The social cognitive model of well-being was tested in a sample of 373 college students in Spain. Participants completed measures of academic self-efficacy, environmental support, goal progress, academic satisfaction and stress, trait positive affect, and overall life satisfaction. A path analysis indicated that the model fit the data well and accounted for substantial portions of the variance in academic domain satisfaction, academic stress, and life satisfaction, though a few path coefficients (e.g., from positive affect and environmental support to academic stress) were nonsignificant. We consider the findings in relation to prior tests of the well-being model and discuss implications for practice and future research.

Abstract:Data from over 21,600 students who had left Catalan higher education institutions during the academic years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 has been analysed in order to describe the academic and personal profiles of university dropouts. Additionally, a telephone survey and face-to-face interviews with a pilot group of leavers were undertaken to gather additional qualitative information on the reasons for their decision. The influences on non-completion can be reduced to three main factors, among which dissatisfaction with the quality of the students' experience, family and work responsibilities, as well as economic difficulties, are prominent.Analysis conducted showed no significant differences among Catalan higher education institutions, the dropout percentages ranging from 28% to 33%. These rates should be understood within a context of broad access to higher education. Within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) scenario, the findings have triggered institutional endeavours to improve the quality of the students' and teachers' experience.

In Spain, within the framework of the Strategy 2015, the implementation of scholarships, grants and wages especially adapted to the new situation of the European Higher Education, intended to ensure access to university education to those most disadvantaged social groups economically. This research makes an ex post facto, descriptivecomparative aimed at assessing the impact of the grant salary, as an economic factor, on equity, access and academic performance in the first year of college. The study was conducted with a total of 10,394 new students in the 2010-11 cohort at the University of Barcelona, from the database from the institution itself. A total of 642 students agreed to grant salary, with differences depending on the branch of knowledge, gender, and the path to college. In relation to their peers, scholarship students come from families with occupations and / or study less, so scholarships model contributes to equity in access. In relation to performance analysis, scholarship students enrolled and present, on average, a larger number of subjects in order to meet the academic requirements for scholarship renewal, but the results are final academic in several branches knowledge, influenced negatively. One possible explanation is the largest academic pressure of this group in a phase usually complicated: the transition to college. ResumenEn España, dentro del marco de la Estrategia 2015, la implantación de las becas de estudio, y especialmente las becas salario adaptadas a la nueva situación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, pretenden garantizar el acceso a los estudios universitarios a aquellos grupos sociales más desfavorecidos económicamente. La presente investigación realiza un estudio ex post facto, de carácter descriptivo-comparativo dirigido a valorar la incidencia de la beca salario, como factor económico, sobre la equidad, el acceso y sobre el rendimiento académico en el primer año de universidad. El estudio se ha realizado con un total de 10.394 estudiantes de nuevo acceso de la cohorte 2010-11 de la Universidad de Barcelona, a partir de la base de datos procedentes de la propia institución. Un total de 642 estudiantes accedieron con la beca salario, con diferencias en función de la rama de conocimiento, el sexo y la vía de acceso a la universidad. En relación a sus compañeros, los estudiantes con beca provienen de familias con niveles ocupaciones y/o de estudios inferiores, de manera que el modelo de becas contribuye a la equidad en el acceso. En relación al análisis del rendimiento, los estudiantes con beca se matriculan y se presentan, en promedio, a un mayor número de asignaturas con la finalidad de cubrir los requisitos académicos de renovación de becas, pero los resultados académicos finales se ven, en varias ramas de conocimiento, influidos negativamente. Una posible explicación es la mayor presión académica de este colectivo en una fase de por sí complicada: la transición a la universidad. KeywordsEquity; grants policy; grant salary; performance; branch of knowledge. Des...

This research addresses the profile and motives for enrollment of online master's students in three different fields of knowledge (humanities, social sciences and experimental sciences) at an online university. The data has been collected through an ad hoc questionnaire; the sample, obtained of 253 UNIBA master's students, has been analyzed using a descriptive methodology and a factor and comparative analysis of the investigation dimensions. The results include the different access profiles of the students that have been identified based on a set of sociodemographic variables. Furthermore, the differences between their motives for enrolling and the latent factors that can be identified. These results are discussed, and compared to traditional, face-to-face, master's degrees, which have had an extremely increase on enrollment in the last few years. The importance of guidance and tutoring are examined as tools to guarantee quality standards and support student's perseverance and overall success.

In Spain, within the framework of Strategy 2015, the implementation of scholarships, especially the salary scholarships adapted to the new situation of European Higher Education, was intended to ensure university education access to those most economically disadvantaged social groups. This research makes an ex post facto, descriptivecomparative study aimed at assessing the impact of the salary scholarships as an economic factor on equity, access and academic performance in the first year of college. The study was conducted with a total of 10,394 new students in the 2010-11 cohort at the University of Barcelona, according to the database from the institution itself. A total of 642 students agreed to the salary scholarship with differences depending on their branch of knowledge, gender, and path to college. In relation to their peers, scholarship students come from families with lower levels of occupation and / or education, so a scholarship model contributes to equity in access. In relation to performance analysis, scholarship students enrolled in and took, on average, a larger number of subjects in order to meet the academic requirements for scholarship renewal, but the final academic results were shown to be negatively influenced in various branches knowledge. One possible explanation is the greater academic pressure on this group during an already complicated phase: the transition to college. ResumenEn España, dentro del marco de la Estrategia 2015, la implantación de las becas de estudio, y especialmente las becas salario adaptadas a la nueva situación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior, pretenden garantizar el acceso a los estudios universitarios a aquellos grupos sociales más desfavorecidos económicamente. La presente investigación realiza un estudio ex post facto, de carácter descriptivo-comparativo dirigido a valorar la incidencia de la beca salario, como factor económico, sobre la equidad, el acceso y sobre el rendimiento académico en el primer año de universidad. El estudio se ha realizado con un total de 10.394 estudiantes de nuevo acceso de la cohorte 2010-11 de la Universidad de Barcelona, a partir de la base de datos procedentes de la propia institución. Un total de 642 estudiantes accedieron con la beca salario, con diferencias en función de la rama de conocimiento, el sexo y la vía de acceso a la universidad. En relación a sus compañeros, los estudiantes con beca provienen de familias con niveles ocupaciones y/o de estudios inferiores, de manera que el modelo de becas contribuye a la equidad en el acceso. En relación al análisis del rendimiento, los estudiantes con beca se matriculan y se presentan, en promedio, a un mayor número de asignaturas con la finalidad de cubrir los requisitos académicos de renovación de becas, pero los resultados académicos finales se ven, en varias ramas de conocimiento, influidos negativamente. Una posible explicación es la mayor presión académica de este colectivo en una fase de por sí complicada: la transición a la universidad KeywordsEquity, grants po...