This study aimed to contribute to the validation of psychological empowerment, which is a combination of sense of control (intrapersonal component), critical awareness of the sociopolitical environment (interactional component), and community involvement (behavioral component). Three scales of empowerment used to evaluate the 3 components were translated into Portuguese, adapted for the Portuguese population, and applied in person, by phone and by e‐mail. Participants were enrolled in or had completed a program of recognition of prior learning. We tested reflective and formative measurement models and the results suggested that a reflective model fits the data better than a formative one. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed psychological empowerment as a hierarchical third‐order factor. Second‐order factors correspond to the intrapersonal, interactional, and behavioral empowerment components, reflected in first‐order factors: leadership competence, policy control, source of power, nature of power, instruments of power, and participation behaviors.

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The present study intended to confirm the attitudes model identified through the studies of public opinion on homelessness in the U.S.A with the same methodology.The instrument -"The Public's Perspective On Homelessness: Portugal Survey" -was applied by telephone to a randomly selected sample of the Portuguese population, composed by a total of 200 people who owned landline telephones.The confirmation of the Attitudes Model for the Portuguese sample revealed the existence of the following attitudes factors:

Neste artigo são apresentados, brevemente, os resultados de um estudo exploratório realizado com cinquenta utentes da Extensão da Brandoa do Centro de Saúde da Venda Nova (Amadora) com a finalidade de investigar a relação entre participação comunitária no desenvolvimento dos cuidados de saúde primários e a satisfação dos utentes em relação à qualidade dos cuidados. Os resultados evidenciam a importância de fomentar uma mudança organizacional nos Centros de Saúde que centre o processo da qualidade nos utentes, para que estes sejam envolvidos e participem activamente no desenvolvimento dos cuidados de saúde primários.

Previous research has established the value of regarding cities as complex systems, and as systems which will evolve over time. The research reported in this paper concerns the development of an approach to urban design and management which recognises the complexities of change resulting from design-led urban interventions. The research commenced with a study of urban design and urban management processes, and the manner in which they have been studied in an academic context. The system aims to guide the processes of urban design so that it can be implemented within a cyclical process of evaluation and application. The system aids communication across design teams and improves clarity within the design process for the designers themselves. The specific system also aspires to interconnect theory with practice, while supporting designers to be inclusive and holistic. The paper describes a case study where the framework was applied within an academic setting, related to real urban environments in Singapore. It validates the model’s ability to guide students through the design process, give depth to their analysis of urban systems and meaning to their designs. Action research was implemented, to reflect the need for a “practice-changing practice” methodology, that supports a greater understanding of the relationship between theory and practice.