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Fungi mostly reproduce through spores that are adapted for airborne dispersal; hence, fungal spores (and fungi) are found virtually everywhere. Fungi can be "friends or foes." Our friends include fungi used in the food and biotech industries, fungi that contribute to the cycling of carbon and nutrients, and those involved in the decontamination of polluted soils and/or water, to mention just a few examples. Many species, however, are foes--they are detrimental to plants, animals, and/or humans. Annually, >1.5 million people die due to invasive fungal infections. With the aim of enhancing microbiology literacy and the understanding of microbial concepts, we set up a project for the collection of airborne spores (the principal agent through which human airways are exposed to fungi). Students from five high schools in the Oeiras municipality partnered with us as citizen scientists; they carried out sampling by collecting fungal spores on adhesive stickers. The fungal spores collected by the students were subsequently processed in the schools and our research laboratory. Results obtained by the students themselves revealed a large variety of fungal species capable of growing in a rich medium at 30°C. In the research laboratory, using selective isolation conditions, 40 thermotolerant fungi were isolated, 32 of which were taxonomically identified as aspergilla, mostly from within the Aspergillus fumigatus taxa, yet exhibiting high genetic heterogeneity. The protocols and results were presented to the students, who were made aware of the local dispersal of airborne fungal spores, including some from potentially pathogenic fungi. Through carrying out scientific activities, the students developed both the interest and the self-confidence needed to implement future environmental investigations.

The increase in digital teaching and learning methodologies creates the opportunity for new educational approaches, both in terms of pedagogical practice and in the availability of new technological tools. The flipped classroom as an active teaching methodology is one example of blended learning (b-learning), which aims to harmonize and enhance the fusion of face-to-face teaching with online teaching, allowing students to get better use of both face-to-face contact with classmates and professors and digital teaching resources. However, active teaching methodologies allow us to merge educational techniques from different methodological approaches, for example, gamification and team-based learning (TBL), among others. This study aims to demonstrate how to implement a flipped classroom with the possibility of integrating gamification and TBL, indicating possibilities and challenges to overcome, through the comparative study and research carried out with students in higher education. The study was conducted with a group of 88 students from the engineering and technology fields, which showed that students have a very positive perception of active teaching methodologies and their teaching and learning techniques, especially those involving digital. Data collection was performed by a survey submitted to quantitative analysis using the Software SPSS version 28.

This research aims to understand how prospective teachers develop their knowledge about whole-class discussions during a lesson study. Following a qualitative approach, we focus on the work of three prospective mathematics teachers preparing, leading, and reflecting on wholeclass discussions. Data was collected through participant observation with field notes, audio recordings, and document collection. The results show that a detailed analysis of a lesson plan, previously prepared autonomously by a prospective teacher based on a guide, promotes a focused discussion and a collaborative environment. Additionally, being involved in each other's formative process, through lesson study micro-cycles, created opportunities for prospective teachers to analyze and discuss different classroom situations, which promoted the development of their knowledge. Finally, classroom experiences seemed to be fundamental for the development of prospective teachers' knowledge. They were able to put into practice the work carried out during the lesson study, which allowed them to link theory and practice, and reflect on their own practice. This research also underlines the importance of the teacher educator's role in creating fruitful opportunities for the development of prospective teachers' knowledge.

Indigenous knowledge is generally recognised as an inferior social experience in spaces of knowledge production. The educational issue that results from this process imposes barriers to the integration of these epistemologies in the school environment. This study presents a systematic review about the integration of indigenous knowledge in primary schools in developing and/or emerging countries and the results of these interventions. Through a search carried out in the electronic database b-on, from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto in Portugal, 14 studies were selected. This review identified factors that influence the representation of the indigenous culture in the school environment, allowing the construction of a framework in which indigenous knowledge is often neglected in the formal education system with obstacles to its introduction into the school environment. It also revealed that the understanding of the local context is essential in proposing interventions to open a possible intercultural dialogue.

A pilot experiment was developed in a Biomedical Sciences curricular unit to test how using a different knowledge-sharing method (World Café) in a Space for Active Learning and Teaching would affect students' engagement. Each working group was asked to prepare a poster summarising a different topic about the physiology of the oocyte. On the activity day, rotating discussion sessions moderated by tutors took place, with groups answering different questions to deepen their knowledge. Students appreciated the dynamic and supportive environment that reduced anxiety while fostering knowledge-sharing. They also mentioned they prefer this method to traditional lectures and credited modern facilities for increasing their motivation to learn. We recommend the World Café method for improving collaborative work skills and learning in biomedical education. This study also highlights the need for institutions to provide up-to-date infrastructures, as this appears to have a direct impact on students' engagement.

The closure of higher education institutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a sudden and unexpected transition from face-to-face to online teaching and learning. This paper draws on data from a broader study focusing on higher education students' perceptions and experiences of online learning during the first lockdown in 2020. In total, 2,718 students from different Portuguese institutions participated in the study. Findings indicate that students who felt they had been provided with more feedback reported less difficulty in online teaching and learning. Students reported more perceived difficulty than perceived feedback in online teaching and learning. Findings point to the importance of feedback in fostering self-regulation of learning, thereby helping students better adapt to online teaching and learning.

Progress tests (PT) are a popular type of longitudinal assessment used for evaluating clinical knowledge retention and long-life learning in health professions education. Most PTs consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) whose development is costly and time-consuming. Automatic Item Generation (AIG) generates test items through algorithms, promising to ease this burden. However, it remains unclear how AIG-items behave in formative assessment (FA) modalities such as PTs compared to manually written items. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality and validity of AIG-items versus manually written items. Responses to 126 (23 automatically generated) dichotomously scored single best-answer five-option MCQs retrieved from the 2021 University of Minho PT of medicine were analyzed. Procedures based on item response theory (IRT), dimensionality testing, item fit, reliability, differential item functioning (DIF) and distractor analysis were used. Qualitative assessment was conducted through expert review. Validity evidence of AIG-items was assessed by using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The PT proved to be a viable tool for assessing medical students cognitive competencies. AIG-items were parallel to manually written-items, presenting similar indices of difficulty and information. The proportion of functional distractors for both AIG and manually written items was similar. Evidence of validity for AIG-items was found while showing higher levels of item quality. AIG-items functioned as intended and were appropriate for evaluating medical students at various levels of the knowledge spectrum.

This article draws on data from a broader research study focusing on Portuguese teachers' perceptions and experiences of remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 2638 teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through an online survey which included both closed- and open-ended questions. Findings suggest that, overall, teachers experienced a positive adaptation process and were able to teach according to what they had planned. However, difficulties were also found. These relate to reconciling work with family life and extra workload in the context of remote teaching. In addition, findings show that pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds presented a lower level of participation in learning tasks. Differences as a function of gender and age were identified. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Empirical research suggests that school leaders' instructional leadership can make a difference in improving student achievement. We explored this issue in a mixed-method study that sought to verify whether or not, from participants' perspectives, school principals enact this type of leadership and whether or not they feel that it affects student outcomes. The research included a sample of top-level school leaders in a Portuguese region. We analyzed the data with descriptive statistics and content analysis techniques. Participants reported that most of principals' leadership practices did not focus on student learning, but rather on school administration and management. Many respondents felt that it was not their job to lead in several instruction-related areas. Furthermore, respondents regarded the impact of most of principals' instructional leadership practices on student achievement as weak. The paper discusses possible reasons for these findings, including the contextualized nature of the exercise of principal leadership roles, and suggests future avenues for research on this issue.

The present study describes a digital storytelling project about promoting a tourist destination using photographs taken by students in an English for tourism course taught in a Portuguese higher education institute. This work aims to explain how a digital storytelling project was used to enrich students' knowledge of the English language while recycling content from their core degree subjects and enhance their 21st century skills. The stories created were based on students' viewpoints of the city where they study and live enabling them to convey their emotions and opinions to promote it as tourist destination from a unique perspective. The results indicated that learner generated content positively impacted the students' engagement in their English foreign language learning process. It was through the use of art and creativity that this project gave students the opportunity to also build on their communication, collaborative and critical thinking skills, all needed to succeed in the professional world in tourism.

Purpose: This study aims to diagnose the perception, knowledge, awareness and position of the bioeconomy in university education and research. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted at universities in Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal (n = 464). The questionnaire consisted of open-ended, dichotomous and Likert-type questions. Variable frequency distribution methods and the non-parametric chi-square test were used to test the independence of the characteristics. The Cramer's V contingency coefficient was used to determine the degree of dependence between the variables. Findings: The researched academic community is dominated by a traditional approach to the bioeconomy, which relates to agriculture and ecological aspects. Respondents believe in the positive environmental impacts of the bioeconomy, while less often being aware of its importance from a socio-economic perspective. Insufficient teaching and research in the field of the bioeconomy can be widely observed. The presumed link between the existence of a bioeconomy strategy at national level and awareness of the bioeconomy was not confirmed. Research limitations/implications: The limited sample, the narrow geographical scope of the study does not allow for a comprehensive analysis of the topic. Another limitation is the lack of representativeness of the results in relation to all university representatives in the countries studied and the uneven composition of the samples. Originality/value: This study fills the knowledge gap about the status of the bioeconomy in European academic communities by analysing its perception among both teachers and students of social, natural and applied sciences.

This study evaluates the impact of distance learning in the teaching-learning process of mathematics in Higher Technical Professional courses. The results reveal that a positive evaluation of the functioning of the online support platform, as well as a positive attitude of teachers and students, has a positive impact on the evaluation of the functioning of mathematics classes. The functioning of the classes in the distance learning modality has a positive impact on the evaluation of the mathematics teaching-learning process. The evaluation of the platform and the students' attitude also indirectly influence the evaluation of the teaching-learning process.

Designing tasks to foster students' learning is challenging for teachers. In this article, we aim to understand how designing, enacting, and reflecting on tasks promotes the development of in-service and prospective teachers' didactical knowledge during lesson study. Data was collected through participant observation with audio recordings and document collection. Data analysis was based on a category system for task design and students' work and a teachers' didactical knowledge framework. The results suggest that, despite their different teaching experiences, there are aspects that both in-service and prospective teachers attended to when designing tasks. However, in-service teachers had clearer aims when designing tasks and changed them, after observing and reflecting on students' work. Moreover, proposing tasks and reflecting on students' work allowed both groups to rethink their practice to foster students' learning, highlighting the potential of lesson study to deepen their knowledge.

The present study developed a brief school-based intervention focused on raising awareness about Cerebral Palsy. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, 91 classes from the fourth and fifth grades were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Control, Focused on the Domain (Cerebral Palsy), and Non-Focused on the Domain (promotion of inclusion in general). Groups were assessed in three waves: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Data from this longitudinal cluster randomised trial showed the efficacy of this brief intervention in decreasing reported social distance and increasing positive attitudes towards individuals with Cerebral Palsy. Results from the Focused on the Domain Group were more positive than the Non-Focused on the Domain Group. Implications for educational practice are discussed.

The article assumes that the expansion of cultural content in basic education implies a qualitative change in the entire curriculum system. It rescues the idea of social micro spaces of common curriculum selection and reconfiguration and underlines the role of decision-makers in different groups. Namely, experts and specialists who, within the scope of the Learning Outcomes Project launched by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, supported the legitimation of ICT as a transdisciplinary learning area, consenting to shared responsibility in promoting digital culture. Based on the study carried out, involving 11 interviews, the article reveals the reasons that justify the detachment from a social practice that, paradoxically, was desired to be more articulated, integrated, and open to digital culture.

This study replicates the research conducted by Pérez-Paredes, Ordoñana Guillamón and Aguado Jiménez (2018) on language teachers' perceptions on the use of OER language processing technologies in mobile-assisted language learning. It expands the initial research study by adding Polish, Portuguese, and Turkish educational contexts, surveying 239 English as a foreign language teachers in these three countries. The main findings indicate that there are several differences among the three countries, including institutional support regarding the use of mobile devices and the training provided to the teachers. Based on the data collected in these countries, it was found that mobile devices are mainly used for teaching and learning on online platforms. Smartphones were one of the most used devices in English language teaching, while computer labs at schools seem to have lost their popularity. Regarding the technologies available, the results of the study reveal that the participants are most familiar with online dictionaries, spell checkers, and online collocation dictionaries, and the participants' qualifications are linked to certain differences in familiarity and use of technologies in the classroom. Variables such as gender, age, and years of experience do not show any difference in the familiarity or frequency of use of those technologies. The main findings of the study point out the importance of institutional support and training regarding the use of mobile devices and open educational resources, which are no longer a choice but a necessity in education.

Purpose: To validate the English version of the L'Echelle de Perception du Climat Motivational within a Portuguese context and analyze students' perceptions of the motivational climate in physical education and its relationship to demographic variables, participation in extracurricular sports, and students' grades. Methods: A total of 476 Portuguese students participated in the study and completed the L'Echelle de Perception du Climat Motivational (249 men = 52.3%; 227 women = 47.7%). Statistical analysis was used to evaluate the importance of motivational climate in physical education classes. Results: Our results suggest that the Portuguese version of the L'Echelle de Perception du Climat Motivational is valid and reliable. Furthermore, motivational climate is a predictor of both extracurricular sports participation and grades. Discussion and Conclusion: The finding that motivational climate is a predictor for extracurricular sports participation and grades supports the relevance of the climate fostered by physical education teachers and its influence on learning. This study discusses implications for research and practice.

Higher education students lack skills to deal in a positive way with the crises inherent to the developmental phase in which they find themselves. However, the complexity of the current global context adds an urgent need for them to be resilient. For this purpose, it is necessary to evaluate their capacity for resilience, which requires the use of instruments that are easy to access, useful, simple, and fast. In this sense, this study aimed to develop and validate a scale to assess students' resilience in the face of adversity. The scale was administered to a sample of 2030 Portuguese higher education students. The results obtained pointed towards a factorial structure composed of two factors named "self-determination" and "adaptability", which showed good internal consistency. Therefore, this scale proved to be a valid measure to assess resilience among the university population. Future studies may consider this variable as an intervention target since it can be a predictor of success in phases of change and crisis.

This study aims at evaluating the environmental education (EE) and communication intervention for the valorization of migratory fish resources in an estuary of northern Portugal. The EE component intervention was implemented among Middle School pupils of that region. Students' knowledge was quantitatively evaluated with an experimental approach of pre-testing and post-testing, on the ocean and estuarine literacy (OEL) and biology of migratory species, such as sea lamprey. This study also analyzes the communication component developed via social media. Results of the EE component show an evident increment of OEL (p < 0.05). It is also highlighted that students had previous knowledge on issues that are not covered in the curriculum. Social media has shown to be an effective communication tool mostly among the scientific community (e.g., Ethnobiology). The research has various implications to OEL since it brings a new perspective towards the integration of ocean literacy in formal education; as well as the valorization of Students' local ecological knowledge and of inter-generational dynamics. This study contributed to promoting local biodiversity, OEL, and participatory local governance of these ecosystems.

Digital simulators have an interesting potential to explain the relationships between two or more variables in a system, facilitating the activation of learning processes and favoring the occurrence of meaningful learning with positive impact on academic performance. To study the impact of the use of digital simulation on learning and academic performance of 9th graders in Spatial Geometry a quasi-experimental study was carried out, with a control group and pre-test/post-test design. The analysis of covariance of the post-test results controlled by the pre-test results revealed a significant improvement in the general academic performance of the experimental group, with a significant improvement of skills related to measurement and associations between nets and solids. Students' positive opinions suggest the experience promoted the occurrence of meaningful learning. Implications for practice point to the pedagogical adoption of such digital resources and special attention to the educational context.

This paper examines preservice teachers' perspectives on assessment feedback developed in a teacher education course during the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As initially negotiated with students, feedback was learner-centred and involved a formative intervention approach applied iteratively by the teacher educator over the course of one semester. Although such feedback was initially face-to-face, it had to be given exclusively online following the unexpected closure of the university. Analysis of student teachers' perspectives, which were collected through an online questionnaire completed after their final assessment, reveals both positive and critical aspects regarding the feedback provided by the teacher educator. While reaffirming the significance of feedback as a crucial element for learning in online teacher education contexts, the findings also show that the clarity, affective bonding and multimodal meaning-making involved in face-to-face interaction are particularly challenging when the communication of feedback is digitally mediated. The implications and limitations of such findings are discussed.

Molecular School (MS) is an extracurricular initiative intended to show relevant and complex concepts of chemical sciences to precollege students. The main goal is to motivate the participants to expand their awareness of chemical sciences and to acknowledge its relevance in everyday life, in order to stimulate the students to engage in chemistry undergraduate degrees. Here, we address the successful case of MS, implemented in Portugal, where recently, the universities have been facing significant difficulties in attracting new students to join chemistry-related courses. We report the first three editions of this free of cost preuniversity school, whose main subject is chemistry. All editions were held in the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and organized by PhD students of the department of chemistry of this institution. The three editions are discussed here, with particular focus on the last edition. Several participants ultimately chose chemistry BSc degrees to continue their education, which substantiates the positive outreach of this initiative. We believe MS can be replicated, adapted, and improved in other contexts and countries to increase the number of students enrolling chemistry university degrees.

We present the perspectives of Portuguese pre-service teachers about a formative strategy developed to promote learning about language and literacy education. The strategy was underpinned by theories about the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), rehearsed (or simulated) agency, the epistemology of reflective practise and assessment for learning. It was implemented during a whole semester, after which pre-service teachers answered to a questionnaire focusing on their perceptions about their learning and the learning experience. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the collected data reveal positive and critical perceptions about the construction of PCK and agentic identities, evidencing the role of curricular analysis, rehearsed practice, reflection and assessment in the learning process. The final discussion, which highlights the possibilities and challenges of the strategy, aims to contribute to the construction of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning of pre-service teachers after the Bologna Process.

We present the main findings of a case study focusing on the digital literacy practices of a Portuguese early childhood teacher known for her innovative pedagogical methods. Data was collected through an in-depth interview centred on the teacher's perceptions about her digital literacy practices and on the professional development underpinning such practices. The thematic content analysis of the data was based on core principles of early childhood pedagogy, multiliteracies and professional development theories. It revealed that, from this teacher's perspective, the application of digital literacy practices has both enhanced and challenged her pedagogy. Moreover, the analysis showed that her innovative practices combine functional professional learning with attitudinal dispositions such as professionalism, professional identity, resilience and commitment. Overall, our research highlights the importance of combining both functional and attitudinal dimensions in professional development initiatives aiming to enhance renewed integration of digital literacy practices in early childhood education.

Promoting positive development may lead to young people's active contributions to their environment through positive attitudes and behaviours. The Climate Change Attitude Survey (15-item version) aims to identify climate change attitudes differences in groups of students and to assess pre- to post-intervention attitude changes. We intended to validate and test a possible extension of this scale among a Portuguese sample of adolescents and emerging adults. We also investigated whether higher scores on this scale would be positively associated with positive youth development. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, and convergent validity were assessed. The results showed good psychometric properties aligned with the original factorial structure. Significant differences were found among female and male samples regarding beliefs and intentions. A small but significant positive association was identified with a positive youth development scale. We suggest this may be an adequate instrument to assess youth climate change beliefs and intentions.

Delivering a project has several challenges to be addressed, and to mitigate them, multiple approaches have arisen and suggested as best practices to stakeholders' satisfaction. This research presents a proposal to manage communication inside a virtual project team, adapting concepts from traditional and agile approaches into a hybrid framework, created using the action research spiral approach to evaluate the performance. It was possible to implement three action-research cycles, considering the spiral approach, starting will a diagnosis of the team, followed by action planning and implementation in a two month cycle, finishing with evaluation of the results and collection of feedbacks and potentials improvements. This paper describes all the process, tools and communication structure implemented in a product development project team of an industrial company for a period of six months. The results show that the team became project oriented, increasing trust among members and the alignment of dependencies between areas.

Social impact assessment and benefits management is commonly measured in social communities' intervention plans. Although, its combined use lacks from a methodology or framework, which can assist in measuring those benefits and impacts. To achieve this, a business case tool has been applied in order to measure the benefits and Social Toolkit has been developed to assist the social impact. The results of these measures provided a substantial increment in terms of benefits measurements and social impact assessment in the social impact assessment of the 'community intervention of proximity' initiative, which aims to support families affected by poverty and/or victims of social exclusion. The results have shown that there has been a decrease in social exclusion and a reduction in poverty for needy families.

Cinema's pedagogical essence nurtures a variety of educational strategies. Beyond serving as a support to other areas of knowledge or as the subject of artistic analysis, it also provides students with a means to give -- freely and significantly -- voice to their own concerns and interests. Short film production in schools can offer a process for young people to deal with personal and social challenges, fostering a closer connection between them and their community and environment. Schools are natural habitats for this encounter -- a place where film production can generate significant educational and cultural resonance. This paper reflects on the didactic potential of short film production in schools -- as a key to fulfil formal and non-formal pedagogical goals -- through the presentation and analysis of a recently implemented methodology for education through film: Olhar pela Lente, a project developed in Portugal during 2018.

In light of ongoing controversies concerning expressive arts education in Portuguese primary schools, the life history of one primary-school teacher who lives and works in the city of Porto (Portugal) is the starting point for problematizing this issue from the perspective of lived experiences. Data collection comprises oral reports, visual materials, and emotional accounts. Feelings were shared in a relational environment framed by ethical commitments. Through these processes, it was possible to create a narrative within the framework of a biographical narrative research approach. The main purpose was to highlight the voice of one primary-school teacher whose life history is blended with the foundations and practices of artistic expression in basic education--such as language, communication, knowledge, and lived experiences--making it an important starting point for reconceptualizing expressive arts education. The results showed that this reconceptualization can be achieved through three dimensions: seducing people, mediating places, and governing senses.

This research study examines the attitudes of Portuguese higher education students regarding compulsory digital and distance learning university courses during the second semester of the academic year 2019-2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology was quantitative, being the undergraduate and postgraduate students surveyed to find their perceptions about distance and online education in Portugal. The findings of the study highlighted the relationship between distance and online learning. The key concern of the respondents is related to the formal and contextual dimensions of the online class regime. The values examined, taken as a whole, allow us to conclude that with this teaching regime, in terms of awareness, there is acceptance and benefit. The sense of ambiguity in which this transformation took place, as well as the climate surrounding this phase, are worth noting. The teaching and evaluation methodologies used have been embraced and show a very wide range of choices on the part of the teaching teams and the students' various interests, just as in the teaching regime of the classroom. The fact that students feel the need for face-to-face classes, however, is of great importance for practical and laboratory classes. This reality, which is a challenge to face in the future, is hard to overcome.

The Routine-Based Interview is a promising method to collect information in Early Intervention, since it focuses on all members of the family and their routines, while seeking to highlight what parents consider a priority in the intervention. For that reason, in this paper, we aim to analyse the kind of benefits and difficulties that may be found in the Routine-Based Interview's implementation process. The present research comprises the qualitative interview method, according to which semi-structured interviews were carried out by eight Portuguese professionals enrolled in the Portuguese System for Early Intervention. The professionals highlight the benefits of the Routine-Based Interview as a way to clearly and objectively evaluate and identify the concerns and priorities of the family, as well as the child's competencies and the functional goals that will be included in the intervention plan. All participants stress the need for more training in the Routine-Based Interview process.

A theoretical essay, based on the results of research projects on teacher education, teachers' work, and justice in education developed by the author, is presented. It reflects on teacher education and the epistemology of teachers' work, and proposes a mediational and a narrative perspective towards a third space in Teacher education. An alternative mediation epistemological approach to justice in education and the epistemology of teachers' work is presented, aiming towards an understanding of the ways in which teachers' education has the possibility of making a difference in the construction of a more just public school.

The dissonance between what teenagers learn in classrooms and their everyday lives is not a recent phenomenon, but it is increasingly relevant as school systems are unable to follow the evolution of media and society beyond traditional concerns regarding the protection of young people. An overly scholarly view of learning continues to prevail in our society, which seems to marginalize the knowledge that young people develop with and through media and digital platforms. Based on questionnaires, workshops, and interviews conducted with Portuguese teenagers, aged 12 to 16 years old (N=78), attending an urban and a rural school in the North of the country, this paper aims to understand how these teens are learning to use the media, what motivates them, and if their media practices contribute to the acquisition of skills and competencies useful to their lives inside and outside school. The research main results confirm the existence of a gap between formal and informal education. Informal education is mainly motivated by their needs and peer influence. Colleagues and family, alongside the Internet and self-discovery, appear as important sources of knowledge. Another important conclusion is that informal learning strategies contribute to the development of skills and competencies that are useful from a school viewpoint.

The structure of mental activity and the consequent development of its components functionally affect the quality of the students' performance. The aim of this research was to know the difference between some structural details of the psychological levels of the functionality of the students with and without learning difficulties. It is a predominantly quantitative and experimental study with independent variables such as age, school year, school retentions, cognitive aptitude and motivation to learn, and with dependent variables such as performance or school success. The sample of this research consisted of 550 students: 275 with and 275 without learning difficulties. The methodological instruments used were psychological interviews, sociodemographic questionnaires, record of the students' performance in the three periods of the last two school years and evaluation by teachers and parents of the students' abilities to learn and motivation to study. The results show that the components of the learning activity - cognitive aptitude, motivational commitment and educational success - present important differences within the framework of intercorrelations between components in the students with learning difficulties in comparison to the students without learning difficulties. In the first case, the consistency of the links between the various studied components is lower. The discussion of the data shows and concludes that the less strong connection between the components of academic performance, aptitude for learning and motivation to study, leads to a greater dispersion of the levels of psychic functioning of students with learning difficulties.

Today English has become the Lingua Franca or common language of many people, regardless of their being native or nonnative speaker of English all over the world. Therefore, it has become necessary to educate pre-/in-service teachers with an awareness towards the significance of the involvement of an "English as a lingua franca" (ELF) perspective in their language teaching practice in multilingual/multicultural contexts. In a rapidly changing world, many English language teachers and teacher trainers are cognizant of the impact of migration in their teaching contexts. However, it is still not very clear to what extent and in what context they are integrating ELF related issues in their language teaching practice. In this study, we make an attempt to unveil in-service teachers' beliefs about ELF in pedagogical practice in three different countries -- Poland, Portugal and Turkey. In order to do that we have adopted a questionnaire from an earlier study investigating the involvement of culture in ELT in expanding circle contexts. The findings of the study revealed that although teachers in these contexts are aware of the significance of the inclusion of an ELF-aware perspective in ELT, they are still hesitant about its applicability in their own teaching context. This study has implications for raising English language teachers' awareness in conceptualizing how an ELF-aware pedagogical approach can be implemented in a multilingual/multicultural context.

Higher education institutions and organisations have the responsibility to work together to provide better curricula and better projects aiming the market needs. This work highlights a constructivist approach and the work-based learning perspective giving the focus on a digital competence learning program in Portugal -- the BrightStart Program. BrightStart is a Deloitte Portugal pilot program, led in collaboration with Setubal Polytechnic Institute, focused on increasing employability and professional skills of high school graduates currently enlisted in vocational training. During the program, the enrolled students combine their academic curricula with the opportunity to integrate delivery project teams (non-facing client activities). This program is highly focused on the work-based learning approach and was inspired in a similar program that exists in North Ireland with Deloitte UK and Ulster University. The work focuses on the already obtained results in this pilot program in Portugal and highlights the work-based learning approach and principles opening the future work phases and improvements.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a global crisis affecting all sectors of society. Higher education is no exception. The closure of higher education institutions has dictated a sudden and unexpected transition from face-to-face to remote teaching to mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2. This paper draws upon a wider piece of research which aimed to understand how higher education students adapted to the closure of their institution and how they looked at their experience of online teaching and learning. In total, 2718 students from different Portuguese higher education institutions participated in the study. Findings showed that both personal and contextual factors explained students' positive or negative adaptation to online teaching and learning as a result of the closure of higher education institutions. Institutional and pedagogical responses, individual self-regulatory and socio-emotional competencies and adequate resources were factors that led to either a more positive or negative student experience of online teaching and learning in times of COVID-19.

Drawing upon a wider piece of research, this paper focuses on students' views of assessment in higher education. It reports on data collected from a total of 5,549 students in five Portuguese public universities. The study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of two scales, one measuring the purposes and effects associated by students with assessment; and the other determining the most commonly used assessment methods. Both scales demonstrated adequate validity based on internal structure and acceptable reliability. Findings indicate that students reported more purposes and effects associated with a summative dimension of assessment than with a formative dimension. The most commonly used methods were written tests/exams and collective methods. Statistically significant differences were found in assessment methods, purposes and effects.

The assessment of media literacy is a complex task, which might attempt to reconcile a research field traditionally developed within a critical paradigm with the task of evaluating and quantifying media literacy competences through essentially quantitative methods. Despite the lack of consensus regarding how to evaluate and measure media literacy, this goal is increasingly sought by political and regulatory stakeholders, as well as studied within the academic world. Based on one of such attempts, a study on the media literacy competences of 679 Portuguese teenagers, this paper presents a review and a reflection on the specific challenges posed by the intent to quantitatively assess media literacy, without neglecting its core critical dimension. It concludes by suggesting the need for methodological convergence and the continuous development of valid and reliable indicators, which must necessarily be context and subject-dependent, to improve this area of research.

This study focuses on the effect of the programme variable on the purposes and effects that students associate with assessment, on the assessment methods used and on the perceived use of assessment. Data were collected in five Portuguese Public Universities through a survey (n = 4144) and focus group (n = 250) with students enrolled in different programmes. Findings point to statistically significant differences in relation to the purpose of assessment, assessment methods most used and perceived use of assessment. The main differences were found in the kinds of methods used in different programmes: Law reported the lowest frequency of the use of collective assessment methods and portfolios, whereas Psychology, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering were the programmes that reported the lowest frequency of use of individual methods. Educational sciences reported more frequency of all types of methods and reported significantly more preference for the use of alternative methods than the remaining programmes. Negative emotions were most associated with assessment by Nursing students and Educational Sciences' students reported more participation in the assessment process than students from all other programmes. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Child Routines Questionnaire: Preschool (CRQ:P), a parent-report measure developed to assess daily routines specific to preschool-age children. Participants included 208 parents of preschool children (M[subscript age] = 3.97 years old; SD = 0.95; 53.4% boys). Parents also completed measures of family routines (mealtimes) and children's social skills. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the original CRQ:P five-factor structure did not fit to the data and the subsequent exploratory factor analysis suggested a three-factor solution (Daily Living, Education/Positive Attention and Discipline), accounting for 33.36% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha reliability was very good for the Total scale ([alpha] = 0.84), and acceptable-to-good for the three subscales ([alpha] range = 0.68 to 0.79). Preliminary evidence of validity was shown by weak positive correlations between children's and family mealtime routines. Also, routines predicted children's social skills. Differences were found in discipline routines between younger and older children. The results provide initial evidence that the Portuguese version of the CRQ:P is a promising assessment tool that can be used in clinical practice and future empirical research focused on preschool-age children's routines.

Drawing upon a wider piece of research, this paper focuses on the validation of a 'use of assessment' scale in five Portuguese public universities with 5549 students. The study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the scale, to describe how students look at assessment uses, to analyse their utility perceptions of assessment, and to understand their perspectives regarding participation in the assessment process. The scale demonstrated adequate validity and reliability based on factor analysis of the internal structure. Preference for alternative methods of assessment was negatively correlated with a preference for traditional methods of assessment. However, preference for alternative methods was correlated with higher scores for assessment effectiveness, fairness and level of participation and engagement with assessment. On the contrary, preference for traditional methods was negatively correlated with perceived fairness and with engagement with assessment.

Workplace-based experiences are considered centrally relevant in the professional preparation of prospective teachers. In spite of this, few studies have focused on the assessment of workplace-based learning (WBL) in early childhood education (ECE). This study aims to examine pathways of professional learning of students attending an ECE professional Master programme in Portugal, based on an authentic and participatory approach to assessment. A cohort of 62 students participated in this exploratory study. Data were collected through an assessment grid organised in four domains (observation, planning, action and reflection) and 25 dimensions, in two moments: interim regulatory assessment and final assessment. Key findings point to statistically significant differences between the two moments, showing the progress of students at the level of competences in all domains and dimensions. Results allow to identify tendencies on students' learning pathways in core domains of professionalism and represent an input for understanding the effectiveness of the ECE professional Master programme.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Evidence is scarce on the clustering patterns of disordered eating di-mensionsor symptoms and their effects on future cardiometabolic health. This study examines associations of disordered eating trajectory profiles (from 13 to 21 years), with BMI and related cardiometabolic features at ages 21, 24 and 27. METHODS: Participants are from the Epidemiological Health Investigation of Teenagers cohort (Porto, Portugal). At 13,17 and 21 years, 3 Eating Disorder Inventory subscales were assessed (drive for thinness, bulimia and body dissatisfaction), and a latent class analysis derived trajectory profiles. Associations with BMI and having ≥1 metabolic syndrome feature at 21 (n = 1619), 24 (n = 916) and 27 years (n = 720) were tested using generalized linear models and binary logistic regressions. RESULTS: The following 4 profiles were obtained: "higher" levels (highest severity of symptoms at all ages, 16-19%), "increasing" (especially of body concerns, 26-28%), "decreasing" (18-19%), and "lower" (highest proportion of individuals with low/without disordered eating, 35-37%). Compared with the lower levels profile, both sexes with higher and increasing disordered eating presented heightened BMI at 21, 24 and 27 years. Women in the higher levels profile had higher odds of having ≥1 metabolic syndrome feature at 21 and 24 years, while men with higher and increasing disordered eating presented increased odds at 21, 24 and 27 years. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals, particularly males, with higher or increasing disordered eating levels from 13 to 21 years of age presented a higher risk of worsened cardiometabolic health up to 6 years later in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Goal-setting is essential for a person-centered approach to stroke rehabilitation. Understanding this challenging and heterogeneous practice can contribute to optimising rehabilitation outcomes. However, valid, and reliable tools are lacking for its investigation. This study aimed to develop a self-report measure to assess attitudes, practices, and factors related to goal-setting in physiotherapists working with stroke rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was developed based on the literature and submitted for content and face validity with a committee of experts and physiotherapists. Selected items were considered to create scales for attitudes and practices towards goal-setting. The factor structure and internal consistency of these scales were examined. Results: All three dimensions had satisfactory content validity. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure for the Attitudes towards Goal-setting Scale (A-GS) ('Role' and 'Participation', together explaining 55% of the variance of the total score) and for Practices towards Goal-setting Scale (P-GS) ('Procedures' and 'Documentation', together explaining 56% of the variance of the total score). Cronbach alpha values and mean inter-item correlations indicated adequate internal consistency. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the adequacy of this newly developed measure, which can be used as an assessment tool to determine physiotherapists' attitudes and practices towards goal-setting in stroke rehabilitation and related factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1850s, Portugal initiated an ambitious public works program spearheaded by railroads. In this article, I analyze how policymakers (congressmen, government officials, engineers, and military officers) debated and managed the construction and operation of the Portuguese railroad network using the theoretical framework of critical infrastructure. I show that railroads were deemed critical to modernize the country, draw it closer to the European core nations and further from the periphery, and to attract traffic to the Portuguese harbors. The absence of railroads was considered a vulnerability that could jeopardize Portugal as a nation and it fostered a sense of urgency that motivated policymakers to act, to a large extent, hastily. The construction of the network brought about other vulnerabilities that, for different motives, could threaten the future of the country. In a parallel way, the implementation of the system was marked by vulnerabilities that originated within or surrounding it, which limited its technical potential. Balancing between a literature review and the use of primary sources (parliamentary debates, technical reports, the press, and photography), I argue that the criticality associated with railroads, as a sociotechnical construction, was central to motivate their construction, but different vulnerabilities, inherent or external to the system, limited their influence and the advantages touted by its promoters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the shortened version of the Scale for the Environments Evaluation of Professional Nursing Practice (SEE‐Nursing Practice). Methods: This methodological, cross‐sectional study was conducted between September and December 2022. The original version of the SEE‐Nursing Practice was administered in questionnaire format across 17 hospitals. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to identify relevant items for the new shortened version of the scale and evaluate its construct validity. Results: The study involved 1713 registered nurses from various regions of Portugal. From the exploratory factor analysis, the SEE‐Nursing Practice was condensed to 59 items and 3 subscales. In the structure subscale, 14 items were removed, and the remaining 29 items distributed over four factors; in the process subscale, 18 items were removed, and the remaining 19 items organized into three factors; in the outcome subscale, 2 items were removed, and the remaining 11 items distributed over two factors. The Cronbach's alpha for the three subscales exceeded 0.90, indicating high reliability. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the validity of the 59‐item model. Conclusion: The shortened version of the SEE‐Nursing Practice shows adequate validity and reliability, reducing the burden associated with its longer version. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Given the impact of nursing practice environments on clients, nurses, and institutions, it is essential to have tools that allow for understanding the reality of practice contexts.The use of tools to evaluate nursing practice environments enables the measurement of the impact of interventions implemented with a view to their continuous improvement.Lengthy assessment tools can result in a greater response burden for the participant and, consequently, a lower response rate and poor quality of those responses.What this paper adds? The shortened version of the Scale for the Environments Evaluation of Professional Nursing Practice was considered valid and reliable for assessing practice environments from the standpoint of structure, process, and outcome.The implications of this paper: This study makes the shortened version of the Scale for the Environments Evaluation of Professional Nursing Practice (SEE‐Nursing Practice) available to the scientific community.It enables the assessment and proposal of improvement strategies in nursing practice environments with the shortened version of the SEE‐Nursing Practice, saving time associated with its completion, which will have a positive impact on participant adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopause may negatively impact Quality of Life (QoL). Our study used a cross-sectional design and research participants were 99 women in natural menopause. In our study, we analyzed the relationship between age at menopause onset, hormone therapy use, duration of couple relationship, menopause duration, psychological morbidity, marital satisfaction, menopause representations, and QoL following the Wilson and Cleary Health-Related QoL conceptual model. The authors found that negative representations, lower marital satisfaction, psychological morbidity, and shorter duration of menopause contributed to lower QoL. Moreover, the authors found that psychological morbidity and menopause representations (identity and control/cure dimensions) had an indirect effect between marital satisfaction and vasomotor, psychosocial, and sexual QoL. Also, we found that age at the onset of menopause showed a moderating effect in the final model. Future studies should replicate these results in a longitudinal design and analyze how the variables that showed a moderating role and indirect effects will function as moderators and mediators, respectively, over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Body image-related psychological flexibility is considered an important positive process in the field of body image, associated with lower levels of psychological distress. The present study hypothesised body image flexibility as a relevant construct in the study of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). A mediation model was proposed, exploring if body image flexibility mediated the relationship between shame – a core construct of BDD symptomatology – and dysmorphic concern and anxiety while controlling for age and BMI. Methods: The sample comprised 477 Portuguese-speaking participants from the general population – male and female, who completed a set of self-report measures. Results: Females presented significantly higher levels of dysmorphic concern (d =.42). All main variables under study were significantly correlated, with dysmorphic concern presenting positive correlations with internal shame, external shame, and anxiety, and a negative and weak correlation with body image flexibility. Path analysis results indicated that body image flexibility mediated the relationship between shame, in its internal dimension, and dysmorphic concern and anxiety, explaining 34% of the variance of dysmorphic concern and 24% of anxiety. The model was invariant across biological sex. Conclusions: Our results support the pervasive association between internal shame and dysmorphic concern, and indicate body image flexibility as a relevant emotional process in this relationship. Key Points: What is already known about this topic: Dysmorphic concerns (or body dysmorphia-related symptoms) are distressing and can cause significant suffering. Shame is a core construct of BDD symptomatology, but positive processes that are involved in this relationship have been understudied. Body image-related psychological flexibility is an important emotional process in the field of body image-related difficulties. What this topic adds: Further confirms the pervasive association between shame, particularly internal shame, and dysmorphic concern. Body image-related psychological flexibility is an emotional process that mediates this relationship. Supports interventions that target body image-related psychological flexibility for BDD and associated symptomatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]