Browsing by Author "Rato, Joana R."
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- Achieving a successful relationship between neuroscience and education: the views of Portuguese teachersPublication . Rato, Joana R.; Abreu, Ana M.; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreEducational Neuroscience is currently raising high attention by the educational and neuroscientific community. However, society has created too many expectations concerning what Neuroscience can bring to Education. With this study, we aim to identify eventual distorted expectations of the teachers and propose ways to overcome these. This study was carried out in Portugal with 30 participating schools, where 627 questionnaires were answered by teachers from Preschool to High School. Our results show that there are still misunderstandings concerning the Portuguese teachers' views about the links between Neuroscience and Education. More collaborative efforts between professionals of both fields are needed for the field of Educational Neuroscience to succeed.
- Early numerical cognition in deaf and hearing children: closer than expected?Publication . Ribeiro, Filipa; Rato, Joana R.; Leonardo, Rita; Mineiro, AnaDeaf students show a significant delay in their understanding of numeracy and measurement concepts as well as verbal problem solving. There is still no consensus about the origin of this delay but several studies have shown that deaf people show differences in basic numerical skills and executive function (EF), which could underlie the differences in the way they learn and develop their cognitive abilities. Children have the innate ability to estimate and compare numerosities without using language or numerical symbols. The ability to discriminate large numerosities depends on the approximate number system (ANS), a cognitive system believed to be governed by a neural circuit within the intraparietal sulcus. Researchers hypothesize that the ANS underlies the development of arithmetic and there is data supporting the contribution of the ANS for math achievements. Little is known about the approximate number system of deaf children at early ages. Deaf and hearing preschool children were compared in terms of specific cognitive functions shown to be important for success in mathematics. Executive functions and symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude comparison abilities of 7 deaf children and 14 hearing children aged 4–7 years (M = 69.90 months, SD = 11.42), were compared. To do so, neuropsychological assessments for school-aged children were adapted into Portuguese Sign Language. Significant group differences were found in abstract counting as well as in symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitude comparisons. These findings suggest that deaf children are less competent in these early numeracy skills than are their hearing peers.
- Executive functioning training in typically developing adolescents: data review from the last 10 yearsPublication . Amorim, Jorge; Saramago, Soraia; Rato, Joana R.; Castro-Caldas, Alexandre
- Forging a new path for educational neuroscience: an international young-researcher perspective on combining neuroscience and educational practicesPublication . Pincham, Hannah L.; Matejko, Anna A.; Obersteiner, Andreas; Killikelly, Clare; Abrahao, Karina P.; Benavides-Varela, Silvia; Gabriel, Florence C.; Rato, Joana R.; Vuillier, LauraThe use of neuroscience to improve education has been considered by researchers and practitioners alike. However, workable solutions that lead to improvements in research and practice are yet to emerge. As newly qualified educational neuroscientists, our experiences dictate that the progress in this field relies upon 'Educational Neuroscience' being recognised as a distinct discipline. We therefore present a four-stage practical approach that concretely describes the role of the educational neuroscientist and details how neuroscientific knowledge can be practically assessed in the classroom. Using this approach, junior scientists will become empowered to replace the 'bridge' between education and neuroscience with a stronger, distinct Educational Neuroscience highway that is built in parallel to the existing paths.
- Looking for the brain inside the initial teacher training and outreach books in PortugalPublication . Rato, Joana R.; Amorim, Jorge; Castro-Caldas, AlexandreThe fascination with brain research is widespread, and school teachers are no exception. This growing interest, usually noticed by the increased supply of short-term training or books on how to turn the brain more efficient, leads us to think about their basic training and outreach resources available. Little is known about what the official Initial Teacher Training (ITT) offers concerning the brain literature and if it meets scientific standards. Also, what are the science communication materials that teachers can access to learn about the developing brain remain undiscussed. First, we examined the ITT courses taught in Portuguese Higher Education, both in public and private institutions, to identify the syllabus with updated neuroscientific knowledge. Second, we searched for the neuroscience-related books published in the last 6 years through the National Library of Portugal database. Thirty ITT courses and 35 outreach publications were reviewed through a rapid review methodology. Our results showed an absence of curricular units indicating in their programs that brain research, and its relationship with learning, would be taught in a representative and updated way. In contrast, the number of brain-related books for educators increased in Portugal, corroborating the demand for this field of study by these professionals. Based on the literature that shows how misunderstandings about the brain have increased in school contexts, our discussion recognizes that science outreach could be a way to increase the scientific literacy of school teachers with the research community working more in this direction, but, since a previous problem seems to be unsolved, there is an urgent need for specialized attention to the development of training curricula for future kindergarten and elementary school teachers.
- Memória auditiva-verbal de alunos do 7.º ano com diferentes rendimentos académicosPublication . Rato, Joana R.; Ferreira, JorgeApoiado na literatura que destaca a necessidade de instrumentos de avaliação específicos das competências mnésicas para despiste de problemas de aprendizagem, o presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar o desempenho na memória auditiva-verbal de alunos portugueses com diferentes rendimentos escolares. A amostra é composta por 153 estudantes do 7.º ano de escolaridade com idades entre 12 e 14 anos (M=12,43; DP=0,63). O desempenho da memória foi avaliado pelo teste de memória de histórias pertencente à Bateria de Avaliação Neuropsicológica de Coimbra (BANC; Simões et al., 2008). O rendimento académico das crianças foi obtido através das pautas de avaliação lançadas pelos Professores. Os principais resultados deste estudo mostraram que: (i) bons desempenhos na memória auditiva-verbal estão significativamente associados ao sucesso escolar; (ii) melhores desempenhos na evocação imediata de histórias do que na diferida. As conclusões evidenciam a importância da avaliação neuropsicológica em contexto escolar por forma a superar a falta de ferramentas de diagnóstico.
- O mito do ensino por estilos de aprendizagem: qual a perceção de diferentes profissionais em contexto escolar?Publication . Amorim, Jorge; Rato, Joana R.A teoria dos estilos de aprendizagem preferenciais está disseminada no campo da educação, mas já são vários os estudos, especialmente vindos das neurociências cognitivas, que concluem a falta de dados que comprovem qualquer benefício em usá-las no ensino. Neste estudo, através de um questionário, fomos verificar qual a perceção sobre os estilos de aprendizagem de diferentes profissionais a exercer funções em contexto escolar. Participaram no total 136 profissionais, entre os 22 e 68 anos de idade (M=38,5 anos; DP=10,51), sendo 95% do sexo feminino. A média de experiência profissional é de 13.8 anos (SD = 9.15). Analisámos as respostas de três grupos de profissionais, Professores (n=42), Psicólogos (n=44) e Terapeutas da Fala (n=50) e não encontrámos diferenças nas suas respostas, na medida em que, em todos os grupos, a atribuição de facto científico sobre os benefícios do ensino por estilos de aprendizagem foi acima dos 80%. Os nossos resultados vão de encontro à literatura que indica que os estilos de aprendizagem preferenciais estão difundidos no contexto escolar, com a particularidade de acrescentar que não atinge apenas os professores. À luz desta indiferenciação verificada quanto à área de especialização, relança-se a discussão para o possível impacto deste enviesamento nas diferentes práticas em contexto escolar.
- Sex differences in response inhibition in young childrenPublication . Ribeiro, Filipa; Cavaglia, Rita; Rato, Joana R.Competence in inhibiting prepotent responses has been frequently shown to be higher in females than in males in both children and adults. However, not all the inhibitory tasks seem equally sensitive to sex at each age. We investigated sex differences in two developmentally appropriate inhibitory tasks, the EYT Go/No-go and the Shape School Inhibition Condition. Our sample consisted of 160 preschool children, 85 boys and 75 girls, ranging from 4 to 6 years old. Girls’ efficacy in inhibiting prepotent motor responses in the Go/No-go task was higher than boys’, but not in the verbal Shape School inhibition task. Sex differences in inhibitory tasks are discussed in light of the different task requirements.
- Stuttering in children: a literature review updatePublication . Rocha, Mónica Soares; Yaruss, J. Scott; Rato, Joana R.Introduction: Stuttering is a fluency disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted. The disorder is frequently misunderstood and to better analyze it is necessary to understand stuttering as more than a speech problem. Recent literature points out thatshould instead be viewed as a communication disorder with the potential to affect several aspects of children’s lives. Different perspectives about stuttering can bring a more diverse analysis and move the field forward in scientific knowledge, however, it can also lead to fragmented and controversial views. Despite some lingering scientific consensus issues, there has been growing agreement among researchers that stuttering is a multifactorial disorder. Aim: To summarize and analyze previously published research considering stuttering as a dynamic disorder influenced by several factors. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive review which focuses on the development of stuttering, and the implications for the onset, manifestation, and chronicity of this disorder in school-age children who stutter. Results: Because of the ever-increasing literature in the area of stuttering, the review addresses assessment procedures and the perception of the impact of stuttering on children’s daily life. Conclusion: This comprehensive view contributes to an updated understanding of therapeutic and scientific factors to be considered in the evaluation and treatment of stuttering.
- Teachers' perceptions of the impact of stuttering on the daily life of their students who stutterPublication . Rocha, Mónica S.; Rato, Joana R.; Yaruss, J. ScottStuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving interruptions in the flow of speech. The reactions of listeners and others in a child's environment could affect how children perceive their stuttering. Children experience many of their everyday social situations in the school context. Because it might be hard for children who stutter to deal with communication in the school setting, it is essential to know how teachers perceive the impact of stuttering on their students. In this study, we collected data about teachers' perceptions of the impact of stuttering on Portuguese children who stutter using an adaptation of the European Portuguese translation of Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES-S-PT). Participants were 27 teachers and their students who stutter (n=27; mean age=9.0 mos., SD=1.8 mos.), recruited from different cities in Portugal. In general, teachers perceived the overall impact of stuttering in their students' lives as mild-to-moderate. Our results did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the teachers' perceptions of the impact of stuttering and the students' self-reports. Still, there was no statistically significant correlation between the students' impact scores and the teachers' impact scores. Teachers were unable to rate several items on the instrument, which indicates that they were unfamiliar with some aspects of the children's experiences with stuttering. This finding highlights the need to integrate teachers into therapy programs to increase support within the environment of for children who stutter.