Spanish Students Research Articles

Trait emotional intelligence mediates the dispositional gratitude and subjective well-being in young adults.

Gratitude has proved to be an enhancer of subjective well-being in previous studies. However, studies that linked the relation between emotional intelligence and its facets when interacting with gratitude, are still limited. In this sense, this study examined the mediating roles of emotional intelligence between gratitude and subjective well-being indicators, by introducing the general factor of emotional intelligence. The first approach to data analysis was to examine the descriptive statistics; the second approach consisted of an Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling, applying also a bifactor analysis. Data was collected from 406 Spanish students, through an online survey that includes the gratitude, trait meta mood scale, satisfaction with life and subjective happiness scale. The mean age of participants was 20.27 years (SD = 4.68), whereas 79.5% were females. The results provided preliminary evidence of the mediation role of the general factor of emotional intelligence between gratitude and subjective well-being, which provided a meaningful insight about the role of trait emotional intelligence. These findings suggested that gratitude promotes emotional intelligence, allowing to an increase in subjective well-being. Nonetheless, there is a need for further research to achieve a better understanding of the role of the emotional intelligence facets between gratitude and subjective well-being.

Variation in the Perceived Motor Self-Efficacy of Spanish Students throughout the Different Educational Stages.

Motor self-efficacy is the ability to cope with obstacles, to control them and to solve them in the best possible way. It is closely related to performance in physical education and student health. The aim of this study is to measure the performance of motor self-efficacy in Physical Education in students aged 10 to 18 years, analyzing the differences between students according to their educational level and age. A total of 946 students responded to five socio-demographic questions, in addition to the Motor Self-Efficacy Scale validated in Spanish. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the assumption of normality, but since this assumption was not met, non-parametric tests were used. In this sense, the Motor Self-Efficacy Scale score and the differences between the different instructional cycles were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. In addition, a pairwise comparison was performed as part of a post hoc study to examine the differences between the different groups. The relationship between the mean scale score and the variable age was investigated using Spearman's Rho test. Subsequently, the relationship between motor self-efficacy and participants' height, weight and BMI was examined using the direct stepwise regression test. Finally, Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the reliability of the instrument. Significant statistical differences were observed between educational levels and their relationship with BMI, height and weight, highlighting the importance of motor self-efficacy at different stages. Therefore, it would be interesting to introduce educational methodologies that promote active models and improve students' motor self-efficacy.

Perfiles de riesgo de ansiedad social para dificultades interpersonales en una muestra de adolescentes españoles

Social anxiety has been widely studied over the past four decades. However, limited attention has been given to the relationship between social anxiety and interpersonal difficulties during adolescence. Adolescents exhibiting symptoms of social anxiety (SA) may also face challenges in their interpersonal interactions at school. This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of adolescents with social anxiety and examine whether these profiles differed in terms of the severity of their interpersonal difficulties (ID). A random cluster sampling was performed. The sample comprised 1,685 Spanish students (49.0% female) from 15 to 18 years old (M=16.28, SD=0.97). Participants completed the Spanish version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) and the Questionnaire About Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) revealed four social anxiety profiles: mild SA, moderate SA, severe SA, and extreme SA. Multivariate analyses (MANOVA) indicated statistically significant differences in interpersonal difficulties across the four clusters with effect sizes between d=0.23 and d=0.91. The mild SA profile showed the lowest mean scores in interpersonal difficulties whereas the extreme SA profile showed the highest ones. Intervention strategies are suggested as preventive or corrective measures to support adolescents who fall in high-risk profiles.

Empirical approach to the gender gap in students' reading consumption in international contexts.

Reading is a very important aspect today, which is why it is a recurring topic in research. This study aims to analyze the gender gap in the reading consumption of adolescents and compare the situation in Spain with that of other countries. It addresses, for the first time, the influence of the gender factor on the reading habits of adolescents who have just begun secondary education. This is an empirical study carried out based on the research projects "Determining factors in the reading habits of secondary education students. A study from the variables of the educational context" and "Reading habits in international contexts of Secondary Education students. A study of educational practices to promote reading." It is based on the hypothesis that reading consumption is conditioned by gender and country-specific educational policies and, therefore, by the place where the study is carried out. To do this, an international sample of students was taken as a reference, made up of a matrix group of Spanish students contrasted with small samples from three different countries that we are interested in comparing with the Spanish context: Portugal, Poland, and Chile. The results have shown that the gender gap in reading is perceived in all the contexts studied and that it increases in contexts with less developed co-education programs; therefore, it is necessary to implement effective policies in the educational field to eliminate the existence of gender stereotypes.

Redefining ‘Careers’ and ‘Sustainable Careers’: A Qualitative Study with University Students

Contemporary society challenges traditional linear career progressions with the emergence of the ‘sustainable career’ concept. This dynamic career path spans different societal domains over time and involves individuals actively shaping their paths through actions and the interpretation of their experiences. The evolving socioeconomic contexts demand a reevaluation of career development processes, necessitating an examination of individual perspectives on what makes a career authentically sustainable. Despite this, in the Italian and Spanish contexts, a definition of the concept of career and sustainable careers rooted in individuals’ interpretations is still absent. This qualitative study is designed to fill the existing gap by exploring the definition of the concepts of ‘career’ and ‘sustainable career’ in an initial sample of Italian (N = 197) and Spanish (N = 193) students (323 females, 67 males) aged 18–30 years (M = 20.13; SD = 2.13). Participants answered open-ended questions about ‘career’ and ‘sustainable career’. Qualitative data analysis software identified key themes, and correspondence analysis explored differences between the Italian and Spanish samples. The findings reveal that the concept of a career encompasses an evolving sequence of work experiences, incorporating training pathways, a continuous commitment to personal growth goals, and professional satisfaction. A sustainable career extends this, emphasizing a healthy work–life balance and the often-overlooked dimension of social empowerment. This study offers a perspective for designing research and interventions aimed at promoting careers and work environments perceived as authentically sustainable.

The role of reticence in the comprehension of metaphorical taboo expressions in the foreign language

AbstractThe present study focuses on the influence of L2 learners’ attitudes toward and perception of sexual taboos on their comprehension of metaphorical taboo expressions. Other aspects such as the presence of contextual information and the L2 learners’ stay‐abroad experience were also included in the study design. A total of 53 students of Spanish as a foreign language were presented with metaphorical taboo expressions from the MadSex corpus. They also were asked to rate their reticence to talk about sex and to use sexual taboo expressions. The results show that a higher degree of reticence to talk about sex is associated with a worse performance on the metaphor comprehension test. Furthermore, learners with a stay‐abroad experience outperformed their counterparts on the comprehension test, but they did not guess the meaning from the context more successfully. Finally, participants with stay‐abroad experience found it more acceptable to use sexual taboo expressions.

<p>Situated goals questionnaire transcultural adjustment and validation: comparison between Colombian and Spanish students</p>

Introduction. This research aims to adjust and validate the Situated Goals Questionnaire to the Colombian higher education population and compare the results with those obtained previously in the Spanish population Method. A total of 500 university students from the Faculty of Education of the National Pedagogic University of Colombia participated. Four Confirmatory Factor Analysis were made to identify the factorial validity of the Situated Goal Questionnaire for the University population: 1) original model with a subsample 2) original model cross-validation analysis between two subsamples, 3) multi-group analysis between the two main phases of career 4) multi-group analysis between Colombian and Spain sample. Six regression analyses using the class's final grade as a predictive variable were made to identify predictive validity. Results. As a result, the adjusted questionnaire has good fit and reliability values. The aspects that predicts performance is the desire to learn positively; whereas, the desire to pass the class affects it negatively. The main difference between Colombian and Spanish students is that the former have a more significant relationship with the desire to pass in the performance orientation. Discussion and Conclusion. SGQ-U is a good tool for teachers to identify the activities and their impact. The type of academic task the teacher uses in the classroom influences the student' specific goals. Besides, the students differ also in their sensitivity to different academic tasks. These differences show that it is essential to consider how teachers select and use academic tasks in the classroom.

ANALYSING COSTA RICAN AND SPANISH STUDENTS’ COMPARISONS OF PROBABILITIES AND RATIOS

We present an exploratory study of Costa Rican and Spanish students’ (11–16-year-olds) competence to compare probabilities in urns and compare ratios in mixture problems. A sample of 704 students in Grades 6 through to Grade 10, 292 from Costa Rica and 412 from Spain, were given one of two forms of a questionnaire with three probability comparison and three ratio comparison problems each. The full questionnaire consisting of both forms covers six different proportional reasoning levels for each type of problem. We analysed the percentages of correct responses to the items and the strategies used by students in each grade and in each country. The results suggest students had the highest difficulty in comparing probabilities for items at the same proportional reasoning level. The results also point to the probabilistic biases in students’ responses, although these biases were less frequent than in previous research.

Risk profiles of social anxiety for interpersonal difficulties in a sample of Spanish adolescents

Social anxiety has been widely studied over the past four decades. However, limited attention has been given to the relationship between social anxiety and interpersonal difficulties during adolescence. Adolescents exhibiting symptoms of social anxiety (SA) may also face challenges in their interpersonal interactions at school. This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of adolescents with social anxiety and examine whether these profiles differed in terms of the severity of their interpersonal difficulties (ID). A random cluster sampling was performed. The sample comprised 1,685 Spanish students (49.0% female) from 15 to 18 years old (M = 16.28, SD = 0.97). Participants completed the Spanish version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) and the Questionnaire About Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA). Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) revealed four social anxiety profiles: mild SA, moderate SA, severe SA, and extreme SA. Multivariate analyses (MANOVA) indicated statistically significant differences in interpersonal difficulties across the four clusters with effect sizes between d = 0.23 and d = 0.91. The mild SA profile showed the lowest mean scores in interpersonal difficulties whereas the extreme SA profile showed the highest ones. Intervention strategies are suggested as preventive or corrective measures to support adolescents who fall in high-risk profiles.

Perceptions of online education among 16-18-year-olds: Differences and similarities in their interests and preferred formats according to where they live

This research employs a quantitative and cross-sectional approach, utilizing an online survey (N=600), to examine the preferences of Spanish students aged 16 to 18 regarding different modes of education (face-to-face or online). It also explores potential variances based on their place of residence. Additionally, the study identifies the subjects of interest to these students for integration into formal learning and determines their preferred online learning formats. The findings reveal significant differences between students residing in cities with a population of 50,000 or more and those in smaller habitats, particularly in relation to their experiences and evaluations of online education, precisely specific training in received digital technologies, their topics of interest, their self-study learning methods, and their preferred online learning formats. These study outcomes can contribute to the enhancement of online education and better preparedness of the educational system for future challenges that may necessitate the adoption of this instructional mode. Based on our study, several recommendations for online education can be made. Firstly, there is a need for teachers to acquire enhanced digital skills. Secondly, it is important not to assume that young individuals possess inherent digital skills due to their age; instead, it is crucial to emphasize the acquisition of critical digital skills during their education. Thirdly, motivating young students by aligning teaching with their areas of interest should be encouraged, considering their significant habitat preferences. Lastly, interactive methodologies that stimulate students, such as immediate evaluation questionnaires, animations, and interactive exercises, should be prioritized, particularly for students residing in densely populated areas.

Lifestyle Behaviours, Self-Esteem and Academic Performance in Primary Education Students-A Structural Equation Model According to Sex and School Type.

(1) Background: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity (PA), screen time (ST), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence, self-esteem (SE) and academic performance (AP) in primary education students. In order to address this aim, an explanatory model was developed to examine the existing relationships between PA, ST, VO2max, MD adherence, SE and AP. Further, the proposed structural model was examined via multi-group analysis as a function of sex and school type. (2) Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study was designed with a total sample of 269 Spanish students (11.29 ± 0.62). Validated questionnaires were administered to collect data on study variables. (3) Results: Relative to boys, girls reported better academic grades and showed a stronger positive relationship between MD adherence and AP, MD adherence and PA, and VO2max and SE. Likewise, girls showed a stronger negative relationship between ST and VO2max, and ST and MD adherence. At the same time, mixed funding school (MFS) students reported higher PA engagement than state school (SS) students. However, SS students reported better MD adherence, ST and AP than MFS students. Further, a stronger positive relationship was found in SS students between MD adherence or VO2max and SE than in MFS students. Also, within the former group, ST was more negatively related to MD adherence and VO2max. (4) Conclusions: Scientific and educational communities must develop future strategies that consider potential determinants in order to target more desirable outcomes.

From current to possible selves: Self-descriptions of resilient post-compulsory secondary education Spanish students at risk of social exclusion

Being in a situation of social exclusion limits the potential of individuals and hinders their possibility to have a dignified life. In order to avoid social exclusion and marginalization, adequate access to formal education is vital. However, continuing education in marginalized neighborhoods poses a great challenge both to individuals and to their sense of self. In the present work, we took an approach to educational resilience based on the analysis of learner identity of students that present a trajectory of resilience in severely impoverished neighborhoods. The sample consisted of 132 students from such at-risk neighborhoods, who, despite this risk, completed mandatory secondary education successfully and continue their education beyond that level. They were administered a modified version of the Twenty Statements Test (TST) to measure current and possible selves related to their learner identity. The organization of the self, the emotional valence, the plane of action, the thematic reference, and thematic self-continuity were analyzed, as well as possible selves’ relationship with grade level, gender, and parental formal education. Results showed that, despite risk, their possible selves had high standards and were positive, reflexive, and connected to their current selves, which regulate and guide the students’ actions towards their goals. Academic experience and high parental formal education were related to the development of more personal and reflexive possible selves, reflecting the appropriation of school-related discourses about the self and the future. Interestingly, none of the variables was related to the emotional valence of self-descriptions. Students with a trajectory of resilience developed a highly positive sense of future self regardless of academic experience, gender, or parental formal education. Implications for resilience theory, identity research, and social intervention in at-risk contexts are discussed.

Basic digital competences of university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

The objective of this study was to compare the digital competences of university students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the impact of internet use on these competences, specifically those related to social communication, collaborative learning, as well as information searching and processing. The sample comprised 415 Spanish students who began university studies between 2019 and 2022. The instrument used was the COBADI. The results indicate an increase in internet use to talk with friends in social networks and work with classmates, such as in collaborative homework. In terms of digital competences during the pandemic, there was an increase in competences related to social communication, collaborative learning, and information searching and processing. The study also found that academic and recreational internet use predicted basic digital competences, as determined by a MANCOVA analysis. The role of the pandemic context in increasing basic digital competences in university students is discussed.

Concept-based instruction grounded on Vygotsky’s Theory of Mind: Developing heritage Spanish students’ metalinguistic knowledge on the subjunctive mood

This paper examines the benefits of using Concept-Based Instruction, (CBI), grounded on Vygotsky’s Theory of Mind (Vygotsky, 1986), to develop heritage Spanish students’ metalinguistic knowledge on the Spanish subjunctive mood. Metalinguistic knowledge refers to the explicit and conscious knowledge students have about the linguist structures and overall characteristics of a language. It “is knowledge that students can explain and verbalize. Vygotsky’s Theory of Mind is based on the notion that development of language takes place when it is internalized and verbalized.Heritage Spanish (HS) students acquire the heritage language (HL) in informal, natural settings through interaction with family, friends, and community members. However, the heritage language input starts to diminish once students are enrolled in formal education, and English becomes the language of instruction (Montrul, 2020). It is then, that at an early age, HS students begin formal schooling in English, and many of the Spanish linguistic features, which had started to be acquired are halted. The lack of opportunities to have formal instruction in the heritage language has been one of the causes of incomplete heritage language acquisition, language attrition, or language loss (Rothman 2007; Pires & Rothman, 2009; Delgado, 2009). The Spanish subjunctive is one of the first linguistic features that suffers erosion since it is not fully developed when HSs enter formal education, and the main language of instruction is English (Potowski, Regerski, & Morgan-Short, 2009).Unfortunately, when HS students attempt to re-learn their heritage language in higher education, the instructional approaches are meant to meet the needs of the non-native Spanish students (Eckerson, 2015), which are mixed with HS students in most higher education institutions in the United States. Vygotsky’s Theory of Mind (Vygotsky, 1986) has motivated concept-based instruction to learn conceptual categories of a language such as mood, aspect, and tense. The main tenet of CBI is to develop performance not just competence on language concepts.

Attitudes to Spanish language variation. A study on Portuguese students of Spanish as a Foreign Language

Abstract Drawing on data collected via a web-based survey, this study investigates the attitudes of SFL (Spanish as a Foreign Language) learners in Portugal towards four Spanish varieties. A verbal guise experiment was designed to collect students’ perceptions of language variation. The sample comprised 196 undergraduate students from the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon (Portugal). The results show that Portuguese students of SFL have a clear preference for the Castilian variety, as it obtained the highest rates in all domains (power, personal qualities, and status). Unexpectedly, factors such as participants’ age or sex did not influence the answers given.

Suicidal Risk During Adolescence: Could Covitality Be Part of the Solution?

Objective The covitality model suggests that the co-disposition and synergy of core psychosocial assets (i.e., covitality) buffer the negative impact of stressful events and prevent the emergence of mental health problems during adolescence. At this stage of development, suicide already constitutes the leading cause of unnatural death in Europe. The present study aimed to examine how covitality relates to bidimensional mental health status (i.e., psychopathology and subjective well-being) and suicidal risk. Method Participants were 5,296 Spanish students ages 12 to 18 years (M age ± SD = 14.19 ± 1.53), 50.2% male. Results In a structural equation mediational model, covitality acted as a powerful shield of psychosocial strengths against suicidality, via an indirect effect entirely mediated by its impact on bidimensional mental health. The total variance in suicidal risk explained by the set of independent variables was 61.8%, while the total variance of psychopathology and subjective well-being explained by covitality was 54.1% and 75.6%, respectively. Conclusions These preliminary findings highlight the need for further study of covitality as a defense strategy against adolescent suicide. HIGHLIGHTS Covitality promote subjective well-being and prevent psychopathological symptoms. These self-perceived psychosocial strengths do not have direct effect on suicidality. Covitality is related to lower suicidal risk through indirect mechanisms: via bidimensional approach to mental health status (BMH).

Addressing soft skill gaps in the digital employment market: the case of Spanish students in a technology-based university

PurposeIn today's ever-evolving digital job market, soft skills are increasingly important for university students to succeed in their future careers. This study identifies the soft skills that universities should prioritize the most due to their significance in the digital employment market.Design/methodology/approachUsing natural language processing (NLP) techniques, this study analyzed 226 student writings that described their experiences of failure in academic, personal and professional settings. Zero-shot classification was utilized to identify the presence of soft skills and sentiment analysis was used to determine the expressed sentiment toward these skills.FindingsThe findings suggest that students are most deficient in social intelligence, stress management and self-intelligence skills, which are essential soft skills for success in academic and professional environments and for the transition to the digital employment market.Research limitations/implicationsThe article acknowledges limitations related to the writing proficiency of resumes from a few non-English speaking students and the potential influence of students' emotional states on the content of their writings.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable insights into the soft skills that are mostly lacking among university students and their significance in the digital employment market.Originality/valueThe study highlights the importance of universities in promoting and practicing essential soft skills and sheds light on the issue of soft skill deficiency among university students. Educators can use these insights to develop strategic proposals aimed at promoting the acquisition of key soft skills among students. The study provides valuable insights into the soft skills that are mostly lacking among university students and their significance in the digital employment market.

Fear of COVID-19: the mediation role between the COVID-19 diagnosis and KAP in Spanish university students

BackgroundAlthough health public services recommend prevention strategies for COVID-19 some of these recommendations have not been taken seriously by young people. Understanding why some people comply with these recommendations and others do not seem to be crucial in helping public health services to predict behavior and compliance with rules, especially for young people. Previous studies suggest that knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) are useful to assess compliance with the preventive measures and public health policies. Being afraid has also been found to correlate with more engagement with preventive measures. This study aims to assess the KAP and fear of COVID-19 of Spanish university students and to understand the relation between diagnosis, KAP and the level of fear. MethodParticipants of this cross-sectional study were 598 college students (69.4% women) from different Spanish Universities. Data were collected for a month using an online questionnaire through Sphinx iQ2.ResultsLevels of KAP among Spanish students were satisfactory and results suggest the presence of fear among them. More importantly, fear of COVID-19 mediated the impact of the diagnosis on the KAP.ConclusionsFeeling fear seems to be the mechanism underlying the relationship between diagnosis and KAP. Diagnosis is associated with KAP when the diagnosis it is accompanied by measures of fear. KAP, diagnosis, or perceived fear of COVID must be taken together in consideration for health interventions and public health campaigns design.

Speaking French, German and Spanish in Swedish lower secondary school

This study investigates levels of oral proficiency in French, German and Spanish attained by Swedish speaking students in lower secondary school. A total of 122 students performed two tasks: one production task and one interaction task. The oral performances were rated using scales from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The rating was done in successive steps by researchers in the project and external raters. The results show that slightly less than half of the students’ performances were rated at or above the expected proficiency level at the end of lower secondary school (A2.1). While there was no difference in rated levels between the two tasks, the performances by the students of German were significantly more often rated at or above the A2.1 level than the performances by students of French and Spanish. In the article, we discuss the results in relation to the few previous studies available on the topic, as well as some aspects of the learning conditions that might contribute to the interpretation of the results. In addition, certain structural phenomena regarding language education in Sweden are briefly considered in relation to equity at a general level.

Local intercultural language assistants in New Zealand classrooms

ABSTRACT Given the challenges faced in enacting curricular expectations of developing intercultural communicative competence through the teaching of languages, this study reports on a language and culture assistants (LACs) programme that may offer a viable pathway for foreign language programmes around the world. We examine how local non-native speaker LACs developed intercultural pedagogical skills when placed in schools. Data analysed was collected from interviews, written and oral reflections and teaching resources. The participants were 10 advanced Spanish students from two New Zealand universities who supported 12 teachers across 12 classes (approximately 350 students) in six schools over 7 weeks. Findings reveal that LACs of this profile – both a learner of the language and an interculturally competent speaker) – may become role models for school-aged children of a language. Pedagogically, we found that the LACs were expert informants who translated their intercultural experiences into teachable content.