Vol. 4 No. 2 (2017)

Developmental dyslexia is often diagnosed when problems in learning to read have negatively affected other academic areas and even the emotional well-being. International research points to the existence of some predictors of this learning disorder, allowing timely and preventive intervention. However, the differences relating to the European Portuguese orthographic code does not allow us to draw conclusions from studies conducted in other linguistic contexts. With this problem in mind, we have developed a longitudinal study, which aims to highlight the predictors of dyslexia in Portuguese children. The investigation followed a longitudinal plan over three years and the results obtained from a sample of 200 children identify the existence of predictive power in two variables: the knowledge that the child has about the name of the letters and their performance in verbal fluency tasks, showing the influence that factors relating to the difficulties in acquiring the alphabetic principle and lexical access will have on later manifestation of problems in the acquisition of reading.

The goal of this study is the validation of questionnaire for the Assessment of Attention to Diversity as an Educational Dimension in Educational Institutions (EVADIE). It has been added 12 items related to the ordinary measures and 9 items of extraordinary measures for the attention to diversity in the secondary school stage to the original questionnaire. The study involved 452 teachers of Compulsory Secondary Education (M = 47.08; DT = 8.42). An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed, obtaining an adaptation of the original scale of 65 items grouped into seven factors with excellent reliability coefficients (Cronbach's α between .78 and .89), a total explained variance of 48.18% and an adequate adjustment to data (χ2 / df = 2.057, GFI = .842, CFI = .901, RMSEA = .054). In addition, compulsory secondary education teachers with a better predisposition to care for diversity are female, under 55 years old and with less than 18 years of teaching experience. Finally, this questionnaire is highlighted as a valid and reliable instrument to address the attention to diversity in Compulsory Secondary Education centers.

From a sample of 114 primary and secondary school teachers from the Azores (Portugal), it was intended to analyze the levels of subjective well-being and to verify if these vary according to sociodemographic variables (gender, age and marital status), professionals (level of education, position held and professional development phases); and preparation for retirement. A sociodemographic and professional questionnaire was used to collect data, as two instruments to evaluate the subjective well-being (in the components of satisfaction with life and positive and negative affects) and a questionnaire of preparation for retirement. The results indicate that: (i) teachers have moderate levels of subjective well-being; (ii) subjective well-being varies according to age, marital status and preparation for retirement; (iii) most of the sample teachers do not prepare for their retirement; (iv) the basic and secondary schools of the Azores do not invest in programs to prepare for the reform. The results show the need for an education for retirement in this population, which involves investment in public policies for retirement, investment of institutions with preparation programs and personal investment of teachers in their preparation-adaptation process for retirement.

Training in mental imagery during education enhances the ability in forming images and increases the performance on tasks involving mental images. In this research we assessed whether the type of undergraduate studies (Architecture or Business Studies) and the ability in rotating mental images influenced the rotation of urban maps. We selected a group of 208 university students of Architecture and Business studies, who completed a task consisting on the evaluation of 90 pairs of urban maps, deciding if their position was equal or symmetrical. The number of correct choices, errors, and correct choices minus errors were measured. It was found that both the type of study and the skills in rotating images influenced the number of correct choices (without counting errors) and the correct rotation numbers (correct choices minus errors). The ability in rotating mental images also influenced the number of errors in the rotation of urban maps

This work presents and discusses the psychometric characteristics of the Portuguese version of The Survey of Student Needs (SSN), a self-report questionnaire that assesses psychological intervention needs. A total of 659 university students participated, 76.5% women, with a mean age of 21.96 years. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) report a factorial solution of three factors explaining 38.49% of the variance. Considering the internal consistency of this factorial structure, Cronbach’s alpha values of .88 were found in factor 1, .81 in factor 2, and .84 in factor 3. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) suggest that the factorial solution proposed by the EFA presents better fit indices to the empirical data when compared to three alternative models (X²/df=3.096, CFI=.842, GFI=.851, RMSEA=.056, P[rmsea≤.05]<.000). In conclusion, this study indicates that the SSN is a valid and reliable instrument applicable to the research and intervention contexts of this field. 

One of the major consequences of the global crisis has been increasing unemployment rates and growth in most countries of precarious employment. This kind of employment is characterized by uncertainty, unpredictability and can unravel a risk to the worker. This situation has led to a negative perception of the labor market as it is associated, in part, to episodes of employment that people have had in their recent history. The research aims to analyze the perception of the labor market of a sample of 144 women (98 to have entered the market in the last year and 46 long-term unemployed) through a content analysis of semi -structured telephone interviews. The results determine that access to employment is characterized by fear of loss, greater job insecurity, increase in temporary and part-time work, alluded features in previous investigations, as they reflect the changing economic model, resulting in part, by the condition of flexibility in the labor market.

 

Succeeding in higher education today is much more than completing a course or having high academic performances. Educational institutions and policies are currently concerned with the value that higher education adds to the lives of individuals and society in a collective way, seeking to assess differentiated indicators for the successful student profile. However, monitoring this success has not been fully achieved, largely because of the poor systematization of success assessment and problems in its definition. This theoretical article aims to systematize indicators of success in higher education, including objective and outcome descriptors, as well as experiential and process-related indicators. Therefore, success in higher education can be defined through student achievement, satisfaction, personal experienced gains, engagement, and adaptation from a multidimensional point of view. We also briefly analyze factors that contribute to the differentiation of these processes and results and suggest guidelines for student support services and research.

This work aims to approach the latest available numbers about students with specific need for educational support in the Autonomous Galician Community and in the State. For this, a secondary data analysis is carried out, using the information source of the Statistics of non-university education. The classification variables taken as reference are: sex, students with specific educational support needs, ownership of the centers, and educational level. The data are used in a descriptive way, using tables of frequency distribution. The results show that many students with special educational needs present behavioral/personality disorders; the students with high capacities are integrated mainly in public primary schools; a higher number of pupils than of girls is incorporated late into the educational system, above all, in public centers; Learning Disorders is the specific educational need for more common educational support. Finally, it should be noted that all the cases considered are more men than women and a greater presence of students in public centers. It is also worth noting that the figures show an equal panorama in the State as a whole and in the Galician Autonomous Community.

Diversity and pluriculturalism in current schools require educational strategies for prevention and intervention in the face of possible problems of school coexistence that may arise at different educational stages. This book is focused on the issue of bullying, offering in its different chapters a diverse perspective of situations in which this problem manifests itself, the challenges it poses for the school and some strategies that can help the teachers or the families to prevent or to face this problematic.

The paper presents the different possibilities of the Genial.ly tool for the creation of interactive digital resources, and it zooms into its potential for educational contexts. Its aim is to serve as a guide for teachers interested in creating their own educational materials to foster active, meaningful and personalized learning through attractive and motivating content for their students. The features that could benefit from improvements are also discussed.