Emotional Skills and Promotion of School Success: Preliminary Data of an Intervention Programme with Parents

An intervention with the parents was carried out, which integrates a broader line of research, involving both teachers and students. This consists in the implementation of a programme of promotion of personal and parental skills, during half a year, in which a pre-test is executed followed by the implementation programme and a post-test to compare the results. The instruments used in the two moments of the research included questionnaires to obtain sociodemographic data, the PANAS Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Emotional Intelligence Scale. The preliminary action-research study involved 5 parents of pupils from two classes of a school in the centre of Portugal, who showed disruptive behaviours in the 7th year of schooling. The parents showed a very favourable perception regarding their participation in the programme, considering that it helped them perceive some behaviours and practices less adjusted to their performance, for instance at home (shouting, scolding, etc.). From the pre-test to the post-test, there were statistically significant differences in the evaluation of one's own emotions and their use, as well as evidence of an improvement in positive affects and satisfaction with life. Preliminary data on this parental empowerment programme point to the importance of raising awareness about its action, as well as the need to change traditional educational practices that contribute to the demobilization of children in the face of school tasks. The need to establish a closer and more systematic contact with teachers was also highlighted in order to meet their needs and expectations.