Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between certain educational strategies and students' personality traits, on the one hand, and students' academic performance, on the other, respectively between the latter and two types of outcomes (i.e. students' academic performance and intentions to drop out of high school). These relationships were examined in two educational settings: in the Diploma Programme (DP), a two-year college-preparatory curriculum offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB), an international private educational system, and the traditional Romanian schools. A sample of IB students in 3 Eastern and Central European countries, and a comparison sample of non-IB students in Romania participated in the research. Results reveal several educational strategies and personality traits among those suggested by previous investigations that significantly sustain IB DP students’ academic persistence. Also, IB students’ academic performance and dropout intentions are influenced by these traits and educational strategies, and these effects are fully or partially mediated by academic persistence. A different pattern of associations emerged in the non-IB sample, with independent work style as the most important determinant of academic persistence, suggesting that relative to the traditional Romanian schools, the IB programme promotes a climate that better supports students in completing their education.

In higher education, self-concepts of ability (SCA) and intrinsic task values (ITV) are key determinants of students’ choice of study program and dropout. Both constructs are multidimensional (i.e., specific to curricular learning content) and hierarchically structured (i.e., aggregate into one or more higher-order factors), which is often neglected in higher education research. Therefore, the present study investigated German business studies students’ (N = 375; age: M (SD) = 21.8 (5.51); 59% female) SCAs and ITVs at the level of subfields. Longitudinal data collected at the transition into higher education (t1) and toward the end of the first semester (t2) gave insight into (changes in) interrelations and antecedents of subfield-specific SCAs and ITVs during the introductory study phase, when students likely had to review their hitherto anticipated motivational beliefs. Results from confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling revealed that interrelations of SCAs and ITVs decrease over time. SCAs correlate increasingly strongly within a mathematical and a verbal domain compared to cross-domain correlations. Accordingly, mathematics, but not German SCA, from high school predicts all subfield-specific SCAs at t1, but only mathematical subfield SCAs at t2. The pattern of results for ITVs is less systematic:  Mathematics ITV consistently predicted both mathematical subfield ITVs, whereas German ITV predicted law ITV only at t1. Curricular and practical implications of the subfield-specific formation of motivational beliefs at the transition into higher education are discussed.

Research in the field of educational linguistics has found that low levels of academic language development negatively affect children’s language, reading and writing skills and, therefore, academic achievements. This is more noticeable in students from low SES backgrounds, who traditionally have a lower exposure to academic language. Nevertheless, dialogic learning environments such as Dialogic Literary Gatherings (DLGs), a worldwide educational practice where participants read and debate literary classics in an egalitarian dialogue, contribute to the appearance of school-relevant language and literacy skills. Although multiple studies on DLGs have shown their impact in different levels, including improving vocabulary and reading skills, the emergence of such skills has not been studied in depth yet. This exploratory study aims to analyze the emergence of academic language and literacy skills in 19 students between the ages of 11 and 13 studying in a school in Spain with over 90% immigrant students. Results show that the egalitarian dialogue in which DLGs are based favors the emergence of school-relevant language and literacy skills, such as judgements and arguments, referential links, or connectives.

Suicide has become the second leading cause of death for individuals between 15 and 29 years old and increasingly more common within college students (WHO, 2016). The purpose of this study was to examine the associations among alexithymia, impulsivity, and locus of control as predictors of suicide risk in college students. Participants were comprised of 550 undergraduate students from two universities in the southeastern United States. Multiple regression analyses were examined to evaluate what variables could be significant predictors of suicide risk in college students. Age, alexithymia subscales of difficulty identifying feelings and externally oriented thinking, and impulsivity subscales of motor, self-control, and nonplanning were considered significant in the regression analysis of suicide risk. Psychoeducational implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.

The etiology of intelligence and learning difficulties are interpreted and perceived in different ways within society. The present study aims to explore the perceptions of a sample of n=501 Brazilian teachers regarding genetic and environmental influences on intelligence and learning difficulties. Using numerical scales, it was observed that importance was ascribed by teachers to genetic and environmental influences across both the intelligence and learning difficulties domains. A multiple choice items test revealed differences on the perceptions of teachers according to gender, age, schooling, area of knowledge, income, years of experience, knowledge of genetics, and having studied genetics. Responses favouring genetic explanations were associated with certain demographic factors while the perception that only environment affects the various domains was not associated with any specific demographics.

Developing literacy in two languages can be challenging for young bilingual children. This longitudinal study investigates the effects of bilingualism in the spelling strategies of English-Portuguese speaking children. A total of 88 six-to-seven-year-old bilinguals and monolinguals were followed during one academic year and data gathered on a range of verbal and written language skills and non-verbal measures while controlling for SES.  For both bilinguals and monolinguals letter knowledge, phonological awareness and word concept were significant predictors of spelling. However, non-verbal reasoning played an increasing role in explaining spelling variance for bilinguals, suggesting that learning to spell in two alphabetic languages places more demands on non-verbal processing skills. Spelling error analyses further revealed that bilinguals when compared to monolinguals showed more reliance on phonological strategies, less compliance with the L1 orthographic system and at times transference from L2. The results suggest important implications for our understanding of spelling acquisition and the development of effective intervention practices for bilingual children.