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This article analyses the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and academic performance, controlling for the effects of IQ, personality, and self-concept dimensions. A sample of 290 preadolescents (11-12 years old) took part in the study. The instruments used were (a) Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire—Adolescents Short Form (TEIQue-ASF); (b) Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ; Form A, Part A); (c) IQ test TIDI-2; (d) Adaptation Questionnaire (CAI-1); and (e) academic performance. A positive and significant correlation coefficient between trait EI measured by the TEIQue-ASF and general academic performance was found. The TEIQue-ASF showed incremental validity to predict general academic performance, after controlling for intelligence, personality, and self-concept characteristics.

Some cognitive dimensions are internationally considered by psychologists to describe and to assess creativity. For example, (Guilford, P. (1976). Creatividad y Educación. Buenos Aires. Ed. Paidos) and (Torrance, E. P. (1977). Discovery and nurturance of giftedness in the culturally different. Reston, VA: Council on Exceptional Children) suggested fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration are the main cognitive processes used to define and assess creativity. However, data from several empirical studies did not confirm a factor structure in accordance with such cognitive functions, despite of the wide use of TTCT (Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) in different countries. In this paper, we present new data collected in Spain and Portugal with TTCT. According to our data, those cognitive functions supposedly present on a subject's performance are not so strong as to explain the variance in scores. Elaboration factors assume some variance explanation, but the main factors are identified with the products in each subtest, suggesting the importance of format, content and demand on TTCT specific tasks. Consequently, we suggest some reflections to amplify the debate concerning the definition of creativity and its evaluation in psychology.

ResumoResiliência é um construto que descreve a capacidade de um indivíduo superar, com relativo sucesso, condições adversas ou situações que envolvem risco ao seu bem-estar, desenvolvimento e saúde mental. Alguns pesquisadores da área interpretam essa definição como uma indicação de que a resiliência é similar a outras variáveis de ajustamento e presumem a sua estabilidade temporal. Isso leva sua avaliação a ser feita frequentemente através de escalas autoadministradas, por vezes questionáveis em termos de sua precisão e validade. Este artigo discute a abrangência e o histórico da resiliência psicológica e as várias formas de sua avaliação. Mais especificamente, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar argumentos contra a pertinência da utilização de escalas de autorrelato para a mensuração da resiliência, considerando-se o caráter relacional, processual e contextual desse construto. Para tanto, instrumentos disponíveis na literatura para avaliação da resiliência são revisados e discutidos, apontando orientações para a pesquisa na área. Palavras-chave: Resiliência, avaliação psicológica, mensuração. AbstractResilience is a construct which describes the capacity of individuals to overcome, with relative success, adverse conditions or risky situations to their well-being, development, and mental health. Some researchers interpret this definition as an indication that resilience is similar to some other adjustment variables and they assume that it presents temporal stability. Resilience is frequently assessed using self-report scales, which may also present validity and reliability problems. The present paper discusses the history and the comprehensiveness of psychological resilience and the different ways of evaluating it. More specifically, the objective of this study is to present arguments against the use of self-report scales to measure resilience, because of the relational, processual and contextual character of such construct. The main instruments available in the literature are reviewed and discussed and new directions for research in the area are suggested. Keywords: Resilience, psychological assessment, measuring.No campo das ciências comportamentais, o conceito de resiliência refere-se essencialmente a um processo de adaptação positiva diante de um contexto tipicamente desfavorável, no qual o indivíduo demonstra uma notá-vel capacidade de superação de condições adversas que representariam uma ameaça significativa ao seu bemestar, desenvolvimento ou saúde mental (Luthar, 2006;Masten, 2007;Rutter, 2006). Ao longo de décadas, o estudo científico da resiliência vem apresentando uma evolução considerável, marcada não apenas pela elaboração de fundamentos teóricos e princípios metodológicos, ou pela reunião de um amplo conjunto de evidências que suportam sua consolidação como um construto psicoló-gico de grande capacidade heurística na Psicologia, mas também pelo surgimento de vários questionamentos em torno das dimensões e das medidas relativas a esse construto (Masten & Obradovié, 2006). Tais questionamentos ac...

Usually, students learn more if the method of instruction matches their learning style. Since Physics and Chemistry deal with three-dimensional (3-D) objects, the ability to visualize and mentally manipulate shapes is very helpful in their learning. In fact, much of what Physics and Chemistry students know takes the form of images. However, little attention has been given to the pedagogical effectiveness of visual stimuli in those disciplines. Computers are being increasingly used as teaching tools. The new approaches include simulations, multimedia presentations and, more recently, virtual environments. Computer-based worlds are useful to visualize physical and chemical processes allowing for better conceptual understanding. Since 3-D virtual environments need to be explored and evaluated in science education, we have created a virtual environment (Virtual Water) for studying phases of matter, phase transitions and atomic orbitals at the final year of high school and first year of university levels. Based on that work, we discuss the implications of visual learning in designing strategies to cater for differences in learning modes. Our study indicates that 3-D virtual environments may help students with high spatial aptitude to acquire better conceptual understandings. However, only some parameters (interactivity, navigation and 3-D perception) have shown to be relevant and only for some topics. On the other hand, stereoscopic visualizations do not seem to be relevant, with the exception of crystalline structures.

Previous research into the relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement shows that despite differences in academic self-evaluation, students' global self-representations do not differ as a result of their grades at school. In this study, we will analyse the strategies that underachievers used to maintain their self-esteem at an acceptable level. The participants were 955 adolescents in the 7th, 9th and 11th grades at four secondary schools in Lisbon. Three hundred fifty-two of these students had retaken a year at least once in their school careers, whilst 603 had never done so. We collected the data using both a self-concept scale and a scale for evaluating attitudes towards school. Results show that self-esteem is maintained through positive self-representations in non-academic facets of self-concept and/or by devaluing school-related competences. They also show that younger students are less likely to maintain self-esteem by devaluing the school experience.Résumé Les travaux de recherche sur la relation entre l'estime de soi et les résultats scolaires montrent que les élèves ayant réussite scolaire ne présentent pas des autoreprésentations globales plus positives que les élèves en situation d'échec, malgré le fait que leurs autoreprésentations académiques soient différentes. Dans cette étude nous avons analysé les stratégies que les élèves en situation d'échec scolaire utilisent pour maintenir l'estime de soi dans des niveaux acceptables. Dans cette recherche ont participé 955 adolescents du 7ème, 9ème et 11ème années de scolarité, de quatre écoles d'enseignement secondaire de Lisbonne. De ceux ci, 352 ont redoublé au moins une fois dans leur passée scolaire, tandis que 603 n'ont jamais redoublé. Pour recueillir les données nous avons utilisé une échèle pour évaluer le concept de soi et une autre pour évaluer les attitudes par rapport à l'école. Les résultats montrent que les élèves maintiennent leur estime de soi à travers des autoreprésentations positives dans Eur J Psychol Educ (2010) 25:157-175 DOI 10.1007 des domaines non-académiques du concept de soi et/ou à travers la dévalorisation des compétences associés à l'école. Les résultats mettent, aussi, en évidence que chez les élèves plus jeunes l'estime de soi n'est pas maintenue à travers des stratégies qui font appel à une dévalorisation de l'expérience scolaire.