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O presente trabalho insere-se no âmbito do emergente campo científico da Neurociência Educacional (também conhecida como Neuroeducação) e está organizado em duas principais abordagens, nas quais se estudam duas populações diferentes. A primeira abordagem subscreve a recomendação internacional sobre a importância de adotar uma visão da neurociência educacional para resolver alguns dos problemas educacionais. Nesta linha, uma pesquisa nacional foi realizada para analisar o conhecimento neurocientífico dos professores e as suas percepções sobre o significado da “ponte” entre a neurociência e a educação. Assim, dois estudos originais foram projetados para fornecer informação sobre o conhecimento dos professores e as suas crenças sobre o recente campo científico da neurociência educacional. Neste caso, a amostra coletada foi junto de professores do ensino pré-escolar ao ensino secundário [Estudo 1: Amostra com 627 professores de diferentes áreas de especialização com idades entre 25 e 65 anos (M = 41, DP = 9); Estudo 2: Participaram 583 professores com idades entre 25 e 61 anos (M = 41, DP = 9)]. A segunda abordagem refere-se à avaliação neuropsicológica e aborda um dos principais problemas atribuídos pela comunidade científica – os escassos instrumentos de medida (adaptados para o Português) para avaliar vários domínios neuropsicológicos. Três estudos experimentais foram realizados e um protocolo de avaliação neuropsicológica foi desenvolvido para este fim. Funções executivas, memória de trabalho visual-espacial, contagem dos dedos, percepção de pequenas quantidades sem proceder à contagem (subitizing) e a habilidade de usar funcionalmente os dedos e de os representar mentalmente (finger gnosis) foram os domínios trabalhados, a partir dos quais foram analisadas as suas relações com as competências matemáticas emergentes. Aqui, a população estudada foram crianças com idade pré-escolar [Estudo 3: Amostra composta por 137 crianças dos 3 aos 5 anos (M = 60, DP = 9; em meses); Estudo 4: Os participantes foram 30 crianças com 5 anos de idade ( 60-71 meses, M = 68, DP = 2.78 ); Estudo 5: Participaram 35 crianças com 5 anos de idade (M = 67.26, DP = 5.43), em meses]. Cada grupo de estudos experimentais, ou seja, os estudos correspondentes a cada abordagem, foram precedidos por revisões de literatura. Assim, são três os objetivos estruturais desta tese doutoral: (i) determinar se as perspectivas dos professores sobre a relação entre neurociência e educação (e seu conhecimento neurocientífico) dá a este campo científico a importância merecida (Estudos 1&2), (ii) adaptar para o Português o teste The Shape School para a sua utilização com crianças pré-escolares (Estudo 3), (iii) determinar se as capacidades matemáticas emergentes (pelo sistema do número aproximado e pelo conhecimento numérico) de crianças com idade pré-escolar é facilitada pelas funções executivas, memória de trabalho visuo-espacial, contagem de dedos, subitizing e a habilidade de usar funcionalmente os dedos (Estudos 4&5). Quanto aos resultados obtidos, na primeira abordagem, os estudos 1 e 2 fornecem evidências do interesse dos professores e do seu reconhecimento sobre o potencial da investigação neurocientífica na educação. No entanto, verificou-se também uma lacuna entre este interesse demonstrado e a proficiência na interpretação de informação científica, uma vez que os professores mostraram dificuldade em distinguir mitos de factos neurocientíficos. Os mitos “inteligências múltiplas”, “ensino dirigido aos estilos de aprendizagem (modelo VAK-Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthesic)” e “lado esquerdo do cérebro contra o lado direito do cérebro” foram os mais prevalentes. Os estudos desenvolvidos destacaram a importância de um processo de translação para que professores e neurocientistas possam colaborar. Em relação à avaliação neuropsicológica, ou seja, a segunda abordagem aqui tratada, os resultados do estudo 3 permitiram obter a adaptação Portuguesa do teste The Shape School que se revelou adequado para utilização quer em investigação, quer em contextos educacionais e clínicos. Com os estudos 4 e 5 identificaram-se os componentes que se relacionam com as competências matemáticas emergentes, destacando-se as funções executivas, subitizing e finger gnosis como preditores do conhecimento numérico. Assim, os vários estudos realizados neste âmbito suportam a necessidade de avaliação precoce dos domínios neuropsicológicos analisados, visto que parecem contribuir para uma melhor caracterização das competências matemáticas emergentes em crianças com idade pré-escolar. Considerando todos os resultados no seu conjunto, as conclusões destacam a necessidade de validade científica para a reforma do ensino, em geral, e para a educação da matemática, em particular, sob o campo da neurociência educacional
The present work falls within the emerging field of Educational Neuroscience and is organized around two main approaches, studying two different populations. The first approach subscribes the international recommendation concerning the importance to adopt an educational neuroscience view to solving some of the educational problems. In this line, a national research was conducted to analyse the teacher’s neuroscientific knowledge and their perceptions about the “neuroscience-education bridge” meaning. Thus, two original researches were designed to analyse the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs concerning educational neuroscience. In this case, the sample collected was the Portuguese teachers from preschool to high school [Study 1: Sample with 627 teachers with ages ranged between 25 and 65 years (M=41; SD=9); Study 2: Participated 583 teachers from different areas of expertise, aged between 25 and 61 years (M=41; SD=9)]. The second approach refers to the neuropsychological assessment and addresses one of the main problems assigned by the research community – the few tools (adapted to Portuguese) to evaluate several neuropsychological domains. Three experimental studies were performed and a neuropsychological assessment protocol was developed for this purpose. Executive functions, visual-spatial working memory, finger counting, finger gnosis and subitizing were the studied domains, which were then correlated with early number knowledge. Here, the population studied was the Portuguese preschool-aged children [Study 3: Sample composed of 137 children from 3 to 5 years (M=60; SD=9; in months); Study 4: Participants were 30 children with 5 years-old (60-71 months; M=68, SD=2.78); Study 5: Collected 35 children with 5 years-old (M=67.26, SD=5.43), in months]. Each group of experimental studies, i.e., concerning each approach, were preceded by literature reviews. Therefore, the structural goals of this thesis are threefold: (i) determine whether the Portuguese teachers’ perspectives on the relationship between neuroscience and education (and their neuroscientific knowledge) gives to this field the significance deserved (Studies 1&2); (ii) adapt The Shape School test for the use of Portuguese preschoolers (Study 3); (iii) determine whether the emergent mathematical ability (by the approximate number system and the number knowledge) of Portuguese preschoolers is facilitated by the executive functions, visual-spatial working memory, finger counting, subitizing and finger gnosis (Studies 4&5). Concerning the findings, in the first approach, present studies provide evidence of the teachers’ interest and acknowledge of the potential of neuroscientific information in education, but also found a gap between their interest and proficiency in the interpretation of scientific information, since they showed difficulty of distinguishing myths from facts. Regarding the neuropsychological assessment, i.e., the second approach discussed here, the current studies support the need for early assessment of the components abilities analysed, which seem to contribute to a better characterisation of emerging numeracy skills in preschoolers. Taken all together, the conclusions highlight the need of scientific validity for reforming education, in general, and mathematics education, in particular, under the field of educational neuroscience
The present work falls within the emerging field of Educational Neuroscience and is organized around two main approaches, studying two different populations. The first approach subscribes the international recommendation concerning the importance to adopt an educational neuroscience view to solving some of the educational problems. In this line, a national research was conducted to analyse the teacher’s neuroscientific knowledge and their perceptions about the “neuroscience-education bridge” meaning. Thus, two original researches were designed to analyse the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs concerning educational neuroscience. In this case, the sample collected was the Portuguese teachers from preschool to high school [Study 1: Sample with 627 teachers with ages ranged between 25 and 65 years (M=41; SD=9); Study 2: Participated 583 teachers from different areas of expertise, aged between 25 and 61 years (M=41; SD=9)]. The second approach refers to the neuropsychological assessment and addresses one of the main problems assigned by the research community – the few tools (adapted to Portuguese) to evaluate several neuropsychological domains. Three experimental studies were performed and a neuropsychological assessment protocol was developed for this purpose. Executive functions, visual-spatial working memory, finger counting, finger gnosis and subitizing were the studied domains, which were then correlated with early number knowledge. Here, the population studied was the Portuguese preschool-aged children [Study 3: Sample composed of 137 children from 3 to 5 years (M=60; SD=9; in months); Study 4: Participants were 30 children with 5 years-old (60-71 months; M=68, SD=2.78); Study 5: Collected 35 children with 5 years-old (M=67.26, SD=5.43), in months]. Each group of experimental studies, i.e., concerning each approach, were preceded by literature reviews. Therefore, the structural goals of this thesis are threefold: (i) determine whether the Portuguese teachers’ perspectives on the relationship between neuroscience and education (and their neuroscientific knowledge) gives to this field the significance deserved (Studies 1&2); (ii) adapt The Shape School test for the use of Portuguese preschoolers (Study 3); (iii) determine whether the emergent mathematical ability (by the approximate number system and the number knowledge) of Portuguese preschoolers is facilitated by the executive functions, visual-spatial working memory, finger counting, subitizing and finger gnosis (Studies 4&5). Concerning the findings, in the first approach, present studies provide evidence of the teachers’ interest and acknowledge of the potential of neuroscientific information in education, but also found a gap between their interest and proficiency in the interpretation of scientific information, since they showed difficulty of distinguishing myths from facts. Regarding the neuropsychological assessment, i.e., the second approach discussed here, the current studies support the need for early assessment of the components abilities analysed, which seem to contribute to a better characterisation of emerging numeracy skills in preschoolers. Taken all together, the conclusions highlight the need of scientific validity for reforming education, in general, and mathematics education, in particular, under the field of educational neuroscience
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Keywords
Neurociência educacional Neuromitos Professores Avaliação neuropsicológica Funções executivas Numeracia emergente Crianças de idade pré-escolar Educational neuroscience Neuromyths Teachers’ beliefs Neuropsychological assessment Executive functions Emergent math skills Preschool aged children