Improving assessment of procedural skills in health sciences education: a validation study of a rubrics system in neurophysiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The development of procedural skills is essential in health sciences education. Rubrics can be useful for learning and assessing these skills. To this end, a set of rubrics were developed in case of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers for undergraduates. Although students found the rubrics to be valid and useful in previous courses, the analysis of the practical exam results showed the need to change them in order to improve their validity and reliability, especially when used for summative purposes. After reviewing the rubrics, this paper analyzes their validity and reliability for promoting the learning of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers and assessing the acquisition of the procedural skills they involve. METHODS: In this cross-sectional and psychometric study, six experts and 142 undergraduate students of a neurophysiotherapy subject from a Spanish university participated. The rubrics' validity (content and structural) and reliability (inter-rater and internal consistency) were analyzed. The students' scores in the subject practical exam derived from the application of the rubrics, as well as the rubrics' criteria difficulty and discrimination indices were also determined. RESULTS: The rubrics´ content validity was found to be adequate (Content Validity Index > 0.90). These showed a unidimensional structure, and an acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.71) and inter-rater reliability (Fleiss' ƙ=0.44, ICC = 0.94). The scores of the subject practical exam practically covered the entire range of possible theoretical scores, showing all the criterion medium-low to medium difficulty indices - except for the one related to the physical therapist position-. All the criterion exhibited adequate discrimination indices (rpbis > 0.39), as did the rubric as a whole (Ferguson's δ = 0.86). Students highlighted the rubrics´ usefulness for learning the maneuvers, as well as their validity and reliability for formative and summative assessment. CONCLUSIONS: The changed rubrics constitute a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the execution quality of neurophysiotherapy maneuvers from a summative evaluation viewpoint. This study facilitates the development of rubrics aimed at promoting different practical skills in health-science education.

Do We Know Enough about Negative Parenting? Recent Evidence on Parenting Styles and Child Maladjustment / ¿Sabemos suficiente sobre el estilo parental negativo? Pruebas recientes sobre los estilos parentales y la inadaptación de los hijos

Background: There are serious doubts as to whether parental strictness, one of the two main dimensions of parental style, can be a negative or positive component of parenting in traditional societies. Method: Parenting style (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, and neglectful) was captured from strictness and warmth dimensions and child maladjustment was assessed with problems of self-esteem and self-concept (academic, social, emotional, family, and physical) studied worldwide. The sample was composed of 1,282 Chinese participants (676 females, 52.7%), 581 adolescent children (age ranging from 12-18 years, 45.3%), and 701 young adult children (age ranging from 19-31 years, 54.7%). A 4 × 2 × 2 factorial MANOVA was applied for all outcomes using parenting style, sex, and age as the independent variables. Results: The statistical analysis plainly indicated that authoritarian (strictness but not warmth) and neglectful (neither strictness nor warmth) parenting styles were associated with higher maladjustment in terms of lower self-esteem and self-concept scores. Indulgent (not strictness but warmth) and authoritative (strictness and warmth) parenting were positive parenting styles acting as protective factors against self-esteem and self-concept problems. The authoritative style (strictness and warmth), but not the authoritarian parenting style (strictness but not warmth), was the most positive parenting for academic self-concept, but only among adolescents. Conclusions: Interestingly, completely contrary to expectations that authoritarian parenting might be a positive parenting in traditional societies, present findings suggest that the authoritarian style might be a negative parenting related to child maladjustment. (AU)

Antecedentes: Existen serias dudas sobre si la severidad parental, una de las dos dimensiones principales del estilo parental, puede ser un componente negativo o positivo de la socialización en las sociedades tradicionales. Método: El estilo parental (autoritario, autorizativo, indulgente y negligente) se evaluó a partir de las dimensiones de severidad y afecto, y el desajuste de los hijos por medio de problemas de autoestima y autoconcepto (académicos, sociales, emocionales, familiares y físicos) estudiados en todo el mundo. La muestra estaba compuesta por 1,282 participantes chinos (676 mujeres, 52.7%), 581 hijos adolescentes (de 12 a 18 años, 45.3%) y 701 hijos adultos jóvenes (de 19 a 31 años, 54.7%). Se aplicó un MANOVA factorial 4 × 2 × 2 para todos los criterios utilizando el estilo parental, el sexo y la edad como variables independientes. Resultados: El análisis estadístico indicó claramente que el estilo parental autoritario (severidad sin afecto) y el negligente (ni severidad ni afecto) estaban relacionados con un mayor desajuste, como indican las menores puntuaciones de autoestima y autoconcepto. El estilo indulgente (afecto sin severidad) y el autorizativo (severidad y afecto) fueron estilos parentales positivos que actuaron como factores protectores contra los problemas de autoestima y autoconcepto. El estilo autorizativo (severidad y afecto), pero no el autoritario (severidad sin afecto), fue el más positivo para el autoconcepto académico, pero sólo en los adolescentes. Conclusiones: En contra de las expectativas de que el estilo parental autoritario podría ser positivo para la socialización en las sociedades tradicionales, los presentes resultados sugieren que la socialización autoritaria es un estilo parental negativo relacionado con problemas de desajuste de los hijos. (AU)

Analyzing when parental warmth but without parental strictness leads to more adolescent empathy and self-concept: Evidence from Spanish homes.

Introduction: Classical research mainly conducted with European-American families has identified the combination of warmth and strictness (authoritative style) as the parenting always associated with the highest scores on developmental outcomes. Additionally, despite the benefits of empathy for prosocial behaviors and protection against antisocial behaviors, most research has considered the contribution of specific practices (e.g., reasoning or power assertion), but not so much the parenting styles. Similarly, family studies tend to study the relationship between parenting and global self-perceptions (self-esteem), but not so much those of each dimension (self-concept). Methods: In the present study, 600 Spanish adolescents from 12 to 17 years old (M = 15.25, SD = 2.01) were classified within one of the four household typologies (i.e., authoritative, indulgent, authoritarian, or neglectful). Adolescent developmental outcomes were cognitive empathy (adopting perspectives and emotional understanding), emotional empathy (empathic stress and empathic happiness), and self-concept (academic, social, emotional, family and physical). Results: The results showed that the indulgent parenting (warmth but not strictness) was related to equal or even better empathy and self-concept than the authoritative style (warmth and strictness), whereas non-warm parenting (authoritarian and neglectful) was consistently associated with poor results. Discussion: Overall, the present findings seriously question that parental strictness combined with parental warmth (authoritative style) is always the parenting style related to the greatest outcomes. By contrast, it seems that reasoning, warmth and involvement, without strictness (indulgent parenting) help adolescents to achieve a good orientation toward others in terms of cognitive and affective empathy and a good self-evaluation in terms of self-concept.

Students' Perceptions of Instructional Rubrics in Neurological Physical Therapy and Their Effects on Students' Engagement and Course Satisfaction.

One of the main challenges faced by physical therapy (PT) students is to learn the practical skills involved in neurological physical therapy (PT). To help them to acquire these skills, a set of rubrics were designed for formative purposes. This paper presents the process followed in the creation of these rubrics and their application in the classroom, noting that students perceived them as valid, reliable, and highly useful for learning. The perception of the validity and usefulness of the rubrics has different closely related dimensions, showing homogeneous values across the students´ sociodemographic and educational variables, with the exception of dedication to studying, which showed a significant relationship with schoolwork engagement and course satisfaction. The adequacy of the hypothesized structural model of the relationships among the variables was confirmed. Direct effects of the perception of the rubrics' validity and engagement on course satisfaction were found, as well as direct effects of the assessment of the usefulness of the rubrics on schoolwork engagement and indirect effects on course satisfaction through this latter variable. The results are discussed taking into account the conclusions of previous research and different instructional implications.

Effects of Parenting Styles on Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Stress in Spanish Adolescents.

Research has repeatedly highlighted the important influence of parental socialization styles on children's psychosocial adjustment. However, previous studies about their effects on school adjustment have traditionally addressed a limited set of indicators, such as academic achievement or self-concept, which should be broadened in order to increase our level of knowledge about this topic. Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze the relationships between parenting styles and other relevant school adjustment criteria (self-regulated learning and academic stress) in adolescence. The study participants were 437 Spanish adolescents (44.7% men) from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.55, SD = 1.80) who were enrolled in high school. A multivariate factorial design (parenting × sex × educational level) was used for each set of criteria. The results are consistent with previous research, showing that the indulgent style was related to better school adjustment during adolescence, evaluated through self-regulated learning and academic stress, thus increasing the available evidence about the influence of parenting styles in this setting. Additionally, this relationship remains invariant with regard to sex and the educational level of the participants in the study. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of parenting practices related to high acceptance/involvement for the adequate school adjustment of Spanish adolescents.

Development and Validation of the Questionnaire of Academic Stress in Secondary Education: Structure, Reliability and Nomological Validity.

This study presents the validation process of the Questionnaire on Academic Stress in Secondary Education (QASSE) designed to assess the wide variety of school sources and situations related to academic stress in adolescence, and their relationship with students' physical and psychological well-being. The participants were 860 Spanish high school students (52.9% girls) with an average age of 14.62 years (SD = 1.8). Through a cross-validation process, results supported the QASSE multifactorial structure with four first-order factors-academic overload, interaction with classmates, family pressure, and future-oriented perspective-and a second-order factor of academic stress, showing a significant and intense relationship with adolescents' psychological and physical well-being. Results also highlight the effects of the gender and educational level interaction on the students' stress, with girls showing higher levels of stress in the transition courses between educational phases (sophomore and junior years). The QASSE demonstrates good validity and reliability, showing potential for both research and educational application. The results show the high impact of the QASSE dimensions on psychological and physical well-being in adolescence, highlighting its special usefulness for designing and adjusting educational prevention and intervention actions in this area to the students' specific characteristics and needs.

Estructura factorial y propiedades psicométricas de la Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) en población universitaria colombiana / Factorial Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) in Colombian College Students

RESUMEN Se investigó la estructura factorial de la Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) en universitarios colombianos. La gestión del tiempo es un importante predictor del logro estudiantil y clave para la disminución de la deserción universitaria. Participaron 494 estudiantes de primer año de nueve programas en dos universidades de la ciudad de Bogotá. Se comprueba una estructura multidimensional de cuatro subescalas que explicaron el 42.68 % de la varianza total. Se obtuvieron índices de consistencia interna por encima de 0.7 en tres factores y una fiabilidad global de 0.84. Coincidiendo con investigaciones previas, frente a los hombres, las mujeres obtienen puntuaciones superiores en dos de las subescalas, y los estudiantes de las carreras de educación presentan mejores puntuaciones en Percepción del Control del Tiempo que los estudiantes de ingeniería. Se comparan los resultados en Colombia con la prueba norteamericana y la española.

ABSTRACT The factorial structure of the Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS) was investigated in Colombian college students. Time management is an important predictor of the academic achievements and is key in reducing college desertion. 494 first year students from nine different programs and two universities in Bogotá city participated. A multidimensional structure of four sub scales that explain 42.68% of the variance was verified. Indexes of internal consistency above 0.7 in three factors and a global reliability of 0.84 were obtained. In accordance with previous research, women obtain higher scores against men in two of the obtained sub scales, and the students of Education programs score better in "Perception of time control" than engineering students. The results obtained in Colombia are compared with the North American and Spanish test.

Spanish version of the Time Management Behavior Questionnaire for university students.

The main objective of the study is to analyze the psychometric properties and predictive capacity on academic performance in university contexts of a Spanish adaptation of the Time Management Behavior Questionnaire. The scale was applied to 462 students newly admitted at the Universitat de València in the 2006-2007 school year. The analyses performed made it possible to reproduce the factorial structure of the original version of the questionnaire with slight modifications in the ascription of various items. The underlying factorial structure includes four interrelated dimensions (Establishing objectives and priorities, Time management tools, Perception of time control and Preference for disorganization), which present satisfactory levels of reliability and an adequate convergent validity with the Time management subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The scores on the dimensions of time management show significant levels of association with academic performance in the first year of university studies, especially highlighting the predictive capacity of the subscale dealing with the Establishment of objectives and priorities. These results show the reliability and validity of this adaptation of the scale for evaluating how the students manage their academic time, and predicting their performance in the year they initiate the degree program, thus aiding in the development of intervention proposals directed towards improving these skills.

Spanish version of the time management behavior questionnaire for university students

The main objective of the study is to analyze the psychometric properties and predictive capacity on academic performance in university contexts of a Spanish adaptation of the Time Management Behavior Questionnaire. The scale was applied to 462 students newly admitted at the Universitat de València in the 2006-2007 school year. The analyses performed made it possible to reproduce the factorial structure of the original version of the questionnaire with slight modifications in the ascription of various ítems. The underlying factorial structure includes four interrelated dimensions (Establishing objectives and priorities, Time management tools, Perception of time control and Preference for disorganization), which present satisfactory levels of reliability and an adequate convergent validity with the Time management subscale of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The scores on the dimensions of time management show significant levels of association with academic performance in the first year of university studies, especially highlighting the predictive capacity of the subscale dealing with the Establishment of objectives and priorities. These results show the reliability and validity of this adaptation of the scale for evaluating how the students manage their academic time, and predicting their performance in the year they initiate the degree program, thus aiding in the development of intervention proposals directed towards improving these skills (AU)

El objetivo del estudio es analizar las características psicométricas y la capacidad predictiva sobre el rendimiento académico en contextos universitarios de una adaptación española del Time Management Behavior Questionnaire. La escala fue aplicada a 462 estudiantes de nuevo acceso a la Universitat de València en el curso 2006-2007. Los análisis permiten reproducir la estructura factorial de la versión original del cuestionario con ajustes en la adscripción de diversos ítems, integrando cuatro dimensiones interrelacionadas (Establecimiento de objetivos y prioridades, Herramientas para la gestión del tiempo, Percepción del control del tiempo y Preferencias por la desorganización), que presentan niveles satisfactorios de fiabilidad y validez convergente. Las dimensiones de gestión del tiempo muestran niveles de asociación significativos con el rendimiento en el año de acceso a los estudios universitarios, destacando especialmente la capacidad predictiva de Establecimiento de objetivos y prioridades. Estos resultados constatan la fiabilidad y validez de la adaptación efectuada, así como su capacidad de pronóstico sobre el rendimiento en el año de incorporación a la universidad, facilitando el desarrollo de propuestas de intervención dirigidas a la mejora de las habilidades de gestión del tiempo (AU)

Evaluación del estrés académico en estudiantes de nueva incorporación a la universidad / Academic stress in first-year college students

En este trabajo se analizan las principales fuentes de estrés académico de los estudiantes de nueva incorporación a la universidad y se presenta la validación de un instrumento de evaluación de este constructo psicológico. Los resultados constatan que el estrés académico constituye un fenómeno generalizado en el año de acceso a la universidad y que los niveles superiores se presentan respecto a la exposición de trabajos, la sobrecarga académica, la falta de tiempo y la realización de exámenes. El cuestionario evalúa cuatro dimensiones complementarias (obligaciones académicas, expediente y perspectivas de futuro, dificultades interpersonales y expresión de ideas propias), muestra una relación significativa de reducida magnitud con el rendimiento académico y son las mujeres quienes presentan valores superiores en todas las dimensiones evaluadas. Los resultados se discuten en términos de su repercusión para el diseño de sistemas de acción tutorial y de prestación de servicios de atención y asesoramiento psicológico a los estudiantes de nuevo acceso a los estudios universitarios.

The study analyzes the main sources of academic stress for first-year university students, and presents a validation of an evaluation instrument for this psychological construct. The results show that perceived stress is a generalized phenomenon in the first year of university studies, and that the highest levels are obtained in the areas of oral presentations, academic overload, lack of time, and taking exams. The questionnaire evaluates four complimentary dimensions (academic obligations, academic record and future prospects, interpersonal difficulties, and expressing one's own ideas), with a significant relationship of reduced magnitude with academic performance, the female students presenting higher values on all of them. The results are discussed in terms of their effects on designing systems for tutorial action and offering psychological attention and counseling services to the students.

Key words: academic environment, stress, college students, psychological assessment, individual differences, counseling.

Efectos de interacción en la predicción del abandono en los estudios de Psicología / Interaction effects in the prediction of university drop-out for psychology students

Numerosos trabajos han analizado el abandono de los estudios universitarios pero es escasa la información sobre la incidencia y los determinantes de este fenómeno en la titulación de Psicología. En este estudio se analiza la capacidad predictora sobre el abandono de un conjunto de variables sociodemográficas y educativas de los estudiantes que ingresaron en esta titulación en los años 2000 y 2001 en la Universidad de Valencia (N=785). Este análisis se basó en la comparación de modelos de regresión logística anidados, en que el modelo de partida incluía los efectos de interacción de primer orden de las variables consideradas. Como resultado más novedoso respecto a estudios previos, se constata que en la predicción del abandono aparece un efecto moderador de la modalidad de bachillerato cursada, tanto sobre la nota de acceso, como sobre el orden de preferencia manifestado en la preinscripción a la universidad. Estos resultados permiten plantear algunas hipótesis acerca de las consecuencias derivadas de la adscripción de la titulación de Psicología a la rama de Ciencias de la Salud y el consiguiente cambio en el tipo de formación requerida para acceder a esta titulación (AU)

Although there have been a number of studies which have analysed university dropout, there is little information on the incidence and determinants of this phenomenon in the degree of Psychology. In this study, we analyze the capacity of a set of sociodemographic and educational variables to predict university dropout. The data came from the students admitted to this degree at the University of Valencia in 2000 and 2001 (N = 785). The analysis was based on the comparison of nested logistic regression models in which the starting model included first order interaction effects of the variables under consideration. Compared to previous studies in this area, the most innovative result in the prediction of university dropout is the moderator effect of the high school curriculum on both the students high school average, and on the order of preference stated in the university enrolment. These results allow us to raise some hypotheses about the consequences of assigning the degree of Psychology to the branch of Health Sciences and the subsequent change in the type of training required to gain access to this degree (AU)

Evaluación de la percepción de riesgo en la Educación Vial: desarrollo de una escala dirigida a escolares de Educación Primaria y Secudaria / Testing risk perception in road users education: development of a scale oriented to spanish compulsory education

La forma en que los sujetos perciben el riesgo asociado a situaciones de tráfico representa un factor relevante en la explicación de cómo esas situaciones se desenvuelven y, por tanto, un tópico a considerar en la Educación Vial en Enseñanza Primaria y Secundaria Obligatoria. A fin de favorecer la disponibilidad de materiales de apoyo que puedan ser útiles en este contexto educativo, este trabajo presenta el desarrollo de una escala orientada a medir la percepción de riesgo en situaciones de tráfico para niños en edad escolar (6-14 años). La validez de contenido y la nulidad de la escala en el entorno escolar fueron las dos principales directrices que guiaron el desarrollo de esta escala. El análisis de la misma basado en el juicio de expertos, así como en los datos empíricos procedentes de su administración a una muestra de 667 escolares españoles, determinó la configuración final y las propiedades psicométricas de esta escala (AU)

The perception of risk by people in traffic scenes is claimed as a relevant predictive variable of the way these scenes evolve and, therefore, an important content to be raised in Road Users Education, a subject in the Spanish school curriculum. In order to promote the availability of educational resources related to this subject, the aim of this work was focused in the development of a scale oriented to measure the risk perception of traffic scenes by school boys and girls (ages 6 to 14). The development of this scale was mainly guided by content validity and school usefulness issues. Item analysis based on judge opinions and empirical data coming from a sample of 667 Spanish children supported the psychometric development of the scale (AU)

Integración de un sistema simulador en el entrenamiento de habilidades perceptivo-motrices propias de la estiba y desestiba portuaria / Integration of a system simulator in the training of perceptive-motor abilities needed for container-handling crane manipulation

El empleo de simuladores ofrece ventajas cada vez más evidentes, especialmente en la formación y el entrenamiento de operarios de maquinaria cara y peligrosa, como es el caso de la estiba y desestiba portuaria con grúas pórtico. Sin embargo, son pocos los programas de instrucción con simuladores que sacan partido de las ventajas de esta tecnología debido a la complejidad de la síntesis y la organización de los contenidos de estos programas. Un extenso análisis de tareas y del conocimiento experto constituye el paso inicial en el proceso de desarrollo de tales programas y también permite la evaluación de la fidelidad del sistema simulador, complemento indispensable del desarrollo del diseño instruccional. De esa manera y, aplicando el modelo 4CID (Van Merriënboer, 1997), se ha definido la macroestructura del diseño de instrucción que considera, en principio, ocho módulos de enseñanza diferenciados, cada uno de llos dirigido a entrenar habilidades complementarias (AU)