Education requires qualified professionals who are prepared to adapt to the challenges of the moment. Moreover, committed and motivated people are needed, who find meaning and fulfillment in what they do. Demotivation and abandonment of many students and beginner teachers are an international concern. The purposes are to expand the understanding of the teaching identity in its beginnings. Qualitative research has been carried out with two phases: a) the thematic analysis about professional identity stories of future teachers with different training/guiding experiences; and b) a case study during the development of a vocational guidance program with professional portfolio. The results highlight the group participating in an orientation program with professional portfolio. Those who have worked with the portfolio of guidance are aware of the process of strengthening their professional identity. They analyze the subjects from a competence perspective and assume challenges aimed at satisfying their vital projects. They define more references for their professional identity and value the learning experiences in the college. The other students place the development of the professional identity in a future time and do not integrate learning with the personal and professional profile. However, of all of them, those who have participated in the competence/reflective approach of training show emerging professional identity features and describe more references for their development. The conclusions point to the need for students to assume an active role of authorship regarding their professional identity since entering the faculty. Accompaniment is the key, facilitated by pedagogical tools such as the ePortfolio or similar.

We understand soft skills as an integrated set of knowledge, skills and values that facilitate the effective, affective and efficient development of a skill or activity. The objective of this study was to identify the soft skills that are most often used in the orientation process and those that improve employability, according to Spanish counselors. A qualitative methodology was used. The participants (n = 57) were orientation professionals. A total of 273 interviews were conducted over five years. The results and conclusions show that communication and decision-making are the most important competencies in the orientation process and at the level of employability, followed by intrapersonal skills, skills in interpersonal relationships, teamwork, problem solving, adaptation to new situations, creativity and leadership.

The lack of motivation among university students has become a key challenge in the current European Higher Education Area, reflected in high dropout rates and low academic performance. The aim of this study is to analyze the direct and indirect relationships between emotional intelligence, resilient coping, and academic motivation in university students. These three variables are relevant as they facilitate adaptation to academic and social challenges, enhancing students' performance and overall well-being. Questionnaires assessing EI, resilient coping, and academic motivation were administered to 693 education students with an average age of 19.65 years (SD = 2.8). Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlation analyses, and mediation models using structural equations were performed. The results suggest that resilient coping is a partial mediator in the relationship between EI and academic motivation, indicating that students with higher emotional skills tend to employ more effective coping strategies, which reinforces their intrinsic motivation toward learning. On the other hand, resilient coping was a partial mediator in the relationship between emotional repair and academic amotivation. From a neuroscience perspective, emotional intelligence involves key processes such as self-regulation, attention, and executive control, which are fundamental for learning and academic performance. In this context, the findings of this study highlight the importance of integrating emotional intelligence development into curriculum design, not only to enhance well-being but also to promote resilient coping and strengthen academic motivation.

It is important to study the impact of social media on mental health and well-being, as most young people use social media. Research has provided evidence of the link between social media and mental health, identifying vulnerability variables, risk factors, comorbidity, and predictors of deterioration or improvement. However, there is still very little qualitative insight into young people’s experiences and perceptions of social media and its impact on their subjective well-being. This study consists of a systematic review of the literature and a narrative synthesis of scientific articles published between 2013 and 2023 and indexed in the most important scientific databases in our field of knowledge. The SALSA protocol for systematic reviews of scientific literature was followed. We worked on a final sample of 25 articles, all of which were qualitative in methodology. From the content analysis, we extracted five thematic categories that describe and explore in depth the complex impact of social networks on adolescents’ well-being. The interactions between positive and negative effects, as well as the links with protective or vulnerability factors, are presented with the aim of constructing as complete a knowledge framework as possible. The paper concludes with useful implications for educational interventions.

Construcción eficiente y sostenible de la carrera: el portafolio como recurso de orientación universitaria/Efficient and sustainable career construction: the professional portfolio as a resource at university guidance

After analyzing the scientific literature referring to guiding actions developed in secondary education, there is an appreciable lack of research on process efficiency performed by teachers. This study explores the practice of tutoring, which in Spain is coordinated by counselors but the responsibility of teachers. An ad hoc semistructured questionnaire was designed, validated and applied within the framework of a collaboration agreement between professional institutions of counselors and researchers. The questionnaire was answered by 102 counselors who are heads of guidance departments because the insight of counseling experts was desired. The quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicated correlations between the profile of the counselors and the performance of tutoring, described the content and predominant intervention models and identified needs for improvement. A much more intensive and direct intervention by counselors is necessary in a system in which teachers are not trained enough and time dedicated to tutorial action is deficient. Notably, counselors coordinate and supervise tutoring, but they feel overwhelmed by the lack of concrete norms and their workload.