Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and Academic Performance as Psychoeducational Variables: Mediation Approach in Students

Background: During the various stages of education, adolescents undergo emotional and motivational experiences that can play key roles in their development. This study aims to analyse the relationship among academic self-efficacy, optimism, and academic performance. Methods: This study comprised 1852 adolescent (male, N = 956, 51.61% and female, N = 896, 48.38%) aged 12-19 years (M = 14.77; SD = 1.80) from twelve secondary schools in Spain. The instruments used for the evaluation were the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES) and the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R); the students' average marks were used to measure their academic performance. Results: The results of the study revealed significant correlations among self-efficacy, optimism and academic performance. Conclusions: These results emphasise the importance of academic self-efficacy as a mediating variable between the other two variables as well as its central role in the promotion of adaptive behaviours in the classroom, leading to adequate personal development, helping to prevent early school dropout and contributing to a more satisfactory academic experience.

Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy, and Perfectionistic Automatic Thoughts as Predictors of Aesthetic-Musical Awareness in Late Adolescence

Aesthetic-musical awareness demarcates a person's own perception of their ability to connect with music and the emotions it evokes. This may imply a benefit for the affective state of the individual. Therefore, the aim of this study was to observe whether there are statistically significant differences in emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts when there are high and low scores in aesthetic-musical awareness in late adolescence. Likewise, we also aimed to determine whether emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts are predictors of high aesthetic-musical awareness. To this end, a sample of 798 Spanish students between 17 and 23 years of age (M_age = 18.5 years) was used. Statistically significant differences were found for the dimensions of each variable when there were high and low scores in aesthetic-musical awareness (scores between d = −0.31 and −0.40), with higher mean scores for emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perfectionistic automatic thoughts being present in the group with high aesthetic-musical awareness. Likewise, it was observed that the probability of presenting high scores in aesthetic-musical awareness was higher when there was an increase in emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and perceived automatic thoughts. In conclusion, the results found demonstrate that both emotional intelligence, perceived academic self-efficacy, and the presence of perfectionistic automatic thoughts influence on whether an individual has greater aesthetic-musical awareness. Taking into account previous studies that show how music influences the well-being of the person, these findings show a favorable link for the design of programs that benefit the emotional state of adolescents.

Influence of COVID-19 on the Perception of Academic Self-Efficacy, State Anxiety, and Trait Anxiety in College Students

The worldwide pandemic situation caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a state of confinement of the population, which has caused, following consulted research, an increase in stress. Faced with this situation, the Spanish university not only had to adapt to the changes derived from the causes of the pandemic but also had to face a new methodological model—e-learning teaching—for which not all teachers and students were prepared. This could cause an increase in stress due to the uncertainty caused by this time of change. This research analyzes the relationship between perceived self-efficacy in the confinement period and the level of trait anxiety (TA) and state anxiety (SA) during COVID-19. Four hundred twenty-seven students from the University of Granada (Spain) participated in this study. The adaptation of two scales that measure perceived academic self-efficacy and anxiety (TA and SA) has been applied. The results indicated that there was an inversely proportional relationship between anxiety and self-efficacy; men showed the highest perception of self-efficacy, while women had higher scores in TA and SA; the latter was accentuated in cases when a relative died. To conclude, students who show a higher level of anxiety (TA and SA) express more negative emotions and also perceive themselves with less academic self-efficacy. Therefore, a stressful situation (pandemic and confinement) together with a critical event (illness and death of a relative/friend due to COVID-19) increases anxiety levels and influences the perception of academic self-efficacy.

Variables predictoras del compromiso laboral y académico en trabajadores y estudiantes de una universidad peruana

Objetivo. Analizar las variables personales, psicológicas y laborales o académicas que predicen el compromiso en trabajadores (docentes y administrativos) y estudiantes de una universidad peruana. El estudio 1 analiza el compromiso laboral, y el estudio 2, el compromiso académico. Método. En el estudio participaron 512 trabajadores y 1078 estudiantes de una universidad privada de Lima, Perú. A todos se les administró el SF-36, las escalas de Afectividad y Florecimiento que evalúan bienestar, la UWES-9 laboral o académica y la Escala de Eficacia Profesional del MBI para trabajadores y la de Autoeficacia Académica para los estudiantes. Resultados. Las variables predictoras más significativas del compromiso laboral fueron satisfacción con el trabajo (β = 0.34, p < 0.001), eficacia profesional (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) y florecimiento (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), y las del compromiso académico, satisfacción con la carrera (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), florecimiento (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) y autoeficacia académica (β = 0.19, p < 0.001). Conclusión. Las variables predictoras del compromiso fueron similares en ambos estudios. Destacan la satisfacción con el trabajo o la carrera, la autoeficacia y el florecimiento, que es la dimensión del bienestar que supone una vida con sentido, caracterizada por la presencia de vínculos positivos y gratificantes.

Predictive power of task orientation, general self-efficacy and self-determined motivation on fun and boredom

Abstract The aim of this study was to test the predictive power of dispositional orientations, general self-efficacy and self-determined motivation on fun and boredom in physical education classes, with a sample of 459 adolescents between 13 and 18 with a mean age of 15 years (SD = 0.88). The adolescents responded to four Likert scales: Perceptions of Success Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Sport Motivation Scale and Intrinsic Satisfaction Questionnaire in Sport. The results showed the structural regression model showed that task orientation and general self-efficacy positively predicted self-determined motivation and this in turn positively predicted more fun and less boredom in physical education classes. Consequently, the promotion of an educational task-oriented environment where learners perceive their progress and make them feel more competent, will allow them to overcome the intrinsically motivated tasks, and therefore they will have more fun. Pedagogical implications for less boredom and more fun in physical education classes are discussed.