Portuguese Preschool Research Articles

Portuguese Early Literacy Screening Tool- RaLEPE: Pilot Study

Early literacy development is an indicator of a child’s overall cognitive-linguistic development and affects their academic, social, emotional and behavioural skills. Research suggests that early detection in preschool years can have an important role in the prevention of academic failure. There is a lack of early literacy screening tools for Portuguese preschool children. This study aims to present preliminary data results of the development and validation of the Preschool Early Literacy Screening Tool (Rastreio de Literacia Emergente Pré-escolar- RaLEPE). A pilot study was carried out with a sample of 128 screenings, answered by the parents/caregivers of the Portuguese children in the target age groups. The analysis of results shown the reliability of the tool, with a very good internal consistency for RaLEPE total scale and the different sections. Therefore, preliminary results of this study indicate internal validity of the RaLEPE and confirm this as screening tool usefulness for early intervention childhood, to provide early diagnosis and contribute to early intervention for children with language and learning disorders.

Phonological characteristics of European and Brazilian Portuguese in children with Speech Sound Disorders

ABSTRACT This study aims to describe and compare the phonological characteristics of European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese preschool and school age children with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD). Speech samples for the European Portuguese Group (EPG) (n = 13) were collected using Subteste Fonético e Fonológico of Teste Fonético e Fonológico Avaliação da Linguagem Pré-Escolar. For the Brazilian Portuguese Group (BPG) (n = 13) Prova de Nomeação de Fonologia of Teste de Linguagem Infantil ABFW was applied. Different phonological measures were considered. Groups were matched according to sex, age, and percentage of correct consonants (revised). EPG presented more weak syllable deletion (p = .00); absolute index and relative index had a higher number of omissions (p = .003). BPG had more substitutions (p = .004). Intragroup analysis showed differences between groups in the occurrence of phonological processes (p ≤ 0.00). The most occurring was gliding of liquids, cluster reduction and devoicing in both groups; for the absolute index and relative index, the EPG presented differences in omission (p = .003), and the BPG in substitution (p = .002). Results suggested differences between groups in phonological processes occurrence and a relation with the most frequent type of error. These findings may occur due to the variation of phonetic and phonological characteristics between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese in the two phonological tests. Linguistic variations had not directly influenced the measures studied, which characterized SSD. European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese children with SSD demonstrated similar characteristics as to the type of errors and phonological processes.

Food (IN)security in Portuguese preschool and school children in time of financial crisis

Rationale: The global economic crisis in 2009 has determined several changes on families’ daily lives, in particular children, namely shifting from more expensive and nutritious foods to cheaper and less-nutritious ones, heightening the risk of other forms of malnutrition, such as obesity. Indeed, children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) tend to be at a greater risk of developing obesity. This study aimed at identifying food insecurity (FI) in Portuguese preschool and school children after the global financial crisis, according to their age, SES and body weight.

Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines among Portuguese preschool children: the prestyle study

ABSTRACT Purpose The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (24 hMG) provide specific recommendations, including physical activity (PA), screen-time and sleep-duration, which preschoolers should achieve for a healthy day (24 h). The aim of the current study was to analyse preschooler’s adherence with the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. Methods The sample comprised 739 preschool children. PA was accelerometer-derived. Screen time and sleep duration were parent-reported through questionnaires. Preschoolers were classified as meeting/not meeting in each guideline and as well as for the overall 24hMG. Results/Findings According to the 24hMG, we found high percentages of preschoolers that met sleep guidelines (80.6%), only around 1/3 of preschool children met PA (28.6%) and a lower proportion met screen-time guidelines (20.3%). We found that 31.7% of the children met at least 2 of the recommendations and that more than half only one (52.8%). Overall, 4.5% of preschool children complied with the 24hMG and 11.1% of the children did not comply with any of the three recommendations. Conclusions Few preschoolers met PA and screen-time recommendations, which deeply impacts the preschooler’s adherence to the 24hMG. Future work should focus on finding solutions for promoting better adherence and mainly identifying ways to reduce screen time and increase PA at these ages.

Blossoming in English: Preschool Children’s Emergent Literacy Skills in English

ABSTRACT The debate over an optimal age for learning a second language has been active for decades and includes dispute about whether learning derives mainly from nature or nurture. This article explores to what extent exposing native Portuguese preschool children (3–5 years old) to a specific pedagogic approach for learning English is effective in positively impacting emergent literacy skills. An innovative pedagogic approach for learning English (EFL Pedagogic Approach) was designed and implemented in an early years foundation stage setting. The effects of the pedagogic approach were investigated for the length of an academic year in terms of receptive vocabulary, oral production, and emergent word-level reading and writing skills. Evidence indicated emergent literacy skills in English, such as awareness of intentionality of print, the match between spoken and written words, and the conventions of print. Therefore, it is recommended that further action for incorporating English into the Portuguese early years foundation stage curriculum should be taken in order to build school readiness.

Mothers' distress exposure and children's withdrawn behavior - A moderating role for the Interferon Gamma gene (IFNG).

The dysregulation of the inflammatory response, including pro-inflammatory molecules, produces neuropsychiatric symptoms and depression-like behavior, including withdrawal from the physical and social environment. Genetic variants that enhance immune reactivity may thus increase inflammatory and withdrawn reactions to stress. Here we investigated a functional polymorphism of Interferon Gamma gene (IFNG+874 T>A, rs2430561) as moderator of the relationship between mothers' distress exposure and children's withdrawn behavior at preschool age. Participants were 198 Portuguese preschool children (mean age=57.98months). Exposure to mother's distress was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory, and withdrawn behavior with the Caregiver Teacher Report Form. All children provided saliva samples for genotyping. Contrary to expecations based on prior work, the rs2430561 AA genotype-not the T variant-interacted with (high levels of) mothers' distress exposure, to increase children's withdrawn behavior. No significant main effects were detected. The polymorphism in Interferon Gamma gene showed specific environmental stressor-dependent effects on withdrawn behavior during childhood, ones which are interpreted in light of the "behavioral immune system" hypothesis, and which proved inconsistent with diathesis-stress thinking.

Influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity, TV viewing, active play and Body Mass Index among Portuguese children: A mediation analysis.

The environment is believed to be key in obesity prevention, yet it is unclear how factors in the neighborhood influence weight-related behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity (PA), television (TV) time, active play and Body Mass Index (BMI) z score, and the mediating role of these weight-related behaviors on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and children's BMI. Data of 8472 Portuguese preschool (aged 3-6, n = 3819) and school-aged children (aged 7-11 years, n = 4653) were collected during 2016/2017. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the associations between parents perceived neighborhood characteristics (latent variables: unsafety and built/physical environment) and child's BMI z score, PA and TV time. Among preschoolers, the latent variables of the perceived environment were not associated with the BMI, TV time, extracurricular PA, and active play. Among schoolchildren, the unsafety environment was positively associated with both the BMI (SC = 0.050, P = .008) and the time spent watching TV (SC = 0.052, P = .031) and negatively associated with extracurricular PA (SC = -0.125, P < .001). The latent variable Favorable Built Environment for PA (ie, environmental facilitating elements) was positively associated with active play (SC = 0.041, P = .031). Moreover, the TV time was a marginally significant mediator of the relationship between the perceived unsafe environment and the BMI of school-aged children (B = 0.002, P = .096). In conclusion, changes in the environment to targeting parental perception of neighborhood safety could have positive effects on the promotion of healthy weight and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle in school-aged children.

Changes in preschool children’s social engagement positively predict changes in social competence: A three‐year longitudinal study of portuguese children

AbstractTo test the hypothesis that social engagement is a foundational aspect of other peer social competence indicators during early childhood, 160 Portuguese preschool children (“3‐year‐olds”) were observed at least in two different school years, using a battery of validated social competence assessments based on direct observations and child interviews. Multilevel growth models tested whether social engagement predicted initial values and linear changes in the other social competence indicators. Results were consistent with the hypothesis, insofar as both initial values and changes in social engagement significantly predicted initial values and changes in other social competence indicators. Additionally, the number of children's reciprocated friendships was also predicted by social engagement. These results are discussed from the perspectives of conceptual frameworks that consider individual differences in social competence during early childhood as a consequence of attachment histories and/or emotional competence.

Um olhar sobre o papel do pai na compreensão emocional das crianças: Os estilos parentais e práticas de socialização das emoções negativas

Os pais são figuras centrais no desenvolvimento emocional da criança durante os seus primeiros anos de vida, com a literatura a focar-se, essencialmente, no impacto da mãe na aquisição e desenvolvimento da compreensão emocional (CE), apesar de evidências recentes indicarem a importância que as práticas paternas poderão ter neste domínio. O presente estudo analisou o efeito dos estilos parentais e das práticas de socialização das emoções negativas do pai na CE das crianças, numa amostra de 75 pais e crianças portuguesas em idade pré-escolar. Os pais reportaram os seus estilos parentais e práticas através dos questionários PSDQ e CCNES, respetivamente. A CE foi avaliada pelo TEC. Verificou-se uma associação negativa entre a CE e o estilo permissivo e as reações de perturbação, e uma associação positiva com a idade da criança. Os resultados são discutidos equacionando características dos estilos e práticas paternas e o seu possível impacto na CE da criança.&#x0D;

Phonology and Writing: Can we look at written productions to “see the unseeable” in phonology?

Oral and written productions of language seem to correspond to ontologically separate entities. In this paper, we shall not argue against this basic assumption. However, it will be proposed that a careful examination of the writing systems and of particular written productions can provide phonologists with important information about the nature of phonological representations. Writing systems often originate in relevant intuitions about the nature of phonological units and phenomena and preserve the morphophonemic kinships between roots and words that are surfaced as phonetically distinct. The same can be said about the written productions of pre-school children and illiterate adults, strongly shaped by phonological intuitions rather than by orthographic convention. Bearing in mind that phonology, within the generative approach that is adopted here, is a form of knowledge, spelling can be accepted as a way of getting access to phonological knowledge. Therefore, our main point is that, in spite of the classical divide between spoken and written language, attention to writing can be useful for the understanding of the phonological level, too. The article includes two main parts: firstly, on Sections 2 and 3, we shall survey some general aspects of the relation between phonological and written representations; the second part consists mainly of Section 4 and attempts to illustrate some of the topics presented in Sections 2 and 3 with some data of a small-scale study with Portuguese pre-schoolers.

Network dynamics of affiliative ties in preschool peer groups

This study investigated the network dynamics of affiliative ties in Portuguese preschool children, over three consecutive school years, using stochastic actor-based models. Our first goal was to test the extent to which different criteria to identify ties from observational data lead to different theoretical interpretations of model estimates. Contrary to past observational studies the data we use here takes into account the identities of children responsible for initiating social interactions. The second goal was to test the influence of two interaction effects involving reciprocity to analyze if reciprocity is constrained by the presence of transitive ties and if it constrains the creation and maintenance of new unreciprocated ties. Results showed that most effects were robust to changes in criteria to operationalize ties, supporting previous descriptions of preschool network dynamics. Also, contrary to recent findings in older samples, being embedded in a transitive triad did not make an unreciprocated dyad more likely to be maintained. Finally, results showed that the existence of reciprocal ties decreased preschool children’s tendency to create new ties.

Child’s oxytocin response to mother-child interaction: The contribution of child genetics and maternal behavior

The oxytocinergic system is a primary biological system involved in regulating a child’s needs for bonding and for protection from threats. It is responsive to social experiences in close relationships, though evidence across studies is not entirely consistent. Guided by previous literature, we investigated individual and environmental factors predicting and presumably affecting children’s oxytocin (OT) response during mother-child interaction. by focusing on children’s OXTR genotype, and maternal behavior, respectively. This was achieved by assessing salivary OT levels of 88 Portuguese preschoolers prior to and following a mother-child interaction task, and by genotyping children’s OXTR SNP rs53576. Maternal interactive behavior was assessed using Ainsworth scales.Results indicated that child genotype and mother’s sensitive responsiveness interacted in predicting change in child OT concentrations from before to after the interaction. Specifically, Genotypic differences emerged under conditions of low maternal sensitive responsiveness: OT levels increased over time for children with the GG genotype when maternal sensitive responsiveness was low, but no such genotypic differences were evident when mothers were highly sensitive responsive.Findings provide preliminary support for the notion that increased understanding of children’s OT and close relationships requires consideration of both individual and environmental factors.

Assessing preschoolers interactive behaviour: A validation study of the "Coding System for Mother-Child Interaction".

The preschool years are a period of great developmental achievements, which impact critically on a child's interactive skills. Having valid and reliable measures to assess interactive behaviour at this stage is therefore crucial. The aim of this study was to describe the adaptation and validation of the child coding of the Coding System for Mother-Child Interactions and discuss its applications and implications in future research and practice. Two hundred twenty Portuguese preschoolers and their mothers were videotaped during a structured task. Child and mother interactive behaviours were coded based on the task. Maternal reports on the child's temperament and emotional and behaviour problems were also collected, along with family psychosocial information. Interrater agreement was confirmed. The use of child Cooperation, Enthusiasm, and Negativity as subscales was supported by their correlations across tasks. Moreover, these subscales were correlated with each other, which supports the use of a global child interactive behaviour score. Convergent validity with a measure of emotional and behavioural problems (Child Behaviour Checklist 1 ½-5) was established, as well as divergent validity with a measure of temperament (Children's Behaviour Questionnaire-Short Form). Regarding associations with family variables, child interactive behaviour was only associated with maternal behaviour. Findings suggest that this coding system is a valid and reliable measure for assessing child interactive behaviour in preschool age children. It therefore represents an important alternative to this area of research and practice, with reduced costs and with more flexible training requirements. Attention should be given in future research to expanding this work to clinical populations and different age groups.

Portuguese preschool children: Benefit (EPA+DHA and Se) and risk (MeHg) assessment through the consumption of selected fish species

This study aimed to assess the risk-benefit balance associated to fish consumption by Portuguese preschool children. For this purpose, databases (from IPMA and literature) were mined and mathematically processed by a model based on the Extreme Value Theory assuming consumption scenarios. Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and selenium (Se) and methylmercury (MeHg) were selected as critical components of fish, given their health impact and significant contents in some fish species. Assessment also took into account that Se may protect against MeHg toxicity.With exception of blue shark, Se Health Benefit Value (Se-HBV), was always positive (ranging between 3.3 and 14.9) and Se:MeHg ratio was always higher than one (3.8 to 32.3). It was also estimated that the deleterious effects of MeHg on children IQ were offset by the beneficial impact of EPA+DHA in fish except for grilled black scabbardfish consumed every day. Blue shark, regardless of the culinary treatment, yielded very high probabilities of exceeding MeHg TWI (higher than 84 % with a single weekly meal), thus raising serious concerns. EPA+DHA benefits were high in salmon regardless of culinary treatment (> 84 %). Fish consumption by children is advisable with exception of blue shark and boiled and grilled tuna.

P.2.018 - Child’s oxytocin response to mother-child interaction: the contribution of child genetics and maternal behaviour

Oxytocin is a nine amino-acid peptide hormone synthesized in the hypothalamus and stored in the neurohypophysis for further release into blood circulation. Its main peripheral target is the feminine reproductive system, having a primordial role in labour and the postpartum period [1]. It also has an important role in regulating child’s needs for bonding and protection from threats [1], and has been shown to respond to close interactions [2], though evidence across studies about how exactly it operates is not entirely consistent. In order to understand which factors can indeed affect OT levels in response to affiliative interactions we will follow Bartz and colleagues et al.’s (2011) approach regarding OT administration and social behaviour [3]. According to this perspective the oxytocin effects are constrained by an interaction between individual and contextual features. This interaction would explain why the effects of oxytocin in the social domain are often weak and/or inconsistent. In this study we explore whether endogenous oxytocin response can also be affected by this interaction by focusing on child’s OXTR genotype and maternal interactive behaviour, respectively as individual and environmental factors. Salivary OT levels of 88 Portuguese pre-schoolers were analysed prior to and following a mother-child interaction task, and child’s OXTR SNP rs53576 was genotyped. Maternal interactive behaviour was assessed during the task based on Ainsworth scales [4]. A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to predict changes in child’s oxytocin. Child’s genotype (i.e., presence vs absence on the A allele), and maternal interactive behaviour were entered in the first step, to test for their main effects on child’s OT response. The next and final step included the 2-way interaction between the individual and environmental variables (OXTR genotype and maternal interactive behaviour, respectively). Results show an interaction effect of genotype (rs53576) by maternal interactive behaviour in relation to variation in child OT concentrations (B=0.084, SE=0.037, t=2.277, p=0.025). Follow-up analysis revealed that only in the presence of lower scores in maternal behaviour, the two genotypes significantly differ in OT change scores (t(36)=3.007, p=0.005), with OT levels increasing during the interaction for the G homozygotes, and diminishing for A carriers. The result that, for A carriers, the child’s OT levels decrease after the interaction with less responsive mothers, might be explained by such interaction being perceived by the child as less pleasant, rewarding and engaging. However, the fact that OT levels increase for G homozygotes might seem more intriguing. We propose that these results could be read in light of the framework considering OT as a biomarker for social distress, being released to seek affiliative contact, particularly in less supportive environments (as it is the case of less responsive mothers). The fact that it occurs among G carriers is in line with evidence showing that this genotype is more likely to seek social support [5] and thus possibly more likely to make affiliative efforts. Findings provide support for the notion that OT response is not uniform and that both individual and contextual characteristics should be considered for a deeper understanding of OT regulation.

Process quality in Portuguese preschool classrooms serving children at-risk of poverty and social exclusion and children with disabilities

This study investigates process quality and structural features of classrooms serving children at-risk of poverty and social exclusion and children with disabilities in Portugal. We examine (a) whether the three-domain structure of a widely used standard observational tool, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta, LaParo, & Hamre, 2008) describes adequately teacher–child interactions in those classrooms and (b) associations between CLASS domains and structural features, including teacher education and group size. The study was conducted in 178 preschool classrooms. Data included classroom observations using the CLASS Pre-K and teacher reports on structural features. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three domains of teacher–child interactions. In addition, the CLASS domains described teacher–child interactions equally well across classrooms serving children with disabilities and children at-risk of poverty and social exclusion. Finally, we found modest associations between structural features and CLASS organizational and instructional support, suggesting a complex interplay among structural features in predicting levels of teacher–child interactions.

The letter knowledge assessment tool

Purpose: There is a need to develop letter knowledge assessment tools to characterise the letter knowledge in Portuguese pre-schoolers and to compare it with pre-schoolers from other countries, but there are no tools for this purpose in Portugal. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation procedures of the Prova de Avaliação de Competências de Pré-Literacia (PACPL), which assesses letter knowledge.Method: This study includes data that has been gathered in two phases: pilot and main study. In the pilot study, an expert panel of six speech and language pathologists analysed the instrument. Children (n = 216) aged 5;0–7;11 participated in the main study that reports data related to the psychometric characteristics of the PACPL. Content validity, internal consistency, reliability and contributing factors to performance were examined statistically.Results: A modified Bland–Altman method revealed good agreement amongst evaluators. The main study showed that the PACPL has a very good internal consistency and high inter-rater (96.2% of agreement and a Cohen’s k value of 0.92) and intra-rater (95.6% of agreement and a Cohen’s k value of 0.91) agreement. Construct validity of the PCAPL was also assured (Cronbach’s α of 0.982). Significant differences were found between age groups with children increasing their letter knowledge with age. In addition, they were better at identifying than at producing both letter names and letter sounds.Conclusions: The PACPL is a valid and reliable instrument to assess letter knowledge in Portuguese children.

Children’s play events as improvisational choreographies

ABSTRACTThis paper views children’s play events as improvisational choreographies. The contributions of dance studies to research on children’s play allows the opportunity to understand the kinesics communication intrinsic to their peer culture interactions and, therefore, socialisation. Based on an ethnography with Portuguese preschoolers, this work exposes the kindergarten as an institutional arena, where they deal with governance issues and, simultaneously, as a socio-cultural context, where they physically engage in collective play routines. Ethnographic data analysis suggests that, when children play freely together, they collaboratively use processes that can be seen as analogous to those from dance choreography. Both creative activities embrace body, space-time, energy, relationships, meanings, and three analytical concepts – improvisation, choreography and performance. Therefore, a choreographic framework will be intertwined with sociological perspectives of childhood and used as a device for understanding the children’s body language during interactive play episodes.

Executive functioning of Portuguese preschoolers in the Shape School test: A cross cultural study

ABSTRACTThe Shape School is a neuropsychological test of executive functions (EF) for preschool-aged children. The purposes of this study were: (a) to adapt the use of the Shape School for European Portuguese preschool children and (b) to examine the cultural sensitivity of this test comparing the performance of Portuguese sample and U.S. normative sample. The executive functioning of 233 typically developing children aged 3 to 5 years old (M = 57.52; SD = 10.25; in months) was analyzed and according to our results, the adapted version was appropriate to obtain the discrimination among age-groups. Portuguese and American preschoolers show similar EF profiles. It was possible, in both samples, to note the sensitivity of the measurement to age-related differences, with the older age groups outperforming the younger. Therefore, the Portuguese version of the Shape School was considered suitable for research and clinical purposes.

Social Experiences of Children With Disabilities in Inclusive Portuguese Preschool Settings

Based on peer sociometric reports, we examined how number of friendships, social acceptance, and characteristics of social networks vary as a function of disability profile. We also investigated teachers’ awareness of the sociometric status of young children with disabilities. Participants were 86 children with disabilities (63 boys) enrolled in inclusive preschool classrooms of the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, Portugal ( Mage = 67.33 months, SD = 10.54). Findings suggest that children with severe or sociobehavioral disabilities may be at increased risk of social rejection and isolation, having fewer friends and lower social network centrality than children with mild disabilities. Low agreement between teachers’ classifications of the social status of children with disabilities and classifications based on peer nominations raises concerns about their awareness of processes of social rejection and neglect. Findings highlight the need for interventions to support positive social experiences at the dyadic and group levels in Portuguese inclusive preschool classrooms.