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Author(s): Sofia Oliveira [sup.1] , Magda Sofia Roberto [sup.1] , Alexandra Marques-Pinto [sup.1] , Ana Margarida Veiga-Simão [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/01c27hj86, grid.9983.b, 0000 0001 2181 4263, Universidade de Lisboa, [...], Strong links have been observed between professionals' occupational health and their perceived organizational climate. However, in Portugal, one of the European Union countries where teachers present higher levels of occupational stress, no measures have been found to assess perceived school climate in elementary-school teachers. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the Portuguese adaptation of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Revised for Elementary Schools (OCDQ-RE). To test its factor structure, 687 elementary-school teachers (85.2% female, M.sub.Age = 46.15 years, SD.sub.Age = 8.88) completed the Portuguese OCDQ-RE. An additional sample of 81 participants (96.3% female, M.sub.Age = 46.21 years, SD.sub.Age = 4.82) responded at two points in time and completed external measures, ensuring test-retest reliability and validity analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized factor structure. Coefficient omegas suggested adequate internal consistency of the composites. Adequate test-retest reliability was sustained through high correlation scores between the two data collection waves. Evidence of discriminant validity against external measures was also observed. Despite the need for further studies, the results support the adequacy and reliability of the Portuguese OCDQ-RE which may be an important research and intervention resource.

Over the last decades, extensive research has given considerable attention to teachers' burnout. Owing to its negative personal, organizational, and social impacts (e.g., mental ill health, decreased work performance, turnover), intervention and prevention efforts have consequently been employed to minimize the effects of this phenomenon/syndrome. As teaching-specific stressors are mainly related to the socio-emotional domain, interventions targeting social and emotional learning (SEL) for teachers have been seen to increase in recent years. A meta-analysis of 13 empirical studies was conducted to investigate the effects of SEL interventions on teachers' burnout. Results showed a statistically significant medium effect size favoring the experimental group regarding the impact of SEL on emotional exhaustion (g = - 0.37, 95% CI [- 0.70, - 0.03]) and personal accomplishment (g = 0.45, 95% CI [0.12, 0.79]). Impacts on depersonalization (g =- 0.51, 95% CI [- 1.13, 0.11]) were found to be not statistically significant. Meta regression analyses found narrower confidence intervals for interventions carried out over 3 months and tailored to the precise needs of class-level teachers for personal accomplishment. The findings add to the growing empirical evidence of the contribution of SEL interventions to improving teachers' personal accomplishment, identified in prior literature as a mitigating factor of teacher burnout syndrome and diminishing their emotional exhaustion, thus sustaining the importance of promoting SEL within teacher training. As for their practical and methodological implications, the results contribute to understanding the role of the specific features of SEL interventions, and also important features of research design and methodological constraints, which may impact the effectiveness of these interventions.

This study investigates the relationship between academic engagement, psychological capital (PsyCap) resources (efficacy, hope, optimism, resilience) and academic performance. Data were collected in two different universities, one in Spain (N = 389) and another in Portugal (N = 243). Undergraduate students completed self-report questionnaires regarding academic engagement and Psychological Capital. Academic performance was assessed through Grade Point Average, provided by the universities at the end of the exam period. Results showed a positive relationship between academic engagement, PsyCap, and academic performance in both samples. Results also supported PsyCap as a full mediator in the relationship between academic engagement and academic performance. Exploration of alternative models yielded a superior fit for the proposed model. Accordingly, academically engaged students were likely to experience higher levels of psychological resources, which in turn positively impacted their academic performance. The results point to the importance of considering psychological predictors, rather than the prevalent reliance on traditional predictors of academic performance.

Background: Transition to school is a highly demanding phase at an intellectual, social and emotional level and is, therefore, an opportunity for growth and development. Despite the greater emphasis given to school transition in Portugal over recent years, namely by means of new educational policies, studies on the adaptation processes involved in the transition to primary school are still scarce. Purpose: The present qualitative study sets out to contribute to the knowledge on the adaptation process of children to school transition (around age 6) in Portugal, by comparing preschool teachers', primary school teachers', and parents' perceptions about success indicators and relevant factors in the transition to school. Design and method: In order to collect data, 14 focus group interviews with different participants were conducted, three with preschool teachers (N = 18), three with primary school teachers (N = 13), four with parents conducted before the child's transition to primary school (N = 14) and four with parents conducted after the child's transition to primary school (N = 20). Results: While the preschool and primary school teachers stressed factors of a family nature, such as parental involvement and parental support of children, the parents referred more frequently to the overall running of the school and the characteristics and methodology of the teacher as being relevant to the adaptation process in the first year of primary education. Conclusions: The findings suggest different factors associated with adaptation to school and also offer clues for designing strategies to facilitate such adaptation. New strategies are needed to facilitate the construction of a robust educational family-school partnership.

Literature has emphasized the urgency of investing in the promotion of Social and Emotional Competence (SEC) in adults. Therefore, the development of a theoretically grounded and developmentally adjusted measure that adequately assesses SEC in its different domains is needed. This study aimed to develop a self-report battery for the assessment of adults' SEC. Factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Social and Emotional Competence Assessment Battery for Adults (SECAB-A) were assessed. Seven-hundred and ninety-six adults (80.7% female) completed the SECAB-A. A subsample of 63 elementary school teachers (92.1% female) participated at two points in time and also completed external measures assessing affect, emotion regulation, and burnout symptoms, thus making it possible to test for test–retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validities. Despite sample size variation, no statistically significant differences between groups were found for the SECAB-A scales. Extraction of factors and confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized factorial structures. Coefficient omegas suggested adequate internal consistency and scores were highly correlated between the two data collection waves, also ensuring adequate test–retest reliability. There was also evidence of the SECAB-A's convergent and discriminant validities against the external measures. Results from this study indicate that the SECAB-A is a promising measure for the adult population. Nevertheless, additional criterion-related and construct validity research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This quasi-experimental exploratory study investigated whether a social-emotional learning program, implemented during a 1-year period, could lead to gains in social-emotional competencies and a reduction in internalizing and externalizing problems. Furthermore, it showed which pupils would benefit most from the program. The program was applied to 213 fourth-grade Portuguese pupils. One hundred five controls followed an Origami curriculum during the same period. Sixteen teachers also participated in this study. Self-report (pupils) and hetero-report (teachers) questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. There were significant intervention gains in some social-emotional competencies, namely, peer relations and social competence, but no gains were found in internalizing and externalizing problems. Intervention pupils with average pre-test scores profited more in self-management and peer relations than controls. Boys showed greater gains in self-management, aggressiveness, and social problems than girls. There were no significant differences regarding socioeconomic status. (Contains 4 tables.)