Chilean High School Students Research Articles

Suicidal Ideation Risk Among Chilean High School Students: An Analysis of Social, Educational, and Psychological Mediator Factors

Suicidal Ideation Risk Among Chilean High School Students: An Analysis of Social, Educational, and Psychological Mediator Factors

How study-related positive emotions and academic psychological capital mediate between teacher-student relationship and academic performance: a four-wave study among high school students.

This article presents a theory-driven model in which teacher-student relationships and academic performance are indirectly related through study-related positive emotions and academic psychological capital. A sample of 1,054 Chilean high school students (50.4% females) aged 12-17 (M = 14.46, SD = 1.74) participated in the study. Through structural equation modeling, the direct and indirect effects of the proposed model were calculated. The results show that study-related positive emotions and academic psychological capital mediate between the teacher-student relationship and academic performance. These results have significant implications for improving teaching competencies through positive psychological interventions aimed at developing skills in students and thus improving students' academic performance and general well-being in educational settings.

Exploring Reading Attitudes, Reading Self-Efficacy, and Reading Proficiency in a Blended Learning Context Among EFL Learners

Background. Affective variables such as second language (L2) reading attitudes (RAs) and L2 reading self-efficacy (RSE) have been regarded as factors which influence academic results in regular face-to-face reading instruction. Research has reported that although positive RAs among adolescents may decline as they go through school, they still engage in diverse formal and informal reading environments involving printed and/or digital resources. These attitudes can be impacted by the sudden change in the way instruction is delivered in blended learning contexts which emerged due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 Purpose. The present study applied a mixed methods approach to explore the relationship between the L2 RAs, L2 RSE, and L2 reading proficiency (RP) of Chilean high school students in a blended-learning context.
 Method. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was adopted to gather data from 124 Chilean high school students. The quantitative data collection was carried out by means of two adapted surveys assessing RAs and RSE, while the reading section of the Preliminary English Test (PET) was administered to determine the RP of participants. The qualitative aspect of the study involved semi structured interviews with ten participants.
 Results. Participants displayed moderately positive levels of RA and RSE. Furthermore, a strong correlation was found between RAs and RSE, and RSE was significantly correlated with RP. Qualitative data analysis revealed that the emergency remote teaching context during the pandemic affected student reading behaviour in relation to the attitudes towards recreational digital reading, and that teacher instruction can influence their RAs and RSE.
 Conclusion. It is essential for EFL teachers to nurture student L2 RSE by means of effective and consistent reading activities with increasing challenge that include synchronous and asynchronous learning. Since most participants preferred to complete reading tasks in a recreational digital setting rather than an academic digital one, teachers should incorporate academic reading activities which are more engaging and contextualised to student age and preferences to effectively use the synchronous and asynchronous time at their disposal in blended settings.

Learning about post-disaster phases via ludic activities: A case study of Santiago, Chile

On February 27, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 Mw earthquake struck Chile and provoked a tsunami that wreaked havoc on the Chilean coast. A total of 830 failures in the transportation system were registered on roads, with 91 concession bridges and 221 public bridges suffered damage or collapsed. This study aims to test a methodology for teaching people about the characteristics of each post-disaster phase concerning road infrastructure and business continuity. The methodology is based on ludic activities designed as a non-structural mitigation action to reduce cascading risk and enhance business continuity. Activities include answering questions related to experiences with earthquakes, completing puzzles as a metaphor of a city during the reconstruction process and associating scale models of vehicles and machinery with a specific post-disaster phase. The methodology was tested with Chilean high school students aged 11 to 15. Answers from the participants indicate that girls were more aware of protection techniques during earthquakes than boys. In contrast, boys were more mindful of terminology and engaged in decision-making activities. The similarity between completing a puzzle and a city in reconstruction after an earthquake was easy for participants to understand. Initially, participants only identified relief as a post-disaster phase but did not recognise the other post-disaster phases of early recovery, recovery and development. After the workshop, they managed to identify vehicles related to the relief phase, some vehicles and machinery related to the early recovery and recovery phases, and others that can be used in more than one or two post-disaster phases.

School Burnout Inventory: Factorial Validity, Reliability, and Measurement Invariance in a Chilean Sample of High School Students.

This brief report assessed the psychometric validity and gender invariance of the School Burnout Inventory (SBI) –a measure of students’ exhaustion, cynicism, and inadequacy– in a convenience sample of 972 high school Chilean students ranging between 12 and 18 years old. The results showed that: (1) the SBI produces adequate scores in terms of reliability; (2) two models (one solution of three related factors and one of second-order and three first-order factors) fitted adequately fit to our sample and was invariant across gender; and (3) the SBI scores were significantly related to other related constructs (i.e., study-related emotions, academic psychological capital, and academic engagement). Overall, the SBI was found to be a reliable and valid inventory to assess school burnout in Chilean high school students.

Meaning of the derivative as a rate of change through a graphic argumentation. A case with Chilean students

From the socio-epistemology perspective, the teaching of the derivative is problematized due to the lack of reference frameworks that give variational meanings to the derivative and allow its construction by means of graphical arguments. The objective of this research was to analyze the construction of meanings of the derivative, as a rate of change, that Chilean students developed through a graphic argumentation in a specific situation of variation. In order to respond to the stated objective, a qualitative methodology was used, consisting of a case study, where a situation of variation was designed with the purpose of promoting the analysis of temperature changes in specific everyday life phenomena. This design was applied to ten Chilean high school students interested in studying engineering. As a result of the research, it was obtained that the participants, through a graphic argumentation, understood the slope of a straight line as a rate of change of temperature regarding time. It was concluded that this research provides elements for the construction of frames of reference that signify the derivative, as a rate of change, in situations of variation, valuing the graphic arguments and functional justifications that emerged from the students.

Development and validation of the acceptance of dating violence questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to measure the acceptance of dating violence among young Chileans, that evaluates both victimization and perpetration perspectives. Based on the Intimate Partner Violence Attitudes Scale, items were developed to fulfill these criteria and were refined through experts’ revisions and participant focus groups. The 30-item questionnaire created (with 15 similar items to measure both perpetration and victimization) was applied to 1120 Chilean high school and university students (14–27 years old, 59.9% females). Results of factorial analysis showed the questionnaire had an adequate fit with the correlated three-factor model (control, emotional violence, and physical violence) for each version (victimization and perpetration). Reliability analyses indicated an adequate internal consistency, and correlations with dating violence provide evidence on its concurrent validity. Results also showed that boys/men accepted more dating violence than girls/women, and adolescents than emerging adults.

Relationship between eating disorders and internalized problems in chilean adolescents

BackgroundEating disorders (ED) are associated with internalized problems (INTP), such as depression and anxiety. Evidence shows that ED and INTP are associated with comorbidities. The relationship between these variables has not been the focus of studies on young people from Northern Chile. Children and adolescents are considered as an at-risk group, since they have been found to experience greater vulnerability to psychological problems than other age groups within the population and given the scarcity of studies in Chile, it is necessary to study the relationship between these variables.MethodsThis study analyzed the relationship between ED and INTP in Chilean high school students aged 12 to 18 years using Pearson's correlation. This is a non-experimental and transactional correlational study. We included 2277 students belonging to the public, government-subsidized, and private educational establishments in Northern Chile. The Child and Adolescent Evaluation System [Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes (SENA)] was used to detect a range of INTP, as well as ED. The Brief Self-Control Scale was used in this study.ResultsA strong and direct correlation of the eating disorder variable with depression and anxiety was found. Additionally, significant differences were observed with sex, highlighting females with a higher presence of INTP and ED.ConclusionsThere is a need to establish strategies in the school setting for detecting frequent symptomatology in adolescents with INTP and ED to achieve a timely and accessible intervention.Plain English SummarySince the symptomatology of ED is more prevalent in adolescents, this research evaluated relationships between ED and INTP in young people from Northern Chile. This research is relevant because the evidence on this topic in Chile is scarce and the relationships found could be the first research on the subject and serve to design an intervention plan at the school level in the medium and long terms. It is a non-experimental and transactional correlational study because all variables were measured at a single moment, and it sought to establish relationships between variables without assuming causality. The sample of secondary school students consisted of 2277 students, belonging to the public, subsidized, and private schools. Strong relationships were observed between INTP and ED, the strongest correlations being with the variables depression and anxiety. In addition, female participants presented greater problems in ED and INTP.

Social Invisibility and Socio Cultural Construction of Gender in Historical Narratives of Chilean High School Students

<p style="text-align:justify">This research seeks to evaluate the degree of inclusion of the gender perspective and the promotion of education in and for equality in the historical narratives of students in Chilean Secondary Education (<em>n</em> = 105). The study focuses on the analysis of the discursive-narrative mechanisms employed by the students and, in particular, of their representations of gender relations. To this end, the place given to men and women in past and present societies is analysed in the narratives generated by the students (n = 780). A mixed methodology is applied, combining quantitative (descriptive and inferential) and qualitative analyses of the manifest content. The results obtained report the persistence of stereotypical, exclusionary and androcentric perspectives, evidenced in hegemonic gender attributions and in the maintenance of the sex/gender system. These data confirm the need to implement specific teacher training programmes aimed at the acquisition of critical competences and the effective inclusion of the gender perspective in history education.</p>

Secondary students’ expectations on transition to higher education

ABSTRACT Background The transition of high school students to higher education can be an overwhelming experience which may impact on academic outcomes. Despite increases in access, course completion rates remain problematic in Chile. Students’ expectations of higher education can play an important role in their decision-making, especially in terms of choices made about programme and institution. Purpose The purpose of this study was to better understand Chilean high school students’ expectations of the benefits and costs involved in the transition process from secondary to postsecondary education. Also, it aimed to examine the factors that influence those expectations. Method We used a qualitative design to collect information from 76 university-tracked high-school seniors through nine focus groups. All focus group data were double coded using a directed content analysis approach. Findings The analysis indicated that students mentioned expectations of non-monetary benefits frequently, and in all focus groups. Though monetary benefits were not referred to directly, students identified them implicitly through non-monetary benefits. Expectations about costs were mentioned less often than were benefits. Conclusions Our study highlights that the construction of expectations appeared chiefly influenced by the information obtained through family and peers. The findings from this study should help focus institutional and educational policymakers’ efforts in supporting the decision-making process of students transitioning to higher education.

Becoming “Hijas de la Lucha”: Political subjectification, affective intensities, and historical narratives in a Chilean all-girls high school

ABSTRACT This article explores the processes by which Chilean female feminist public high school students used political and historical narratives and symbols during the feminist movement of 2018. It analyzes how these particular usages were crossed by affective intensities that worked to produce students’ political subjectivities as collective and agentic. This affective work was produced with other members of the school community and sometimes was met with anger, policing practices, and desires to exclude students from particular historical narratives. The data for this article were produced within a yearlong critical ethnographic study on the processes of production of high school feminist students’ gender and political subjectivities in Chile, which included participant observation, testimonios interviews, art-based collective testimonios workshops, and analysis through affect theory. The findings show the types of historical and political narratives and symbols used by students, what affective intensities that crossed these symbols did to the students’ political subjectivities, and the conflicts these intensities produced within the school community. The article concludes by examining how these findings might open new questions within the field of social studies education research.

Socio-emotional Dimensions in Gifted Chilean High School Students with Interests in STEM: Influence of Gender and University Enrichment Program Participation

This article contributes to the study of the gender gap for women in STEM, by exploring the socioemotional dimensions of gifted girls with positive attitudes toward math and science, as measured by the TOSRA and TOMRA. The variables of self-concept, self-efficacy, and gender stereotype identification were examined, using the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale, Sources of Science and Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale, and Masculine-Feminine Inventory, based on gender and extracurricular enrichment program participation. The sample consisted of 103 Chilean students in 10th grade, identified as gifted using the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and t-tests to analyze the effects of gender and enrichment program participation. Results showed that self-concept for girls is lower than for boys, and lower for girls who attended enrichment programs, compared to girls who did not attend programs. Furthermore, an interaction effect was observed between gender and enrichment program attendance on the gender stereotype subscales of masculinity and submission. Implications for enrichment programs were discussed, suggesting the need to (a) focus on girls´ self-concept, (b) decrease the risk of stereotype threat, and (c) encourage gifted girls to identify how they experience and act upon gender stereotypes.

Suicidal Ideation Mediates the Relationship Between Affect and Suicide Attempt in Adolescents.

Suicide, as one of the leading causes of death for the adolescent population, both in Chile and globally, remains a complex and elusive phenomenon. This research studies the association between positive and negative affect in relation with suicidal ideation and suicidal attempt, given that affectivity is a fundamental basis on which people make evaluations on their satisfaction with life. First, it examines the reliability, structure, and validity of Watson’s positive and negative affect scale (PANAS) scale in a representative random sample of Chilean high school students (N = 4,568). The scale evidences strong reliability coefficients and a confirmatory factor analysis, excluding one positive (excited) and one negative (nervous) item. The scale shows a satisfactory goodness of fit. Secondly, it investigates the association of PANAS positive and negative affect scores with suicidal ideation as well as reported attempt in adolescents, controlling for the potential effect of age and sex (N = 420 high school students). Low positive and high negative affect, but not sex and age, show a significant association with suicidal ideation. Suicidal ideation totally mediates the association of affect with suicide attempt, as expected. Results are discussed regarding prevention and it considers how positive and negative affect can be relevant as indicators for prevention and treatment using widely available technology.

Improving Reading Comprehension in Spanish Using iSTART-E

iSTART-E is a web-based intelligent tutor developed for Spanish-speaking students to improve their reading comprehension through self-explanation strategy training. This study examined the effects of a blended comprehension strategy intervention on students' reading comprehension skill. Chilean high school students (N = 22) completed nine iSTART-E sessions and a face-to-face classroom lesson that included integrative video and additional examples of self-explanation. Survey data indicated that students thought that iSTART-E was useful and that they had improved their reading skills. Critically, this was supported by objective assessment—students' standardized reading comprehension test (Lectum) performance improved from pre-training to post-training. These findings demonstrate promise for the use of iSTART-E as a computer-supported learning environment for Spanish readers.

La fragmentación del conocer en educación física (The fragmentation of knowledge in physical education)


 El estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar con fines diagnósticos la formación conceptual en la asignatura de Educación Física, en estudiantes chilenos de enseñanza media. El estudio fue metodológicamente de corte descriptivo transversal. Participaron 659 estudiantes, 54% (hombres) y 46% (mujeres), con edades entre los 13 y 14 años, de las tres dependencias educativas del país; municipal (36.4%), subvencionado (37.8%) y privado (25.8%). Se realizó un muestreo probabilístico estratificado según dependencia educativa y sexo de los estudiantes. Para la recolección de los datos se aplicó un cuestionario diseñado y validado con estudiantes del currículo chileno. Los principales resultados indican que existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las dependencias educativas, con resultados específicos de la prueba Anova de f = 48.584 p < .05 a favor de los colegios particulares. En conclusión, el estudio muestra un bajo dominio disciplinar de los alumnos y alumnas en las diferentes dependencias educativas, manifestando, una vez más, la necesidad de buscar metodológicas innovadoras para la disciplina, en función de mejorar los resultados de la dimensión conceptual.
 Abstract. The study aimed at diagnosing the conceptual formation in physical education in Chilean high school students. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional methodology. A total of 659 students participated, 54% boys and 46% girls, aged between 13 and 14 years old, from the three educational units in the country; public schools (36.4%), subsidized schools (37.8%) and private schools (25.8%). A stratified probabilistic sampling was performed based on students’ educational dependence and gender. For the data collection, a questionnaire designed and validated with students of the Chilean curriculum was applied. The main results indicate that there are statistically significant differences between educational units, with specific results from Anova of f = 48,584 p <.05 in favor of private schools. In conclusion, the study shows a low disciplinary domain of the students in the different educational units, highlighting once more the need to seek innovative methodologies within this discipline in order to improve the learning of its conceptual dimension.

Cyber dating abuse: Assessment, prevalence, and relationship with offline violence in young Chileans

The aims of the present study were to (1) adapt and validate the Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire (CDAQ) for young Chileans and (2) provide data on the prevalence of cyber dating abuse in young Chileans. As a sample, 1,538 Chilean high school and university students (14–24 years old) participated in the study (59.8% females). Results showed that the CDAQ had an adequate fit with the original correlated four-factor model as well as with a second-order factor model that considered the four scales as primary factors of two secondary factors: victimization (control and aggression from the victimization perspective) and perpetration (control and aggression from the perpetrator’s perspective). Reliability analysis also showed that the questionnaire presented satisfactory values for internal consistency. Scores on the CDAQ were positively correlated with traditional forms of assessing dating violence, providing new evidences of validity. Prevalence data showed cyber dating behaviors are common practices among young Chileans, with around three quarters of that population reporting being victims or aggressors. Finally, prevalence of control (around 72% for both perspectives) was higher than direct aggression (34.4% for victimization and 27% for direct aggression).

Formar ciudadanos a través de la acción sobre los problemas sociales de la comunidad

The way in which people think about democracy determines their chances to influence society. Therefore, one the most important aims of citizenship education is the students' understanding of all forms of democratic participation. This article presents the results of an action research study which has sought to influence the ideas of citizen participation in a group of Chilean high school students. To do this, a didactic sequence called Action on Social Problems Module was designed and implemented. Data was collected using a mixed method approach, therefore questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, video recordings and field notes were implemented. The young people's ideas were classified by a reformulation of the categories that McLaughlin has previously used to describe the notions of citizenship. It was determined that the didactic proposal was effective to expand the conception of citizen participation of the students involved and improvements were established for their future applications.

A digital room of their own: Chilean students struggling against patriarchy in digital sites

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the convergence between the Chilean feminist and student movements through the use of public, feminist Facebook websites administrated by Chilean high school students. The article explores the ways in which these feminist students participate and interact with others on these websites while producing their gender/political subjectivities. Using narrative analysis, the paper presents their processes of subjectification as part of emerging social movement stories. I argue that these websites provide the necessary conditions for students to engage in political actions and produce their collective gender/political subjectivities as the protagonists in the feminist student social movement narratives. This process is co-constructed by the visitors to the sites, who sometimes police the students, using hegemonic discourses regarding female minors. The paper amplifies a body of research on online feminism by exploring gender and political subjectivity production through social media in a Latin American context, and calls attention to digital social movement actions as a form of political engagement in the present.

An Exploratory Study on Mind Wandering, Metacognition, and Verbal Creativity in Chilean High School Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between mind wandering, metacognition, and creativity in a sample of Chilean high school students. Two hundred and twenty-eight secondary students took three self-report scales on mind wandering, metacognitive strategies and reading difficulties, two verbal creativity assessments, a test of fluid intelligence and a measure of attentional capacity. Correlational analysis, a single multiple hierarchical regression, and a three-way moderation model were performed on data. Controlling for fluid intelligence and reading difficulties, metacognition and attention predicted creativity while mind wandering did not. Additionally, a three-way interaction showed that mind wandering had a positive impact on creativity only among students with both high attention and high metacognition. These results reflect the relevance of cognitive self-regulation for creativity during the high school years. Educational implications are discussed.

Linking positive emotions and academic performance: The mediated role of academic psychological capital and academic engagement

The present study examined the relationship between positive emotions and academic performance, and the mediated role played by academic psychological capital and academic engagement, in a sample of 497 Chilean high school students. Participants´ ages ranged from 14 to 17 years old, with a mean of 15.71 (SD = 1.15). Findings supported our hypothesized model that academic psychological capital and academic engagement mediate the relationship between positive emotions and academic performance (GPA). The proposed model has theoretical implications for future research and practical implications for school settings. The promotion of positive emotions in students is a relevant challenge for principals, teachers, and parents in attempting to build academic psychological capital and academic engagement, which in turn may lead to higher academic performance.