معرفی
Cecília Aguiar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology at ISCTE—University Institute of Lisbon's School of Social Sciences and Humanities. She serves as an Integrated Researcher at CIS-Iscte - Center for Social Research and Intervention, focusing on Community, Education and Development.
- PhD in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - UP (2006)
- Postgraduate studies in Psychology (Early Intervention), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - UP (2001)
- Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - UP (1998)
Her research centers on early childhood education quality, social participation in preschool contexts, social acceptance of children with disabilities, and quality in early intervention. Aguiar examines how educational settings influence children's social development, with particular attention to inclusive practices and children's rights. Her work bridges academic research and practical applications through digital resources like the PrimeirosAnos.pt blog.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent focus on children's participation rights, classroom quality assessment across European contexts, and interventions supporting marginalized groups including Roma communities and children with special educational needs. Her research employs mixed methods with strong emphasis on cross-national comparative studies funded by EU programs.
Aguiar has coordinated multiple significant European projects including the H2020 ISOTIS project (work package on curriculum, pedagogy, and social climate), Erasmus+ KIT@, BECERID (which launched PrimeirosAnos.pt), PARTICIPA (2019-2022), and currently leads the KidLe project developing intercultural games for migrant inclusion.
- Former Associate Editor of Early Childhood Research Quarterly (2016-2019)
- Coordinator of Portugal's participation in multiple EU education projects
- Regular contributor to European education policy development
She actively supervises postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, and master's students, with 3 completed postdocs, 6 doctoral theses (2 in progress), and 53 master's dissertations (8 in progress). Her teaching portfolio includes Qualitative Research Methods, Educational Psychology, and Social Psychology of Gender at undergraduate and doctoral levels. Aguiar maintains strong connections with educational practitioners through projects like PARTICIPA that develop professional development tools for early childhood educators.
