Psychological Assessment and Intervention in Educational Contexts

Code:

PEDH01

Acronym:

AIPCE

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
CNAEF	Psychology

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree in Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MPSI	26	Plano de Estudos 2021	1	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Português

Objectives

This course aims to provide students with theoretical and practical knowledge about psychological assessment and intervention in an educational context, as well as personal, social, and ethical skills for the practice of psychological intervention in educational contexts.

Learning outcomes and competences

To know and critically analyze concepts and theoretical perspectives that frame psychological assessment and intervention in educational contexts

To know the educational system and the legal documents that frame the practice of school psychology

To know different models and strategies for psycho-educational assessment and intervention and understand their contribution to teaching and learning from an inclusive perspective

To plan psycho-educational interventions at different levels and in different contexts

To identify relevant research in the field of psychological assessment and intervention in educational contexts

To develop personal, social, and ethical skills essential to the practice of psychological intervention in educational contexts

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Previous learning and contents during the 3 years of graduation are considered prerequisites, especially those acquired in Educational Psychology.

Program

1. Theoretical perspectives that frame psychological assessment and intervention in educational contexts. Principles and levels of intervention: Working with students, teachers, schools, families, and the community.
2. Education system: Legislation and structuring documents. Inclusive education, autonomy, and curricular flexibility.
3. The educational psychologist: profile, functions, and competencies.
4. Assessment and intervention in an educational context: Psycho-educational assessment. The Response to Intervention Model (RtI). The Whole School Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) approach.
5. Assessment and development of quality in educational contexts. Conceptual models: from early childhood education to secondary education.

Mandatory literature

Meece, J. & Eccles, J.; Handbook of research in schools, Schooling and Human Development, New York: Routledge, 2010

Complementary Bibliography

Schiefer, U., Bal-Dobel, L., Batista, A., Dobel, R., Nogueira, J., & Teixeira, P; Mapa: Manual de planeamento e avaliação de projectos, Lisboa: Editora Principia, 2006
Berliner, D.& Calfee, R.; Handbook of educational psychology., New York: Macmillan, 1996
Goodman-Scott, J. Betters-Bubon, & P. Donohue ; The school counselor’s guide to multi-tiered systems of support.(pp. 123-151), London, England: Routledge, 2019
ULL; Journal of educational psychology. ISBN: 0022-0663
Jimerson, S. R., Burns, M. K., VanDerHeyden, A; Handbook of response to intervention. The science and practice of assessment and intervention, Springer, 2007

Teaching methods and learning activities

Presentation classes.

Reading and analysis of relevant literature in the field of psychological assessment and intervention in educational contexts.

Search for intervention programs and their critical appraisal.

Analysis and discussion of audiovisual recordings.

Analysis and interpretation of psycho-educational data.

Co-operative work in small groups, with tutorial support from the lecturer.

Classes by invited professionals working as school psychologists in educational contexts, followed by debate and discussion.

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Educational psychology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	40,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	60,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	24,00
Estudo autónomo	74,00
Frequência das aulas	56,00
Trabalho escrito	8,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance requires students to attend at least 75 percent of the classes taught. It also requires the completion of a group assignment which will result in a written report. The final mark will be obtained from the sum of the marks for this group work (weighting 60%) and the written exam (weighting 40%).

Calculation formula of final grade

The final mark will be obtained by adding the mark obtained in the final exam to the mark obtained in the group work, as follows:

1. Theoretical exam with a weighting of 40%
2. Group work with the presentation of a written report, weighted at 60%.
3. The mark obtained in both the theoretical exam and the group work cannot be less than eight.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students in any particular circumstances need to contact the teacher during the first class. In specific cases, some adaptation may be possible. Alternative evaluation strategies might apply to Erasmus students according to specific situations.

Classification improvement

The improvement exam takes place only once, until the appeal period of the year following the one in which the student has passed.
There is no provision for improving the grade in group work, except by re-enrolling in the course.

Observations

This CU includes activities that require a degree in Psychology. Therefore, some of the activities will not be allowed in the case of students from diverse backgrounds. Students who do not speak Portuguese may need adaptations in some of the practical work.