Ecuadorian Students Research Articles

Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Spanish Version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) in Ecuador.

(1) Background: The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) is the most well-known self-report measure to assess psychological inflexibility, a transdiagnostic pathological process, and targets for interventions. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Ecuadorian Spanish version of the AAQ-II in a large sample of college students in Ecuador. (2) Methods: A total of 7905 students, 46.26% male and 53.75% female, from 11 Ecuadorian universities were surveyed. The AAQ-II was tested for factorial structure, reliability, and correlations with other health-related measures. (3) Results: The AAQ-II showed an unidimensional factorial structure, accounting for 66.87% to 70% of the total variance and showing a good fit of the data to the model (comparative adjustment index (CFI) = 0.995; goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.992; Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual (SRMR) = 0.037; mean square approximation error (RMSEA) = 0.047, CI90% = 0.038–0.056). Reliability was optimal (Cronbach’s α = 0.919; ω = 0.928), and AAQ-II scores significantly correlated with multiple health indicators. Psychological inflexibility was significantly higher in women than men. (4) Conclusions: The Spanish version of the AAQ-II showed good psychometric properties, which further supports psychological inflexibility, not just as a transdiagnostic process.

Barriers to sexual harassment bystander intervention in Ecuadorian universities

ABSTRACT Previous research, mainly in the United States, has identified several barriers to acting as a bystander in sexual harassment at university campuses. Despite the high frequency of harassment in Latin America, there is a dearth of studies investigating barriers to bystander behaviour in this context. In this pilot study, we report findings exploring harassment and bystander behaviour in university staff and students in Ecuador, a Latin American country characterised by masculine social norms and high levels of gender-based harassment. In an on-line survey, 129 staff and students from universities in different regions of Ecuador answered questions about perceptions of seriousness of harassment, rape myth acceptance, actual incidences of being a perpetrator, victim, or a bystander, and the likelihood and difficulties of bystander action. Women and those who scored higher in rape myth acceptance reported more intervention difficulties. In addition, women and those who had previously perpetrated harassment rated their likelihood of intervening lower. Finally, perceptions of harassment as a serious problem in campuses related to a higher likelihood of intervening as a bystander. We discuss the results in terms of practical applications in devising culturally appropriate bystander intervention workshops.

Multitasking behavior in online classrooms and academic performance: case of university students in Ecuador during COVID-19 outbreak

Purpose This paper aims to explore university students' multitasking behavior in online classrooms and their influence on academic performance. Also, the study examined students' opinions. Design/methodology/approach A total of 302 university students fulfilled an online survey. Ten questions were focused on demographic information, five items evaluated online class behavior of students, 9 items evaluated self-efficacy and four items measured academic performance. Findings Multitasking behavior was found to negatively influence self-efficacy of −0.332, whereas self-efficacy showed a positive influence of 0.325 on academic performance. Cronbach's alpha and average variance extracted values were 0.780 and 0.527 (multitasking behavior), 0.875 and 0.503 (self-efficacy), 0.781 and 0.601 (academic performance). Outcomes of the bootstrapping test showed that the path coefficients are significant. Originality/value The research findings may help university managers understand undergraduates’ online and face-to-face behavior and strategies to improve the behavior to ensure the best academic outcomes. The novelty is based on using the partial least square structural equation modeling technique.

International Fieldwork: A Qualitative Analysis of the Lived Experiences of OT Students in Ecuador

Abstract Date Presented 03/27/20 This qualitative study illustrated how a Level I fieldwork experience in Ecuador contributed the professional skill sets of participating OT students in the areas of critical thinking, occupation-based practice, and importance of nonverbal communication when working with a non-English-speaking population. Primary Author and Speaker: Jill Brown Additional Authors and Speakers: Wendy Stav

Determinantes del rendimiento académico de la educación media en Ecuador

En este artículo se analizan los determinantes demográficos, fisiológicos, socioeconómicos, culturales, académicos y psicológicos que inciden en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes que rindieron el examen Ser Bachiller en el periodo lectivo 2016-2017. Además, se describe el origen, evolución y aplicación de los exámenes psicométricos a nivel nacional e internacional. Para observar el efecto que tienen los mencionados factores en el rendimiento académico, se construye un modelo econométrico de regresión logística que muestra la magnitud y la relación de las principales variables que determinan el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de Educación Media en Ecuador. En este sentido, se observa que los factores que más inciden en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de Educación Media son el costo de la preparación propedéutica previo a rendir el examen Ser Bachiller (11,42% mayor) y la manifestación, por parte del estudiante, de tener una percepción de control interno y responsabilidad personal (10,61% mayor).

Actitudes hacia la investigación y autorregulación del aprendizaje en los estudiantes universitarios

INTRODUCCIÓN.La actitud a la investigación tiene componentes cognoscitivos, afectivos y conductuales; mientras que la autorregulación del aprendizaje posee fases como: planificación, ejecución y evaluación. Estas variables en la formación universitaria se relacionan de manera intrínseca durante el proceso de interpretación de la realidad y de esta manera en el desarrollo e interés por un adecuado aprendizaje. OBJETIVO.Determinar la relación existente entre las actitudes hacia la investigación y la autorregulación del aprendizaje en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios del Ecuador. MÉTODO.Investigación empírica-cuantitativa, con alcance comparativo, correlacional y de predicción, por medio de la Escala para medir las actitudes hacia la investigación (EACIN) y el Inventario de Procesos de autorregulación del aprendizaje (IPAA). RESULTADOS.Participaron 222 estudiantes universitarios de 3 universidades públicas del Ecuador. El 59.5% son mujeres y el 40.5% restante son hombres. La edad de los mismos se encuentra entre los 17 a 20 años de edad (M= 20.9 años; DT= 2.33). En el análisis inter-género la diferencia (p< .05) se dio en la dimensión afectiva siendo más significativa para las mujeres. Se confirma la correlación de las actitudes hacia la investigación y la autorregulación emocional.DISCUSIÓN Y CONCLUSIONES. La dimensión cognoscitiva de las actitudes hacia la investigación es la de mayor implicación con la autorregulación del aprendizaje, mientras que la dimensión de planificación de la autorregulación del aprendizaje tiene mayor implicación con las actitudes hacia la investigación. En conclusión, la regresión lineal muestra que las actitudes predicen la autorregulación del aprendizaje en un 19% los cambios de la varianza.

Evaluación de la competencia de aprendizaje autorregulado en función del nivel educativo y el género de alumnado de carreras administrativas

Se investigaron las diferencias existentes en la competencia de aprendizaje autorregulado de estudiantes universitarios en función del grado (2º, 5º, 7º y 9º semestre) y del género. Participaron 251 estudiantes ecuatorianos pertenecientes a cuatro titulaciones de carreras administrativas quienes completaron el MSLQ (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire) junto con otros datos académicos. Los resultados muestran que el alumnado disminuye su motivación extrínseca a medida que avanza en la carrera; la valoración de las tareas académicas se reduce entre el 2º y el 5º semestre; y la habilidad para gestionar de manera eficaz el tiempo y el espacio de estudio aumenta entre el 7º y el 9º semestre. Respecto del género, las mujeres obtuvieron puntuaciones más altas que los hombres en el uso de estrategias de repaso, la organización significativa de la materia, el manejo eficaz del tiempo y el ambiente de trabajo, de cara a lograr sus metas académicas.

Uso de las TIC en tres facultades de comunicación ecuatorianas

espanolLos estudios acerca del uso e impacto de internet y de las tecnologias de la informacion y la comunicacion (TIC) en la formacion de los estudiantes de comunicacion en el Ecuador son embrionarios, mas aun desde un ejercicio de comparacion que pudiera dar cuenta de las similitudes y las diferencias entre los planes academicos de las universidades cuando problematizan en profundidad las caracteristicas de la sociedad de la informacion, el conocimiento, el mundo digital y las nuevas generaciones. Este articulo explora la realidad de las tres universidades que cuentan con el mayor numero de estudiantes de comunicacion en la ciudad de Quito y responde que papel juegan la red y las TIC en la formacion teorica, practica y social. Esta propuesta sobrepasa la asociacion instrumental entre el aprendizaje de la comunicacion con el uso de las tecnologias informaticas e, incluso, el de las telecomunicaciones para producir y circular productos digitales. En ese sentido, entre los retos de la universidad en la formacion de los estudiantes de comunicacion se encuentra la dotacion de sentido a las tecnologias y su uso en una sociedad de la informacion y el conocimiento que demanda respuestas no solo rapidas, sino mas bien sostenidas de contenido y rigor. EnglishThe study of the use and impact of the internet and of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the instruction of communication students in Ecuador is at an embryonic stage. This is even more evident when we seek to compare and contrast the academic programs and curricula put forth by different universities and how they problematize aspects of the information and knowledge society, the digital world, and emerging generations. This article looks at the three universities in the city of Quito with the greatest number of communication students, and reveals the role played by the web and by ICTs in theoretical, practical, and social education. Our approach moves beyond the merely instrumental link between the study of communication and the use of information technologies and telecommunications to produce and circulate digital products. Among the challenges faced by universities, in educating their communication students, is the need to bestow meaning upon technologies and their use in an information and knowledge society — a need that demands a response that is both immediate and based on rigorous evidence. portuguesOs estudos sobre o uso e o impacto da internet e das tecnologias da informacao e a comunicacao (TIC) na formacao dos estudantes de comunicacao no Equador sao embrionarios, mais ainda desde um exercicio de comparacao que poderia dar conta das semelhancas e as diferencas entre os planos academicos das universidades quando problematizam a fundo as caracteristicas da sociedade da informacao, o conhecimento, o mundo digital e as novas geracoes. Este artigo explora a realidade das tres universidades com o maior numero de estudantes de comunicacao na cidade de Quito e responde qual e o rol da rede e das TIC na formacao teorica, pratica e social. Essa proposta ultrapassa a associacao instrumental entre o aprendizado da comunicacao com o uso de tecnologias de computador e mesmo o de telecomunicacoes para produzir e circular produtos digitais. Nesse sentido, entre os desafios da universidade na formacao dos estudantes de comunicacao esta a provisao de significado para as tecnologias e seu uso em uma sociedade de informacao e conhecimento que exige respostas nao apenas rapidas, mas sustentadas de conteudo e rigor.

Students’ appreciation of journalists’ roles in Cuba, Ecuador and Venezuela

The pre-professional journalistic culture of Ecuador, Cuba and Venezuela is studied based on the perception that students of Social Communication and Journalism have about the professional roles of journalists and their motivations, expectations and professional experiences. For this analysis, a total of 1273 students from 21 universities enrolled in Social Communication and Journalism degrees were surveyed during the first semester of 2016 (Ecuador = 500, Venezuela = 390, Cuba = 383). This sample is statistically representative with a confidence level of 95 per cent and a margin of error of maximum 5 per cent. The results indicate that students in Ecuador, Cuba and Venezuela, despite the disparity and polarization of opinions, consider that the role of ‘civic agent/disseminator’ is the one that best fits the main functions of journalists and journalism, without forgetting their critical and patriotic feeling in favour of a social change and national development.

Assessment of the emotions that block Ecuadorian students from speaking English in class: Case Los Ríos Province

This study aimed to define the emotions that block Ecuadorian students from speaking English in the classroom. The population within the research consisted of 138 participants, 80 from elementary school and 58 from high school, aged between 11 and 18 years. Information was obtained through classroom observations, questionnaires, interviews, and visual narratives. The results revealed that different emotions hinder students from speaking English in class, such as the fear of making a mistake, 30.80%; fear of being judged by others, 21.88%; shyness, 18.30%; lack of confidence, 12.50%; and anxiety, 2.68%. Pearson’s correlation tests revealed that there is an influence of gender with respect to the type of emotion experienced, female students expressed greater susceptibility to negative emotions compared to male students. Findings suggest that Ecuadorian teachers should be more aware of their students’ emotions in order to find the possible approaches that may result in an improvement in their English language. The authors recommend carrying out more studies on the connection between emotions and speaking, or emotions and any other skills.

Promoting road safety education in young adults with Facebook: a mini-case study in engineering university students in Ecuador

The road safety education is essential to reduce road traffic deaths. This study aims to promote road safety education in young adults with social networks. The research experiments if through Facebook posts, young adults increase their knowledge of road safety. The case of study was implemented in twenty-five university students from Ecuador, between 21 and 27 years old. The method of the research consisted to create a Facebook page where it posted two daily publications (informative and comic). All participants had to interact with their content for approximately four months (between November 2019 and February 2020). Students answered two tests to assess their knowledge of road safety and a survey about the web page. It used qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyze the collected data. As a result, Facebook significantly improved road safety knowledge (22%). The young people agreed with its use in an academic context. This methodology could apply to other fields, given its simplicity and practicality, which can quickly reach a lot of people.

Factorial Invariance, Latent Mean Differences of the Panas and Affective Profiles and Its Relation to Social Anxiety in Ecuadorian Sample

Positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) are related with aspects that are part of people’s psychological well-being, and the possibility of combining both dimensions to create four affective profiles, self-fulfilling (high PA and low NA), low affective (low PA and low NA), high affective (high PA and high NA) and self-destructive (low PA and high NA), has recently appeared. The current work aims to validate the short version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) in Ecuador, test the existence of the four affective profiles and analyze its relation with social anxiety. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents was employed in a sample of 1786 Ecuadorian students aged from 15 to 18 years (M = 16.31, SD = 1.01). The factorial invariance of the scale across sex and age groups was proved and latent mean analyses showed that girls and 18-year-old students obtained the highest scores in negative affect. With regard to the affective profiles, the cluster analyses confirmed the existence of the four mentioned profiles, and the self-fulfilling profile obtained the lowest scores in all the dimensions of social anxiety, whereas the self-destructive profile obtained the highest scores.

Intervención con ejercicio físico en estudiantes universitarios con síndrome de burnout: un protocolo de estudio.

El Síndrome de Burnout representa un problema social y de salud en los estudiantes universitarios. Se describe el protocolo de estudio de una intervención con ejercicio físico en estudiantes universitarios con síndrome de burnout. El objetivo principal es determinar la efectividad de los ejercicios físicos en la disminución de los niveles de síndrome de burnout en estudiantes universitarios del Ecuador. Si la intervención se comprueba que es eficaz, esto sugeriría que existe una intervención simple, económica y accesible estrategia para reducir el Síndrome de Burnout en esta importante y numerosa población estudiantil universitaria.

Malos hábitos alimenticios y cansancio mental en los estudiantes universitarios del Ecuador (caso cantón Milagro)

Mediante la estancia universitaria se debería destacar los hábitos saludables de los estudiantes y la manera en que se interrelaciona con su aprendizaje. En la siguiente investigación se pretende determinar cómo influye los malos hábitos alimenticios en el cansancio mental de los estudiantes universitarios del Ecuador (caso Milagro), se aplicó un enfoque mixto y de carácter exploratorio con la finalidad de adquirir información mediante la aplicación de encuestas, la cual se ejecutó con una muestra de 372 estudiantes de ambos sexos del régimen académico universitario del cantón Milagro. Obteniendo como resultado que un 59% de los estudiantes universitarios refieren sentirse cansados y somnolientos durante las horas de clase, debido a que no ingieren alimentos ricos en nutrientes necesarios para un óptimo funcionamiento del organismo, ya que un 59% refiere no tener una buena alimentación, afirman consumir elevadas cantidades de comida rápida con un alto nivel de grasas saturadas perjudicial para la salud, todo esto causado por las cargas horarias, falta de tiempo y diversos factores que inciden en esta problemática. Dicha información recaudada muestra la necesidad de tomar medidas necesarias en cuanto a la alimentación de los universitarios ya que una mala alimentación influye de forma negativa en su rendimiento académico

Public relations professionals as knowmads: a vision from the academy, the professionals and students in Ecuador

El siguiente estudio introspectivo analiza la ideología knowmad vinculada a los profesionales de las relaciones públicas desde la perspectiva de académicos, profesionales y estudiantes de pregrado en relaciones públicas. Se analizan los aportes, tensiones y desafíos que surgen respecto a la ideología y se comparan características del perfil de los knowmads con el perfil profesional del relacionista. Para la recolección de la información se emplearon técnicas cualitativas y cuantitativas: entrevistas dirigidas a académicos ecuatorianos —expertos en relaciones públicas—; grupo de discusión con relacionistas titulados —profesionales—, vinculados a diversos sectores laborales; y finalmente una encuesta a estudiantes recurrentes de la carrera de Relaciones Públicas de la Universidad UTE —Quito, Ecuador—. Se concluye que es fundamental la proyección de los profesionales y estudiantes de relaciones públicas como knowmads, con el fin de rescatar a la profesión en toda su dimensión, haciendo frente a nuevos retos y requerimientos en un entorno cambiante y, sobre todo, competitivo. También se demuestra que varias características de los knowmads encajan directamente con estos comunicadores, validando la importancia de esta ideología para el futuro de la profesión.

Undergraduate Students in Ecuador: A Data Analysis

The aim of the present study was to identify the social characteristics of undergraduate students in Ecuador. Several analyses were carried out for this purpose; namely descriptive and multidimensional analyses. The descriptive analysis reveals the frequencies and percentages of the variables used in the study. The multidimensional analysis of multiple correspondences shows the differentiation criteria, and the hierarchical analysis classifies respondents based on their common characteristics. The results of this study reveal the characteristics of current undergraduate students in Ecuador and as such can help government and other higher educational authorities to develop future policies regarding undergraduate study in Ecuador.

Undergraduate Students in Ecuador: A Data Analysis

The aim of the present study was to identify the social characteristics of undergraduate students in Ecuador. Several analyses were carried out for this purpose; namely descriptive and multidimensional analyses. The descriptive analysis reveals the frequencies and percentages of the variables used in the study. The multidimensional analysis of multiple correspondences shows the differentiation criteria, and the hierarchical analysis classifies respondents based on their common characteristics. The results of this study reveal the characteristics of current undergraduate students in Ecuador and as such can help government and other higher educational authorities to develop future policies regarding undergraduate study in Ecuador.

Moodle Research Software: Emotional Context in Ecuadorian Higher Education

The objective of the study was to develop a theoretical approach between the logical and affective emotional bond that exists in university students in Ecuador when conducting educational research with the Moodle system. The nature of the research was developed under the qualitative approach, based on the humanist-interpretative paradigm. Due to its qualitative scheme, there are 22 universities in the city of Azogues with a population of 700,790 students, of which the selection of a homogeneous sample was applied, obtaining the participation of 618 students. The results were analyzed through the generalized comparison of data and theories through the qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti, which concludes with a theoretical approach consisting of three main constructs: cognitive influences of information and communication technologies, emotional logic and emotional bonding, establishing that digital connectivity facilitates the capacity of university research thinking.

Can a Learning Companion Be Used to Continue Teaching Programming to Children Even During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Learning how to program in Primary Education has attracted significant research in recent years. It is unclear though how programming environments and languages should be adapted to children to achieve better learning and use, but one trend seems to be the use of Scratch. The question in this paper is what programming environment can be used to continue teaching programming to children who have already been taught Scratch for years. This paper’s proposal is that students aged between 10 and 12 can benefit from interacting with a friendly learning companion using p-code such as Alcody. The hypothesis is that students (aged between 10 and 12) with a knowledge of Scratch will be able to significantly improve their scores by using a learning companion to teach them how to program even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To check the hypothesis, an experiment was carried out during the 2019/2020 academic year with 137 students in Ecuador. A significant improvement in the scores of the students was recorded together with high satisfaction.

Prevalencia del rechazo escolar según sexo y curso en adolescentes ecuatorianos

La prevalencia del rechazo escolar es difícil de determinar debido a la discrepancia en la definición del constructo y a la falta de información nacional. En este sentido, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar las diferencias de prevalencia del rechazo escolar, entendido como la resistencia a ir a la escuela o a permanecer en esta, en función del sexo y curso académico. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1,786 estudiantes ecuatorianos con edades comprendidas entre los 15 y los 18 años (Medad = 16.31; DE = 1.01). Se utilizó la School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised for Children (SRAS-R-C), cuyos factores evalúan la evitación de estímulos que producen afectividad negativa (Factor I), el escape de la aversión social y/o situaciones evaluativas (Factor II), la búsqueda de atención de personas significativas (Factor III) y la búsqueda de refuerzos tangibles fuera de la escuela (Factor IV). Para establecer si existían diferencias entre el porcentaje de estudiantes clasificados con alta conducta de rechazo escolar en función del sexo y el curso académico, se utilizó la prueba Z de diferencia de proporciones. La proporción de chicas fue significativamente mayor en el Factor I, mientras que el porcentaje de chicos fue significativamente superior en el Factor IV. Las diferencias significativas en función del curso se hallaron en el Factor I entre primero y tercero y entre segundo y tercero de bachillerato, y en el Factor IV entre primero y tercero. Se discuten las implicaciones prácticas de estos hallazgos.