Ana Paula Cardoso, PhD and Aggregation in Educational Sciences, by the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences - Coimbra University. Coordinator Professor of the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Higher School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV), Portugal. Coordinator of the research group “Education and Social Development” of CI&DETS Research Centre between 2007-2017, and Scientific Coordinator since 15th december 2017. Also, Vice President of Scientific-Technical Council of Higher School of Education, President of the Coordinating Committee of the master's degree courses of this Higher School, and Coordinator of the master's degree in Preschool and Teaching of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education. The researcher’s predominant area of scientific activity is focused on the Educational Sciences, with particular emphasis on the study of pedagogical innovation. One of the fields of research concerns pedagogical issues related to teacher training and their contribution to teachers´ personal and professional development. The other regards students’ academic achievement and its related factors, in order to contribute to the improvement of the educational process.