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- MULTIMODAL CREATIVITY AT THE SERVICE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN PORTUGAL: THE JASM PROJECTPublication . Costa Lopes, Ana Maria; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; Coutinho, Emília; Oliveira, Isabel; Pereira, José; Gillain, Romain; MOTA ROBOREDO AMANTE, FÁTIMA SUSANA; Fidalgo, Susana; Rocha Relvas, Susana; Delplancq, Véronique; JPBReviewThe JASM project used the Korsakow6 platform to produceStorytellingin foreign languages (FL), by students of the Media Studies degree course (Higher Education-HE) of the Escola Superior de Educação de Viseu(ESEV, Portugal).Objective: Look into the impact of non-linear digital narratives upon FL learning in HE, assessing the role of multimodal tools in fostering linguistic, cultural, and technological skills.Theoretical Framework: The study was grounded in active methodologies with a focus on integrating intercultural skills. Using new technologies is a catalyst forenhancing student motivation and autonomy.Method: The project, developed within the context of French and English, involved 25 voluntarily participating students attending the first year. Following language level tests, each group gathered information about the nationality and culture of migrants living in Viseu. Students conducted interviews and documented migrants’ life stories, traditions, using digital narratives. Final outputs included short films, social media posts, exhibitions, and an e-book. Results and Discussion: Students enhanced cognitive, emotional and aesthetic skills within collaborative environments, integrating experiences from multilingual and multicultural contexts with creative and multimodal abilities and increased autonomy and initiative. Challenges were identified, highlighting the need for ongoing teacher training.Research Implications: This project showed how digital and active pedagogies can foster the development of FL and intercultural competencies in HE students.Originality/Value: This study provides for an innovative approach relying on multimodal technologies for teaching FL in HE. The transformative potential of digital narratives as an impactful pedagogical tool is highlighted.
- Preliminary Study and Pre-Validation in Portugal of New Farmers’ Mindfulness and Life Satisfaction Scale (FMLSS)Publication . Morais, Artur; de Pinho Ferreira Guiné, Raquel; Costa, Cristina Amaro da; Magalhães, CátiaBackground/Objective: Besides the common risks associated with agriculture, recently, there has been growing concern about the impact of agriculture on farmers’ mental health, due to high stress levels, depression, anxiety, and increasing rates of suicide, especially complex considering that many of these farmers are older people. The potential of the practice of mindfulness to minimize mental health problems and improve people’s sense of well-being has been studied in recent decades, although there is a dearth of literature related to farmer populations. This study aimed to correlate the presence of mindfulness traits with general life quality and well-being and assess the levels of mindfulness and life satisfaction among family farmers, as well as to evaluate which characteristics might be associated with them. Method: The sample was composed of 30 farmers from the region of Viseu—Portugal, who were randomly selected for a survey consisting of an adaptation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), with some new items specific to the context of agriculture. A proposed Farmers’ Mindfulness and Life Satisfaction Scale (FMLSS) was validated through factor analysis and internal reliability analysis. Result: The results showed a relatively high average score for the 10 items of the mindfulness scale (4.23 ± 0.56) and the global sum of scores for the 5 items of the life satisfaction scale (26.67 ± 4.76). Factor analysis revealed six factors, globally explaining 77% of the variance, with values of alpha varying from 0.640 to 0.874. The FMLSS was validated with 19 items of the 20 initially considered (α = 0.672). Cluster analysis revealed two typologies of participants, “Pleased” and “Accommodated” family farmers. These two clusters had global values for the FMLSS of 5.19 ± 0.51 and 4.37 ± 0.59, with the higher value obtained for the “Pleased” family farmers, who were mostly of male gender and worked more hours per week and whose agricultural activities had higher significance for their family income. Conclusions: Overall, we observed a relatively high level of mindfulness and satisfaction with life among family farmers. This suggests the importance of future research on mental health among family farmers.
- Analysis of Governance models for sustainable and healthy food systemsPublication . Florença, Sofia de Guiné e; Amaral, Ana Luísa; Costa, Filipa; Guiné, Raquel; Costa, Cristina Amaro daSustainable food systems are systems that safeguard economic, social and environmental sustainability by fomenting social progress, promoting efficient management of natural resources, providing nutritious food and ensuring fair compensation for all actors in the food chain. In recent years, several initiatives worldwide have been created to ensure and promote the sustainability of the current food systems. These initiatives aim to enable people to have access to quality, nutritious and sustainable foods, combat social and economic inequalities and promote synergies between consumers and producers. To promote these initiatives is crucial in order to contribute to improved food consumption and production patterns towards more nutritive and sustainable foods. The objective of this research was to identify and characterize sustainable food initiatives in order to understand their structure, model of governance, motivations, typology of actors involved and future prospects. This investigation was based on an interview guide that was applied to the managers or those responsible for the sustainable initiatives related with the food system. Seven initiatives were included, and the semi- structured interviews were carried out online during the summer of 2024. The recorded interviews were transcribed, and the content analysed. The results obtained by the interviews showed that the principal motivators are related to food and sustainability, in all three, economic, environmental and social, dimensions. It was further identified that the most important cause of success was the availability and commitment of the people involved in the initiative. The seven initiatives analysed were implemented to meet local needs, both of producers and consumers, while promoting sustainability. Furthermore, they aimed at encouraging economic circularity, transference and sharing of knowledge, valorisation of local and rural resources, and management of food waste. These aspects contribute to more efficient and eco-friendly local food supply chains, providing the consumers with fresher and heathier food products. The existence of local or nationwide initiatives related with the sustainability of food system contribute to a more efficient use of natural resources in order to obtain healthy, sustainable and fair food products, that the modern consumers tend to value in search for a more friendly co-existence between the necessity to produce food and the recognized need to preserve the natural ecosystems.