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La Educación Superior es uno de los motores del desarrollo social y económico de los países, teniendo como objetivo último el de facilitar una formación académica de calidad. En la actualidad, los modelos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en entornos virtuales implican retos importantes, específicamente en la actual situación por la COVID-19. Algunos de estos desafíos se abordarán en este estudio. Se trabajó con 225 estudiantes de tercero de grado en titulaciones de Ciencias de la Salud, a lo largo de dos cursos académicos impartidos durante la situación de pandemia. Los objetivos fueron: 1) comprobar si existían diferencias significativas en la satisfacción de los estudiantes con el proceso docente respecto del primer año de pandemia (se aplicó docencia e-Learning) vs. el segundo año (se aplicó docencia b-Learning); 2) comprobar si existían diferencias significativas en los resultados académicos entre ambos grupos. Se realizó una investigación cuantitativa (se utilizó un diseño factorial 2x2, ANOVA y ANCOVA) y otra cualitativa (se utilizó un diseño comparativo con análisis de categorización). Los resultados indican diferencias en algunos aspectos de la satisfacción y en los resultados de aprendizaje, a favor de la docencia en el segundo año. Los estudiantes valoraron positivamente el uso de metodologías activas y de recursos tecnológicos, si bien concluyeron que su uso exigía más tiempo de trabajo. Futuros estudios se dirigirán a contrastar la satisfacción de estudiantes en otras ramas de conocimiento., Higher education is one of the driving forces behind the social and economic development of countries, with the ultimate aim of providing quality academic training. At present, teaching-learning models in virtual environments face a number of important challenges, particularly in the current situation caused by COVID-19. Some of these challenges will be addressed in this study. We worked with 225 third-year undergraduate students in health science degrees over two academic years during the pandemic. The objectives were: (1) to ascertain whether there were significant differences in student satisfaction with the teaching process in the first year of the pandemic (e-learning teaching) vs. the second year (b-learning teaching); (2) to determine whether there were significant differences in academic performance between the two groups. Quantitative research (using a 2x2 factorial design, ANOVA and ANCOVA) and qualitative research (using a comparative design with categorisation analysis) were carried out. The results indicate differences in some aspects of satisfaction and learning outcomes in favour of teaching in the second of the two years. Students rated the use of active methodologies and technological resources positively, although they concluded that their use required more work time. Future studies will seek to compare student satisfaction in other areas of knowledge.

The expansion of Higher Education increased the diversity of students, with heterogenous characteristics, needs, and values. Institutions, intending to preserve the mission and the transformative potential of the tertiary level of education, are facing and implementing policies and practices that enhance success conditions, persistence, and avoid student dropout, in order to meet the goals for sustainable development of people and societies. The present study aims to analyze the impact of personal and academic variables on students’ academic difficulties in adaption to HE, academic achievement, and dropout among first-year STEM students. From a cohort of STEM first-year students at a Portuguese public university, the participants numbered 1376. Applying the structural equation modelling, the results highlight the effect of the variables age, gender, scholarship, and grade point average on access to higher education, difficulties in adapting to higher education, and dropout decision. Understanding STEM students who have already dropped out can contribute to better identification of institutional actions to prevent and reduce its occurrence, especially in first-year students., This work was funded by CIEd–Research Centre on Education (SFRH/BD/117902/2016; projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020) and CIEC–Research Centre on Child Studies (projects UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020), Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT.

The abusive consumption of alcohol by college students has negative effects on both individual and public health. Positive expectations about alcohol are related to behaviours and patterns of consumption frequently acquired in adolescence. Objective. This study analyses the impact of individual variables (gender, age at first drink, being away from home, and first option degree course) on beer consumption in first-year college students. The moderating effect of positive perceptions about alcohol consumption will also be considered. Method. The sample comprised 214 first-year college students at a Portuguese public university. Results. Positive perceptions of alcohol consumption had an impact on levels of beer consumption and the rate of beer consumption could be explained by just four student variables: age at first drink, gender, first option degree course, and positive perceptions of alcohol consumption. The indices of model fit were adequate. Conclusions. Interventions targeting reductions of student’s alcohol consumption should consider the effects of positive perceptions of alcohol., El consumo abusivo de alcohol por parte de estudiantes universitarios tiene efectos negativos tanto en la salud individual y pública. Las expectativas positivas sobre el alcohol están relacionadas con comportamientos y patrones de consumo frecuentemente adquiridos en la adolescencia. Objetivo. Este estudio analiza el impacto de las variables individuales (género, edad al primer trago, estar fuera de casa y primer curso de grado de opción) en el consumo de cerveza en estudiantes universitarios de primer año. También se considerará el efecto moderador de las percepciones positivas sobre el consumo de alcohol. Método. La muestra comprendió 214 estudiantes universitarios de primer año en una universidad pública portuguesa. Resultados. Las percepciones positivas del consumo de alcohol tuvieron un impacto en los niveles de consumo de cerveza y la tasa de consumo de cerveza podría explicarse por solo cuatro variables de los estudiantes: edad al primer trago, sexo, curso de primer grado y percepciones positivas del consumo de alcohol. Los índices de ajuste del modelo fueron adecuados. Conclusiones. Las intervenciones dirigidas a las reducciones en el consumo de alcohol de los estudiantes deben considerar los efectos de las percepciones positivas del alcohol, CIEd – Research Centre on Education, Institute of Education, University of Minho, projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana R. Casanova received funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) as a Doctoral Grant, under grant agreement number SFRH/BD/117902/2016

La calidad del aprendizaje en la Educación Superior depende, especialmente, de las habilidades de los estudiantes para regular su cognición. Esta regulación requiere habilidades cognitivas y metacognitivas, así como dimensiones motivacionales. Dada su relevancia en el rendimiento académico y el desarrollo de habilidades para el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida, es importante aumentar la investigación en el campo. Este estudio pretende adaptar y validar una versión abreviada da dimensión Regulación de la Cognición del Metacognitive Awareness Inventory para estudiantes universitarios portugueses de primer año. Se empleó una muestra de 360 estudiantes y se identificó una estructura tridimensional (Planificación, 4 ítems; Estrategias, 7 ítems; y Monitoreo y evaluación, 7 ítems) con un factor de segundo orden (Regulación de la cognición). Los valores de consistencia interna de la escala reducida son aceptables para una escala de autoinforme y las correlaciones con el logro académico al final del primer año de la universidad garantizan su validez predictiva. Esta versión abreviada para medir la regulación de la cognición puede usarse en investigación junto con otros instrumentos en estudios más amplios y puede funcionar como una herramienta de diagnóstico para ayudar a los estudiantes en los desafíos de aprendizaje de la enseñanza superior. The quality of learning in Higher Education is particularly dependent on students' skills in regulating their cognition. This regulation requires cognitive and metacognitive skills as well as motivational dimensions. Due to its relevance in explaining students' academic achievement and developing lifelong learning skills, it´s important to increase research in the area. This study aims to adapt and validate a short version of the Regulation of Cognition of Metacognitive Awareness Inventory to first-year Portuguese university students. A sample of 360 students was considered and was identified a three-dimensional structure (Planning, 4 items; Strategies, 7 items; and Monitoring and evaluation, 7 items) with a second-order factor (Regulation of Cognition). The internal consistency values of the reduced scale are within the acceptable parameters for a self-report scale and the correlations with academic achievement at the end of the first year of the university guarantee the predictive validity of the scale. This short version of regulation of cognition measure allows its use in research with other instruments in larger studies and can function as a diagnostic / screening tool to help students in higher education learning challenges.

The transition and adaptation of students to higher education (HE) involve a wide range of challenges that justify some institutional practices promoting skills that enable students to increase their autonomy and to face the difficulties experienced. The requirements for this adaptation were particularly aggravated by the containment and sanitary conditions associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). With the aim of promoting academic success and preventing dropout in the first year, a support program was implemented for students enrolled in two courses in the area of education at a public university in northern Portugal during the first semester of 2020/2021. Three sessions of 50/60 min were implemented, namely, the first session focused on the verbalization of the demands, challenges, and difficulties of the transition, and the second and third sessions focused on the difficulties of academic adaptation and academic performance. Data from a dropout risk screening instrument and from the activities performed during sessions were analyzed. The main results point to student satisfaction with the content and the activities of the sessions and their usefulness. Students report not only high satisfaction levels with HE attendance, but also some emotional exhaustion due to academic activities. The continuity of the program is recommended with some improvements in its planning to ensure a more definitive version of the program in the next two years., This work was funded by CIEd -Research Centre on Education (doctoral grant SFRH/BD/117902/2016; projects UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020) and CIEC -Research Centre on Child Studies (projects UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020), Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT.

Este artigo apresenta novos dados sobre a precisão e validade dos resultados na Escala de Satisfação com a Vida (SWLS) junto de estudantes universitários. Uma amostra de 545 estudantes provenientes de uma universidade pública portuguesa foi considerada. A unidimensionalidade da escala foi confirmada, apresentando todos os itens cargas fatoriais superiores a .60, ainda que a sua invarância em função do género dos estudantes não se tenha confirmado, desaconselhando comparações de resultados entre homens e mulheres. As correlações moderadas em sentido positivo e negativo com os afetos positivos e negativos avaliados através da Escala de Afetos Positivos e Negativos (PANAS) traduzem evidências de validade de critério. A consistência interna dos resultados nos cindo itens da ESV situou-se em .77, sendo considerada adequada até pelo número reduzido de itens., This paper presents new data on the reliability and validity of results in the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) among university students. A sample of 545 students from a Portuguese public university was considered. The unidimensionality of the scale was confirmed, with all factor loadings higher than .60, although their invariance according to the gender of the students was not confirmed, and it was not advisable to compare the results between men and women. Moderate positive and negative correlations with positive and negative affects assessed through the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) translate evidence of criterion validity. The internal consistency of the results in the fifth items of the ESV was .77, considered adequate face the reduced number of items, SFRH/BD/117902/2016

"Available online 6 December 2020", Dropout stems from a complex, gradual process of decision-making in which the demands and benefits of university attendance are weighed. Early identification of at-risk students benefits from quick and large-scale screening instruments. This study presents the dimensionality of a screening instrument for students at risk of dropping out of Higher Education, integrating three scales: Academic Exhaustion, Satisfaction with Education and Dropout Intention. A sample of 611 first-year university students was considered in the statistical analysis. The results demonstrate evidence of internal and external validity as well as the reliability of the screening instrument scores. The differences in correlation coefficients between these three scales and the students’ intentions of completing the course and completing their education at their university, evaluated at two different points during the first semester, suggest that dropout analysis requires collecting information throughout the process of adjustment to higher education., This work was supported by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) [SFRH/BD/117902/2016]; and Research Center on Education (CIEd) [UIDB/01661/2020 and UIDP/01661/2020].

The quality of learning in Higher Education is particularly de-pendent on students' skills in regulating their cognition. This regulation re-quires cognitive and metacognitive skills as well as motivational dimen-sions. Due to its relevance in explaining students' academic achievement and developing lifelong learning skills, it´s important to increase research in the area. This study aims to adapt and validate a short version of the Regulation of Cognition of Metacognitive Awareness Inventory to first-year Portuguese university students. A sample of 360 students was consid-ered and was identified a three-dimensional structure (Planning, 4 items; Strategies, 7 items; and Monitoring and evaluation, 7 items) with a second-order factor (Regulation of Cognition). The internal consistency values of the reduced scale are within the acceptable parameters for a self-report scale and the correlations with academic achievement at the end of the first year of the university guarantee the predictive validity of the scale. This short version of regulation of cognition measure allows its use in research with other instruments in larger studies and can function as a diagnostic / screening tool to help students in higher education learning challenges., La calidad del aprendizaje en la Educación Superior depende, especialmente, de las habilidades de los estudiantes para regular su cognición. Esta regulación requiere habilidades cognitivas y metacognitivas, así como dimensiones motivacionales. Dada su relevancia en el rendimiento académico y el desarrollo de habilidades para el aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida, es importante aumentar la investigación en el campo. Este estudio pretende adaptar y validar una versión abreviada de la dimensión Regulación de la Cognición del Metacognitive Awareness Inventory para estudiantes universitarios portugueses de primer año. Se empleó una muestra de 360 estudiantes y se identificó una estructura tridimensional (Planificación, 4 ítems; Estrategias, 7 ítems; y Monitoreo y evaluación, 7 ítems) con un factor de segundo orden (Regulación de la cognición). Los valores de consistencia interna de la escala reducida son aceptables para una escala de autoinforme y las correlaciones con el logro académico al final del primer año de la universidad garantizan su validez predictiva. Esta versión abreviada para medir la regulación de la cognición puede usarse en investigación junto con otros instrumentos en estudios más amplios y puede funcionar como una herramienta de diagnóstico para ayudar a los estudiantes en los desafíos del aprendizaje en la enseñanza superior

O abandono no Ensino Superior é um tema relevante pela sua incidência e consequências negativas no estudante, família, instituição e sociedade em geral. Procurando conhecer os motivos da intenção de abandono, investigadores do Brasil, Espanha e Portugal convergiram na construção de um questionário de avaliação transcultural. Atendendo à multidimensionalidade das causas de abandono, o questionário abarca seis dimensões: Social, Acadêmica, Professores, Saúde e Bem-estar, Institucional e Financeira. A análise fatorial, com amostras autônomas de estudantes do 1º ano do Brasil, Espanha e Portugal, mostrou uma distribuição adequada dos itens nas seis dimensões, com alguma discrepância na dimensão Professores na amostra do Brasil. Os índices de consistência interna atingiram níveis adequados nas seis dimensões (valores entre 0,74 e 0,91). Futuros desenvolvimentos devem testar a dimensionalidade do questionário e a sua invariância nos três países, incluindo já variáveis psicológicas e académicas para análise da validade de critério., The dropout in higher education assumes relevant percentages, with negative consequences for the students, family, institution and society in general. In order to know the reasons for the dropout intention, researchers from Brazil, Spain and Portugal converged on the construction of a transcultural questionnaire. Face the multidimensional nature of dropout causes, the questionnaire assesses six dimensions: Social, Academic, Faculty, Health and Wellbeing, Institutional, and Financial. The factorial analysis, with autonomous samples of first-year students from Brazil, Spain and Portugal, showed an adequate distribution of the items by the six dimensions, with some difficulties in Faculty dimension in Brazilian sample. The internal consistency of items reached adequate levels in those six dimensions (values range from .74 to .91). Future developments should test the dimensionality of the questionnaire and its invariance in all three countries, including other psychological and academic variables for criterion validity analysis. Keywords: higher education; dropout reasons; first-year students, El abandono en la enseñanza superior es un tema relevante por su incidencia y por sus consecuencias negativas a nivel personal, familiar, institucional y social. En búsqueda de conocer las razones de intención de abandono, investigadores de Brasil, España y Portugal participaron en la construcción de un cuestionario de evaluación transcultural. Dicho instrumento, de naturaleza multidimensional, se organiza en seis dimensiones: Social, Académica, Profesorado, Salud y Bienestar, Institucional y Financiera. El análisis factorial, con muestras independientes de los estudiantes del primer año de Brasil, España y Portugal, mostró una distribución adecuada de los ítems en las seis dimensiones, con alguna discrepancia en la dimensión Profesorado en la muestra brasileña. Los índices de consistencia interna alcanzaron niveles adecuados (valores entre .74 y .91), si bien que se debe realizar nuevos estudios para probar la dimensionalidad del cuestionario y su invariancia en los tres países, incluyendo las variables psicológicas y académicas para analizar la validez de criterio, (undefined)

La Ley Orgánica 2/2006 de Educación incluye la orientación educativa y profesional como uno de los principios básicos y de los fines del sistema educativo. Sin embargo, esta orientación continúa precisando una considerable mejora según los propios alumnos. En este trabajo se presenta el Proyecto E-Orientación: diseñando mi proyecto vital a través de la red, a través del cual se está validando una innovadora metodología de orientación online en dos centros del Principado de Asturias. Adicionalmente, se da cuenta de los resultados obtenidos en el estudio previo a su implementación: Con una muestra de 167 sujetos, los resultados permiten confirmar que los alumnos presentan una percepción negativa de la orientación recibida hasta el inicio del proyecto, pese a que parece favorecer los procesos de autorregulación y toma de decisiones con fines académico-profesionales.

Academic expectations play a significant role in the quality of student adaptation and academic success. Previous research suggests that expectations are a multidimensional construct, making it crucial to test the measures used for this important characteristic. Because assessment of student adaptation to higher education comprises a multitude of personal and contextual variables, including expectations, shortened versions of assessment instruments are critical. In this article, confirmatory factor analysis was used to obtain a short version of the Academic Perceptions Questionnaire–Expectations (APQ-E). Participants were 3,017 first-year Portuguese college students. The results support the use of a shorter version of 24 items, distributed over six dimensions, with good reliability and validity., This work is funded by CIEd-Research Centre on Education, projects UID/CED/1661/2013 and UID/CED/1661/2016, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana R. Casanova received funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) as a Doctoral Grant, under grant agreement number SFRH/BD/117902/2016., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

espanolEl abandono universitario es un fenomeno complejo que se produce como resultado de la interaccion de multiples variables: academicas, socioafectivas, economicas, entre otras. Algunas de estas variables, como las academicas y las de bienestar psicologico, afectan especialmente a los estudiantes de primer ano, que tienen que hacer frente a diferentes retos una vez que acceden al contexto universitario. Asi, el objetivo de esta investigacion es analizar la relacion entre las vivencias iniciales de un grupo de estudiantes de primer curso y su intencion de abandonar o no los estudios cursados. Se conto para ello con una muestra de 551 estudiantes de primer curso de una universidad del norte de Espana y de diferentes titulaciones, implementandose un cuestionario ad hoc para medir la intencion de abandono universitario y su relacion con diferentes variables. El analisis de datos se realizo mediante el paquete estadistico SPSS v.24, realizandose analisis descriptivos y la prueba del arbol de decision. Los resultados obtenidos permitieron observar que las variables predictoras mas relevantes para explicar la intencion de permanencia eran la satisfaccion con la eleccion de la titulacion y la percepcion de autoeficacia, asi como los niveles bajos de ansiedad y desgaste emocional. EnglishUniversity dropout is a complex phenomenon that happens as a result of the interaction of multiple academic, socio-affective, or economic variables. Some of these variables, such as academic and psychological well-being, especially affect first-year students, who have to face different challenges once they enter the university context. Thus, the aim of the research is to analyze the relationship between the initial experiences of a group of first-year students and their intention to drop out or not of their studies. For this purpose, a sample of 551 first-year students from a university in the north of Spain and different degrees was used, implementing an ad hoc questionnaire to measure the intention of dropping out of university and its relationship with different variables. The data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.24 statistical package, carrying out descriptive analyses and the decision-tree test. The results showed that the most relevant predictor variables to explain the intention to remain were satisfaction with the degree´s choice and the perception of self-efficacy, as well as low levels of anxiety and emotional exhaustion.

A qualidade da adaptação e sucesso no Ensino Superior está relacionada com características prévias dos estudantes, sendo que a literatura sugere diferenças de género, de tipos de estudos e de background familiar nos resultados dos estudantes. Além de variáveis socioculturais nesta determinação, variáveis mais sociocognitivas como as expetativas de resultado e a autoeficácia parecem influenciar as experiências adaptativas dos estudantes. Este estudo caracteriza as dificuldades antecipadas de adaptação de um grupo de 931 estudantes de uma universidade pública portuguesa, que acedem ao primeiro ano do Ensino Superior, uma semana antes do início das suas aulas. A análise das dificuldades antecipadas, avaliadas em três domínios – adaptação académica, integração social e autonomia -, é feita em função da área do curso frequentado, do sexo e do agrupamento em estudantes de primeira geração (pais sem frequência do Ensino Superior) ou estudantes de famílias com formação superior. Os resultados sugerem o impacto destas variáveis, sobretudo em termos da antecipação de dificuldades de integração social e autonomia, apontando para maiores dificuldades antecipadas nas mulheres, estudantes de primeira geração e estudantes de cursos de ciências sociais e humanas. Discutem-se implicações para a investigação e intervenção e contexto de Ensino Superior.

The increase of students in higher education means a more heterogeneous student body, complicating the identification of the variables that influence students' decisions to stay in or drop out of university. The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of these variables on students' decisions by establishing specific groups of students based on performance.A study was carried out with 2,970 first-year university students from Portugal, using the decision tree technique.Academic performance is confirmed as a determining variable in the decision to remain or drop out, allowing us to establish three groups (high, medium and low achievement), in which different types of variables act as mediators: sex, type of course (licenciatura [BA] or mestrado integrado), the fact of studying at the students' first-choice university or the mother's educational level.Without neglecting the weight of academic achievement as a priority variable, we must consider these secondary variables in the configuration of student groups in order to plan support policies to avoid higher-risk students dropping out.

Excessive alcohol consumption by college students is being recognized more and more, and its negative effects justify the implementation of prevention programs. Positive expectancies of alcohol are frequently acquired in adolescence and assume an important role in young-adult consumption patterns. This paper describes validation of the brief version of the Alcohol Expectancy-Adolescent Questionnaire (AEQ-AB) carried out with a sample of 317 freshman-year college students at a public Portuguese University. Results of confirmatory factor analysis, invariance and internal consistency showed some difficulties in the internal structure of the questionnaire. The two-factor model did not fit because no factor emerged to represent the negative expectation items. A single-factor structure was assumed and its invariance by gender was confirmed, as well as good internal consistency. The validity criterion showed positive and negative correlations with several variables depending on whether they were positively or negatively related to alcohol consumption. The oldest students and students drinking alcohol from early ages had the lowest expectancy of positive effects of the use of alcohol. With regard to academic performance, freshmen with a high GPA showed strong expectancies for the positive effects of alcohol. Positive correlations have been observed between positive alcohol expectancy and consumption levels. Further studies are necessary to include a negative dimension in the measure of expectancies of alcohol consumption., El consumo excesivo de alcohol por parte de los estudiantes universitarios está siendo reconocido cada vez más, y sus efectos negativos justifican la implementación de programas de prevención. Las expectativas positivas de alcohol se adquieren con frecuencia en la adolescencia y asumen un papel importante en los patrones de consumo de adultos jóvenes. Este artículo describe la validación de la versión abreviada del cuestionario sobre la expectativa de consumo de alcohol (AEQ-AB) que se llevó a cabo con una muestra de 317 estudiantes universitarios de primer año en una universidad pública portuguesa. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio, la invariancia y la consistencia interna mostraron algunas dificultades en la estructura interna del cuestionario. El modelo de dos factores no encajaba porque no surgió ningún factor que representara los elementos de expectativa negativa. Se asumió una estructura de factor único y se confirmó su invarianza por género, así como una buena consistencia interna. El criterio de validez mostró correlaciones positivas y negativas con varias variables dependiendo de si estaban relacionadas positiva o negativamente con el consumo de alcohol. Los estudiantes más antiguos y los estudiantes que beben alcohol desde edades tempranas tenían la menor expectativa de efectos positivos del uso de alcohol. Con respecto al rendimiento académico, los estudiantes de primer año con un GPA alto mostraron una gran expectativa por los efectos positivos del alcohol. Se han observado correlaciones positivas entre la expectativa positiva de alcohol y los niveles de consumo. Se necesitan más estudios para incluir una dimensión negativa en la medida de las expectativas de consumo de alcohol., This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, projects UID/CED/1661/2013 and UID/CED/1661/2016, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana R. Casanova received funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) as a Doctoral Grant, under grant agreement number SFRH/BD/117902/2016., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Academic engagement describes students’ investment in academic learning and achievement and is an important indicator of students’ adjustment to university life, particularly in the first year. A tridimensional conceptualization of academic engagement has been accepted (behavioral, emotional and cognitive dimensions). This paper tests the dimensionality, internal consistency reliability and invariance of the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI) taking into consideration both gender and the scientific area of graduation. A sample of 908 Portuguese first-year university students was considered. Good evidence of reliability has been obtained with ordinal alpha and omega values. Confirmatory factor analysis substantiates the theoretical dimensionality proposed (second-order latent factor), internal consistency reliability evidence indicates good values and the results suggest measurement invariance across gender and the area of graduation. The present study enhances the role of the USEI regarding the lack of consensus on the dimensionality and constructs delimitation of academic engagement., Jorge Sinval received funding from the William James Center for Research, Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT UID/PSI/04810/2013). Leandro S. Almeida and Joana R. Casanova received funding from CIEd – Research Centre on Education, projects UID/CED/1661/2013 and UID/CED/1661/2016, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana R. Casanova received funding from the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) as a Doctoral Grant, under grant agreement number SFRH/BD/117902/2016., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

University program dropout is a problem that has important consequences not only for the student that leaves but also for the institution in which the withdrawal occurs. Therefore, higher education institutions must study the problem in greater depth to establish appropriate prevention measures in the future. However, most research papers currently focus primarily on the characteristics of students who leave university, rather than on those who choose to pursue alternative courses of study and therefore fail to take into account the different kinds of abandonment. The aim of this paper is to identify the different types of dropout to define their characteristics and propose some recommendations. Thus, an ex post facto study was carried out on a sample of 1,311 freshmen from a university in the north of Spain using data gathered using an ad-hoc designed questionnaire, applied by telephone or an online survey, and completed with data available in the university data warehouse. A descriptive analysis was performed to characterize the sample and identify five different groups, including 1. Students persisting in their initiated degree 2. Students who change of program (within the same university) 3. Students transferring to a different university 4. Students enrolling in non-higher- education studies 5. Students that quit studying. Also, data mining techniques (decision trees) were applied to classify the cases and generate predictive models to aid in the design of differentiated intervention strategies for each of the corresponding groups., Alfaguia Project was funded by the European Union (DCIALA/2010/94). Additionally, our research team is granted by the European Regional Development Funds (The European Union and Principality of Asturias) in the frame of the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (GROUPIN14-100 and GROUPIN14-053). Also, Ph.D. students were granted: ME was granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiviness (BES-2015-072470), AC recibe support of Asturias Regional Department of Education and Culture (BP16014) and JC received funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/117902/2016)., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

El abandono de los estudios universitarios tiene graves consecuencias no solo para el alumno que abandona, sino también para la propia sociedad de acogida. Por ello, se ha dado una proliferación de las investigaciones encaminadas al análisis y prevención del abandono, pudiendo ser estas implementadas bajo diversas metodologías de las que se da cuenta en el presente artículo. Sumándose a esta tendencia, los autores –como miembros del Proyecto Europeo Alfaguía– han implementado una investigación bajo un diseño expost-facto de enfoque holístico cuyo objetivo era identificar aquellas variables que ejercen un rol fundamental para la permanencia del estudiante universitario en la institución. La muestra empleada para los análisis estadísticos excluía tanto a aquellos alumnos que abandonan la titulación para matricularse en otra (por no presentar diferencias significativas respecto al grupo que permanece) como aquellos casos que presentaban valores perdidos, resultando en una muestra final de 677 sujetos (198 abandonan y 479 permanecen), cuya información fue recogida mediante un cuestionario diseñado colaborativamente por todas las instituciones participantes y aplicado –en este caso– a través de entrevista asistida por ordenador. Para una primera aproximación a los datos, se realizaron análisis descriptivos y correlacionales que permitieron identificar las principales relaciones entre variables. En base a dichos resultados, se han realizado análisis de regresión logística binaria cuyos resultados permiten afirmar que el haber escogido la titulación principalmente por vocación puede ejercer como factor protector frente al abandono, controladas el resto de las variables.

As taxas crescentes do abandono no Ensino Superior acompanham a maior democratização do acesso, justificando o seu estudo. Buscou-se analisar o impacto de variáveis pessoais, percurso escolar, escolha do curso e perceções de autoeficácia na intenção de abandono. Tomando 1.085 estudantes do 1.º ano, aplicou-se a Escala de Autoeficácia na Formação Superior (Vieira, Polydoro, & Guerreiro-Casanova, 2017). Recorrendo à Modelagem de Equações Estruturais, os resultados realçam o efeito das variáveis sexo, habilitação académica dos pais, média de acesso e frequência de curso de primeira opção na intenção de abandono. A autoeficácia, para além do impacto direto na intenção de abandono, mediou o impacto da média de acesso e do curso de primeira opção. Mencionam-se medidas para minorar o problema., The increasing rates of dropout in Higher Education follow the greater democratization of access, justifying its study. It is intended to analyze the impact of personal variables, school course, degree choice and perceptions of self-efficacy in dropout intention. The Self-efficacy Scale in Higher Education (Vieira, Polydoro, & Guerreiro-Casanova, 2017) was applied to 1,085 first year students. Applying the Structural Equation Modeling, the results highlight the effect of the variables gender, parental academic qualification, grade point average to access higher education and frequency of first choice degree in the intention of dropout. Self-efficacy, in addition to the direct impact on the intention to dropout, measured the impact of the grade point average and the first option degree. Some recommendations to reduce the problem are mentioned., Las tasas crecientes de abandono en la enseñanza superior van en paralelo con una mayor democratización del acceso, lo que justifica su estudio. Se ha propuesto analizar el impacto de variables personales como trayectoria escolar, elección de la carrera y percepciones de autoeficacia en la intención de abandono. Tomando 1.085 estudiantes de primer año, se aplicó la Escala de Autoeficacia en la Formación Superior (Vieira, Polydoro, y Guerrero-Casanova, 2017). Apoyándonos en el Modelo de Ecuaciones Estructurales, en los resultados resalta el efecto de las variables sexo, preparación académica de los padres, media de acceso y frecuencia de la carrera universitaria solicitada en primera opción en la intención de abandono. La autoeficacia, además del impacto directo en la intención de abandono, sirvió para medir el impacto del promedio de acceso y de la carrera solicitada en primera opción. Se mencionan medidas para mitigar el problema., Este trabalho é financiado pelo CIEd - Centro de Investigação em Educação, projetos UID/CED/1661/2013 e UID/CED/1661/2016, Instituto de Educação, Universidade do Minho, através de fundos nacionais da FCT/MCTES-PT. A primeira autora beneficia também de financiamento da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia através de uma Bolsa de Investigação (SFRH/BD/117902/2016).

OBJECTIVE To describe the process of elaboration and validation of the Scale of Perceptions about Alcohol Consumption in Higher Education Students in a Portuguese sample, considering the relationship between alcohol use rates and students' perceptions about the effects of this consumption. METHODS The validation study included 531 Portuguese college freshmen who answered the instrument, which is composed of five items that express positive perceptions and five items that express negative perceptions about the effects of alcohol consumption. RESULTS Evidence of content validity, internal structure and external variables were obtained. The results of the factor analysis confirm the distribution of positive and negative perceptions by two different factors according to the theoretical model. Adequate internal consistency indexes were obtained for each dimension. The data obtained showed expected correlations between the perceptions and consumption behaviors of the students, indicating evidence of criterion validity of the scale. Moreover, the study showed that different consumption patterns between men and women, with higher alcohol consumption in the students' households and restaurants or cafés by male students, in addition to the similarity in the consumption pattern between the two genders in parties and bars or nightclubs. CONCLUSION The data obtained show the validity of the instrument. In the discussion, the article presents considerations about the responsibility of higher education institutions in the prevention and reduction in consumption rates among their students., OBJETIVO: Considerando a relação entre as taxas de uso de álcool e as percepções dos estudantes sobre os efeitos desse consumo, descrever o processo de elaboração e validação da Escala de Percepções sobre o Consumo de Álcool em Estudantes do Ensino Superior em uma amostra portuguesa. MÉTODOS: Participaram do estudo de validade 531 estudantes portugueses do primeiro ano do ensino superior que responderam ao instrumento, composto por cinco itens que expressam percepções positivas e cinco itens que expressam percepções negativas sobre os efeitos do consumo de álcool. RESULTADOS: Evidências de validade de conteúdo, de estrutura interna e baseadas em variáveis externas foram obtidas. Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmam a distribuição das percepções positivas e negativas por dois fatores diferenciados em acordo com o modelo teórico de partida. Índices adequados de consistência interna foram obtidos para cada dimensão. Os dados obtidos mostraram correlações esperadas entre as percepções e os comportamentos de consumo dos estudantes, indicando evidências de validade de critério da escala. Em acréscimo, o estudo indicou haver padrões de consumo diferenciados entre os sexos, registando-se maior consumo de álcool nas residências e nos restaurantes ou cafés por parte dos homens, além de similaridade entre os dois sexos no padrão de consumo em festas e bares ou discotecas. CONCLUSÃO: Os dados obtidos evidenciam a validade do instrumento. Na discussão dos dados, o artigo apresenta considerações sobre a responsabilidade das instituições de ensino superior na prevenção e redução das taxas de consumo entre a sua população estudantil. DESCRITORES: Adulto Jovem. Educação Superior. Consumo de Bebidas Alcoólicas, psicologia. Comportamentos de Risco à Saúde. Inquéritos e Questionários. Estudos de Validação., This study is funded by CIEd - Centro de Investigacao em Educacao, project UID/CED/01661/2019, Institute of Education, Universidade de Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT. Joana R. Casanova receives funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology, through a doctoral fellowship with the reference SFRH/BD/117902/2016.