¿Cómo aprenden los estudiantes de educación secundaria y universitaria? Un análisis integral desde los estilos de aprendizaje / How Do High School and College Students Learn? A Comprehensive Analysis of Learning Styles / Como os alunos do ensino médio e superior aprendem? Uma análise abrangente dos estilos de aprendizagem

Esta investigación examinó los estilos de aprendizaje de alumnos secundarios y universitarios para describir las características cognitivas, afectivas y fisiológicas que emplean para aprender. Se efectuó un análisis integral de los estilos de aprendizaje que incluyó estilos de preferencia de la modalidad instruccional, estilos de procesamiento de la información y estilos cognitivos de la personalidad. Se aplicó la Escala Grasha-Riechmann de estilos de aprendizaje para estudiantes, el inventario de procesos de aprendizaje y la lista de verificación del tipo de indicador de estilos de aprendizaje. Participaron 942 estudiantes de Buenos Aires, de los niveles secundario (n = 352) y universitario (n = 590) de distintas ramas de estudio (20.5 % Ciencias Aplicadas, 18.2 % Ciencias Básicas, 13.7 % Ciencias de la Salud, 30.8 % Ciencias Humanas, 16.8 % Ciencias Sociales). Se observaron diferencias significativas en el estilo competitivo a favor de los estudiantes de se-cundaria, mientras que la mayoría de los estilos fueron avorables a los universitarios. Además, los universitarios avanzados mostraron mayor uso de los métodos de estudio que los alumnos de secundaria. Se registró un efecto significativo y positivo de todos los estilos de aprendizaje sobre el rendimiento académico. Es-tos hallazgos dan cuenta, por un lado, de diferencias notables entre los estudiantes de nivel secundario y universitario, y por otro, de la relevancia de los estilos con relación al rendimiento académico. Se espera que esta información sea utilizada para mejorar el ajuste de los estudiantes ingresantes al sistema universitario evitando así el fracaso y la deserción académica.

The study examines learning styles in high school and college students to describe their cognitive, affective, and physiological features they apply in learning. Thus, instructional preference, information processing, and cognitive personality styles were analyzed. The Grasha Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scale, the Inventory of Learning Processes, and the Learning Style Type Indicator were employed. The sample was composed of 942 high-school (n = 352) and college students (n = 590) attending different majors (20.5 % Applied Sciences, 18.2 % Basic Sciences, 13.7 % Health Sciences, 30.8 % Human Scienc-es, 16.8 % Social Sciences). All of them attended classes in Buenos Aires. Significant differences in the competi-tive style were observed in favor of high school students, whereas most styles were in favorable for undergraduates. Advanced college students showed a higher use of study methods compared to high school students. A significant and positive effect of all learning styles on academic achieve-ment was verified. Such findings evidence remarkable dif-ferences between high school students and undergraduates. They also highlight the importance of learning styles in academic achievement. These results should be used to im-prove the adaptation and adjustment of first-year students, contributing to avoiding academic failure and dropout.

Os estilos de aprendizagem de alunos do ensino médio e universitário são examinados para descrever as características cognitivas, afetivas e fisiológicas que eles usam para aprender. Foi realizada uma análise abrangente dos estilos de aprendizagem, que incluiu estilos de preferên-cia de modalidade instrucional, estilos de processamento de informações e estilos cognitivos de personalidade. Aplicou-se a Escala Grasha-Riechmann de Estilos de Aprendizagem para Estudantes, o Inventário de Proces-sos de Aprendizagem e a Lista de Verificação do Tipo de Indicador de Estilos de Aprendizagem. Participaram 942 estudantes de Buenos Aires nos níveis médio (n = 352) e universitário (n = 590) de diferentes áreas de estudo (20.5 % Ciências Aplicadas, 18.2 % Ciências Básicas, 13.7 % Ciências da Saúde, 30.8 % Ciências Humanas, 16.8 % Ciências Sociais). Diferenças significativas foram observadas no estilo competitivo em favor dos alunos do ensino médio, enquanto a maioria dos estilos foi favorável aos universitários. Além disso, os univer-sitários mais avançados apresentaram maior emprego dos métodos de estudo do que os estudantes do ensino médio. Finalmente, foi registrado um efeito significativo e positivo de todos os estilos de aprendizagem no desempenho acadêmico. Esses achados mostram, por um lado, diferenças notáveis entre alunos do ensino médio e universitário e, por outro, a relevância dos estilos em relação ao desempenho acadêmico. Espera-se que essas informações possam ser utilizadas para melhorar o ajusta-mento dos alunos que ingressam no ensino universitário, evitando assim a reprovação e a deserção acadêmica.

Inventario de Estilos de Pensamiento: Propiedades psicométricas en universitarios de Buenos Aires / Thinking Styles Inventory: Psychometric features in college students from Buenos Aires

Introducción: Los estilos de pensamiento permiten conocer cómo las personas utilizan sus aptitudes a la hora de resolver situaciones problemáticas. El Inventario de Estilos de Pensamiento (TSI) es uno de los instrumentos más difundidos a nivel mundial, diseñado para evaluar los 13 estilos de pensamiento formulados en la Teoría del Autogobierno Mental -Legislativo, Ejecutivo, Judicial, Monárquico, Jerárquico, Oligárquico, Anárquico, Global, Local, Interno, Externo, Liberal, Conservador. Método: Con el propósito de adaptar la escala a población universitaria local se revisaron aspectos lingüísticos así como la escala de respuesta. Tras un estudio piloto, se recogió una muestra de 361 estudiantes universitarios de Buenos Aires para efectuar análisis factoriales exploratorio y confirmatorio por un lado, y de consistencia interna por otro. Resultados: Se obtuvo una solución de 7 factores -Judicial/Liberal, Ejecutivo/Conservador, Externo, Monárquico, Global, Jerárquico, Legislativo- que logró conservar 45 de los 104 ítems puestos a prueba. Conclusión: La consistencia interna de los factores extraídos alcanzó valores apropiados. Se discuten los resultados a la luz del modelo teórico y se proponen futuras líneas de investigación.

Background: Thinking styles lead to describe how people use their abilities when they have to deal with problem solving situations. The Thinking Styles Inventory ­TSI- is one of the most worldwide employed scales, developed to assess 13 thinking styles posed in the Theory of Mental Self-government -Legislative, Executive, Judicial, Monarchic, Hierarchic, Oligarchic, Anarchic, Global, Local, Internal, External, Liberal, Conservative. Method: Aiming at the adaptation of the scale to local college students' population, linguistic aspects were reviewed as well as the response scale. After a pilot study, a sample composed of 361 college students from Buenos Aires responded the inventory in order to perform exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyzes on the one hand, and an internal consistency on the other. Result: A 7-factor structure -Judicial/Liberal, Executive/Conservative, External, Monarchic, Global, Hierarchic, Legislative-, was obtained. Conclusion: Such a version maintained 45 of the 104 tested items. Internal consistency of the extracted dimensions reached adequate values. Results are examined considering the theoretical model and further research lines.

Actualizaciones en el análisis de ítemes madurativos del Dibujo de la Figura Humana en niños escolarizados de Buenos Aires: A revision study / Maturational items of Human Figure Drawing test in scholars from Buenos Aires

El Test del Dibujo de la Figura Humana (DFH - Goodenough & Harris, 1926) es una herramienta psicométrica diseñada para dar cuenta de la evolución de la madurez conceptual, definida como la habilidad para desarrollar conceptos con mayor grado de abstracción (Harris, 1963). A pesar de ser una prueba muy difundida y frecuentemente utilizada en el ámbito profesional, sus propiedades psicométricas no han sido estudiadas en el contexto local. El estudio que se informa propone un avance en su adaptación métrica para niños que cursan la escolaridad elemental en la ciudad de Buenos Aires y el conurbano bonaerense. Para cumplir con este objetivo se analizaron la homogeneidad y la dificultad de los reactivos y se identificaron los ítemes evolutivos esperados, comunes y excepcionales según la propuesta original de Koppitz (1968) para cada franja etaria. Se aporta, además, evidencia de validez discriminante con respecto al Test de Bender. La utilidad práctica del estudio realizado reside en la descripción de esta habilidad madurativa por medio de la inclusión de partes del gráfico que se convierten en esperables para determinado momento evolutivo y de la ausencia de detalles que implicarían una posible inmadurez conceptual; es reconocida a partir del diagnóstico clínico diferencial y resulta clave en situaciones de evaluación aplicada. Entre las limitaciones de esta investigación debe destacarse la muestra utilizada, procurando en trabajos futuros disponer de un mayor número de participantes. Es por esto que los resultados deben considerarse como tendencias cuya generalización deberá analizarse en nuevos estudios y también mediante la introducción de nuevas líneas de discusión.

The Human Figure Drawing Test (HFD -Goodenough & Harris, 1926) is a psychometric scale developed to measure individual evolution of conceptual maturity in children of school age. This concept is described as the ability to develop concepts with an increasing degree of abstraction (Harris, 1963). In despite of being a widely applied test in professional contexts, its psychometric properties were not properly analyzed in local populations. This paper proposes an advance on its metrical adaptation, in order to be used in scholars from Buenos Aires and its suburbs. To reach this research goal, item homogeneity and difficulty indexes were calculated. Following original Koppitz's proposals (1968), expected developmental items were identified, as well as the common and exceptional ones in each age interval considered. Discriminate validity evidences regarded to Bender's Gestalt Scale were also analyzed. Considering children's age, common parts composing the human figure were identified, meaning that 85% per cent (and more) of the children in a given age included that part as an important detail in the drawing. This way, it became an expectable item for that age interval. Unusual elements were also identified (15% of the cases or less) in protocols of each analyzed group. This analysis showed that some parts were omitted for the majority of children in the studied sample. The applied utility of this particular analysis consists in the identification of items which would be present in drawings produced by children without problems in each age level in local population, when a normative criterion is followed in the individual assessment. The importance of an item omission when it is expected must be highlighted, because of its importance as a relevant indicator of potential problems. The contribution here intended consists in the description of this maturational ability using parts of the drawing which become expectable in a given developmental age. The absence of certain details may imply conceptual immaturity; these two kinds of indicators are characterized in the differential diagnosis and are key signs in applied assessment situations. Concerning discriminate validity evidences, a significant average and positive association between scores of conceptual maturity (HDF) and visual-motor ability (Bender's) was verified in the whole simple. Associations became lower if the simple was spitted by age. Developmental motorist and perceptual aspects appear to converge with conceptual abilities measured in the sample, existing an overlapping of both of them in the activities involved, although not lower enough to speak about abilities related but about abilities of a different nature. Despite both scales (HFD and Bender's) demand a graphic action to be responded, they intend to assess theoretical concepts hypothetically differentiated. Otherwise, empirical verifications seem to speak about a significant relationship between them. Analyzing the association between these abilities through an increasing curve of age during childhood allows to infer a decrease in values of Pearson coefficients as chronological age increases (.259*; .234**; .474**, .179*, .283**, .189*, and .251). Such results can be interpreted as a gradual discrimination between perceptual, motorist and conceptual abilities, when developmental level shows an ascendant peak. One of the limitations of this research lies in the sample employed, which involved a restricted number of participants across each age included. Future developments must improve this issue, in order to challenge these findings. For this reason these results must be analyzed as preliminary tendencies. Their potential intention of generalization should be tested in future studies, and also by means of the generation of new research lines. These advances are disposable to be tested in new populations, and they intent to become a contribution for applied practice of psychological assessment with children.