Papers by Alexandra Costa
Investigação e Intervenção em Recursos Humanos, 2014
Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a satisfação no trabalho dos colaboradores ... more Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar a satisfação no trabalho dos colaboradores do Instituto Politécnico do Porto e o seu impacto na perceção da qualidade de vida relacionada com saúde. Participaram no estudo 158 colaboradores de todas as unidades orgânicas do IPP. Os questionários Warr Cook, para avaliar o grau de satisfação no trabalho, e o MOS SF-36, para avaliar a perceção da qualidade de vida relacionada com a saúde, foram preenchidos num único momento. Os resultados indicam que a satisfação no trabalho influenciou de forma significativa a maioria das dimensões da perceção da qualidade de vida relacionada com a saúde, tendo apresentado valores de correlação forte nas dimensões dor física, função social, desempenho emocional, saúde mental e saúde mental global. Considerando os resultados obtidos é possível concluir que a satisfação no trabalho influencia fortemente a perceção das dimensões mentais e dor.
Given the importance of students’ academic engagement, and the need for its assessment, this pape... more Given the importance of students’ academic engagement, and the need for its assessment, this paper examines the internal and external validity of a scale with a sample of engineering students. Participants included 360 students who completed the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI). The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis replicated the three-dimensional structure of the questionnaire (Behavioral Engagement, Emotional Engagement, and Cognitive Engagement) with this sample of students, obtaining reliability coefficients ranging from .61 to .80 for the three dimensions. In terms of external validity, only the emotional dimension is related with students’ intention to dropout, while the behavioral dimension is the only one with a statistically significant impact on students’ academic performance.
Title: Psychometric properties of the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire for the assessment of fi... more Title: Psychometric properties of the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire for the assessment of first-year university studentsexpectations. Abstract: This paper aims to test the psychometric validity and reliability of a measure of first-year university students' expectations, based on a mul- tidimensional conception of expectations. The sample consisted of 759 first-year students, attending various academic degrees at the Universities of Vigo - Ourense and University of Minho. The value Mdn age was 19, with only 5.3% with ages above 23 years. Participants answered a set of 56 items based on seven different dimensions of expectations. Results of con- firmatory factor analysis, were carried out with LISREL. Factorial validity, and factors' convergent and discriminant validity were assured. These re- sults, along with evidences reliability, suggest that the Academic Percep- tions Questionnaire presents a final structure composed of seven expecta- tion dimensions, including 42 i...
Es durante el tiempo libre que el trabajador tiene oportunidad de rehacerse de las experiencias d... more Es durante el tiempo libre que el trabajador tiene oportunidad de rehacerse de las experiencias de estres a que estuvieron sujetos durante su trabajo. Es en estos periodos que los individuos, alejados de las exigencias de su cotidiano profesional, tienen la posibilidad de recuperar los recursos gastados durante la semana. Esta recuperacion produce influencia sobre el individuo, en especial en su salud, calidad de vida y desempeno profesional. Con este trabajo teniamos como principal objetivo evaluar de que forma las estrategias de recuperacion de recursos utilizadas durante el fin de semana y el final de la tarde influencian las fluctuaciones del estado de recuperacion matinal, y este influencia el desempeno profesional en la semana siguiente. Mas especificamente, pretendiamos por un lado, identificar las estrategias (distanciamiento psicologico, estrategias orientadas al relajamiento, estrategias orientadas al aprendizaje, percepcion de control y calidad y cantidad de sueno) que co...
Academic expectations are recognized as an important variable for students’ adjustment and academ... more Academic expectations are recognized as an important variable for students’ adjustment and academic success. This importance is higher for first year students, because they often present initial expectations that may not be met. Aiming at identifying these initial expectations, this study presents and analyses the profile of first year students’ academic expectations. The sample included 719 students attending different undergraduate programs at University of Vigo Campus of Ourense, and at University of Minho. Participants completed the Academic Perceptions questionnaire (APq). Analyses were based on students’ nationality and study domain (scientific, juridical-social, technological). Results show that Portuguese students present higher expectations, in general, which shows they attribute a higher value to their access to University. On the other hand, and regarding the seven dimensions of assessed expectations, we can see that this difference in average scores is not structural, be...
Developing Technology Mediation in Learning Environments, 2020
Technology plays an important role in everyday life and can be used in education. Video is a sour... more Technology plays an important role in everyday life and can be used in education. Video is a source of material that can play an important role in the teaching and learning field. Using videos engages students, aids student retention of knowledge, motivates interest in the subject matter, and illustrates the relevance of many concepts. In this chapter, the authors describe two teaching experiences involving videos, where the students made a video about solving a concrete mathematical problem. In this video, the students should explain the problem resolution to their colleagues (playing the role of teacher). The results of the impact of this kind of project in the students' motivation are also presented.
Competitive Drivers for Improving Future Business Performance, 2021
The subject of leadership has been addressed by many authors in numerous publications. Neverthele... more The subject of leadership has been addressed by many authors in numerous publications. Nevertheless, the focus has been more on the relationship of middle leaders with their employees than on the role of the strategic leader for the performance of organizations. In this chapter, the authors focus on the importance of top leadership, trying to demonstrate its crucial contribution to organizations. They give special importance to the role of the leader in a changing context characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – The VUCA environment. They define strategic leadership and highlight its impact on organizational results at the individual, team, and organizational levels. They end by addressing the ethical implications of strategic leadership, which has been given relatively little attention by researchers.
Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 2018
Resumen Este estudio presenta los resultados de una investigación sobre expectativas académicas d... more Resumen Este estudio presenta los resultados de una investigación sobre expectativas académicas de estudiantes universitarios de primer año de Enseñanza Superior (ES) pertenecientes al norte de Portugal y noroeste de España. Su objetivo es replicar las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento utilizado obtenidas con una versión anterior del mismo. La muestra está integrada por 1.268 estudiantes de primer año de ES con edades comprendidas entre los 17 y 52 años (Mdn = 18, siendo de más de 23 años el 7.4%).
European Journal of Engineering Education, 2018
ABSTRACT This paper intends to present an interdisciplinary project carried out in a School of En... more ABSTRACT This paper intends to present an interdisciplinary project carried out in a School of Engineering, and to refer to its effects in the development of students’ skills. This project’s main goal was to present students with an intellectually demanding challenge which implied overcoming the disciplinary barriers thus integrating knowledge to solve the problems they were challenged with. After the project had been concluded, a study was carried out using a qualitative methodology by conducting two focus groups (n = 16). The main goal of this procedure was to get a better perception of (1) how students understood the project; (2) what kind of skills students considered to have developed throughout the project, and (3) the importance they have attributed to this kind of project. The results demonstrate that students are aware of the relevance of the project not only for their education process but also for the development of their skills. The results of the study also reveal that the students involved in the project have been capable of identifying the specific skills that the project work had intended to address and develop.
Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal, 2017
This paper is an extension of work originally presented at the 2 nd International Conference of t... more This paper is an extension of work originally presented at the 2 nd International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education and aims to describe an interdisciplinarity teaching experiment involving three subjects of the scientific area of Mathematics and a fourth one in the area of Management. Using only one project, the students developed skills, in an integrated way, in the fields of the subjects involved. The structure of the project is described in detail. It is shown how the knowledge obtained in the different subjects is needed and how it connects together to answer the proposed challenges. We report the progress of the students' work, the main difficulties and the skills developed during this process. We conclude with a reflection on the main problems and gains that may arise in similar projects.
2016 2nd International Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (CISPEE), 2016
In this work, we describe an interdisciplinary teaching experiment involving three subjects of th... more In this work, we describe an interdisciplinary teaching experiment involving three subjects of the scientific area of Mathematics and a fourth one in the area of Management. Using only one project, the students developed skills, in an integrated way, in the fields of the subjects involved. The structure of the project is described in detail. It is shown how the knowledge obtained in the different subjects is needed and how it connects together to answer the proposed challenges. We report the progress of the students' work, the main difficulties and the skills developed during this process. We conclude with a reflection on the main problems and gains that may arise in projects of this kind.
International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD de Psicología., 2017
La entrada en la Enseñanza Superior (ES) presenta a los estudiantes diversas exigencias y oportun... more La entrada en la Enseñanza Superior (ES) presenta a los estudiantes diversas exigencias y oportunidades, derivadas de sus necesidades de afrontamiento de metas educativas, de regulación de su aprendizaje, de gestión del tiempo de estudio y ocio, de participación en el campus y en las aulas y de representación estudiantil, en un contexto de mayor desarrollo y de autonomía tanto personal como social y emocional. De entre el amplio conjunto de variables psicosociales y contextuales que pueden estar relacionadas con las experiencias de este proceso de adaptación, las expectativas académicas de los estudiantes en el primer año de ES constituyen el centro de interés de este simposio. Poco más de la mitad (57 %) de los estudiantes de primer año a tiempo completo se gradúan en 4 años, siendo a veces necesarios hasta 6 años para conseguirlo. El porcentaje de abandono de los estudios se produce fundamentalmente durante el primer año de estudio en la ES. Los estudiantes que abandonan sin final...
International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD de Psicología., 2016
Self-efficacy reflects the belief that the individual has in his/her own capabilities to organize... more Self-efficacy reflects the belief that the individual has in his/her own capabilities to organize and execute actions that are needed to accomplish certain goals. On the other hand, Engagement refers to a positive psychological and motivational state, which is associated with individual well-being. This investigation aims to examine the relationship between these two variables, presenting the hypothesis that there is a positive association between self-efficacy and engagement, of engineering students in Higher Education. The sample was composed of 361 students (M = 20.54; SD = 4.24). Self-efficacy and engagement assessment was conducted through a questionnaire administered to students in classroom. Results show a positive and significant association between the variables, being the strongest association between the behavioral dimension of engagement and self-efficacy, which are, in turn, positively associated with academic performance variables. In this study we present and discuss these results and their implications for psychological research and practice.
Revista Portuguesa de Educação, 2015
Com a expansão do acesso ao Ensino Superior, nas últimas décadas assistimos a uma maior heterogen... more Com a expansão do acesso ao Ensino Superior, nas últimas décadas assistimos a uma maior heterogeneidade de estudantes neste nível de ensino. Uma das variáveis que importa considerar na análise dos perfis de estudantes universitários são as suas expectativas académicas, uma vez que as mesmas estão associadas a níveis diferentes de envolvimento,permanência e sucesso escolar. Foi administrado um questionário de expectativas a uma amostra de 717 estudantes do 1º ano, portugueses e espanhóis, avaliando sete dimensões: i) Formação para o emprego e carreira;ii) Desenvolvimento pessoal e social; iii) Mobilidade internacional; iv)Envolvimento político e cidadania; v) Pressão social; vi) Qualidade da formação; e vii) Interação social. Os resultados foram analisados em função do país, do sexo e de os estudantes serem ou não de primeira geração (senenhum dos pais possui frequência do ES). As análises mostram que, de um modo geral, os estudantes espanhóis apresentam expectativas académicas mais ...
Revista De Peruana De Psicologia Y Trabajo Social, 2013
Educação (CIEd) financiado por Fundos FEDER através do Programa Operacional Factores de Competiti... more Educação (CIEd) financiado por Fundos FEDER através do Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade-COMPETE e por Fundos Nacionais através da FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, incluindo a bolsa de pós-doutoramento da FCT de Alexandra Araújo (SFRH/BPD/85856/2012). Correspondência 1º autor. Rua Dr.
Procedia Technology, 2014
Culture is understood as the sharing of history, beliefs, ideologies, traditions and language sys... more Culture is understood as the sharing of history, beliefs, ideologies, traditions and language systems. Some authors report that there is a strong relation between national culture and the way projects are managed, and specifically, in the way professionals value and perform project planning and control activities. Furthermore, the relevance of these activities for project success is reported in the literature. Supported in these assumptions, we developed this research to better understand the relation between project success and the importance given to project planning and control. A study with 634 professionals involved in project management or development was conducted to assess project success and to assess the importance given to project planning and control. Results show a positive (although weak) relation between these factors, reinforcing the need to foster a culture focused on attitudes and practices that contribute to project success, such as planning and control, particularly in countries where these attitudes and practices are poorly valued. Other studies must be conducted to extend these conclusions.
International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD de Psicología., 2016
Among the wide range of personal and contextual variables that may be associated with difficultie... more Among the wide range of personal and contextual variables that may be associated with difficulties in students' access to higher education (HE), academic expectations will be the focus of this study. Academic expectations represent what students hope to accomplish and achieve in their academic life. The sample was formed by 372 first-year Higher Education students, of both sexes, and with ages ranging from 17 to 57 years old. These students completed the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire (QPA), which assesses seven dimensions of academic expectations. Data analysis considers students´ gender, scientific domain of studies (social sciences and humanities, science and technology) and the levels of parental education (parents concluded or not HE studies). Results suggest more differentiation of academic expectations in function of students´ gender and parentsé ducational level. This communication presents and discusses these results, and possible justifications and implications.
Studies in Higher Education, 2016
Based on a multidimensional definition of academic expectations (AEs), the authors examine studen... more Based on a multidimensional definition of academic expectations (AEs), the authors examine students' AE component scores across countries and genders. Two samples (343 Portuguese and 358 Spanish students) completed the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire (APQ) six months after enrolling in their universities. Factorial invariance was ensured across countries and genders, allowing us to study AEs using the APQ for both genders and in both countries. No significant differences in factor means were found between countries, indicating that AEs are not an obstacle to student mobility. Gender differences were found in some AE factor means, Training for employment, Personal and social development, Student mobility, Political engagement and citizenship, and Social pressure, with males exhibiting higher scores. Because these differences are not supported by most literature in this domain, further studies are needed to clarify the causes of women's lower expectations and, therefore, risk of adaptation difficulties.
Revista E Psi Revista Eletronica De Psicologia Educacao E Saude, Jun 1, 2014
Este estudo procura evidências de validade interna (através do estudo da dimensionalidade) e exte... more Este estudo procura evidências de validade interna (através do estudo da dimensionalidade) e externa (através do estudo das relações com a preparação académica prévia, opção do curso, e certeza na escolha) do questionário. A amostra é constituída por 316 estudantes do primeiro ano (50.3% homens; M idade =18.32; DP=0.92), que ingressam pela primeira vez no Ensino Superior. Os resultados sugerem que os estudantes reportam as suas expectativas em seis das sete dimensões propostas originalmente no questionário, observando-se correlações entre dimensões específicas das expectativas e duas variáveis critério usadas no estudo (preparação académica prévia e certeza na escolha). Estes resultados, no seu conjunto, sugerem a adequação do QPA-E para a avaliação e descrição das motivações e aspirações com que os estudantes acedem ao Ensino Superior.
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Papers by Alexandra Costa