The social cognitive approach to moral development posits that moral self-schemas encourage character strengths and reduce adolescents’ aggression. However, limited research has examined the influence of positive personal characteristics on proactive behaviors and reactive aggression in bullying. This study examined direct and mediational relationships between forgiveness, gratitude, self-control, and both proactive and reactive aggression in bullying. The extent to which the structural relations of this model were invariant by gender and stage of adolescence were also evaluated. Participants in this study were 1000 Mexican students, 500 early adolescents (M age = 12.36, SD = 0.77 years) and 500 middle adolescents (M age = 16.64, SD = 0.89 years), between 12 and 17 years old. Structural equation and multi-group invariance analysis were performed. Results indicate that gratitude and forgiveness are positively related to self-control. Gratitude, forgiveness, and self-control are also negatively related to reactive and proactive aggression. Forgiveness and gratitude had an indirect relationship by decreasing both proactive and reactive aggression through their positive effects on self-control. Additionally, gender moderated the relationships between variables proposed in the model, whereas stage of adolescence did not. Overall findings suggest that moral self-schemas and strengths explained both types of aggression in bullying.

Parenting qualities may affect children’s homework achievement. The present study examined the relationship among parental autonomy support, children’s academic self-efficacy, learning-oriented purposes for doing homework, positive homework-related emotions, and homework completion. The sample included 984 children (M age = 10.68 years, SD = 0.63), 502 (51%) boys and 482 (49%) girls from elementary schools of Sonora, Mexico. A structural model and multigroup invariance by gender and academic achievement was calculated. The structural model indicated that parental autonomy support had a direct positive relation with children’s academic self-efficacy, learning-oriented purposes, and positive emotions in homework; it also had an indirect effect in homework completion by its positive association with these psychological resources. A multi-group analysis indicates that gender and academic achievement did not moderate the structural relations. Overall, findings suggest that parental autonomy support is critical to promote homework completion in elementary school children. La calidad de la crianza afecta el desempeño de los niños en las tareas escolares. El presente estudio examinó las relaciones entre el apoyo parental a la autonomía, la autoeficacia académica, el propósito de realizar las tareas por aprender, las emociones positivas y la terminación de las tareas escolares. La muestra incluye 984 estudiantes (M edad = 10.68 años, DS = 0.63), 502 (51%) niños y 482 (49%) niñas de escuelas primarias de Sonora, México. Se calculó un modelo estructural. El modelo estructural indica que el apoyo parental a la autonomía se relaciona directamente de forma positiva con la autoeficacia académica, el propósito de aprender en las tares, las emociones positivas y la terminación de las tareas. El análisis multigrupo muestra que el sexo y el desempeño académico del niño no moderan las relaciones propuestas en el modelo estructural. En general, los resultados sugieren que el apoyo parental a la autonomía promueve la terminación de las tareas en la educación primaria.

El ciberacoso es un problema complejo que afecta el desarrollo psicosocial de los adolescentes. El presente estudio se propuso analizar las diferencias en variables personales, familiares, escolares y comunitarias de estudiantes con y sin conductas de ciberacoso. Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 1,488 estudiantes de educación media superior de Sonora, 669 (45 por ciento) del sexo masculino (M edad=15.88, DE=2.20 años) y 819 (55 por ciento) del femenino (M edad=15.78, DE=2.22 años). Los resultados del modelo de regresión logística mostraron que la empatía, el apoyo parental, el apoyo docente y los activos de la comunidad disminuyen la probabilidad de ciberacoso, mientras que la violencia familiar y el acoso tradicional favorecen la ciberagresión. Esta información sugiere que la prevención del ciberacoso en la adolescencia debe incluir intervenciones enfocadas en promover el desarrollo socio-emocional y en fortalecer el apoyo social (parental, docente y comunitario) disponible para los adolescentes.

It is important that social work students engage in critical reflection of curriculum content in the classroom as a prerequisite for developing cultural humility to engage in unbiased cross-cultural professional practice. The present study explored students’ learning, centered on cultural humility, among predominantly White students enrolled in an international social work course in a U.S. university. Participant observation, focus groups, and in-depth interviews were used to explore students’ reflections. Results indicate that the participants recognized their privilege and barriers to understanding different cultures, were open to alternate models of development from other cultures, and expressed a willingness to understand and empathize with cultures different from their own. These findings underline the need to integrate international content in the social work curriculum using multiple pedagogical strategies and to provide students opportunities for critical self-reflection in classrooms.

Higher education in Mexico is under an ongoing transition process influenced by global tendencies. The world is changing, and Mexico is striving to fulfill the latest requirements to be part of the “elite universities.” Although higher education literature has tracked Mexico’s progress, the tension between global tendencies and their effects on Mexican higher education institutions have not been explored. Drawing upon academic capitalism and the theory of power, this article examines not only the academic growth but also global tendencies in higher education—such as privatization, international ranking, and academic stratification—that act as policy-drivers to reshape educational policy in Mexico. Furthermore, it examines current strategies in higher education policy, seeking to decipher its focus on science and technology as result of globalization pressure. The authors suggest higher education policy in Mexico is shaped by dominant voices that exert their power to keep current hegemonic relations that benefit those in top positions. Also, they assert the detrimental effects of current policies deserve to be explored.