Portuguese University Students Research Articles

Pre-service teachers’ competencies to develop computational thinking: A Portuguese tool to analyse Computational Thinking

Computational thinking (CT) is an essential mathematical skill for problem-solving and students’ future lives. It is integrated into the educational curricula of several countries, including Portugal. Therefore, pre-service teachers (PST) must possess didactic knowledge to effectively develop CT in students. The aim of this study encompassed three main objectives: translating and adapting the computational thinking scale into Portuguese (study 1), validating the scale (study 2), and assessing the perceived levels of CT competencies among PST in Portuguese university students while examining differences between undergraduate and master’s level PST (study 3). The sample consisted of study 1 with 43 participants and study 2 and study 3 with 382 participants. In study 1, temporal stability was assessed indicating strong stability. The internal consistency showed good homogeneity of the items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed consistency with the structure of the original scale. In conclusion, the Portuguese version of the CT scale demonstrates adequate psychometric properties, proving valid and reliable for assessing CT in university students. Additionally, significant differences were observed between undergraduate and master’s degree students, underscoring the importance of tailored training programs to meet the specific needs of undergraduate students.

SELF-ESTEEM AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

To examine the influence of Sex, age, area of residence, academic year, health behaviors, and social media use on self-esteem and psychological well-being in a sample of Portuguese university students. A descriptive, correlational, and quantitative study was conducted using a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design. The sample comprised 194 individuals (171 female, 23 male) aged 18-57 years. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Psychological General Well-being Index short version. The results showed a positive correlation between self-esteem and psychological well-being. Gender showed effects on both self-esteem and psychological well-being when associated with hours of sleep per day and social media use. Academic year and physical exercise practice only affected self-esteem. Age demonstrated statistically significant multivariate effects on both self-esteem and psychological well-being. No significant effects were found on self-esteem and psychological well-being for the remaining variables (area of residence, smoking habits, hours of sleep per day, social media use, and daily time spent on social networks). It is possible to conclude that self-esteem positively influences psychological well-being, and psychological well-being affects self-esteem, highlighting the importance of a healthy relationship between these constructs. In the absence of such a relationship, access to mental health and support services is necessary.

Understanding the associations between the five-factor model, harmful alcohol consumption and problematic internet use in university students

ABSTRACT Alcohol consumption and Internet use are highly prevalent behaviours among young adults and previous research has suggested that different addictive behaviours might be distinctly associated with personality. This study examined the role of big-5 personality traits in alcohol consumption and Internet use. Alcohol consumption, internet use, and personality traits were assessed on 457 Portuguese university students. Higher levels of neuroticism, and lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness were found to be associated both with harmful alcohol use and problematic internet use. Openness to experience was not correlated with either behaviour. Multiple linear regression showed that conscientiousness might be an important predictor of both alcohol consumption and Internet use. There is an important overlap in personality traits related to alcohol and the use of internet, but there are also clear differences in what regards extraversion. Conscientiousness should be promoted as a preventive strategy.

Mediation of study approaches and skills in university students during covide-19: the effect on the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy

Objective: Self-efficacy is a characteristic that helps university students to fulfill pedagogical and academic tasks and goals. The support of the family or the skills of students are important to their university career, which may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to analyze whether family influence and study approaches and skills can predict self-efficacy and whether the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy can be mediated by students’ study approaches and skills. Methods: Participated in the study 174 Portuguese university students of both genders, with an average age of 23.70 years (±8.47). The instruments applied were the Family Influence Scale, Higher Education Self-Efficacy Scale, Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (short version) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: The study approaches and skills predicts of self-efficacy and mediates the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy.Conclusion: Knowing the important impact of study approaches and skills on students’ self-efficacy will contribute to the definition of support strategies that universities should promote, in a pandemic and post-pandemic phase, for the mental health and academic success of their community.

Vulnerability and academic burnout in the university context: Interaction events, social exchanges, and resilience behaviours

AbstractThis study focuses on how levels of burnout impact on the quality of sleep and academic performance of university students. Previous research has found limited evidence on the prevalence of burnout in university students, in addition to the relationship between exhaustion behaviours and sleep quality. The social exchange theory (SET) is important for understanding how the various actors in that context behave and with what effect on their social exchanges, here, specifically, verifying academic burnout and its perception by students and institutions themselves. Research has not sufficiently addressed the examination of burnout and forms of coping in that context. The data for this study were collected during the 2023 academic year, through an online survey, from 311 Portuguese university students from different undergraduate courses, without children and without student‐worker status, aged between 18 and 38 (M = 21.58 and DP = 3.20). The results showed a high‐negative correlation between burnout and sleep quality in university students with a direct impact on academic performance (burnout rates and poor sleep quality are associated with low academic performance scores, regardless of the course attended). This research and its results make a contribution that directs the management of university and specifically of courses towards a greater awareness of the existence of burnout and well‐complied sleep schedules by students. Given the evidence that there is a deficit in sleep quality caused by burnout in university students, resilience in this context is one of the aspects that deserve further research, in order to prevent burnout, poor sleep quality, and consequently, control of academic grades.

A latent class analysis of multiple health-risk behaviours among Portuguese college students

Traditionally, the prevalence of health-risk behaviours is high among university students. Although these behaviours are often analysed in isolation, there is likely evidence for the co-occurrence of multiple risk behaviours. In this study, a latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted with cross-sectional data from 840 Portuguese students (55.4% female) to explore patterns of multiple risk behaviours across seven behavioural dimensions (alcohol consumption, smoking, unhealthy eating, sedentary behaviour, risky sexual practices, illicit drug use, and self-medication). Additionally, a latent class regression was performed to explore predictors (perceived well-being and sociodemographic and academic characteristics) for each behavioural pattern. A three-class model emerged with different probabilities of risk: Low-risk behaviours (51.4%), Moderate-risk behaviors (14.9%), and High-risk behaviours (33.7%). Students with better perceptions of well-being and health were likelier to be in the healthier class. Students in the low- and moderate-risk classes were more likely to be in their first year of study, not in a romantic relationship and to be full-time students. Students who had not changed residence at the beginning of their studies and were female were more likely to be in the healthiest class. This study provides essential strategies for health promotion among university students, offering crucial insights for the design of effective health promotion interventions, especially targeted at specific groups of students with similar patterns of multiple risk behaviours.

Protean Career Orientation Scale: A validation study with Portuguese university students

The protean career orientation refers to career agentic and values-driven attitudes in today’s changing contexts. This orientation shows readiness for facing lifespan tasks and challenges in diverse work roles, contributing, for example, to university students’ academic engagement and employability. Given the importance of this construct, there is a need for valid and reliable measures of protean career orientation. Our study aimed to analyze the internal and criterion-related validity and reliability of a Portuguese language version of the Protean Career Orientation Scale. Participants were 407 Portuguese university students who responded to measures of protean career orientation, academic engagement, and career self-management strategies. Factorial analyses, Pearson correlations, and reliability indicators were computed. Adequate psychometric properties were found after one item deletion. Findings provide evidence for the scale’s usage among groups of university students, whether for research or practical purposes. Nevertheless, more studies are needed.

Entrepreneurial Incentives Among University Students in Georgia and Portugal

Abstract The study of entrepreneurial incentives among students is a highly relevant issue because it is of utmost importance for the economic development of the country to cultivate generations of entrepreneurs who will create high-value technological startups and contribute to the transformation of Georgia into a technological hub, a goal that we have been calling a priority for years. In recent years, there has been a tendency among young adults to show entrepreneurial initiative, although this is modest compared to what could truly change the image of the country. Funds and angel investors have emerged in the country, ready to invest in interesting business projects with global potential. In this process, the role of universities could be invaluable. The primary obstacle that Georgia’s and Portugal’s education systems are still facing is incorporating entrepreneurial skills into formal and vocational education. Scant is the rundown of colleges that have coordinated this new test in their educational programs. The region is characterized by precarious and unsystematic skill-based professional schooling, reflecting inadequate funding initiatives lacking sustainability. The article studies the factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial incentives in Georgia and Portugal, identifies the interests and opportunities of Georgian and Portuguese university students in starting a business, and discusses the best foreign practices for encouraging students’ entrepreneurial activity. The article reports a study, based on a survey, which identified the main facilitating and hindering factors that influence students’ entrepreneurial incentives. The paper also analyzes the environment supporting students’ entrepreneurial activities in Georgia and Portugal, discusses the possibilities of finding financing, and identifies the main obstacles that students face when starting a business.

A Pilot Study on Dietary Choices at Universities: Vending Machines, Canteens, and Lunch from Home.

Commercial environments and food acquisition methods significantly shape dietary practices and impact health. This study assesses dietary choices among Portuguese university students regarding vending machines, canteens, and lunches from home. It also evaluates their use of the university canteen and their tendency to bring lunch from home. This pilot cross-sectional study used a self-administered electronic questionnaire, made available in early 2023. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling. The study included 137 students from Portuguese higher education institutions, mainly women (74.5%), pursuing degrees or integrated Master's degrees (83.2%), primarily in health-related fields (55.5%). The median age was 21 years (20 to 23.5 years). About 70.0% regularly consumed food from vending machines, while approximately 60.0% brought lunch from home, avoiding the canteen. Factors such as convenience (48.5%), price (47.5%), product availability (40.6%), and taste (39.6%) mainly influenced vending machine choices. Monthly, chocolates, water, coffee, cookies, treats, and soft drinks were the most commonly acquired items, with coffee being the most frequent daily purchase. These findings provide insights for creating policies and initiatives to promote healthier and more accessible food options for students and strategies to encourage positive eating behaviors.

Relationships between engagement, achievement and well-being: validation of the engagement in higher education scale

ABSTRACT Addressing the factors associated with students’ underperformance, dropout rates, and mental health challenges is a pressing concern for university institutions. Favorable conditions for student engagement emerges as a potential solution to mitigate these issues. Therefore, there is a need for instruments that assess the multiple dimensions of the construct and relate them to significant variables in the lives of students and institutions. This study presents the initial validation of the Higher Education Engagement Scale (EiHES) in a sample of 760 students who responded to an online survey. Results of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using two random subsamples revealed that the scale comprises six dimensions of engagement: academic learning, online, cognitive, social with teachers, social with peers, and affective. All subscales showed adequate reliability indicators. Measurement invariance across gender was established up to the metric models. Evidence of validity was supported by associations between engagement with academic achievement and subjective well-being. The EiHES provides a comprehensive perspective of student engagement and appears to be a suitable instrument for assessing the construct in Portuguese university students. The discussion included limitations and suggestions for future research.

Psychometric properties of the positive mental health questionnaire: short form (PMHQ-SF18) in young adults.

Positive Mental Health (PMH) plays a pivotal role in the promoting of mental health. Assessing this phenomenon is essential for early recognition and intervention in mental health. To date, only one tool was validated with 39 items to assess PMH among Portuguese young adults. This study sought to examine the psychometric properties of the short version of the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire (PMHQ) among Portuguese university students. The PMHQ Short Form was administered to a sample of 3,647 university students via an online platform. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. The principal factor solution was employed because some items showed higher levels of kurtosis. Multivariate analysis was tested using the Mardia's Test, Henze-Zirkler, and Royston. Findings of content, construct validity tests, and Cronbach's alfa demonstrated the satisfactory validity and suitable reliability of the PMHQ-Short Form (PMHQ-SF). The exploratory factor analysis produced six dimensions of the PMHQ-SF with three items in each factor demonstrating adequate internal reliability. The global internal consistency was 0.92, with factors ranging between 0.60 to 0.82. The results suggest that the PMHQ-SF is reliable, easier, and more practical to complete by university students due to the shortening of the number of items. The PMHQ-SF is useful for assessing positive mental health in young adults. The final version of the instrument contains from 32 to 18 items.

Career adaptation in higher education: a study with non-working and working students

The career construction and sociocognitive career theories were considered to test an integrative model of career adaptation in higher education. Participants were 523 Portuguese university students (non-working, n = 335, Mage = 20.64; working, n = 188, Mage = 29.05), who completed measures of social support, protean orientation, adaptability and adapting as adaptation predictors, and career certainty, academic wellbeing, and life satisfaction as adaptation outcomes. Multigroup path analysis results indicated a good fit of the model and invariance across groups after some changes. Although more studies are needed to explore the range and limits of the proposed model validity, our findings allow the career development literature extension while informing the practice. Career counselors might facilitate university students’ adjustment by helping them expand their social network and develop their career attitudes.

Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE): Psychometric Properties in a Sample of Portuguese University Students.

Academic emotional exhaustion is the first stage of academic burnout syndrome, and it is necessary to assess it and intervene early, as the consequences can lead to harmful effects on psychological well-being. The main objectives of this study were to explore the psychometric properties of the Emotional Exhaustion Scale (ECE); to assess the association with suffering and positive well-being, using the MHI-5 Inventory; and to provide information on its validity and to compare it with these constructs. A total sample of 526 university students (81% female and 19% male) aged between 17 and 62 (M = 21.42 years and SD = 5.78) took part in this study. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out. In the internal consistency assessment, the ECE was 0.89 and the MHI-5 was 0.81 (Cronbach's alpha). Exploratory factor analysis was carried out with Varimax rotation and confirmatory analysis, obtaining the factor that explains 50.5% of the variance. The results indicated that the ECE has adequate psychometric properties for use with higher education students in Portugal. Its use by mental health professionals in higher education institutions could be very relevant for screening for emotional exhaustion and thus preventing possible serious pathologies.

Use of and Beliefs toward Novel Tobacco and Nicotine Products among Portuguese University Students: A Pandemic Survey.

Over the last decade, novel tobacco and nicotine product experimentation and use have dramatically increased among the youth, even in countries with strong tobacco control and anti-smoking social norms. We performed an online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study in March-June 2021, targeting students from the University of Beira Interior, Portugal. The aim was to assess the experimentation and use of tobacco and nicotine products and students' beliefs towards these products. Of the 452 participants, 67.0% were female; the mean age was 21.9 ± 3 years. Most students (60.4%) reported experimenting with tobacco/nicotine products; 31.2% were current users; polyconsumption was common. Of the current users, all used cigarettes, 41.1% used heated tobacco, 20.6% e-cigarettes, and 14.9% used water pipes. Our multivariate analysis showed that being male, being in the third year of study, and cohabiting or socializing with smokers were strongly associated with tobacco/nicotine use. While most students agree that heated tobacco and e-cigarettes are addictive, that they are not less harmful than cigarettes, and that second-hand exposure may cause health problems, few tobacco/nicotine users are ready to quit, and few students support a smoke-free university campus. These findings indicate high experimentation and the regular dual use of novel tobacco and nicotine products and suggest a pro-smoking social norm among university students.

Latent profiles of emotion regulation among university students: links to repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing.

Recent years have seen a deterioration in the mental health of university students and notable surge in the need for psychological support. Due to its links to psychopathology and high-risk behaviors, difficulty in emotion regulation frequently serves as a transdiagnostic dimension. This cross-sectional study used a person-centered analytical approach (latent profile analysis; LPA) to identify groups of Portuguese university students with similar profiles of emotion regulation difficulties (N = 261; Mage = 22.5 ± 1.2 years; n = 213 female) and describe how these groups differ in their presentation of repetitive negative thinking, internet addiction, and subjective wellbeing. The analyses identified four latent profiles: 14.5% of students showed global dysregulation (the Low Emotion Regulation Profile), 23% were moderately dysregulated with elevated problems in goal-directed behavior (the Moderate Emotion Regulation Profile), 8% showed specific difficulties with low emotional awareness and clarity (the Low Insight Profile), and 54.4% showed adaptive emotion regulation (the High Emotion Regulation Profile). As anticipated, the Low Emotion Regulation Profile had the lowest subjective wellbeing and the highest prevalence of repetitive negative thinking and internet addiction. Students with a Low Insight Profile also showed low subjective wellbeing, but less repetitive negative thinking compared to the Low Emotion Regulation Profile. Our findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving health and wellbeing among university students should consider each student's unique set of emotion regulation difficulties, rather than focusing on particular strategies. Further research may help determine whether emotion regulation profiles can serve as predictive indicators of varying mental health trajectories and subjective wellbeing in university students.

Instagram addiction, life satisfaction and self esteem in young adults

IntroductionAddiction to Instagram can have severe consequences at a psychological, physiological and social level. On the other hand, social networks can be useful tools for an individual’s daily life. Studies show that the problematic use of some social networks, namely Instagram, can have an impact on users’ self-esteem. This construct is considered a predictor of life satisfaction, which is why in the literature these two variables appear positively related.ObjectivesTo explore the relationship between addiction to Instagram, life satisfaction and self-esteem in young adult university students and to carry out a comparison between groups with and without probable addiction to Instagram.MethodsThe sample was composed by 241 Portuguese university students with a mean age of 22.03, (SD = 2.29, range 18-29), and who have an Instagram account. Subjects fulfilled a sociodemographic questionnaire, and the Portuguese version of the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, the Life Satisfaction Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.ResultsThe average score on the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale was of 13.37 (SD = 4.41), with 29.5% of the sample spending one to two hours a day (n = 71) on the social network and 29.1% showing a probable Instagram addiction (n = 70). Mean scores of 27.17 (SD = 5.34) were found on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and 16.31 (SD = 3.97) on the Satisfaction with Life Scale. A strong relationship was found between life satisfaction and self-esteem, with males tending to have an higher self-esteem comparing to females. A low negative correlation was found between self-esteem and the total score on the Bergen Instagram Addiction Scale, which was not maintained when analyzing groups with and without a probable Instagram addiction.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the probable presence of instagram addiction and the potential role of low self-esteem. It also emphasizes the strong relationship between life satisfaction and self-esteem. Instagram updates, as well as habits developed during the pandemic period, may have worsened the instagram use. The study shows how paradoxical the impacts of using this social network can be. Furthermore, the present study raises awareness to new national investigations that explore the use of Instagram and how they are related to the impacts on users’ lives.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Evaluating E-Health Literacy, Knowledge, Attitude, and Health Online Information in Portuguese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The main objective of the present study was to assess e-health literacy in a sample of Portuguese university students and its association with the level of knowledge and seeking for COVID-19-related information. This cross-sectional online study was conducted on Portuguese university students. All students completed a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, e-health Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and a questionnaire about knowledge, attitude, and health online information seeking. A total of 534 students (76.8% women), with a mean age of 24.3 years old (SD = 7.8), participated in this cross-sectional study, 53.0% of students were from non-health sciences. The mean score of eHEALS literacy was 28.8 (SD = 5.6). Most students (71.1%) classified the Internet as a useful, or very useful, tool in helping them make health related decisions. The use of the Internet as a tool to research health information for a period of two or more hours (OR = 1.9; CI 95% = 1.2; 3.4), to search online for health information on professional websites (OR = 2.3; CI 95% = 1.4; 3.6), to search in official media (OR = 2.3; CI 95% = 1.4; 3.9), and to study in the field of health sciences (OR = 1.6; CI 95% = 1.1; 2.6) increased the likelihood of having sufficient e-health literacy. From a public health perspective, there is a need to develop programs that increase health literacy among university students.

Validity and Reliability of the Portuguese Version of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale of 10 Elements for Young University Students

Background: Resilience is an important aspect of mental health in young people, which has become more relevant after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is therefore of paramount importance to have valid and reliable instruments that measure the globality of this aspect. One of the instruments that has been shown to have good psychometric properties and which has been widely adapted in several languages is the Connor–Davidson resilience scale, composed of 10 elements (10-item CD-RISC). Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the 10-item CD-RISC among young university students. Methods: a cross-sectional observational study of psychometric validation was conducted with a sample of 206 university students. Results: Good and adequate fit indices were obtained for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA): Standardized Root-Mean-Square Residual [SRMR] = 0. 056; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.958; and the Tucker–Lewis index [TLI] = 0.946. It also showed an average degree of convergent validity with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the General Health Scale (SF-36), and its internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.842) with a range of factor loadings between 0.42 and 0.77. Conclusions: the results show that the 10-item CD-RISC is a valid, reliable scale to measure resilience among young Portuguese university students.

Depression and Anxiety of Portuguese University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study about Prevalence and Associated Factors

Background. The mental health of university students has worsened over time, and it is young people who have suffered the most from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of mental health. Anxiety and depression are the most common symptoms reported by university students and are often the cause of disabilities, either in academic performance or in other spheres of life. Aim. The aim of this study was to both assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in Portuguese university students and analyze the factors associated with these symptoms. Methods. A quantitative cross-sectional study with a sample of 3,399 university students from seven Portuguese higher education institutions was conducted. The following questionnaires were used: the generalized anxiety disorder assessment scale (GAD-7), the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a study-created sociodemographic questionnaire. The Kendall correlation coefficient, chi-square test of independence, Spearman correlation coefficient, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann–Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and Kruskall-Wallis test were used to analyze the association between variables. The statistical analysis was done using the software R Statistics (Version 4.0.4), using a significance level of 0.05. Results. Mild to severe anxiety symptoms were reported by 75% of the participants, and 61.2% described mild to severe depressive symptoms. Of the sample, 19.5% reported a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder, with 38.7% diagnosed after the pandemic began. Additionally, 23% reported taking medication for mental health issues, and 26.7% had considered self-harm or harbored thoughts of being “better off dead.” The study found lower anxiety and depressive symptoms (p<0.05) among men, students with higher socioeconomic status, those who frequently traveled home, individuals without prior mental health diagnoses, those with better academic performance, and those who avoided substances like coffee, tobacco, cannabis, and other illegal psychoactive substances. Interestingly, students in romantic relationships exhibited more anxiety symptoms (p<0.05). Moreover, participants who believed they had experienced moral or sexual harassment displayed higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms (p<0.001). Conclusions. There was a decrease in the mental health of university students after the pandemic compared to prepandemic studies, and the proportion of students with anxiety and depressive symptoms was alarming. There is an urgent need to implement programs in universities to promote students’ mental health.

Barriers to personal creativity in Spanish and Portuguese university students

In the 21st century, the university should be an explicit space for developing students’ creative skills. The literature on creativity in Higher Education is scarce, particularly on the students’ perceptions. Thus, this study aims to analyze barriers perceived by Spanish university students compared to Portuguese students to better understand the obstacles found at this educational level. For this purpose, the Inventory of Barriers to Personal Creativity was adapted to Spanish university students. The adaptation process from the Portuguese to the Spanish version followed a forward-backward procedure, and cross-validation analysis was used to study the factor structure. The four-factor structure was maintained, but only 36 of the 44 items were retained in the Spanish version. All factors showed good or very good reliability and explained an important amount of the variance. Some cultural differences between the Portuguese and Spanish versions appeared because Spanish university students perceived fewer barriers to develop creativity. In both cultures, gender and curricular areas’ differences were found, but with some specificities. The study concluded that the instrument has an adequate structure and refers to a specific construct maintained in different cultures. Also, both versions could be applied for further broader and more representative cross-cultural studies, contributing to developing new studies on creativity in Higher Education.