Psicólogos/as escolares como líderes em contexto educativo
: perspetivas e conceções pessoais

Nuno Fernando Rodrigues Morais da Silva (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The relevance of psychologists’ intervention in educational contexts, such as schools, is widely recognized nationally and internationally. The growing awareness of the need to expand psychology services in schools to the entire community and to specific audiences, together with social and political changes that impact education, pose several challenges to the work of psychologists in this context. For example, school psychologists have been challenged to develop and coordinate actions, activities and projects, as well as to advise professionals and teams in schools and the school community, with a view to individual, organizational and community change. Consequently, they often assume leadership roles in schools, although this role is not always identified or recognized. The scientific literature on the leadership practices of school psychologists, especially in the Portuguese context, is scarce. The main objective of this study was to describe the leadership practices adopted by psychologists in Portuguese schools. We sought to understand the views and conceptions of three school psychologists on this topic, exploring their practices related to leadership in a school context, what characteristics should be associated with a psychologist who acts as a leader and what results and challenges arise from this exercise. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. Practices, skills, conditions, challenges and perceived results of the leadership of school psychologists were identified. The results obtained allow us to infer a set of practices and characteristics thar support the psychologist’s role as a leader in the school context, highlighting collaboration other elements of the school system and problem-solving abilities, as well as the outcomes and challenges associated with this practice. These results allow for some implications for practice, such as the need to offer specific training in leadership for school psychologists.

Date of Award	14 Jul 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marisa Carvalho (Supervisor) & Rosário Serrão (Co-Supervisor)