Portuguese Preschool Research Articles

Slovene and Portuguese Pre-School Teachers About the Play and Movement Activities of Pre-School Children

Slovene and Portuguese Pre-School Teachers About the Play and Movement Activities of Pre-School Children

Digital Manipulatives as Scaffolds for Preschoolers’ Language Development

The study reported here aims at contributing to a deeper understanding of the educational possibilities offered by digital manipulatives in preschool contexts. It presents a study carried with a digital manipulative to enhance the development of lexical knowledge and language awareness, which are relevant language abilities for formal literacy learning. The study took place in a Portuguese preschool, with a class of 20 five-year-olds in collaboration with the teacher. The digital manipulative supported the construction of multiple fictional worlds, motivating children's verbal interactions, and the playing of words and sound games, thus contextualizing the learning of an extensive collection of vocabulary and language awareness abilities. The degree of engagement and involvement that the manipulative provided in supporting children's imaginative play as well as the imitation, in their own play, of the playful pedagogical interventions that the teacher had designed, shows the importance of well-designed materials that support a child-centered learning model. As such, it sustains a discussion on the potential of digital manipulatives to enhance fundamental language development in the preschool years. Furthermore, this paper highlights the importance of multidisciplinary teams in the creation of innovative pedagogical materials.

Assessment of air quality in preschool environments (3–5 years old children) with emphasis on elemental composition of PM10 and PM2.5

This study evaluated concentrations of main air pollutants in a Portuguese preschool (indoors/outdoors) environment, with emphasis on elemental characterization of different PM fractions, and estimated risks for the pupils (aged 3–5 years). With exception to total volatile organic compounds, levels of PM10, PM2.5, CO, CO2, and formaldehyde were below legislative guidelines. Calcium, sodium, aluminium, and potassium were the most abundant elements in indoor PM (82–84% of the analysed content) resulting mainly from crustal sources. Carcinogenic elements (1–2% of the indoor analysed content) were mostly PM2.5-bound (83–91%). Indoor-to-outdoor ratios of individual elements indicated contributions of indoor origin and from penetration of outdoor emissions indoors; trace metals were associated with ambient anthropogenic emissions (namely traffic). Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks from overall preschool exposure were acceptable for children; for adults carcinogenic risks exceeded (4–11 times) the USEPA recommend value of 10−6, being 8–40 times higher than for children.

Investigating the use of digital manipulatives for storytelling in pre-school

Research has identified a need for design of interactive products for children, as well as long-term studies that investigate the effects of its use in the classroom environment. Following the design and development of a digital manipulative system for storytelling, which involved preschool children and teachers, the investigation presented here reports findings from a four-month evaluation of the system that was carried in a Portuguese preschool involving 24 pairs of children. During the four months the researchers were able to observe children's interaction with the digital manipulative system that was not biased by the novelty of the system or by time constrains. The gathered data showed that children used the digital manipulative system to create stories and play language games, which are activities that foster the development of oral language and emergent literacy, and are formally targeted in the preschool curriculum. The system provided challenge and adventure, motivating children to collaboratively explore and create narratives, empowering each child to actively participate in the task.

Affiliative Subgroups in Preschool Classrooms: Integrating Constructs and Methods from Social Ethology and Sociometric Traditions.

Recent studies of school-age children and adolescents have used social network analyses to characterize selection and socialization aspects of peer groups. Fewer network studies have been reported for preschool classrooms and many of those have focused on structural descriptions of peer networks, and/or, on selection processes rather than on social functions of subgroup membership. In this study we started by identifying and describing different types of affiliative subgroups (HMP- high mutual proximity, LMP- low mutual proximity, and ungrouped children) in a sample of 240 Portuguese preschool children using nearest neighbor observations. Next, we used additional behavioral observations and sociometric data to show that HMP and LMP subgroups are functionally distinct: HMP subgroups appear to reflect friendship relations, whereas LMP subgroups appear to reflect common social goals, but without strong, within-subgroup dyadic ties. Finally, we examined the longitudinal implications of subgroup membership and show that children classified as HMP in consecutive years had more reciprocated friendships than did children whose subgroup classification changed from LMP or ungrouped to HMP. These results extend previous findings reported for North American peer groups.

Affiliative structures and social competence in Portuguese preschool children.

The goal of this study was to determine whether peer social competence (SC), defined as the capacity to use behavioral, cognitive, and emotional resources in the service of achieving personal goals within preschool peer groups, was related to the type of affiliative subgroups to which children belonged. Two hundred forty Portuguese preschool children (152 seen in consecutive years of data collection) from middle-class families participated. Affiliative subgroup type was assessed from observed proximity data. Social competence was assessed using observational and sociometric measures. Children in more cohesive affiliative subgroups had higher levels of SC, whereas ungrouped children had the lowest SC scores. Follow-up analyses indicated that 2 of the measured SC domains (social engagement/motivation, profiles of behavior/personality attributes) were responsible for the overall difference in SC. Further, membership in a more cohesive subgroup in 1 year contributed to increases in scores for 2 of 3 SC domains (i.e., profiles of behavior/personality attributes and peer acceptance) in the following year. Results suggest that affiliative subgroups both reflect and support individual differences in peer SC during early childhood.

Do Portuguese Preschoolers With High Hyperactive Behaviors Make More Progress Than Those With Low Hyperactivity After Parental Intervention?

Improvement over 12 months of two groups of Portuguese preschoolers is analyzed after a parental intervention with the Incredible Years Basic Parent Program (IY). The groups were defined by the children’s initial levels of hyperactive behaviors (high hyperactivity, n = 34; low hyperactivity, n = 18). Changes in the children’s reported hyperactive behaviors and in mothers’ self-reported parental practices and mood were evaluated from baseline to the 12-month follow-up. Preschoolers with higher initial hyperactivity levels seem to have benefitted more from the IY intervention compared to children with lower baseline levels. However, this low-hyperactivity group improved as well. Findings also indicate high levels of maternal acceptance and satisfaction with the intervention in both groups, although some differences were observed. Overall, findings suggest that IY is equally suitable for parents of Portuguese preschoolers with high- and low-hyperactive behaviors at baseline, highlighting the usefulness of the program for children with different risk levels.

Quantity of Group Child Care, Behavior Problems, and Prosocial Behaviors: A Study with Portuguese Preschoolers

Research Findings: Data from a national sample of Portuguese preschool centers were used to examine the relationship between age of start and number of hours in child care and levels of externalizing and prosocial behaviors with peers. Participants were both parents and teachers of 543 children (mean age = 4.5 years, 50.6% girls). Children started child care between 3 and 64 months and were attending child care 1–9 hr per day. The child care centers’ classrooms had adult–child ratios between 5 and 8.7 and group sizes between 15 and 26 children. Externalizing and prosocial behavior with peers was assessed with the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale–Short Form completed by the 3 adult informants. Control variables included family sociodemographics and education level, maternal parenting style assessed with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, and maternal stress assessed with the Parenting Experiences questionnaire. Practice or Policy: Both the number of hours per week in child care and an earlier start of center-based child care had modest but significant associations with dimensional scores from teachers’ reports of externalizing behavior but not with mothers’ or fathers’ reports, suggesting that externalizing behavior with peers could be regarded as context specific to peer relationships in group child care. There was no evidence that the quantity of exposure to child care per se could be a substantial risk factor for severe levels of externalizing behavior. Prosocial behavior with peers was not significantly associated with the number of hours in child care or with the age of entry into group child care.

Development and evaluation of a Portuguese early literacy programme / Desarrollo y evaluación de un programa portugués de alfabetización temprana

Over the last three decades, research in this field has addressed different early literacy skills and studied the pedagogical practices that promote the initial learning of reading and writing skills. This study develops a programme that promotes early literacy skills, called Ouvir as Letras (Listen to the Letters). The efficacy of the programme was evaluated in comparison with two implementations of the Portuguese preschool education curriculum: one structured and the other semi-structured, in a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test and follow-up. The study was carried out with the participation of 124 five- and six-year-old children who attended preschool in four schools in the north of Portugal. The results suggest that the Ouvir as Letras programme was more effective in facilitating the acquisition of basic skills to initiate children in the learning of written language.

Preschool Teachers’ Ideas about Practices to Promote Peer Relations: Using Q Methodology to Determine Viewpoints

An internationally accepted definition of early childhood inclusion includes the right to achieve a sense of belonging and membership, positive social relationships, and friendships. Although Portuguese preschool curriculum guidelines value child- child interactions as an outcome by itself and as means to achieving other development and learning outcomes it does not explicitly mention social participation indicators. Additionally, information is lacking on Portuguese preschool teachers’ beliefs, priorities, and practices specifically related to the support of peer relations. This study was developed in the scope of the project Enhancing peer relationships: Preschool teachers’ ideas and practices. One of its goals is to understand Portuguese preschool teacher's ideas about what is important in supporting peer interactions, relationships, and group membership, for children with and without disabilities. To pursue this goal Q methodology was applied. We developed a Q sample consisting of 74 items that reflect a range of possible interventions targeted at enhancing social inclusion and peer interactions and relationships. The P sample was composed by 43 preschool teachers and their individual Q sorts were subjected to principal components analyses (PCA) followed by varimax rotation. A seven-component solution, explaining 55.5% of the variance, was considered the starting point for the decision-making process on the number of components to be considered as the best solution. Both statistical and conceptual criteria are being used to determine the final number of viewpoints. This presentation describes this decision-making process and the results will be discussed according to their implications for the global project.

Evaluating listening comprehension in children using a dynamic assessment approach: An exploratory study

The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Dynamic Assessment Test of Listening Comprehension4–6 (DATLC4–6) for Portuguese preschoolers aged four to six years old. The test construction was based on the principles of dynamic assessment, specifically the gradual prompts model. The test includes 40 multiple-choice items, each of which includes three types of prompts. A total of 108 Portuguese preschool children participated in the study. High corrected item-total correlations were obtained. The principal component analysis results suggested that a single factor explains a high percentage of the results’ variance. The value of Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicates a notably high internal consistency. The preliminary analysis of the DATLC4-6 suggests adequate psychometric properties. Limitations and directions for future studies are discussed.

Combination and adaptation of two tools to assess parental feeding practices in pre-school children

ObjectiveTo test a combined version of the Child Feeding Questionnaire and the expanded concept of parental control (“covert” and “overt”) among Portuguese preschool children. MethodsThe final questionnaire comprised 38 items and 9 subscales. The translated questionnaire was self-administered to 854 mothers of 4year-old children from the Generation XXI birth cohort. Maternal and children's weight and height and socio-demographic characteristics were measured. The global goodness of fit was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the reliability of subscales. Construct validity was tested for different dimensions. ResultsA 9-factor model was obtained, after excluding five “restriction” items and 1 “overt control” item, with a global goodness of fit (CFI=0.961, TLI=0.973, RMSEA=0.057). Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.684 to 0.889. Children's body mass index (BMI) was significantly and positively related with “perceived parental weight”, “perceived child's weight” and “concern about child's weight”, and inversely related with “pressure to eat”, supporting the theoretical hypothesis. Maternal BMI was positively related with “perceived parental weight”. ConclusionsOur study confirmed the usefulness of this questionnaire for Portuguese preschool children, and supports the need of reformulating the restriction dimension and keeping separately the overt and covert control dimensions.

Factor Validation of the Portuguese Version of the Social Skills Scale of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales

The assessment of preschoolers’ social skills represents a topic of growing importance in research recently developed in the field. The purpose of this article is to present confirmatory factor analyses studies for the Social Skills scale of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales – Second Edition (PKBS-2), a behavior rating scale that evaluates social skills and problem behaviors, adapted and validated for Portuguese preschool children. The 34 items of the Social Skills scale, distributed on three subscales (Social Cooperation/Adjustment, Social Interaction/Empathy and Social Independence/Assertiveness), were grouped into item-parcels. Model adjustment was analyzed for the total sample (N = 2000) and the analyses were replicated for the subsamples collected in the home (n = 1000) and school settings (n = 1000). The factor structure was very stable for the three samples, with high internal consistency levels and correlations between parcels/scales. The results highlight the utility/validity of the Social Skills scale of the PKBS-2 (Portuguese version).

Improving influenza surveillance in Portuguese preschool children by parents' report.

Influenza surveillance is usually based on nationally organized sentinel networks of physicians and on hospital reports. This study aimed to test a different report system, based on parents’ phone contact to the research team and in home collection of samples by a dedicated team. The identification of influenza and other respiratory viruses in children who attended a Hospital Emergency Department was also recorded. Real-time PCR and reverse transcription PCR were performed for influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1-4, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus A and B, rhinovirus, enterovirus, group 1 coronaviruses, group 2 coronaviruses, and human bocavirus. One hundred children were included, 64 from the day care centers and 36 from the Hospital. Overall, 79 samples were positive for at least one respiratory virus. Influenza A (H3) was the virus most frequently detected: 25 cases, 20 of these in children under 5 years of age (ten from day care centers and ten who went to the hospital) which was higher than those reported by the National Influenza Surveillance Programme for this age. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that a surveillance system based on parents’ reports could complement the implanted system of the National Influenza Surveillance Programme.

Influence of Age and Gender in Acquiring Social Skills in Portuguese Preschool Education

The specificity of educational contexts as mediators of social development through positive interactions is critical to children’s involvement in the kindergarten and therefore for their holistic development. The qualities of teacher-child interactions enhance the child’s self-esteem and autonomy, promoting peer acceptance and providing a successful learning experience. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the characteristic of gender and age are related to the acquisition of social skills of children attending kindergarten in a portuguese-speaking environment. The sample is composed of 581 children, age from 2 to 7 years old, who attended preschool education on average 18 months ago. Social Skills subscale (EAS) and Behavior Problems (EPC) was applied to the “Behavioral Scale for Preschool-PKBSpt” (Gomes & Pereira, 2012), Portuguese version of PKBS-2 (Merrell, 2002), Likert-type, four response levels, which seeks to assess the social and emotional skills, and behavior problems in early childhood, with the participation of educators. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 17.0 for Windows. The main results show that there are gender differences in the level of social skills. The girls reveal behaviors based on Social Cooperation and Social Interaction. The boys show Attention Problems/Overactive and Antisocial Behavior/Aggressive. Older children have the highest average level Social Cooperation and Social Independence. In the dimensions of behavior problems, the youngest children (3 and 4 years) had higher mean values, either in the factor Attention Problem/Overactive or the Antisocial/Aggressive. Older children (6 years old) had statistically significant differences in the problems of the type Social Withdrawal and Anxiety-Somatic problems. The child’s gender and age variables are important factors and should be included in educational practices, taking into account the development of social skills of children attending in preschool. Promoting articulated and differentiated development can prevent maladaptive behaviors in young adults. Finally thoughts are given on the implications of this study in the level of children’s involvement within their educational contexts.

Sleep patterns in Portuguese preschool aged children

According to a recent review data related to sleep patterns among the toddler/preschool age group are lacking (Galland et al., 2012). The objective of the present study is to describe sleep patterns in a sample of Portuguese preschool children (3, 4 and 5-year-old children). A sleep questionnaire was completed by parents (mostly mothers, 88.7%) of preschool aged children who attended 5 schools located at 4 different cities in the central region of Portugal. These schools were selected as they shared similar daytime activities and routines. Data of 168 children were collected (Mean age = 4.17 years; SD = .838; 53% boys). In school days 3-year-old children showed later bedtimes ( M = 21:51, SD = 0:35) than 4-year old ( M = 21:34, SD = 0:35, p = .026) or 5-year-old children ( M = 21:30, SD = 0:32, p = .007); sleep duration was also shorter in 3-year-old children ( M = 09:43; SD = 0:48) than in 4-year-old ( M = 10:03; SD = 0:39, p = .031) and 5-year-old children ( M = 10:11, SD = 0:41, p = .003). Wake up time was not significantly different between age groups (3 years: M = 7:57, SD = 0:30; 4 years: M = 7:48, SD = 0:27; 5 years: M = 07:51, SD = 0:32, p > .05). Results by gender revealed that in school days 3-year-old girls had later bedtimes ( M = 21:50, SD = 0:26) and slept less ( M = 9:40; SD = 0:50) than 5-year-old girls (Bedtime: M = 21:22, SD = 0:32, p = .009; Sleep duration: M = 10:21; SD = 0:40, p = .005). Younger girls also experienced more night awakenings (3-year-old: 61%) than older girls (5-year-old: 22.2%, p = .004). Boys with 3 years required more often an object to fall asleep (76.7%) than boys with 4 years (32.4%, p < .001) or 5 years old (24.0%, p < .001). In comparison to children who never/occasionally needed parents to fall asleep in school days, children who always/frequently needed their help, slept less ( M = 10:05, SD = 0:42 vs. M = 9:51, SD = 0:46, p = .038) experienced more night awakenings (37.6% vs. 54.1%, p = .034), had more difficulties getting back to sleep alone after night awakenings (14.3% vs. 43.7%, < .001) were more afraid of the dark (20.4%, vs. 34.2%, p = .034) but showed less bedtime resistance (83.9% vs. 71.6%, p = .043). Throughout early child development night sleep becomes more consolidated. Parents help to sleep is associated with more disturbed sleep in preschool aged children but less bedtime resistance. The collaboration of Parents (particularly Mothers), School Directors and Teachers is deeply acknowledged.

A parent-based intervention programme involving preschoolers with AD/HD behaviours: are children’s and mothers’ effects sustained over time?

To evaluate the 12-month efficacy of a parent-based intervention programme on children's and mothers' outcomes in a sample of Portuguese preschoolers displaying early hyperactive and inattentive behaviours (AD/HD behaviours), 52 preschool children whose mothers had received the Incredible Years basic parent training (IY) were followed from baseline to 12 months of follow-up. Reported and observational measures were used. Effects were found in the children's reported AD/HD behaviours at home and at school after 12 months. Large effect sizes were also found in mothers' variables: a decrease in self-reported dysfunctional parenting practices and an improved sense of competence and observed positive parenting. However, the improvements in coaching skills that have been observed after 6 months of follow-up decreased over time. No other significant differences were found between 6 and 12 months follow-up, with small effect sizes indicating that the significant post-intervention changes in child and parenting measures were maintained. After 12 months of follow-up, there was a clinically important reduction of over 30 % in reported AD/HD behaviours in 59 % of children. The sustained effects observed both for children and their mothers suggest long-term benefits of IY. Therefore, efforts should be made by Portuguese policy makers and professionals to deliver IY as an early preventive intervention for children displaying early AD/HD behaviours.

The Incredible Years Basic Parent Training for Portuguese Preschoolers with AD/HD Behaviors: Does it Make a Difference?

Evidence-based psychosocial interventions such as parent training programs are strongly recommended as first-line treatment for preschool-age children with or at-risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Evaluate the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Basic Parent Training (IY) in hyperactive and inattentive behaviors of Portuguese preschoolers. One hundred children, between three and six years-old, with AD/HD behaviors, who were part of a larger randomized controlled trial in which participants were allocated to either an intervention or control group. In this subsample analysis, there were 52 participants in the intervention condition (IYC) and 48 in the waiting-list control condition (WLC). Multi-informants and multi-measures of child and parenting behaviors were taken before and after the 14-week intervention. Medium-to-large intervention effects were found in primary caregivers’ reported measures of children’s AD/HD behaviors and on self-reported parenting practices. Independent observations indicated significant short-term effects on positive parenting and coaching. Primary caregivers had a high attendance rate and reported high satisfaction with the program. Additionally, 43 % of children in the IYC clinically improved in the primary AD/HD outcome measure, compared with 11 % in the WLC. Preliminary results suggest that IY parent training seems to be an effective tool, making the difference in the behavior of Portuguese preschoolers with early signs of AD/HD and their mothers.

Motor profile of Portuguese preschool children on the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2: A cross-cultural study

This study was designed to examine the cultural sensitivity of the PDMS-2 for Portuguese preschool children aged 36-71 months. A total of 540 children (255 males and 285 females) from 15 public preschools of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, were assessed. Age and gender effects in motor performance were examined. Results indicated that PDMS-2 is valid instrument to differentiate Portuguese age groups. Girls presented higher scores than boys in the Grasping and Visuo-motor integration subtests and lower scores in the Object Manipulation subtest. Portuguese preschoolers performed above US norms on Grasping, Visual-motor integration, and Stationary subtests, and bellow on Locomotion and Object Manipulation subtests. Overall, Portuguese children showed better results on the Fine Motor Quotient comparing to the Gross Motor Quotient. These results underline different motor development profiles between Portuguese and American children.

Exponential random graph models of preschool affiliative networks

Exponential random graph models were used to assess the relevance of reciprocity, popularity, transitivity controlling for effects based upon ego and alter sex, and sex homophily, on the formation of affiliative ties in 19 Portuguese preschool peer groups. The number of times two children were recorded as nearest neighbors in focal samples was used as an indicator of the relationship's strength. Independent parameter estimates of the different models (one for each group) were summarized, separately for the three age groups (“3-year-olds”, “4-year-olds” and “5-year-olds”) using a multi-level approach to meta-analysis. Results showed that affiliative ties between children were sex segregated, highly reciprocal, more likely to be directed to a restricted number of children and with a tendency to create transitive triads. The structural processes underlying the formation of affiliative ties were quite stable between classrooms.