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- The impact of combining SRSD instruction with a brief growth mindset intervention on sixth graders’ writing motivation and performancePublication . Camacho, Ana; Alves, Rui A.; Silva, Mariana; Ferreira, Paula; Correia, Nadine; Daniel, JoãoSelf-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is an evidence-based instructional approach combining background knowledge, writing, and self-regulation strategies to improve students’ writing motivation and performance. While the positive impact of SRSD on writing performance variables is well-established, mixed findings were found for motivational variables, namely self-efficacy. In addition, the impact of SRSD on motivational constructs other than self-efficacy—such as implicit theories—has received considerably less attention. In this study, we examined the impact of an SRSD instructional program about opinion text writing on two extensively studied writing performance variables (i.e., text quality and text length) and on two motivational variables (i.e., selfefficacy and implicit theories). Moreover, we tested whether adding a brief growth mindset intervention to SRSD instruction would result in gains in writing motivation and performance. To this end, we enrolled 191 sixth graders, from 11 classes, and their Portuguese language teachers to participate in a six-week intervention study. Using a quasi-experimental design, the classes were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) an active control condition (three classes); (b) an SRSD group (four classes); (c) an SRSD plus growth mindset intervention group (henceforth, SRSD + GM; four classes). Our results showed that both the SRSD and the SRSD + GM generally did not significantly differ from the active control group in self-efficacy and implicit theories of writing at posttest. The only exception was self-efficacy for ideation. Of note, the SRSD and the SRSD + GM groups outperformed the active control group in terms of text quality and text length. Our findings did not reveal an added value of a brief growth mindset intervention for SRSD instruction. Overall, our study showed that a six-week SRSD instructional program was effective in improving students’ self-efficacy for ideation and writing performance. However, the brief nature of both SRSD and mindset interventions may have precluded a broader positive impact on motivational beliefs, such as self-efficacy for conventions, self-efficacy for self-regulation, and implicit theories.
- Effects of grade retention in lower secondary education on students' self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school careerPublication . Pipa, Joana; Daniel, J. R.; Peixoto, FranciscoGrade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies. This study aimed to analyse both the short to medium and longitudinal effects of grade retention in grades 7 or 8 on Portuguese students' academic self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school career. Data were collected continuously over a 3‐year span (once a year) and, again, 3 years after the third wave. After matching 477 students on several pretreatment variables using inverse probability treatment weighting with time‐varying treatments (i.e., retention), our analytical sample consisted of 85 promoted students, 33 students retained in grade 7, and 32 students retained in grade 8. Our results showed that retained students did not differ from their promoted peers in self‐esteem and goal orientations in the short, medium, or long term. The exception was for an increase in the academic self‐concept of retained students, but only in short term. Finally, considering students' school career, grade retention was not predictive of further retention.
- Anxiety and social support as predictors of student academic motivation during the COVID-19Publication . Camacho, Ana; Correia, Nadine; Zaccoletti, Sonia; Daniel, JoãoIn this study we examined whether parents' perceptions of students' anxiety as well as perceived support from both teachers and classmates were predictive of changes in students' academic motivation during the first wave of COVID-19. To this end, we used a retrospective pretest-posttest design together with a latent change score model to analyze our data. From April to May of 2020, 394 Portuguese parents of students in grades 1-9 participated in this study. Our results showed that students' anxiety and teachers' social support, as perceived by parents, were highly significant predictors of academic motivation changes. Specifically, we found a negative effect of anxiety and a positive effect of teachers' social support on students' academic motivation. Our results did not show, however, a significant predictive role of classmates' social support. This study provides an important contribution to further understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that are associated with the decline of students' academic motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pivotal role of teachers in sustaining students' academic motivation and other relevant educational implications for the ongoing pandemic are discussed.
- Portuguese validation of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire short version in youth: Validity, reliability and invariance across gender and agePublication . Santos, Anabela C.; Simões, Celeste; Daniel, João; Arriaga, PatríciaThe Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) is a multidimensional measure widely used to access nine cognitive emotion regulation strategies. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the CERQ-Short Portuguese version. A sample of 1052 adolescents (aged 10–25 years old, 60.53% females) completed the CERQ-Short form, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the nine latent dimensions of CERQ-Short provided an acceptable fit to the data. Measurement invariance (for gender and three age-groups), reliability and construct validity were adequate. The adaptative strategies were positively associated with higher positive affect, and maladaptive strategies with higher negative affect, symptoms of generalized anxiety and depression. These results suggest that CERQ-Short is a valid and reliable measure for Portuguese-speaking samples. Moreover, CERQ-Short’s length makes it a cost-effective tool for both clinicians and researchers.
- Assessing the impact of the European resilience curriculum in preschool, early and late primary school childrenPublication . Simões, Celeste; Santos, Anabela; Lebre, Paula; Daniel, João; Branquinho, Cátia; Gaspar, Tania; Matos, Margarida Gaspar DeResilience is an individual’s ability to adapt successfully to and persevere during and after significant challenges. Resilience programmes based on a socioemotional learning approach have been associated with an increase in protective factors (e.g., prosocial competencies), improvements in physical and mental health, and a decrease in internalised and externalised symptoms. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the RESCUR curriculum implemented in Portuguese schools on students’ academic, behavioural, and socioemotional outcomes, based on child and teacher reports. Participants included 1,084 children (53.2% male) aged 3-15 (M¼7.24, SD¼2.31). A quasi-experimental study compared outcomes for an experimental intervention group (AIG) with a waiting list control group (WG). The results showed the RESCUR programme decreased mental health difficulties while increasing both prosocial behaviours and well-being. In addition, academic performance increased for those in preschool after implementation. Both teachers and children consistently reported positive behavioural changes in resilience-related competencies after implementing RESCUR. Our findings contribute to the recent research on the potential of RESCUR to address key socioemotional competencies and improve relevant protective factors. Study limitations and future recommendations are addressed.
- Changes in preschool children’s social engagement positively predict changes in social competence: A three‐year longitudinal study of portuguese childrenPublication . Santos, António J.; Daniel, J. R.; Antunes, Marta; Coppola, Gabrielle; Trudel, Marcel; Vaughn, BrianTo test the hypothesis that social engagement is a foundational aspect of other peer social competence indicators during early childhood, 160 Portuguese preschool children (“3‐year‐olds”) were observed at least in two different school years, using a battery of validated social competence assessments based on direct observations and child interviews. Multilevel growth models tested whether social engagement predicted initial values and linear changes in the other social competence indicators. Results were consistent with the hypothesis, insofar as both initial values and changes in social engagement significantly predicted initial values and changes in other social competence indicators. Additionally, the number of children's reciprocated friendships was also predicted by social engagement. These results are discussed from the perspectives of conceptual frameworks that consider individual differences in social competence during early childhood as a consequence of attachment histories and/or emotional competence.
- Prosocial behavior and friendship quality as moderators of the association between anxious withdrawal and peer experiences in Portuguese young adolescentsPublication . Freitas, Miguel; Santos, António; Ribeiro, Olívia; Daniel, João; Rubin, KennethAnxious withdrawal has been associated consistently with adverse peer experiences. However, research has also shown that there is significant heterogeneity among anxiously withdrawn youth. Further, extant research has focused primarily on negative peer experiences and outcomes; little is known about the more successful social experiences of anxiously withdrawn youth. We explored the possibility that the association between anxious withdrawal and group-level peer outcomes (exclusion, victimization, and popularity) might be moderated by peer-valued behaviors (prosocial behavior), friendship relational attributes, and sex, even after accounting for the effects of being involved in a reciprocal best friendship. Peer nominations of psychosocial functioning, and self-reports of best friendships and friendship quality were collected in a community sample of 684 Portuguese young adolescents. Regression analyses revealed that more anxious withdrawn adolescents showed worst group-level peer outcomes, but that: (a) prosocial behavior buffered the positive association between anxious-withdrawal and peer exclusion, particularly for boys; (b) higher friendship quality was associated with lower risk of peer victimization for more anxious-withdrawn girls, but with a higher risk for more anxious withdrawn boys; and (c) higher friendship conflict buffered the positive association between anxious withdrawal and peer exclusion for boys. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of peer-valued characteristics on the peer group experiences of anxiously withdrawn young adolescents.
- Effects of grade retention in lower secondary education on students' self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school careerPublication . Pipa, Joana; Daniel, J. R.; Peixoto, FranciscoGrade retention is one of the most discussed and controversialeducational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in manycountries. Research investigating the effects of grade retentionon students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings,partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, andthe length of the studies. This study aimed to analyse both theshort to medium and longitudinal effects of grade retention ingrades 7 or 8 on Portuguese students' academic self‐concept,self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school career. Data werecollected continuously over a 3‐year span (once a year) and,again, 3 years after the third wave. After matching 477students on several pretreatment variables using inverseprobability treatment weighting with time‐varying treatments(i.e., retention), our analytical sample consisted of 85 promotedstudents, 33 students retained in grade 7, and 32 studentsretained in grade 8. Our results showed that retained studentsdid not differ from their promoted peers in self‐esteem andgoal orientations in the short, medium, or long term. Theexception was for an increase in the academic self‐concept ofretained students, but only in short term. Finally, consideringstudents' school career, grade retention was not predictive offurther retention.Psychol Schs. 2024;61:1897–1921.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pits|1897This is an open access article under the terms of theCreative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivsLicense, whichpermits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and nomodifications or adaptations are made.© 2024 The Authors.Psychology in the Schoolspublished by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
- Parents’ perceptions of student academic motivation during the COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-country comparisonPublication . Zaccoletti, Sonia; Camacho, Ana; Correia, Nadine; Aguiar, Cecília; Mason, Lucia; Alves, Rui A.; Daniel, JoãoThe COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged all societal domains, including education. Home confinement, school closures, and distance learning impacted students, teachers, and parents' lives worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on Italian and Portuguese students' academic motivation as well as investigate the possible buffering role of extracurricular activities. Following a retrospective pretest-posttest design, 567 parents (n Italy = 173, n Portugal = 394) reported on their children's academic motivation and participation in extracurricular activities (grades 1 to 9). We used a multi-group latent change score model to compare Italian and Portuguese students': (1) pre-COVID mean motivation scores; (2) rate of change in motivation; (3) individual variation in the rate of change in motivation; and (4) dependence of the rate of change on initial motivation scores. Estimates of latent change score models showed a decrease in students' motivation both in Italy and in Portugal, although more pronounced in Italian students. Results also indicated that the decrease in students' participation in extracurricular activities was associated with changes in academic motivation (i.e., students with a lower decrease in participation in extracurricular activities had also a lower decrease in motivation). Furthermore, students' age was significantly associated with changes in motivation (i.e., older students had lower decrease). No significant associations were found for students' gender nor for parents' education. This study provides an important contribution to the study of students' academic motivation during home confinement, school closures, and distance learning as restrictive measures adopted to contain a worldwide health emergency. We contend that teachers need to adopt motivation-enhancing practices as means to prevent the decline in academic motivation during exceptional situations.
- Effects of grade retention in lower secondary education on students' self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school careerPublication . Pipa, Joana; Daniel, J. R.; Peixoto, FranciscoGrade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies. This study aimed to analyse both the short to medium and longitudinal effects of grade retention in grades 7 or 8 on Portuguese students' academic self‐concept, self‐esteem, goal orientations, and school career. Data were collected continuously over a 3‐year span (once a year) and, again, 3 years after the third wave. After matching 477 students on several pretreatment variables using inverse probability treatment weighting with time‐varying treatments (i.e., retention), our analytical sample consisted of 85 promoted students, 33 students retained in grade 7, and 32 students retained in grade 8. Our results showed that retained students did not differ from their promoted peers in self‐esteem and goal orientations in the short, medium, or long term. The exception was for an increase in the academic self‐concept of retained students, but only in short term. Finally, considering students' school career, grade retention was not predictive of further retention.