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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.

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack designed for unmanned aerial vehicle applications was used to evaluate the influence of several membrane electrode assembly (MEA) characteristics. MEAs prepared with catalytic layers (CLs) deposited directly on the membrane presented slightly better performance than those with CLs deposited in the gas diffusion layers (GDLs). Thinner membranes were beneficial to the stack performance due to lower activation and ohmic losses. Increasing the Pt loading on the cathode side from 0.5 to 2.0 mg Pt cm−2 did not improve the performance. Small differences were observed between carbon cloth and carbon paper GDLs, possibly due to the presence of a microporous layer (MPL). The hydrophobic treatment of the GDLs improved the performance due to a better humidification of the MEAs. The MPL was found fundamental for a high performance due to an improvement in the electric contact, decreasing ohmic losses. The stack operation under realistic conditions, consisting of a transient energy profile typical of an UAV flight, was also investigated. The stack presented higher dynamic performance than its steady-state one at low currents but slightly lower at high currents. Differences in temperature were observed, which probably contributed to this disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tested the hypothesis that social engagement (SE) with peers is a fundamental aspect of social competence during early childhood. Relations between SE and a set of previously validated social competence indicators, as well as additional variables derived from observation and sociometric interviews were assessed using both variable-centered and person-centered approaches (N = 1,453,696 girls) in 4 samples (3 U.S.A., 1 Portuguese). Directly observed SE was positively associated with broad-band measures of socially competent behavior, peer acceptance, being a target of peers' attention, and also with broad-band personality dimensions. Using individual Q-items significantly associated with SE in 3 of our 4 samples, a hierarchical cluster analysis yielded a 5-cluster solution that grouped cases efficiently. Tests on relations between cluster membership and the set of social competence and other variables revealed significant main effects of cluster membership in the full sample and within each individual sample, separately. With the exception of tests for peer negative preference, children in the lowest SE cluster also had significantly lower overall social competence, personality functioning scores than did children in higher SE clusters.