Psychological Analysis among Goal Orientation, Emotional Intelligence and Academic Burnout in Middle School Students.

During schooling, students can undergo, for more or less long periods of time, different contextual settings that can negatively affect their personal and academic development, leading them not to meet their academic goals. The main objective of this research responds to examine the relationships between the constructs of goal orientations, emotional intelligence, and burnout in students. Method: This research comprised 2896 students from 15 Spanish high schools with ages between 12 and 18 years distributed across male (N = 1614; 55.73%) and female (N = 1282; 44.26%) genders. The measurements were made through Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey (MBI-SS). Results: Results showed links between task orientation, high emotional intelligence levels, and adaptive behaviors and between ego orientation, academic burnout and less adaptive behavior. Similarly, it was shown that emotional intelligence can be used to predict goal-oriented behaviors. Conclusion: It is argued that the promotion of task orientation among secondary school students can lead to the adoption of adaptive behaviors and this, in turn, improve the development of students toward academic and personal settings.

Exploring the Psychological Effects of Optimism on Life Satisfaction in Students: The Mediating Role of Goal Orientations.

Subjective wellbeing is a current issue today. Various variables affect subjective wellbeing during adolescence: a crucial stage in the life of the individual. This study focuses on analysing the relationship between academic goal orientation, optimism and life satisfaction in adolescent students, as well as the possible mediating role of the goal orientation (task and ego) in the relationship between optimism and life satisfaction in adolescents. Methods: The sample comprises 1602 students (male N = 871; 54.36% and female N = 731; 45.63%) from nine secondary schools. The instruments used were the Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R), the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) questionnaire. Results: The results of the study reveal significant correlations between optimism-related variables, goal orientation and life satisfaction. In addition, goal orientation was found to have a positive mediating role on optimism and life satisfaction. Conclusion: The study shows the importance of promoting adaptive behaviours in goal orientation in adolescents, leading to optimal levels on variables such as optimism and life satisfaction, which in turn improve the individual's psychological development and academic performance.

[Adherence to the Mediterranean diet in inactive adults, indoor cycling practitioners and amateur cyclists]. / Adherencia a la dieta mediterránea en adultos inactivos, practicantes de ciclo indoory ciclistas aficionados.

INTRODUCTION: There is limited information referred to the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (AMD) and sports practice. OBJECTIVE: To determinate the association of cycling practice and cycling training volume with the AMD and the influence of the participation in a high-demand cyclist event on the AMD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A first evaluation of AMD in 785 (84 women) amateur cyclists (volume: ≥ 7 hours/week), 514 (224 women) indoor cycling practitioners (volume: 2-6 hours/week) and 718 (411 women) inactive adults was conducted in May coinciding with the participation of cyclists in a cycling event. A subsample of 359 cyclists and 148 inactive subjects agreed to be retested in November, far from the cycling event date. The MEDAS-14 questionnaire was used to assess the AMD and a self-designed questionnaire was used to assess the volume of training. RESULTS: 40% of subjects showed high AMD. In both sexes, athletes showed higher AMD than inactive subjects, with the highest indexes for groups of cyclists (p < 0.001). The relationship between AMD and training volume was weak (men: r = 0.137, women: r = 0.173; p < 0.001). The AMD of cyclists decreased from May to November (p < 0.001) with no significant changes in inactive subjects (p = 0.535). CONCLUSIONS: Cycling is associated to higher values of AMD with a limited influence of training volume and transient positive effects of participation in a cycling endurance event.