Variables influyentes en el miedo y el rendimiento infantil en Ceuta

Abstract

The low performance in different academic areas causes an enormous preoccupation; this situation promotes the search of new formulas for teaching interventions. These fast changes cause that students must learn new abilities and capacities that let them conform to this process in continuous evolution. From this perspective, with preoccupation for the little academic achievements, the emphasis is on the enormous importance that the emotions and their suitable control for the improvement of itself could have. The objective was to reflect on the predictors of fear and the academic achievement, and the influence over each other, in children aged 6 to 12 from Ceuta City. To do so, we had 404 participants: 47.8% were boys, 52.2% girls; 68.8% were Muslims, and 31.2% Christians. As tools, we implemented the Fear Survey Schedule for Children and Adolescents-II (FSSC-II), the version that Ascensio et al. (2012) adapted to the Spanish language; we also used the children’s grades. The results showed medium-high levels on all of the research variables. The first predictor of fear was gender. Other predictors were status, performance, culture, and age. The predictors of performance were culture, fear, status, and gender. Age worked as a predictor in three factors. We have found a significant relationship between fear and performance. All this leads to consider and increase the emotional competencies as a necessary measure to improve the students’ process of learning, a situation needed in our education system.