The present study which is descriptive and cross-sectional in nature, pursues the objective of developing a structural equation model which integrates basic psychological needs, emotional regulation and academic stress in a sample composed of 2736 university students [♂ = 33.8% (n = 924); ♀ = 66.2% (n = 1812)] with a mean age of 23.33 ± 5.77 years. The main instruments used were the basic psychological needs scale, the emotional regulation scale and the academic stress questionnaire. Results show a positive relationship between the need of autonomy and the two dimensions of emotional regulation – cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression-. Cognitive reappraisal did not exhibit any relationship within the social science students examined. Further, the needs of autonomy and competence were positively related with cognitive reappraisal, and negatively related with expressive suppression. The greatest correlation strength was revealed in students studying health sciences. Finally, it was revealed that health science students made better use of emotional regulation in order to control academic stress. This highlights the importance of developing emotional regulation and satisfying basic psychological needs within higher education.

This manuscript describes the rationale and protocol of a school-based randomized controlled trial called “Cycling and Walk to School” (PACO, by its Spanish acronym) that aims to promote cycling to and from school and physical activity (PA) in adolescents. This study will examine the effects of this intervention in cycling and active commuting to and from school (ACS), PA and several ACS-related factors based on self-determination theory (SDT) and a social-ecological model (SEM). A total of 360 adolescents attending six high schools (three experimental and three control) from three Spanish cities will participate in this randomized controlled trial. The intervention (four cycling sessions; 1–2 h per session, one session per week) will be conducted by the research staff; the control group will continue their usual activities. PA levels will be measured by accelerometers, whereas ACS and the other study variables will be self-reported using questionnaires at baseline and post-intervention. The primary outcomes will be: rates of cycling to school, ACS and PA levels. In addition, SDT-related variables and individual, interpersonal, community, and environment variables relevant to ACS will be based on SEM. The findings will provide a comprehensive understanding of the short-term effects of this school-based intervention on cycling to school behaviour, ACS and PA levels in Spanish adolescents.

(1) Background: Several studies have shown that high anxiety impairs sport performance, making it important to develop strategies which improve the emotional self-regulation of athletes. The present study analyzed the relationship between emotional intelligence, motivational climate in sport, and anxiety according to participation in contact or non-contact sports, using multi-group structural equation modeling; (2) Methods: This research was conducted with a sample of 371 semi-professional athletes from Spain. The main variables were emotional intelligence, motivational climate in sport, and anxiety. A multi-group path analysis was developed and demonstrated acceptable fit (χ² = 418.60; df = 46; p < 0.001; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.959; Normalized Fit Index (NFI) = 0.955; Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.959; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.063); (3) Results: A negative association was identified between task-oriented climate and ego-oriented climate. Moreover, there was a positive relationship between task-oriented climate and emotional intelligence, which was strongest in individuals participating in non-contact sports. The relationship between ego-oriented climate and emotional intelligence was less evident. Furthermore, both state anxiety and trait anxiety were negatively correlated with emotional intelligence; (4) Conclusions: The key conclusion from the present research is that task-oriented motivational climates positively influence levels of emotional intelligence and anxiety, especially in contact sports. It is important to encourage the development of self-determined motivational climates in order to avoid emotional states which can hinder performance.

The low rates of active commuting to/from school in Spain, especially by bike, and the wide range of cycling interventions in the literature show that this is a necessary research subject. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the feasibility of a school-based cycling intervention program for adolescents, (2) to analyse the effectiveness of a school-based cycling intervention program on the rates of cycling and other forms of active commuting to/from school (ACS), and perceived barriers to active commuting in adolescents. A total of 122 adolescents from Granada, Jaén and Valencia (Spain) participated in the study. The cycling intervention group participated in a school-based intervention program to promote cycling to school during Physical Education (PE) sessions in order to analyse the changes in the dependent variables at baseline and follow up of the intervention. Wilcoxon, Signs and McNemar tests were undertaken. The association of the intervention program with commuting behaviour, and perceived barriers to commuting, were analysed by binary logistic regression. There were improvements in knowledge at follow-up and the cycling skill scores were medium-low. The rates of cycling to school and active commuting to/from school did not change, and only the “built environment (walk)” barrier increased in the cycling group at follow-up. School-based interventions may be feasibly effective tools to increase ACS behaviour, but it is necessary to implement a longer period and continue testing further school-based cycling interventions.

This paper undertook to apply the UWES-S scale to the individuals training as teachers, and to study the inference of sociodemographic and personal variables with their commitment in their studies. Material and method: This is an instrumental and empirical research wherein we utilized the Spanish version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-UWES-S, which evaluates the degree of individual commitment inherent in the activity performed. This survey contains 17 items under a Likert scale of 5 positions. We utilized three statistical software programs: SPSS.22, Factor.10, MPlus.7, and G*Pwer 3.1.9.2. 373 Education Undergraduate students (n=196 of Primary, n=85 of Preschool) and n=92 students under the Master Degree in Secondary Education partook in this study. Say students appertained to two Universities of north and south of Spain, and a University of Chile. After analyzing the results and the discussion, we have concluded that there are significant differences in the personal variables, both in the social demographical character and the geographical location of the Universities. In addition, the female students, and students from southern Spain and Latin America, are more committed to their studies as compared to students from the North of Spain.