Impact Case Studies
A Bridge to Society
In CIEC we do care about the positive impact of our researchers' work in public daily life. In this section we present some of these successful cases studies, which give strong contributions to society change and improvement.
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Creation of
Anti-Bullying Association
(2015) -
Anti-Smoking "Vaccine"
(2016) -
Internationalisation: Health Education and Health Promotion
(2017) -
Literary Education and Children's Literature
(2018) -
MOBEYBOU: digital materials that stimulate intercultural competences in early childhood
(2022)
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CIEC Researcher creates Anty-Bullying Association
AABCJ members in Braga City Hall, hosted by the Mayor, Ricardo Rio. Click on the image to know more. The Anti-Bullying Association with Children and Young People ("Associação Anti-Bullying com Crianças e Jovens" - AABCJ) was created on 12/08/2015, by Paulo Costa's initiative, teacher of primary education and also CIEC PhD Student. The Association main goal is to make the general population aware of bullying and its harmful effects, as well as disseminate proactive behaviours among children and young people by promoting bullying preventive activities and and offer specialised tracking to bullying victims.
Statistics reveal that bullying problematic can affect more than 200 thousand Portuguese students, one in each five children and young people. The situation in Portugal is even worse than in the EU average, according to an UNICEF report. Due to the severity of these numbers and the impact that it can cause in children lives lastingly, the studies that are being carried out are not only necessary, but require a mandatory intervention among the newer generations. This was translated into a high number of different research outputs, from theoretical studies to computer games, in order to fight against the problem.
AABCJ Meeting with the Braga Archbishop,
D. Jorge Ortiga
Paulo's choice was to involve as many actors as possible, especially the children and young people themselves. Having started with a few sponsorships at the beginning of his work, the subsequent results of the research implementation showed to deserve the support of the Braga Municipality, the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, of NEXUS and the Vox Populi Foundation. More recently, a large spectrum of social agents has been also engaged in this process, such as the Braga Archbishop and local school authorities.
The new social networks have revealed to be a strategic asset of the Association, like its blog and the impressive Facebook community page with 13000 “followers”. Moreover, the Association also caught the attention of the conventional media, so that news have been broadcasted in three television channels, six newspapers, three radio stations and more than a dozen of on-line publications.
A child presenting AABCJ ideas in one of the several Association activities Although Paulo's research is mainly quantitative, he implemented his work in an action-research approach, as he quotes, “it’s important to encourage the 70% of children which do not have an active role in the bullying process to denounce the possible cases”. This can only be reached with a close contact with students in schools, so that the Association is struggling with a busy agenda in 2016: visits and debates, seminars and expositions, and even the production of a theatre play. These are tools planned to spread and make people aware of the bullying concept.
Nowadays, these activities are possible thanks to the support of the almost 200 associated members that “signed up” right in the first four months, a precious assistance to the Association, when further partnerships to reach financial sustainability are now being developed.
The CIEC researcher was first touched by the bullying problem when he had to deal with a specific case among his students. Then he decided to seek for deeper knowledge and decided to devote his PhD to the bullying subject. During his research process, a fact in the school he was teaching was decisive to the AABJC creation: an extreme bullying case happened with a student that committed suicide most probable due to continued bullying abuses. Paulo became emotionally and personally engaged as a devoted activist to fight against bullying since then.
Paulo talks to the press. Presently, Paulo Costa is finishing his PhD thesis under the supervision of Professor Beatriz Pereira, who has been developing bullying studies in CIEC*. Paulo has already plans to post-doctoral studies about bullying among adults.
* Some research products:
Melim, F. M., & Pereira, B. (2015). A influência da Educação Física no bullying escolar: A solução ou parte do problema. Revista Ibero-americana de Educação, Vol. 67, nº 1 , pp. 65-84. (ISSN: 1022-6508; )
Costa, P., Farenzena, R., Simões, H. e Pereira, B. (2013). Adolescentes portugueses e o bullying escolar: estereótipos e diferenças de género. Revista Interacções, número especial - adolescência, género e violências , Vol. 9, nº 25 , pp. 180-201.
Silva, M., Pereira, B., Mendonça, D., Nunes, B., Oliveira, W. (2013). The involvement of girls and boys with bullying: an analysis of gender differences. International Journal of Environmental Research and public Health, Vol. 10, nº 12 , pp. 6820-6831. (DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10126820;)
Pereira, B., Costa, P., Melim, F., & Farenzena, R. (2011). Bullying escolar: Programas de Intervenção Preventiva. In: M. L. Gisi & R. T. Ens (Eds.), Bullying nas Escolas: Estratégias de Intervenção e Formação de Professores. Curitiba, Brasil: Editora Unijuí da Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. pp. 135-155.
Some news about it in CIEC Blog:
Investigador do CIEC comenta nos media o caso de Bullying no Seixal
Pandemia trava bullying nas escolas, mas PSP ainda registou 115 casos
“Bullying não é modernismo, é um fenómeno grave”
Associação Anti-Bullying completa 1 ano de atividades
Associação AntiBullying na Rúbrica “Portugal Solidário”
O bullying “é uma coisa para ser resolvida entre as crianças”
Investigador do CIEC cria “Associação Anti-bullying”
Investigador do CIEC em destaque nos media
Investigador do CIEC no Porto Canal
Investigador do CIEC fala de bullying e homofobia entre jovens na TVi24
Bullying em debate com investigadora do CIEC no “Jornal Diário” do “Porto Canal”
“Update” do artigo dos investigadores do CIEC sobre “Bullying Homofóbico” nos media
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CIEC Researcher presents a "Anti-Smoking Vaccine"
Protocol Signature between UMINHO and Municipalities. From left to right, António Vilela, mayor of Vila Verde;
Rui Vieira de Castro, UMINHO Vice-Rector; Ricardo Rio, mayor of Braga; José Precioso, CIEC researcher.The creation of an "Anti-Smoking vaccine" is an highest peak in the work of the CIEC researcher José Precioso in the last fifteen years. The target public are children and young people, through three "vaccine doses" to be applied in different stages of their growth: the first one, named "Tobacco-free homes", in children of the 4thgrade; a first reinforcement, the "Smoke Out I", in the 6thgrade; and a last dose to be ministered to students of the 9th grade. The "anti-smoking vaccines" are, therefore, educational programmes that aim, through health education, develop in students resistance against factors that can lead them to become smokers. At present time, the programme is being applied to students of primary education of Braga and Vila Verde towns.
The problematic itself is well-know and there are very undesirable numbers, both nationally and internationally: a study conducted by José Precioso team, in 2010, disclosed by the Portuguese health authorities ("Direção-Geral da Saúde"), revealed that a third of Portuguese children are exposed to second-hand smoke, both at home or in the car. At international level, a report of 2011 from the World Health Organization (WHO) points out to 600 thousand deaths each year due to passive exposition to tobacco smoke, 28% of them, children. Considering the future victims and the loss in quality of life of several early smokers, it is crucial to attack frontally this problem related to this avoidable behaviour.
An experiment presented to students
The programme "Tobacco-free homes" aims to promote the prevention of smoking and second-hand smoke, both at home and in cars, through the children themselves to sensitize their families to do not smoke in those close spaces. This programme was developed under the project "Prevention of children's exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke at Home". In the programme evaluation more than 800 children were involved. A year later, it was found that about 20% of smoker parents quit smoking. Half of them do not smoke anymore inside home or in the car, contributing to the air quality improvement around children.
The vaccine "reinforcements", i.e. Smoke Out I and II are composed of 6 to 15 sessions during a school year and more than 600 children of the 9th grade took part in it. After the program application, for example, there was an expressive fall among male regular smokers, which prevalence fall down from 10% of the sample to 4%, after they were "inoculated".
The "Anti-smoking Vaccine" programme is rooted in similar plans developed in years 2000, and is especially addressed to girls. This because a greater prevalence in tobacco consumption was detected in this group during the project "Smoking Determinants by Gender: Implications for the Creation of Smoke Free Generation", a project that had financial support from the "Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT" (Foundation for Science and technology).
SmokeOut I session with youngsters at school
In consequence of these research projects outputs, a protocol between Braga and Vila Verde City Municipalities was signed. The protocol aims to guarantee the involvement of both municipalities in the production of pedagogical materials required to the application of the "Anti-Smoking Vaccine" programme to all public schools 4th grade classes of both towns.
Precioso has been extending his work to several other initiatives against addictive behaviours in young people, such as participating in public opinion broadcast programs, writing opinion articles in newspapers or heading a petition directed to the national Ministry of Education, targeting to ban smoking in cars carrying children, a position that he has been defending for a long time. His dedication to this cause came from a very earlier time, dating from the 90's his first steps, during his Master course. Another important milestone happened in 2001, when he became one of the founding partners of the "Association for Smoking Prevention of Braga", nowadays known as "Portuguese Confederation for the Smoking Prevention". This association works towards society awareness to tobacco addiction and has originated a Regional prevention plan, awarded by the "Portuguese Society of Pulmonology", that would later inspire the current "National Prevention and Control Plan against Tobacco Addiction".
José Precioso presenting the program at Vila Verde
* Some research products:
José Precioso, José Cunha Machado, Carolina Araújo & Isabel Sousa (2017). Relatório da Direção Geral de Saúde: Prevalência de crianças portuguesas expostas ao fumo ambiental do tabaco em casa e no carro
Precioso J, Reis F, Sousa I, Sousa C, Machado J, Dias L, Samorinha C, Antunes H. (2016). Opinions on a car smoking ban: a needed guide for public health decision-makers. Gaceta Sanitaria 2016; 30(1):86-7
Brito I, Precioso J, Correia C, Albuquerque C, Samorinha C, Cunha-Filho H, Becoña E. (2016). Fatores associados ao consumo de álcool na adolescência, em função do género. Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, 2015, 16(3), 392-410
Vitória, Paulo; Machado, José Cunha; Araújo, Ana; Ravara, Sofia; Samorinha, Catarina; Antunes, Henedina; Rosas, Manuel; Becoña, Elisardo; Precioso, José (2015). Children's exposure to tobacco smoke pollution at home by region: A cross-sectional study. Revista Portuguesa de Pneumologia, Vol. 21, nº 4 , pp. 178-184. (ISSN: 0873-2159;)
Paulo D. Vitória, José Cunha Machado, Sofia B. Ravara, Ana Carolina Araújo, Catarina Samorinha, Henedina Antunes, Manuel Rosas, Elisardo Becoña, José Precioso (2015). Portuguese children's exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in the family car. Gaceta Sanitaria, Volume 29, Issue 2, March–April 2015, Pages 131-134
Some news about it in CIEC Blog:
Investigador do CIEC coordena acordos entre UMINHO e municípios de Braga e Vila Verde
Câmara de Braga implementa protocolo com investigador do CIEC
Investigador do CIEC no programa “Antena Aberta”
Promoção da Saúde, artigo de investigador do CIEC no “Diário do Minho”
Investigador do CIEC encabeça abaixo-assinado
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CIEC as international reference in Health Education and Health Promotion
Some moments of the BIOHEAD-CITIZEN project The Health Education and Health Promotion area has been developed in CIEC throughout the years, with strong international connections, especially with European countries and Brazil.
The Beginning
One of the first and strongest mobilizing elements of this internationalization was the European project FP6-STREP "Biology, Health and Environmental Education for better Citizenship" (BIOHEAD-CITIZEN; CIT2-CT-2004-506015; 2004-2008), which was coordinated by the CIEC director, Prof. Graça S. Carvalho. This project involved 19 countries from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, where school textbooks, as well as teachers’ and future teachers’ conceptions were analysed six themes, being Health Education one of the priorities. In January 2014, the BIOHEAD-CITIZEN project was rewarded with the European prize “ Social Literacy LED Certificate”.
BIOHEAD-CITIZEN project was awarded
with the LED prize
The Strategic Partnership with France
At European level, the close collaboration with France was of paramount importance, especially with the University Claude Bernard Lyon-1, initially though Prof. Pierre Clément, since 1999, involving research projects and participation in ten PhD juries and five Msc juries. One of the resulting products of this partnership was the PhD thesis in co-tutelle between the University of Minho and the University Lyon-1, carried out by the CIEC researcher, Zélia Anastácio, with the thesis on “Sexual Education in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education: Conceptions, obstacles and arguments of teachers for its (no) execution” (2007), which was supervised by the CIEC researcher Prof. Graça S. Carvalho and Prof. Pierre Clément of the University Lyon-1.
Still at the University Lyon-1, Prof. Graça S. Carvalho has participated in a jury for the “Habilitation à Diriger les Recherches” (2011) and in a jury for the “Recruitment de Maitre de Conférence en Education à la Santé” (2015) and for the “Recruitment de l’Enseignant Chercheur en Education au Développment Durable” (2016).
Graça S. Carvalho was awarded with the "Doctor Honoris Causa" (click on the image to see a larger verson) The Acknowledgement
After nearly two decades of work developed in close partnership, in 2017 the University Claude Bernard Lyon-1 decided to award Prof. Graça S. Carvalho with the honorary degree of Doctor Honoris Causa.
This international acknowledgement had become evident earlier when the French administrative authority AERES, currently designated as HCÉRES (Haut Conseil de l’Évaluation de la Recherche et de l’Enseignement Supérieur), invited the CIEC researcher Prof. Graça S. Carvalho to be a member of the expert committee for the evaluation of the Research Unit H2SEP, of the University Claude Bernard Lyon-1 (2014-2015). Presently, the same researcher is Associated Member of the Laboratory ACTé (Activité, Connaissance, Transmission, Education) of the University Blaise Pascal, in Clermont-Ferrand and of UNIRéS (le Réseau des Universités pour l'Éducation à la Santé).
The CIEC international acknowledgment in Health Education and Health Promotion is also observed in other European countries as Germany, Romania, Greece and Cyprus. In 2013, Graça S. Carvalho was invited by the Germany Ministry of Education (BMBF - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) to integrate the international panel of experts in the German national research projects call on “Research Consortia on Primary Prevention and Health Promotion”.
Similarly, the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific for Scientific Research and Development (GIF) also invited her to evaluate projects in 2014 and 2016.
In Romania, she was a member of the experts' panel of the “Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation” through the “National Education and Scientific Research and its Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) to evaluate projects in 2015 and 2016.
In Greece, since 2013, Graça S. Carvalho is an external member of the panel APELLA for the election and promotion of the faculty members of the Greek Academic Institutions, having participated especially for the category of Full Professor.
In Cyprus, she holds equivalent activity since 2017.
The international recognition also occurs in Israel, with the “Israel Science Foundation” inviting Prof. Graça S. Carvalho to evaluate research projects since 2012.
Another kind of international acknowledgement has occurred in the form of international entities inviting CIEC to organise the most well know scientific meetings in this area of research. Therefore, CIEC organized the ESERA Summer School (European Science Education Research Association) in 2006; the VIII ERIDOB conference (European Researchers in Didactics of Biology) in 2010; the III SHE Autumn School on State of Art of School–Based Health Promotion in Europe in 2013; and the XVII IOSTE Symposium (International Organisation for Science and Teaching Education) in 2016.
XVII IOSTE 2016, organized by CIEC, had
participants of five different continents
The Challenge in Brazil
The CIEC internationalization in the Health Education and Health Promotion area in Brazil has been developing since 2010 with several universities in this country, but more intensely with two institutions: the UNIJUI ("Universidade Regional do Noroeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul") and the UEM ("Universidade Estadual de Maringá", Paraná). This collaboration is being carried out not only through scientific projects, but also in “Thematic Seminars” in Health Education and Health Promotion as well as in Health Literacy. This rich exchange has been reinforced with CIEC consultant activity through Prof. Graça Simões de Carvalho in INIJUI and UEM research projects financially supported by CNPq ("Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico") and FAPERGS ("Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul"), between 2014 and 2017. In this context, the CIEC researcher was a member of seven PhD thesis and of eight MSc dissertations in these universities.
Opening Class of the Master Program Course of Integral Attention to Health, developed together by INIJUÍ and Universidade de Cruz Alta (Unicruz). These activities developed in collaboration have led to the production of several scientific articles and particularly books, which have had media repercussion and impact in the local community. Of paramount importance is the organization by CIEC of the “V International Congress on Health" that will be hosted at the University of Minho in 2018 (10-13th July). All previous four editions have been held every two years at UNIJUI, Brazil.
* Some research products:
Berger, D., Bernard, S., Wafo, F., Hrairi, S., Balcou, M. & Carvalho, G.S. (2011). Éducation à la Santé et à la Sexualité : qu'en pensent les enseignants? Étude comparative dans 15 pays. Carrefours de l’éducation, 32, 75-97
Carvalho, G.S. Dantas, C., Rauma, A.-L., Luzi, D., Ruggier, R., Geier, C., Caussidier, C., Berger, & Clément, P. (2008). Comparing health education approaches in textbooks of sixteen countries. Science Education International, 19 (2) 133-146
Carvalho, G.S., Araújo, M.C.P., Boff, E.T.O., Tracana, R.B. & Saboga-Nunes, L. (2016). European health literacy scale (HLS-EU-BR) applied in a Brazilian higher education population of Rio Grande do Sul (RS). In: J. Lavonen, K. Juuti, J. Lampiselkä, A. Uitto & K. Hahl (Eds.), Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2015 Conference. Science education research: Engaging learners for a sustainable future, Part 9 (co-ed. M. Achiam & G.S. Carvalho), (pp. 1289-1295). Helsinki, Finland: University of Helsinki. ISBN 978-951-51-1541-6.
Carvalho, G.S., Jourdan, D., Gonçalves, A., Dantas, C. & Berger, D. (2009). Addictive substances: Textbook approaches from 16 countries. Journal of Biological Education, 44, 26-30.
Carvalho, G.S., Silva, R & Clément, P. (2007). Historical analysis of Portuguese primary school textbooks (1920-2005) on the topic of digestion. International Journal of Science Education 29, 173-193.34.
Carvalho, G.S., Silva, R., Lima, N., Coquet, E. & Clément, P. (2004) . Portuguese primary school children’s conceptions about digestion: Identification of learning obstacles. Portuguese primary school children’s conceptions about digestion: Identification of learning obstacles.
Caussidier, C., El-Hage, F., Munoz, F., Remki, L., Larribi, R., Khzami, S.-E., Berger, D. & Carvalho, G.S. (2011). In search of a health education model: teachers’ conceptions in four Mediterranean countries. Carrefours de l’éducation, 32, 75-97
Galvão, C.B, Júnior C.A.O.M. & Carvalho, G.S. (2015). O uso de charges como instrumento para identificação de concepções individuais e representações sociais sobre a dengue. Góndola, Enseñ Aprend Cienc, 10(1), pp.16-25. doi: 10.14483/jour.gdla.2015.1.a01
Jourdan, D., Pironom, J., Berger, D. & Carvalho, G.S. (2013). Factors influencing teachers’ views of health and health education: A study in 15 countries. Health Education Journal, 72 (6), 660-672. (DOI: 10.1177/0017896912459821)
Jourdan, D., Samdal, O., Diagne, F. & Carvalho, G.S. (2008). The Future of Health Promotion in Schools goes through the strengthening of Teacher Training at a global level. Promotion & Education, 15 (3) 36-38.
Jourdan, D., Simar, C., Fitzgerald, S., Carvalho, G.S. (2016). School health promotion and teacher professional identity. Health Education, 116 (2), 106-122 (DOI 10.1108/HE-07-2014-0078)
Júnior, C.A.M., Tomanik, E.A. & Carvalho, G.S. (2016). Análise da transposição didática na formação continuada sobre meio ambiente de professores do ensino fundamental. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Educação em Ciências, 16 (2), 237-256
Pansera, M.C., Boff, E. & Carvalho, G.S. (Eds.) (2016). Conhecimentos, Valores e práticas na Educação em Saúde. Ijuí: Ed. Unijuí. (ISBN: 978-85-419-0190-1).
Pommier, J., Jourdan, D., Berger, D., Vandoorne, Chantal, Piorecka, B. & Carvalho, G.S. (2010). School Health promotion: organization of services and roles of health professionals in seven European countries. Global Health Promotion, 18 (4), 3-13
An article featured in a brazilian newspaper
Some news about it in CIEC Blog
Graça S. Carvalho em entrevista na UNIJUÍI
Diretora do CIEC em entrevista na rádio brasileira “UEM FM”
Criar competências para a vida e para a promoção da saúde
Sobre a colaboração de investigadora do CIEC no Brasil
Investigadora do CIEC palestrante na Universidade Estadual de Maringá (Brasil)
Trabalho de investigadora do CIEC na Universidade Estadual de Maringá (Brasil)
Aula Inaugural ministrada por investigadora do CIEC em universidade brasileira
Investigadora do CIEC em entrevista na Rádio Universitária do Minho (RUM)
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MOBEYBOU: digital materials that stimulate intercultural competences in early childhood
The apps were finalists in the ComKids festival, the biggest digital apps festival in Brazil, and can be downloaded for free on the internet The MOBEYBOU project - Moving Beyond Boundaries - Designing Narrative Learning in the Digital Era (http://mobeybou.com) started on 01.05.2018 and ended on 30-04-2022, led by CIEC's researcher Cristina Sylla (reference PTDC/CED-EDG/32580/2017, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a budget of €238,356.71 (2018- 2022).
Mobeybou aimed to contribute to the development of knowledge about the potential of a set of tangible and digital interfaces to promote the development and acquisition of digital, linguistic and intercultural competences in pre - and primary school children. It aimed to contribute to bridging the gap between current school practices and the learning skills and tools needed in the 21st century.
The phases
The project was divided into two distinct moments. In the first moment, tangible and digital materials were developed, namely a digital manipulative, and a set of interactive story apps, whereby the creation of contents focused on interculturality.
In the second moment, an empirical evaluation of the materials was carried out with primary school children. The interventions took place in a school environment for a period of about a year at the school EB 1 de S. Mamede, in Braga. Throughout the intervention and based on the Mobeybou materials, the teacher Ana Bizarro developed several activities, some in collaboration with teachers from different areas, such as the Mobeybou song or the end of year party. The Mobeybou song was created by the students under the guidance of the teacher, and the music was composed by the Braga musician Daniel Cristo, father of one of the students. At the final party, the students built together with their parents the "Shultüten", a cone-shaped container with small gifts to celebrate the beginning of the year, replicating a German tradition that is done on the first day of school.
Children from S. Mamede Basic School showing the "shultüte"
The project involved the PhD student Douglas Menegazzi, from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil, and eight master's students from different Portuguese universities, coming from several areas, such as Electronics, Design, Communication and Education.
The project OUT
The natural continuation of the MOBEYBOU project is the Project OUT - Once upon a time: a Toolkit for Fostering the Development of Multiliteracies, Social Skills and Intercultural Sensitivity (reference PTDC/CED-EDG/0736/2021), also funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), with a budget of €245,863.56 (2022- 2025).
The project aims to investigate to what extent the use of the tangible and digital tools developed in the Mobeybou project (a digital manipulative, a storyMaker and a set of interactive story apps) for the co-creation of intercultural narratives can promote the development of multiliteracies, social skills and intercultural sensitivity in pre- and primary school children and to assess opportunities for the mediation of these learnings by teachers/educators.
Cristina Sylla
Another recognition to the project was the attribution to its leader, Cristina Sylla, of one two available positions (in the Social Sciences) at national level in the Individual Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEEC) in the category of Principal Investigator.
The Mobeybou manipulative materials
Among the materials developed in the Mobeybou project, the authoring tools stand out: a digital manipulative (MD) that uses physical blocks to interact with digital content, a storyMaker that reproduces the MD's environment (without the physical blocks) and a set of five interactive story apps. DMs are objects with embedded computational properties that allow manipulating digital content. They are especially suitable for children, as they promote collaborative and exploratory learning.
The Mobeybou Digital Manipulative uses physical blocks to manipulate digital content. Connecting the blocks together activates their digital representation on a device's screen. Each element has specific animations that display different actions. The visual narratives unfold according to the combination of blocks that the users link together, while verbalizing their stories.
The Mobeybou Digital Manipulative uses physical blocks to manipulate digital content. Connecting the blocks together activates their digital representation on a device's screen. Each element has specific animations that display different actions. The visual narratives unfold according to the combination of blocks that the users link together, while verbalizing their stories.
The DM and the StoryMaker feature eight cultural sets representing different cultures. Each set consists of a landscape, two protagonists, an animal, an antagonist, a musical instrument, and a magic object. All the elements from the various cultures can be mixed. The verbalized stories can be recorded and shared. As they are narrated by children, there are no linguistic borders, and the tools can be used all over the world. They are currently also being used in Brazil.
The Mobeybou Digital Manipulative and the Storymaker (right) The story apps present information about different cultures in a playful way, while nurturing children's creativity and the creation of their stories.
The Mobeybou project was considered an example of Good Practice by ELINET- European Literacy Policy Network. The apps were finalists in the ComKids festival, the biggest digital apps festival in Brazil, and can be downloaded for free on the internet by clicking in the links bellow:
Mobeybou in Cape Verde
Mobeybou in India
Mobeybou in Brazil (under revision, coming soon)
Mobeybou in Portugal (under revision, coming soon)
Mobeybou in Brazil * Some research products:
Sylla, C., Gil, M., Pereira, ISP. (2022). Narrating by Doing: A Bridging Concept for Understanding and Informing the Design of Tangible Interfaces for Storytelling. Interacting with Computers, Volume 33, Issue 6, November 2021, Pages 627–640, DOI:10.1093/iwc/iwac016.
Sylla, Cristina; Heljakka, Katriina; Catala, Alejandro; Ozgur, Arzu Guneysu. (2022) Smart Toys, Smart Tangibles, Robots and other Smart Things for Children Editorial. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction 33. DOI:10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100489.
Sylla, C., Gil, M. (2021) A Close Look into the Storytelling Process: The Procedural Nature of Interactive Digital Narratives as a Learning Opportunity. International Journal of Entertainment Computing 41, 100466. DOI: 10.1016/j.entcom.2021.100466
Sylla, C.; Gil, M.; Pereira, Í.S. (2022). Untangling the complexity of designing tools to support tangible and digital intercultural story telling in troubled times: a case in point. Literacy, 56(1), 3-17. DOI:10.1111/lit.12263
Menegazzi, D. & Sylla, C. (2019). A Literatura Infantil Digital: o design das histórias interativas. Revista de Educação, Ciência e Cultura, 24(2), July 2019, pp. 81- 96.
Sylla, C., Pereira, I., Zagalo, N., Brooks, E. (2018). t-books - a Block Interface for Young Children's Narrative Construction. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction 18, pp. 59–66. DOI:10.1016/j.ijcci.2018.07.002
Catala A., Theune M., Sylla C., Ribeiro P. (2017) Bringing Together Interactive Digital Storytelling with Tangible Interaction: Challenges and Opportunities. In: Nunes N., Oakley I., Nisi V. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2017. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 10690. Springer. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-71027-3_51.
Sylla C., Gil M. (2020) The Procedural Nature of Interactive Digital Narratives and Early Literacy. In: Bosser AG., Millard D.E., Hargood C. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12497. Springer, Cham. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-62516-0_23
Menegazzi D., Sylla C., Padovani S. (2020) Rethinking the Design of Hotspots in Children's Digital Picturebooks: Insights from an Exploratory Study. In: Sylla C., Iurgel I. (eds) Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Education. TIE 2019. Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, vol 307. Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-40180-1_2
Some news about in CIEC blog:
Projeto MOBEYBOU, "Evasões" Magazine
Science Week: CIEC in Antena1 Rádio
Agency for Development and Cohesion