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Abstract Since the introduction of the concept in the late nineties, Internet addiction has been a growing phenomenon becoming a public health issue that cannot be ignored nowadays. Focusing on adolescents, previous research has analyzed the prevalence of excessive Internet use and determined several predictors such as socio-demographic characteristics, personality traits or emotions. To move on this topic, this paper draws attention to the relationship between parents and their children. Using a nationally representative sample of 37,486 students aged 14–18 years old in Spain, an under researched European country, this study finds that care received from parents [B = −0.141, SE = −0.033] and parents' knowledge about where [B = −0.065, SE = −0.032] and with whom [B = −0.232, SE = −0.032] the adolescent is while he/she goes out at night are associated with lower levels of excessive Internet use. In turn, fixing clear rules does not help reduce excessive Internet use. These results, together with the influence of other control variables, offer important insights and implications to prevent adolescents from excessive Internet use. Highlights • Prevalence of excessive Internet use (EIU) among adolescents in Spain is evaluated. • A nationally representative of students aged 14–18 years old in Spain is used. • Care received from parents is associated with lower levels of EIU. • Parents' knowledge about where and with whom the adolescent is also reduces EIU. • Fixing clear rules both at home and away from home does not help reduce EIU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational thinking (CT) is being located at the focus of educational innovation, as a set of problem-solving skills that must be acquired by the new generations of students to thrive in a digital world full of objects driven by software. However, there is still no consensus on a CT definition or how to measure it. In response, we attempt to address both issues from a psychometric approach. On the one hand, a Computational Thinking Test (CTt) is administered on a sample of 1,251 Spanish students from 5th to 10th grade, so its descriptive statistics and reliability are reported in this paper. On the second hand, the criterion validity of the CTt is studied with respect to other standardized psychological tests: the Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) battery, and the RP30 problem-solving test. Thus, it is intended to provide a new instrument for CT measurement and additionally give evidence of the nature of CT through its associations with key related psychological constructs. Results show statistically significant correlations at least moderately intense between CT and: spatial ability ( r = 0.44), reasoning ability ( r = 0.44), and problem-solving ability ( r = 0.67). These results are consistent with recent theoretical proposals linking CT to some components of the Cattel-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence, and corroborate the conceptualization of CT as a problem-solving ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review the relevance of the models of Collaborative Learning (CL) in Primary Education, also exploring the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in these processes. Through the case study method, the main objective of this article is to describe the design, implementation and evaluation of a collaborative experience with ICT involving students in the 5th year of Primary Education in a Spanish school. Information has been collected from all those involved: teachers, tutors, teacher ICT support and students from two classes participating in the investigation. The results confirm the fact that ICT provide tools and channels that have multiplied the possibilities to carry out collaborative projects, providing quality assurance to share and communicate. The experience presented provides evidence to confirm this, and at the same time, confronts the dominant methodology based more on individual learning where the teacher continues to exercise the role of sole transmitter of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study conducted in the University of Salamanca, on the behavioral intention of using mobile devices within the future teaching practice of pre-service primary education teachers. To this end we elaborated a technology adoption model based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), to which we incorporated the constructs of self-efficacy and mobile anxiety. The study consisted of 678 participants from the Primary Education Teacher Bachelor's Degree at said university. The model was examined with the PLS-SEM technique. The analysis supported all the relational hypotheses proposed, and suggested that the stronger relationships were those established between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, and self-efficacy and perceived ease of use. The multi-group analysis barely yielded any significant differences at a structural level controlling for gender and course year. However, we did find some significant differences between mean scores at an indicator level. The PLS-POS analysis of unobserved heterogeneity identified two groups with significant differences in their path coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, so-called mobile learning or m-learning has become a new paradigm in education as a consequence of technological advances and the widespread use of mobile devices to access information and for communication. In this context, this paper analyzes different profiles depending on students’ preferences for taking mobile devices (specifically tablets and/or laptops) to economics classes at the University of Seville (Spain). A survey-based field study of a sample of 412 students and the application of bivariate probit models show a low level of mobile device integration in teaching (devices taken to class by only 29.8% of respondents) with a slight predominance of laptops. The results also show differences between users of the two types of devices. Students who take their laptops to class usually live at home with their family, have already used them in pre-university levels, and are concerned about recharging their devices in class. However, although users who take their tablets to class also live with their parents, they are much more active on social network sites and more concerned about the quality of the internet connection. These findings enable the design of strategies to encourage students to attend class with their own mobile devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objected of this paper is twofold: on the one side to analyze the role of cooperative learning and information and communication technologies (ICT) use as drivers of new service innovation success. On the other, identify if the nature of the performance indicator used influences on the high and significance of the dependence relationships. For that we analyze a sample of 287 Spanish SME, which in the last two years have developed new service. Also, it is consider that the new service innovation results can be measured in objective terms – abiding by financial measurements – as well as on the basis of the entrepreneur’s perception. The results evidence the direct influence of co-learning, as well as the direct, moderating role of the ICT use in obtaining the maximum level of objective and perceived results. Relevant differences can be observed, depending not only the performance indicator used (objective versus subjective) but also on the contribution of each of the variables to obtaining the maximum result and, therefore, their success. The study provides evidence that enable us to offer certain strategic recommendations of interest for the management of small and medium sized companies (SME). This research provides evidence for the necessity of considering explicit measures of results based on subjective indicators such as the entrepreneur’s perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Learning and knowledge building have become critical competences for people in the knowledge society era. In this paper, we propose a sociolinguistic dialogue model for understanding how learning evolves and how cognitive process is constructed in on-line discussions. The knowledge extracted from this model is used to assess participation behavior, knowledge building and performance. The ultimate purpose is to provide effective feedback, evaluation and monitoring to the discussion process. Seven hundred students from the Open University of Catalonia in Spain participated in this study. Results showed that learning and knowledge building may be greatly enhanced by presenting selected knowledge to learners as for their particular skills exhibited during interaction. In addition, this valuable provision of information is used as a meta cognitive tool for tutors and moderators for monitoring and evaluating the discussion process more conveniently. This contribution presents our conceptual model for interaction management as well as key design guidelines and evaluation results. Implications of this study are remarked and further research directions are proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the situation of on-line clinical psychology in Spain. Internet is becoming one of the principal tools for people to access to psychological information. Thus, users will be biased by the contents of the sites they contact to. Psychologists should pay attention to what kind of services are being spread through the Internet. To do this, a few characteristics such us interaction, security, theoretical approach or treated disorders have been revised in 185 Spanish psychology websites. Results shows that there are critical differences between public and private sites suggesting that the public sector should make un effort to keep up with the advances on this field, that private sites could improve their services in some ways such as security or the interaction user-professional and some interesting findings referred to the relation between the theoretical approach of the sites and the kind of help they provide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analyzes the key factors for the successful digital transformation of schools through the use of Educational Digital Resources (EDRs), paying special attention to school principals and their leadership from a strategic pedagogical perspective. A model is proposed to determine which aspects of principal leadership influence EDR use, and factor analysis is conducted with all the items included in the model. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) variance analysis is then used to perform a factor analysis of the resulting dimensions. The model is tested with a sample of 142 Spanish school principals. The results show that how useful school principals perceive EDRs to be is the most influential variable in the digital transformation of schools. Other key factors include school contextual variables, the technical support and service related to the EDRs, and the principal's professional and personal profile. Educational policies for digital transformation should thus integrate principals into their core definition, considering factors such as their age or teaching and leadership experience. They should also consider contextual factors, such as school size and complexity and the school's digital culture. School principals' leadership can facilitate a digital culture transformation, not through their authority or bureaucratic influence, but rather their capacity to foster an open debate that allows educational communities to see the integration of EDRs into pedagogical models as an opportunity to improve outcomes. • Educational digital resources (EDRs) are key to schools' digital transformation. • School principal leadership influences the use of EDRs at schools. • Perceived EDR usefulness by principals is key to schools' digital transformation. • School contextual factors influence digital transformation and EDR integration. • Technical support and service are fundamental to EDR use at schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]