Portugal. For this reason, and because it is an important part of learning mathematics, we have carried out several studies on this topic. In this article, we seek to reflect on two experiences of solving a problem, one under presential classroom format and the other virtual, in an online format. It was possible to notice similarities in the results obtained by the students and in certain wrong strategies they used, but also differences related to other strategies used, in the correction of the answers and the collective discussion of the resolutions.

Neoliberalismo, Educação de infância e o mito de Procusto: políticas e práticas em Portugal

The narrowing of the curriculum and the “schoolification” in Early Childhood Education, has generated various tensions and changes between these demands and the principles of democracy, equity and participation. Supported by the Sociologies of Childhood and Education and The narrowing of the curriculum and the “schoolification” in Early Childhood Education, has generated various tensions and changes between these demands and the principles of democracy, equity and participation. Supported by the Sociologies of Childhood and Education and Educational Sciences, we signal the presence of these speeches in the public polices for Early Childhood Education in Portugal and their resignification by educators in their pedagogical practices. Using play as an analyser, the observations made in kindergartens, public and private in Lisbon, Oporto and Braga, between 2016 and March 2020, allow us to highlight the “weight” of schooling in the face of playing as a right and mode of child participation, and in reconfiguration of children in pupils, educators in teachers and the kindergarten in primary school.

Evaluation of the teachers’ digital competences in primary and secondary education in Portugal with DigCompEdu CheckIn in pandemic times

The current pandemic crisis the world is living in has brought new and emerging challenges to teachers, making it essential to acquire digital skills, especially in virtual learning environments and online technologies. In this sense, from the DigCompEdu CheckIn self-assessment questionnaire, validated for the Portuguese population by Dias-Trindade, Moreira, and Nunes (2019), the research presented in this paper aims to identify the most fragile and robust areas of digital skills of primary and secondary education (ISCED) perceived by teachers in Portugal. The quantitative methodological approach emphasizes teachers' perception of their digital skills in three dimensions: teachers’ professional competences, teachers’ pedagogical competences and students' competences and involved 434 teachers from mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions. The results allow us to conclude that teachers have an overall moderate level of digital proficiency – level B1 - Integrators – and the dimensions pedagogical competences and students’ competences are those where teachers have more weaknesses than in other levels. From a panorama observed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to understand their needs regarding work that involves digital technologies at different moments in the teaching activity. The results thus, show the need for teachers to increase their level of digital competence through specific training and the importance of developing public policies that prepare teachers for a more digital school.

Editorial - Educação Social: Diálogos entre a Formação e a Profissionalidade

The thematic issue «Social Education: dialogues between training and professionalism» appears at a crossroads moment in the process of institutionalization and consolidation of Social Education in Portugal, as in other European contexts. Not being a new professional field, it is, when compared to other professions that inhabit the field of social work, still recent. With some of its disciplinary bases and its programmatic commitments firmly grounded, Social Education remains crossed by a plurality of knowledge and methodological orientations that make its borders permeable and diffuse - which, in our view, constitutes both a challenge and an opportunity. Involved in the social and educational response to the problems and challenges posed by contemporary societies, it is transformed and is transformed by contexts, conjunctures and structures. It is, therefore, a field in permanent (re) configuration, one that, at the present moment, proposes to look to the future and dialogically identify priorities and pathways. This issue arises, therefore, from the need to promote the dialogue between the field of training and professionalism, looking for bridges and voids, challenges and opportunities, achievements and failures. It brings together a set of contributions, some more theoretical-reflective, some more empirical, from authors with a professional background linked to higher education of social educators (whether they are social educators themselves or not) and / or the associative movement. It also counts on the contribution of a social educator. It is a dialogue that crosses borders, with two texts by Spanish authors.