For many students, the start of a university course is a positive experience, as it is a challenge that involves academic commitment and the achievement of a university degree. However, for other students, access to university becomes a stressful experience that manifests itself in signs of anxiety. Previous studies have shown the influence of high levels of anxiety on the degree of academic engagement for good study performance, with positive or negative moderators such as psychological well-being or self-efficacy. The overall aim of this study is to analyse self-efficacy and psychological well-being as moderators between anxiety and academic engagement, as well as the relationships between the variables. In the present study, 751 first-year students of the Faculty of Education Sciences of the University of Granada (Spain), of whom 90.7% are women and 9.3% are men, all aged between 18 and 47 years old (M = 21.05, SD = 3.57), completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student questionnaires (UWES-S), Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Psychological Well-being Scale. The correlations between scales were studied using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. To assess the moderating effect of self-efficacy and psychological well-being on the relationship between anxiety and academic engagement, structural equations were used with the maximum likelihood method. In relation to the analysis carried out, the findings show the importance of self-efficacy and psychological well-being as moderators between anxiety and academic engagement. Self-efficacy showed a moderating effect on the relationship between anxiety and academic engagement, so the interaction between anxiety and self-efficacy meant that in situations of high anxiety and high efficacy, academic engagement was virtually unaffected.

There is enormous concern at the international level vis-à-vis the retention of students in universities. Given that dropout rates and their social repercussions are causing great concern worldwide, researchers have been examining this issue to establish models to predict early dropout and to guide actions to support students who are at risk of dropping out. In this paper, we present a study we carried out at the University of Granada in which the risk of first-year students dropping out was analyzed by administering the College Persistence Questionnaire (CPQ v2) to 701 students who began their studies in the 2018/19 academic year. The data pertained to persisting at the institution one year later. The results indicated significant differences within the dimensions of academic and social integration, degree commitment, collegiate stress, academic advising and motivation, scholastic conscientiousness, institutional commitment, financial strain, and academic efficacy. These results align with a wide range of national and international studies.

Mental health problems, specifically those related to stress, anxiety, and depression, have become more prevalent among college students compared to data available prior to the levels of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies have shown that in different geographical areas, there is a high prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in university students compared to pre-pandemic levels. Thus, our objective was to establish self-perceived levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in university students earning an education degree at the University of Granada and the University of Costa Rica during periods of confinement and virtual learning associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The final study sample consisted of 942 students from both universities. Two questionnaires were administered: The state trait anxiety inventory and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale 21. Descriptive analyses, mean comparisons, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multivariate regression were performed. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and the effect size was analyzed using Cohen’s d. The results indicated that levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were mild or moderate despite the confinement and virtual learning associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Women had higher levels of anxiety than men, and singles had higher levels of anxiety than individuals in other family situations. Younger individuals had higher levels of stress and anxiety.

En la Universidad del Siglo XXI, la función de liderazgo está en la base de los procesos de surgimiento, mantenimiento e institucionalización de una nueva cultura de la calidad (Fernández Cruz, 2015).En este contexto, las universidades han creado unas Unidades de Calidad como responsables de los procesos de acreditación, seguimiento y renovación de títulos que deben actuar como verdaderos impulsores de unas acciones de mejora para las que resulta indispensable la puesta en marcha de procesos de evaluación y seguimiento que exigen el ejercicio de un liderazgo que fomente una cultura de calidad que impregne el quehacer diario de la institución.Los nuevos Títulos de Grado establecidos dentro del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior demandan una serie de actuaciones que deben ser ejecutadas por los llamados Coordinadores de Grado como responsables de la coordinación de los equipos docentes.Además de lo anterior, el proceso de internacionalización que conlleva el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior supone el desarrollo de estrategias de liderazgo a nivel interno, que se han traducido hacia el exterior en un fuerte liderazgo institucional (Cleveland-Innes, 2012; Juárez-Casalengua, 2015), y en un impulso y liderazgo político e institucional de la UE.Por otra parte, y dado que la mayoría de los trabajos de investigación sobre liderazgo se han centrado tradicionalmente en los cargos directivos, hemos querido abordar desde una óptica alternativa la función de liderazgo que ejercen los estudiantes universitarios mediante los diferentes cargos de representación que desempeñan.Finalmente, dedicamos un apartado al estudio de la importancia que tiene la formación en liderazgo en los planes de estudio de los futuros maestros, comprobando que ante la carenciade una formación suficiente, los maestros buscan su preparación en el ejercicio del liderazgo fuera de su formación inicial: a través de cursos de formación continua o incluso de Másteres.

Studies focusing on strategies for the cognitive regulation of emotions are gaining importance due to the development and perpetuation of psychopathologies. The obligatory home confinement imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to new virtual learning methodologies. Objective: Our objective aimed to analyze and compare the cognitive emotional regulation of students from universities on the Spanish mainland with that of students attending the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Methods: An online Emotional Regulation Questionnaire was applied, together with a survey covering the students’ beliefs about the pandemic, including information about their housing conditions and beliefs about online learning. The study included a sample of 1030 university students. Results: On the mainland and at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the students most frequently used adaptive strategies. Three of the strategies were used in both groups but to different extents (Acceptance, Positive reappraisal, Putting into perspective), while the other strategies were used in both groups to the same extent (Refocusing on planning, Positive refocusing, Rumination, Blaming others, Catastrophizing, Self-blame). Meanwhile, the results were quite similar regarding the students’ housing conditions and beliefs about the pandemic and online learning.

Emotional development in childhood is an aspect of undeniable importance, considering that this is a key stage for the acquisition of the emotional and social skills required for life in society. This study analyzes the effects of implementing a teacher training program for children's emotional development based on the establishment of emotional bonds and the validation of emotions in early childhood education. The strengthening of children's emotional development—focused on the establishment of emotional bonds and the validation of emotions—increases the number of interactions linked to these processes, especially those of emotional validation. The objective of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of a program developed to strengthen children's emotional development—focused on the establishment of emotional bonds and the validation of emotions. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used, focusing on comparing pre- and post-intervention results between an experimental and a control group in two international contexts (Spain and Costa Rica). The evaluation of the training program’s effect, carried out in both groups, included a pretest and posttest of the abbreviated and translated into Spanish scale of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), as well as a record of the frequency of emotional validation actions during three days of classroom work. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistical tests and various types of analysis to analyze the intervention effects using Mixed Effects Models. The pretest and posttest analyses showed a significant improvement in some of the aspects of affective bonding measured with the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) and an increase in emotional validation actions present in teacher-child interactions. These findings suggest that a teacher training program focused on emotional validation and strengthening affective bonds can lead to greater closeness between teachers and children, as well as a reduction in classroom conflicts.