European Students Research Articles

Resilient and low performer students: Personal and family determinants in European countries.

Students' academic achievement depends on their personal, family and sociocultural characteristics. This study aims to identify the personal and family factors of European students who do not perform as expected, whether by surpassing expectations (resilient) or by failing to meet them (low performers). The sample was composed of 117,539 fourth grade students who completed the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) test, from 23 European Union countries. Academic performance was evaluated via a reading comprehension test. For each country, two binary logistic regression models were used, one for resilient students and the other for low performers. Variables related to the students and their families were used as predictor variables. Significant differences were found between European countries in terms of the proportion of resilient and low performing students. The two variables with the most predictive power were student confidence with reading, and having done early literacy activities. Students' personal characteristics and family conditions are instrumental in students being considered resilient or low performers.

Awareness of interventional radiology before professional training and outcome measurement of an interventional radiology curriculum: a survey of third-year undergraduates in a Chinese medical college.

We aimed to assess the awareness of interventional radiology (IR) among medical students, and to evaluate an IR curriculum in China. Between the academic years of 2008 and 2016, 517 third-year medical undergraduates, who successfully applied for an IR curriculum, received a survey related to IR before taking the course. Final exams were conducted after the IR course. A total of 355 of the 517 medical students (68.67%) answered the survey; 81.97% of the respondents had heard of IR, 40.28% believed they understood what IR is, but no one was familiar with IR. The four most common pathways for medical students to acquire IR knowledge were via new media (e.g., internet, apps) (42.82%), a teacher/textbook (36.90%), a friend (32.68%), and traditional media (26.48%). The most familiar interventional procedures to respondents were percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA, 78.59%) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE, 44.51%). The results of the survey also indicated that 68.45% of the respondents wanted to learn about IR, but that only 47 male students (13.24%) considered a career in IR. The pass rate of the IR course final exam was 87.04%, i.e., 87.04% of the students successfully completed the course and final exam. The IR knowledge of medical students in China is worse than that of European medical students. We suggest that providing medical students with general information about IR in the media, as well as via teaching and textbooks in medical school, requires prompt and significant attention. An IR curriculum is beneficial for increasing the IR knowledge of undergraduates.

Strangers in a New Land: Rural School Personnel’s Perceptions of the Implementation of an International Student Program

Many high schools in the northeastern United States have suffered from declining enrollment due to a declining population of school-age children in the region. Administrators, counselors and teachers perceive many impacts of the implementation of an international student program at a rural high school. This qualitative case study reveals that the rural high school’s unique nature impacts international student programs, international students influence both school culture and programming, and international students suffer from isolation. School leaders would benefit from considerations in the form of professional development both prior to implementation of an international student program and ongoing throughout its duration. It is important for schools to find ways to respectfully honor student cultures and optimize learning experiences. School leaders would be wise to determine desired size of international student programs and make efforts accordingly to achieve that size for optimal effectiveness for the benefit of both host and international students. Implications and recommendations for future research include further exploration of the perceived experiences of European and Chinese international students, understanding the unique nature of rural high schools and international student experiences, and examination of school practices.

Comparative Patterns of Migration Intentions: Evidence from Eastern European Students in Economics from Romania and Republic of Moldova

Based on a survey among students in economics at universities from the Romanian region of Moldova (RoMold) and Republic of Moldova (ReMold), this study explores the influence of familial, background, and individual characteristics on the migration intentions abroad. Both regional models built after using data mining tools and binary logistic regression analysis show a powerful emphasis on our own value recognition, while the other influences indicate clear asymmetric patterns in terms of migration intentions. For RoMold, there is a low level of interpersonal trust, a strong accent on individual liberty and favoritism, a low respect for traditions, and the belief that Orthodoxy could be a migration cause. The paternal occupation and the maternal religiosity matter for their migration plans. For ReMold, the parental migration experience, a low level of parents’ education attainment, and a powerful internal locus of control are considered the main triggers for migrating abroad. For both particular regions, a highly interactive distribution map and two corresponding risk-prediction nomograms provide basic support for replication, fast visual insight, and consistent support for interpretations directly in probabilistic terms. We intend to apply an inductive approach in order to extend the analysis to different types of respondents and geographic areas.

An exploratory survey on the state of training in adolescent medicine and health in 36 European countries

The development of adolescent health and medicine as a medical discipline lags behind in Europe compared with other regions of the world. This study aims to evaluate the structure and content of adolescent medicine and health training curricula for medical students, paediatricians, and other primary care physicians in the European region. A questionnaire survey was sent by e-mail to experts in the field from 36 European countries, addressing the content of adolescent health issues. Data was obtained from all 36 countries. At the undergraduate level, seven countries reported some mandatory stand-alone teaching (sessions dealing specifically with adolescents), while seven countries reported optional stand-alone teaching. In only 7 out of 36 countries were issues critical to adolescents covered as stand-alone sessions. At the postgraduate level, 15 countries delivered stand-alone mandatory training sessions to primary, secondary, or tertiary care paediatricians, covering most of the five critical areas listed in the questionnaire. In another 13 countries, such sessions were not mandatory and were inexistent in eight of them. The coverage among school physicians was similar but was much lower among general practitioners.Conclusion: Paediatric associations and academic institutions should advocate for a better coverage of adolescent health and medicine in the training curricula of health care providers.What is known:• In most European countries, adolescent medicine is still poorly represented as a discipline.• Experts have recently published recommendations regarding what form the structure and content of a training curriculum in this field should take.What is new:• This paper gives information on the extent and content of training in adolescent medicine and health as currently offered within under- and postgraduate European training curricula, in terms of stand-alone mandatory (versus optional) sessions.• In many European countries, both medical students and residents are poorly exposed to the basic knowledge and skills pertaining to adolescent health care.

Differences in Early Maladaptive Schemas between Young Adults Displaying Poor Versus Good Sleep Quality.

Research on the connection between sleep-related problems and Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) is scarce. The aim of the current study was to investigate a potential link between EMSs and poor sleep quality. Participants (n = 249) were selected from a larger sample of 1253 European Portuguese college students who completed the BaSIQS and the YSQ-S3. The major inclusion criteria for the selected participants were high versus low scores on the BaSIQS (poor versus good sleep quality). Students with poor sleep quality had significantly higher levels of Abandonment/ Instability, Mistrust/Abuse, Social Isolation/Alienation, Vulnerability to Harm or Illness, Entitlement/Grandiosity, Self-Sacrifice, and Negativity/Pessimism. These data suggest that EMSs are associated with poor sleep quality. However, additional studies are necessary to better understand this relationship.

Neural Mechanisms Involved in Social Conformity and Psychopathic Traits: Prediction Errors, Reward Processing and Saliency.

Aligning behavior in favor of group norms, i.e., social conformity, can help to successfully adapt to uncertain environments and may result in social approval. This may lead to enhanced feelings of belongingness and is found to be associated with reward-related activations in the brain. Individuals high on psychopathic traits violate group norms regularly. Yet, it is unclear how psychopathic traits are related to neural mechanisms involved in social conformity. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study includes 42 healthy females scoring low or high on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory questionnaire (PPI). Participants were asked to rate the trustworthiness of 120 faces while lying in the scanner. After rating each face, participants were presented with the group rating of European students. In an unanticipated second part participants rated all faces again, allowing us to focus on two main contrasts: (1) “Social conflict”: group opinion in conflict with the participant’s rating vs. group opinion aligned with participant rating; and (2) “Conformity”: conflict trials followed by conformity vs. conflict trials followed by non-conformity. Behaviorally, the two groups showed similar conformity behavior. fMRI results showed that both groups activated the nucleus accumbens (NAc) following alignment, suggesting the central role of prediction errors and reward. The data also showed a significant interaction between group and conformity in the amygdala. Following conflicts, females scoring low on psychopathic traits showed a trend in enhanced amygdala activation for conformity relative to non-conformity. Additionally, results showed a trend significant group effect for non-conformity. Females scoring high on psychopathic traits showed more activation for non-conformity compared to females scoring low on psychopathic traits, suggesting altered emotional salience of experiencing conflict depending on psychopathic traits. Taken together, these results support the importance of investigating the role of relevant traits in adaptive behavior when facing uncertain social situations and the neural mechanisms involved in this process.

Does identity matter for adaptation? The influence of acculturation identity on the well-being and delinquency of adolescent students in Europe

ABSTRACT This study examines the implications of identity for the adaptation of immigrant children in the European context. Using the migrant sample from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU), this study examines how identity is related to the outcomes of well-being and delinquency of high school students. Results from multilevel models lend partial support to the theorized role of acculturation identity. Integrated students had higher well-being compared with assimilated students, challenging the notion that sole national affiliation is the most advantageous strategy for adaptation and thereby supporting a selective acculturation perspective. In addition, separate analyses of European and non-European immigrant students produced divergent results. While the ethnic identity of students with non-European backgrounds was negatively associated with delinquent behavior, separated students of European background reported higher delinquency compared with their assimilated counterparts, suggesting that acculturated identity works in different ways between immigrant groups and that the protective effect of ethnic identity against delinquency is only present for migrants students of non-European backgrounds.

Nga Vaka o Kaiga Tapu

When broken down by ethnicity, Pacific people are twice as likely to be offenders who have committed a serious crime against a family member; Pacific students are three times as likely as Aotearoa New Zealand European students to report witnessing adults hit children in their homes and five times more likely to die from child abuse or neglect (Pasefika Proud, 2016).Although there is no one single component that can be attributed to family violence, there are three contributing factors that are unique to the experiences of Pacific people inAotearoa New Zealand. These are social and economic inequities, the impact of migration on families, and identity and culture. An underlying concern of identity and culture is the urgent need to understand ethnic-specific perceptions, beliefs and practices with regard to relationships between family members, and the impact of violence on kinship wellbeing.

Knowledge of managerial competencies: cross-cultural analysis between American and European students

This paper reports on the differences of managerial competencies among MBA students from American and European business schools. The results of this research suggest that there are certain differences of not only nationality but also gender. The study also points out the need for different managerial competency profiles to better assess MBA students looking for future career development. The results of this study indicate that there is a difference at the national level between assessed managerial competencies of American and European MBA students that can be attributed to cultural factors. This conclusion confirms the findings of Chong (2008) and Akinola, Martin, and Phillips (2018). Secondly, at the organisational level, cultural differences manifest themselves in some but not all assessed managerial competencies. These research findings provide empirical evidence which suggests that, in managing and advising international and global future managers, one ought to distinguish between external, interpersonal and personal managerial competencies which are applicable across cultures and which are prone to cultural differences.

Graduates’ skills and employability: the view of students from different European countries

Purpose In the last decade, graduates’ employability has assumed a central role in scholars’ concerns. This was mainly due the high rate of recent graduates’ unemployment in some European countries, as well as the Bologna Process reform of the European higher education system and the new Europe Strategy 2020. The purpose of this paper, driven by the increasing need to improve graduates’ skills and employability, is to identify a set of skills that students consider important to achieve success in their own field of study and another set of skills, which they perceive to lack the most. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the main goal of this study, based on the methodology supported by literature review, a questionnaire was applied to students from five different European universities. Findings The main results allowed the authors to infer that, on the one hand, the European students of the universities included in the study consider communication, thinking and interpersonal skills as the most important skills to get a job in their own field of study; and on the other hand, personal, interpersonal and entrepreneurial skills are the skills lacked by students. These set of skills are quite similar and even overlapping, which makes this a significant inference that needs to be accounted by higher education institutions (HEIs). Originality/value In the research carried out in this study, with the students of five different European universities affected by the economic crisis of 2007/2008, the needed skills perceived by students to obtain employment in their own field of study were identified, along with the skills which they perceived to lack the most. The obtained findings contribute to shed light on the important issue of supporting HEIs regarding the skills that should be imparted in the curricula of their courses and workshops, in order to help the students to succeed in the current and potential competitive labour market.

Europese waarden in de les godsdienst/ levensbeschouwing

European students and teachers both seem to lack a precise knowledge of European Values. The European Value Education (EVE)-project therefore developed educational materials that would help secondary teachers to discuss these values in schools. These materials were made available for free online. They were developed in such a manner that would allow teachers to apply them directly in their own classes. The EVE-project envisioned the materials to be also used by teachers of religious education (RE), since the materials discuss topics that are traditionally addressed in RE-classes. However, no RE-teachers were involved in the EVE-project. Recently, value education, especially in the context of citizenship education, has received more attention in the Dutch curriculum as a whole and the RE-curriculum in particular. The EVE-materials could help teachers in secondary education to study values together with their students. This paper analyses the didactic activities and sources provided by the EVE-project in order to ascertain their usefulness for Dutch teachers of RE. It analyses the ways the materials support their goals and the way they approach the topic of religion in order to provide some guidepost on how to use them in the Dutch RE-classroom.

Pietismus: Eine Anthologie von Quellen des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts

Pietismus: Eine Anthologie von Quellen des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts

Patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm among European university students.

To compare patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm from a survey of university students sampled from universities in Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. A total of 2191 university students (70% female, 90% white ethnic group, age range 18-25) completed the survey. Participants completed measures of demographic variables (age, age of onset, ethnic group and sex) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which was the primary outcome. Sixty-three percent of the sample scored negative for harmful drinking on the AUDIT (<8), with 30% categorized as hazardous drinkers, 4% harmful drinkers and 3% with probable dependence. Analysis of variance, including demographic factors as covariates, identified a main effect of country on AUDIT scores F(5, 2086) = 70.97, P < 0.001, partial eta square = 0.15. AUDIT scores were highest in England (M = 9.99; SD = 6.17) and Denmark (M = 9.52; SD = 4.86) and lowest in Portugal (M = 4.90; ° = 4.60). Post hoc tests indicated large effect size differences between scores in Denmark and England and scores in all other countries (0.79 < d < 0.94; all P's < 0.001). European university students in our sample mainly reported low risk patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. However, students from Northern European countries had significantly higher AUDIT scores compared with students from Central and Southern European countries. Research is needed to replicate the present study using nationally representative samples to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use disorders among university students in different European countries.

Social media and e-learning use among European exercise science students.

With the rise of digital technologies, electronic learning and communication tools are becoming a firm part of academia to promote knowledge of health sciences. This study sought to analyse the attitude of students regarding social media and digital learning for study purposes in sport and exercise science. A survey was carried out with a questionnaire (20 main items) in six sport science faculties, equally spread across Germany (G), Italy (I) and the United Kingdom (UK) between February and October 2017. The focus areas were students' usage of social media (Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Skype, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube) for academic purposes and their use of e-learning. Data were analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. 229 students participated in the study (G: 68, I: 121, UK: 40). While YouTube was mostly used for receiving knowledge, WhatsApp and Facebook showed additional preferences for peer contacts for learning purposes and knowledge discussions. Preferred online data sources were PubMed (77%), free access journals (67%), YouTube (66%) and Wikipedia (63%). Often used digital learning materials were own universities' PowerPoints (77%), scripts (59%) and scientific articles (53%). However, some preferences showed national differences. The evaluated participants showed an overall high use of social media and e-learning tools for their studies. Students would like more digital learning sources made available to them by their institutions. However, some differences in preferences of digital learning or communication tools may exist and this should be considered for international approaches to promote health knowledge among students.

A Short Introduction to the Reproducibility Debate in Psychology

The Journal of European Psychology Students (JEPS) is an open-access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal for psychology students worldwide. JEPS is run by highly motivated European psychology students and has been publishing since 2009. By ensuring that authors are always provided with extensive feedback, JEPS gives psychology students the chance to gain experience in publishing and to improve their scientific skills. Furthermore, JEPS provides students with the opportunity to share their research and to take a first step toward a scientific career.Submissions are welcomed at any time.Register to submit your work online.Visit our blog - JEPS Bulletin - for tips on writing and more.

Impact of Exchange Stay on Alcohol Consumption: Longitudinal Exploration in a Large Sample of European Students.

Each year, more than 300,000 university students take part in European exchange programs. Besides their positive educational and cultural impacts, these programs are also reputed to immerse students in a high-risk festive context where excessive alcohol consumption is strongly present.There is thus a crucial need to evaluate the actual impact of those exchange stays on alcohol consumption. Study abroad (n=3,950) and local (n=3,950) European students completed a 2-part longitudinal survey and reported their alcohol consumption before (T1) and during (T2) their exchange stay (or at the beginning of the academic year and 6months later for local students, constituting the control group). During their exchange stay, individuals studying abroad showed more excessive and harmful alcohol consumption behaviors than local students, as measured by increased general alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) scores at T2. In particular, study abroad students under 20years of age and performing their exchange stay in eastern Europe were the most exposed to excessive alcohol consumption and BD. These results constitute the first large-scale longitudinal confirmation that exchange stays indeed constitute risky contexts in which students significantly increase their consumption and present stronger alcohol-related problems. In view of the rapid and deleterious effects of alcohol consumption in young people, it is essential to promote prevention campaigns targeting this population to limit public health consequences and possible evolution toward severe alcohol use disorders.

A baseline assessment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within European Student Union web environments

The world of student unions is under-researched, particularly relating to global issues and challenges, despite them holding a large proportion of the future workforce. At present, the European Students Union (ESU) has a duty of care to approximately 15 million European students, with subsequent policies and information. This paper addresses the disparity between these areas, with a specific focus on the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - in partnership with the UK National Union of Students, under the Dissertations for Good Programme. An innovative web mining method was created and refined over a 10-week data collection period on ESU public web domains using websites from January 2014-18. A pre-determined selection of seventeen key terms were used to quantify the overall knowledge and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals on a country by country basis, with the UK National Union of Students as a control during the study. This resulted in the successful analysis of 39 ESUs, showing a wide range of keyword abundance, knowledge depth and breadth across member nations. 89% of all key term sites were located within the UK & Switzerland unions, creating 86% of all key terms found – highlighting disparity against developments in European Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). To conclude, this research has highlighted both the lack of visual representation of the Sustainable Development Goals to students and therefore, the variation in education quality across nations, allowing for potential inequality of sustainability skillsets required by graduates on a global scale to tackle global challenges.

Exploring the Conjunction Fallacy in Probability Judgment: Conversational Implicature or Nested Sets?

The Journal of European Psychology Students (JEPS) is an open-access, double-blind, peer-reviewed journal for psychology students worldwide. JEPS is run by highly motivated European psychology students and has been publishing since 2009. By ensuring that authors are always provided with extensive feedback, JEPS gives psychology students the chance to gain experience in publishing and to improve their scientific skills. Furthermore, JEPS provides students with the opportunity to share their research and to take a first step toward a scientific career.Submissions are welcomed at any time.Register to submit your work online.Visit our blog - JEPS Bulletin - for tips on writing and more.

Promoting intercultural awareness among European university students via pre-mobility virtual exchanges

For more than 30 years, the Erasmus programme has given thousands of higher education students throughout Europe the chance to live and study abroad. For many, this sojourn in a foreign country is an extraordinary learning experience which enriches their language and (inter)cultural learning process. However, for others, this opportunity is undermined by cultural shock or lack of preparation...