Gamification, defined as the integration of videogame components to promote a gameful experience, is increasingly being implemented in education with the aim of enhancing students' engagement and motivation. Accordingly, since 2010 it has constituted an area of growing interest for researchers and teachers. Following PRISMA 2020's methodology, a systematic review (SR) was conducted in November 2022 seeking to explore the influence of gamification strategies on students' motivation to learn. Having identified 548 articles, 40 studies were chosen based on the selection criteria set and analyzed to reveal that game elements such as points, badges and rankings are widely used to motivate students. From a theoretical perspective, gamification studies focus on the dichotomy of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The results suggest a positive influence of gamification strategies on students' motivation, although in the long run, such motivation can decline. Furthermore, the influence of a novelty effect and extrinsic rewards on motivation is identified, which can lead to greater motivation in the short term, followed by a decrease with further exposure to gamification. Future studies should focus on the influence of students' individual traits (e.g., gaming experience, openness to competition and cooperation) on gamification strategies. Moreover, long-term exposure to gamification as well as the novelty effect should be explored.

Perceived social support has often been investigated due to its direct and indirect effects in reducing the impact of several risk factors on physical and psychological well-being. Moreover, many studies have revealed a link between social support and positive parenting, which in turn has an impact on children’s well-being. In Portugal, there is a significant lack of studies in this area. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between parents’ perceived social support and children’s psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 409 parents (83.13% mothers) living in the region of Algarve (South of Portugal). The Duke-UNC Functional Social Support and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires were used. The results showed that, on average, families had a social support network of nine people, with a balanced presence of family (M = 4.25, SD = 3.54) and friends (M = 4.36, SD = 3.17). Parents reported medium-high levels of confidant and affective support, but instrumental support was lower. However, single-parent families, immigrant families, and divorced parents were found to be more socially isolated and received less support than they needed. Affective social support showed predictive value for child psychological adjustment. These findings suggest that developing universal and selective parental education and support programs that focus on strengthening informal social support networks is needed, especially for vulnerable families. Implications for social workers who intervene with families are discussed.

RESUMO: Os estudantes com deficiência podem enfrentar inúmeros obstáculos e desafios ao acessar o Ensino Superior (ES) e tentar ter sucesso nele. Os Serviços de Apoio para Estudantes com Deficiência nas universidades desempenham um papel importante no fornecimento de apoio direto e indireto para esses estudantes. Este artigo apresenta as perspectivas dos Coordenadores dos Serviços de Apoio no que diz respeito à prestação de serviços a estudantes com esta condição, descrevendo as suas características, dificuldades e desafios. Os dados foram coletados em 62 instituições universitárias públicas do Brasil e de Portugal por meio de questionário desenvolvido para esse fim. Apesar das demandas enfrentadas pelos Serviços de Apoio para Estudantes com Deficiência, os sinais de bom progresso no apoio a estes estudantes estão aumentando. Embora os serviços desempenhem um papel importante, uma autonomia mínima e dificuldades significativas permanecem em vários domínios de gestão e intervenção. São discutidas as mudanças e adaptações necessárias no apoio a estes estudantes nas universidades, considerando as consequências significativas da inclusão e do sucesso para os estudantes com deficiência. Políticas inclusivas baseadas na equidade e igualdade de oportunidades e mais recursos são necessários para garantir os direitos de todos os estudantes no Ensino Superior.

Parenting sense of competence refers to parents’ perception about their ability to perform the parenting role, one of the key dimensions in family dynamics. This construct is even more important in families at psychosocial risk, where the exercise of parenting can be more challenging. The Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) is a self-report measure that aims to assesses one’s perceived efficacy and satisfaction with parenting. In this cross-sectional and instrumental study, we aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the PSOC among a Portuguese sample of community (n = 205) and at-psychological-risk (n = 273) parents. Participants completed the PSOC, the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Parenting Stress Index, and the Parenting Alliance Inventory. Results from confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor revised model obtained the best fit, with some items being removed. Our data confirmed that the PSOC has good psychometric properties, with acceptable reliability and validity and measurement invariance across the community and the at-risk samples. Findings of this psychometric exploration provided evidence that the PSOC is a reliable measure of easy application and interpretation for assessing the perceived competence of Portuguese parents.

Family support encompasses a wide variety of professionals, sectors, and intervention paradigms that make it difficult to systematize and standardize the skills needed by the family support workforce. The present study aimed to describe the relevant skills of professionals, organize the main skills into different categories, and contribute to the development of intervention standardization guidelines in the field of family support. So, a systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The search was carried out in five databases and included the analysis of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, and all studies were qualitatively assessed. Of the initial 3334 articles identified, 59 studies were included, and four categories were identified: professionals’ qualities, essential skills common to all professions and contexts, specific knowledge, and theoretical approaches necessary for family support. Most of the studies were from the United Kingdom, qualitative, published in the last 10 years, used small samples, and included a specific group of professionals. The included studies did not specify whether some skills or characteristics were considered more effective in practice, and they had bias issues related to social desirability. The implications for family support practice are discussed, as well as the gaps to be covered in future studies.

Marital satisfaction is a key construct in the assessment of a couple’s relationship, and it encompasses aspects such as the feelings of affection, trust, and companionship that arise from the exchanges between spouses. The ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS) Scale has been widely used as a reliable measure to assess marital satisfaction. In the present study, we aimed to analyze the psychometric properties and the factor structure of the EMS Scale in a sample of Portuguese parents. A total of 205 mothers and fathers participated; 107 were women (52%), and 98 were men (48%), and the mean age was 38.39 years (SD = 5.85). The majority were two-parent families (89.3%), with children between the ages of 1 and 13 years (M = 6.90), 53% of whom were boys. The participants completed the EMS Scale together with the Parenting Stress Index Short Form and the Parenting Alliance Inventory. The results from a confirmatory factor analysis corroborate the two-dimensional structure of the instrument, with internal validity and reliability values that were suitable for application in the Portuguese population. The EMS Scale can be an important resource, with good psychometric quality, for professionals and researchers, which can be used in assessment and intervention programs, both at the individual and couple levels.