Diana Soares

Civic learning outcomes: a step towards an inclusive higher education

ABSTRACT An inclusive education goes beyond the acquisition of discipline knowledge or skills. Inclusion is concerned with the participation and integration of all students (regardless of their intrinsic characteristics), helping them to develop civic competences. Civic and democratic values, equality and social justice became critical dimensions in this broader concept of education. This paper argues that the incorporation of civic dimensions, such as civic knowledge, civic skills or civic values in academic curricula could be an effective step towards more inclusive education. Specifically, this work intends to explore what civic dimensions are emphasised as a learning outcome in Portuguese higher education programmes. Adopting a qualitative methodology, typologies and incidence of civic learning outcomes were analysed and compared across three academic levels (first, second and third study cycles). The results provide a better understanding of what civic dimensions are stressed by institutions. All types of civic learning outcomes have been reinforced, defining civic values, civic skills and civic knowledge as expectable learning results. Both civic values and skills are well represented while civic knowledge is the less mentioned category. The enforcement of such civic dimensions is a valuable approach to enhancing education as a collective societal endeavour and as a common good.

HIGHLIGHTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILLS IN ACADEMIC CURRICULA: “I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR”

The potential of young people to develop their own industrial, commercial or social projects and, thereby, to innovate and think “out-of-the-box” is, more than ever, understood as a survival skill to face the current socioeconomic context. Accordingly, since the beginning of the third millennium, the number of entrepreneurship education initiatives have growing fast. Entrepreneurship education is essential not only to shape the mind-sets of young people but also to provide the skills, knowledge and attitudes that are nuclear to developing an entrepreneurial culture. For higher education, this “new” challenge is particularly high, as the ultimate step in the academic career. Notwithstanding the importance given to entrepreneurship in higher education, some questions remain to explain. This paper intends to analyze how entrepreneurship is defined in the learning outcomes proposed in the new study programs submitted to quality accreditation in Portugal, since 2009. In the scope of a qualitative approach, the content of the learning outcomes was analyzed, distinguishing between technical and generic skills. In general, results reveal that entrepreneurship is fairly mentioned as softskill, however, encompassing a vast range of definitions. “To be aware of market opportunities to develop new ideas and new digital projects”, “to adopt a risk-taking posture in business”, or “to develop a sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness” are examples of how this skill is defined. A better understanding of the multiple definitions related to entrepreneurship skill is provided for our analysis and their multiple ways of implementation into practice is highlighted.

A diferenciação cognitiva na infância: um estudo de perfis cognitivos aos 5, 7 e 9 anos

Within the debate about whether intelligence is best defined by a general factor or specific skills, the hypothesis of cognitive differentiation gains relevance. Recent analyses have emphasized the importance of this issue in the investigation of cognitive skills and have highlighted its implications in education. This study examined the possibility that the differentiation of cognitive abilities may occur during childhood and investigated the moderating effect of Intelligence Quotient on the magnitude of the relationship between cognitive abilities. A battery of tests for assessing cognitive function was administered to 231 children aged 5, 7, and 9 years old, who were divided into three cognitive performance groups. The results of hierarchical cluster analysis and variance analysis indicate the lack of differentiation of cognitive functions during childhood. However, a more careful analysis suggests some differentiation supported by the heterogeneity of cognitive profiles among students with high Intelligence Quotient.