As actividades de enriquecimento curricular (AEC) e o comportamento problemático dos alunos

Abstract

The present paper aims to study the influence of the Curricular Enrichment Activities (AEC) on the students attending the first cycle of basic education in the Coimbra region, namely on the problematic behaviours that they might present. Thus, we developed a quantitative research, with a causal comparative design – ex post facto – with two independent groups. The sample involves 200 students (100 in each group) with ages ranging from 6 to 11 years old, representing five out of the 9 school groupings existing in the first cycle of the basic level of education. The main results obtained, after controlling for several sociodemographic variables, allowed the establishment of a significant relationship between the frequency of the above mentioned activities in Coimbra public schools, and a higher incidence of problematic behaviours.