The aims of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and to characteristics of a scale on research skills as well as to characterize the experience of university thesis students using information databases (i.e., Scopus or Web of Science) and bibliographic reference managers. A sample of 1598 university students from five departments, acroos the different campuses of one Peruvian university. The psychometric properties of the instrument were evaluated using factor analysis and measurement invariance according to sex and age groups. In addition, an internal consistency analysis was conducted for scale reliability using Cronbach's alpha, ordinal alpha, and the omega index. Our study identified that the unidimensional model with correlated errors showed adequate indicators of reliability and goodness of fit, with the exception of the RMSEA, which shows values higher than 0.08. Measurement invariance by sex and age group was present. The majority of university students in E-learning showed use of the bibliographic manager Mendeley (52.13%), low ability to use information databases such as Scopus (22.24%) or Web of Science (17.26%), and the least skilled research skills were in formulating the problem, objectives, and hypotheses (51.63%) and carrying out data analysis and processing using statistical techniques (49.37%). The conclusions of the study were that the 8-item research skills instrument presents acceptable psychometric indicators in Peruvian university students in thesis courses. Likewise, a scarce use of global databases, the approach to the research topic, and carrying out its statistical processing.

Background: School violence and bullying are prevalent problems that affect health in general, especially through the development of emotional and behavioral problems, and can result in the deterioration of the academic performance of the student victim. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rates of aggressive behaviors according to types of school violence and bullying, sociodemographic characteristics, and variation by department, region, and time in the period between 2014 and 2018 in Peru.Methods: The design was observational and cross-sectional based on data from the Specialized System for Reporting Cases of School Violence (Sistema Especializado en Reporte de Casos sobre Violencia Escolar—SíseVe) in Peru, which covers a population of 23,641 students at the initial, primary, and secondary levels of Basic Regular Education [Educación Básica Regular (EBR)], for the 2014–2018 period. The prevalence rates of the different types of school violence and bullying, the sociodemographic characteristics, and the variation by department, region, and time in the period between 2014 and 2018 were estimated.Results: Psychological violence/bullying occurred at higher prevalence rates (185.8 and 62.6 per 100,000 residents). Women from public institutions reported greater sexual violence, mostly by teachers (67.8%) than by other students (32.2%). The Selva region had the highest prevalence rate of sexual violence (10.1 per 100,000 residents). The departments of Tacna and Piura had the highest and lowest rates of psychological/verbal violence and bullying in 2018 (95.79 and 25.31 per 100,000 residents).Conclusion: Psychological/verbal violence and bullying is highly prevalent among students; women report being victims of sexual violence by administrative personnel of public institutions. The Selva region had the highest rate of sexual violence, and Piura and Tacna had the highest and lowest rates of violence and psychological/verbal bullying. Based on these results, it is suggested to conduct evidence-based prevention programs in Peruvian schools to reduce these social problems.

Objective. To determine the level of development of the critical thinking of the students of the Educational Institutions of primary education of Chimbote. Materials and methods. A descriptive study was carried out in Chimbote, 2016. Critical thinking was evaluated in 250 boys and girls who belong to the sixth grade of primary education in 2016. A questionnaire of 30 questions aimed at addressing the dialogic and substantive dimensions was applied; each question included 5 response options on the Likert scale (1 = total disagreement up to 5 = total agreement). These variables were re-categorized by scaling by percentiles classified into three categories: (a) high, between 150-100 points; (b) medium, between 99-50; and (c) low, between 49-0 points. A descriptive analysis of the critical thinking variable was carried out according to its substantive and dialogic dimensions through tables with their relative and absolute frequencies. Results. There is a negative tendency in the development of critical thinking which is integrated the dimensions of substantive and dialogical, being the lowest level the one that obtained the highest percentage with 54% compared to the high level with 4.4%. Conclusion. There is a deficit of critical thinking in student body students and in for their substantive and dialogical dimensions.

Objetivo: Identificar cómo se relacionan las habilidades sociales, bienestar psicológico y rendimiento académico en personas universitarias de una Universidad Privada de Chimbote. Metodología. Estudio correlacional-transversal, donde participaron 313 estudiantes de la Escuela Profesional de Educación, se les aplicaron los instrumentos de Inventarios de situaciones sociales (ISS) y bienestar psicológico de Ryff; además se obtuvo su nota promedio del semestre 2018-II. Resultados. Los resultados reportaron que a mayor habilidades sociales y bienestar psicológico mayor es el rendimiento académico (r =0,60 y 0,71; p<0.05); asimismo, a mayores habilidades sociales mayor es el bienestar psicológico (r=0,52; p<0,05). Asimismo, el nivel de habilidades sociales y bienestar psicológico presentaron un nivel bajo (33,54% y 34,18%, respectivamente), mientras que, nivel medio en rendimiento académico (42,49%). Conclusión. Las personas universitarias presentaron un déficit en los niveles de las variables de estudio; asimismo, que sí existe relación positiva entre ellas.

Background: Schools are increasingly experiencing physical, psychological, and sexual violence, which impacts students’ academic achievement and physical and emotional health. Our objective was to identify regional prevalence rates, average prevalence by aggressor type, and provincial spatial conglomerates with higher rates for each type of school violence reported in educational settings in Peru during 2019. Methods: An analysis was made of 12,132 cases reported through Peru’s Specialized School Violence System (SíseVe). The Moran indices were calculated using provincial prevalence rates to identify conglomerates with high prevalence. Results: In the coast region, the Department of Tacna reported the highest prevalence rates for physical (99.7) and psychological (107); the Department of Amazonas, which is in the jungle, reported the highest prevalence rate for sexual violence (74.6), with teachers in public schools accounting for the majority of sexual assaults against students (56%). Conclusions: Sexual violence predominated in the jungle zone, with a significant percentage of teachers participating in violence with sexual connotations. Physical and psychological violence prevailed in the coastal region.

Background: There are few instruments to assess attitudes toward mathematics and virtual teaching; Likewise, there are methodological limitations to study this phenomenon in high school students. The present study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments of attitudes toward mathematics and the perception of virtual teaching during COVID-19 in high school students in Peru.Methods: A total of 400 students participated. The research utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the attitudes mathematics and the perception of virtual teaching instruments’ structure, and assessed reliability through Cronbach’s Alpha (α), Ordinal Alpha (ordinal α), and Omega (Ω) indicators.Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed that Model 2, with factor loadings above 0.40, was the most suitable for both instruments. This model demonstrated acceptable fit indices (CFI and TLI > 0.90; RMSEA and SRMR 0.60). Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis validated a five-dimensional structure for attitudes toward mathematics and a six-dimensional structure for perceptions of virtual teaching.Conclusion: Both instruments are valid and reliable for assessing these attitudes and perceptions within the context of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening mathematical skills through targeted research and interventions is essential to addressing pandemic-induced gaps.