This study explored in a sample of 560 high level education students their judgment formation to perceived self-efficacy to solve mathematical tasks. Students had to read 36 experimental vignettes describing educative scenarios to learn mathematics. Each scenario presented four manipulated pieces of information (learning modality, task difficulty, task relevance, and structure). After reading each scenario students were required to provide judgments regarding their believed self-efficacy to solve mathematical tasks described in the vignette by using a scale. Results showed that in regard to how students perceived their self-efficacy they could be grouped in two clusters (high and moderate). Most relevant factors to their judgment formation were task difficulty, task relevance and structure. Here, both groups used the same cognitive algebra mechanism to integrate factor information. Here, students valuated academic performance and feedback (e.g. difficulty and relevance) as most relevant even when they are conscious that learning is a primordial target. These and other results are discussed in the paper.

<span lang="EN-US">This study explored the cognitive algebra mechanism underlying mathematical motivation in 672 engineering students. The experimental design included the combination of four factors (task modality versus task difficulty versus task structure versus task relevance) to compose 36 written experimental scenarios. Each one described a hypothetical situation about assigned activities in math class. The participant's task was to read each scenario and estimate how much motivation they would experience if performing the assigned math activity. The results indicated five cognitive motivational patterns among the participants. All the clusters considered the task's relevance as an essential factor in judging their mathematical motivation. Besides this, Clusters 1, 2, 3, and 5 considered the assigned task's difficulty and structure in judging their degree of motivation, but they evaluated the factors differently. The low math motivation cluster integrated the factors according to a summative cognitive rule. Clusters 2, 3, and 5 used a multiplicative rule to integrate the information, and Cluster 4 did not show an information integration systematic mechanism. These findings pointed to the diversity of motivational cognitive profiles among students. This type of cognitive characterization can help design programs that encourage students to learn and enjoy science subjects that will impact their professional development and daily life.</span>

<p><span>The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted human life, including educational settings. In Mexico, teachers and students found it necessary to adopt the online modality at all levels. As a result, both students and teachers face new demands and a re-conceptualization of their everyday academic lives. This study explored the engineering students' perception of the favorable effect level that the class context has on their learning. There were 551 participants took a cognitive algebra study. The experimental task involved reading 12 scenarios that described hypothetical online or face-to-face learning situations; then, each participant judged the degree to which these types of situations favor their learning, using an 11-point scale. The results indicated three cognitive styles when judging the degree to which each class context favors the learning. These styles share a similar cognitive mechanism in terms of information integration; however, the selection process and valuation of the factors differed across the groups. The students' perception on the class context influences their involvement and motivation level for courses on which they are enrolled. The present study's findings suggest that the cognitive algebra approach helps diagnose students' cognitive and emotional approach styles for different class contexts and provides information about the nature of their cognitive processes in terms of how students' judgments and attitudes towards classes are generated.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">This study explored the cognitive mechanism behind information integration in the test anxiety judgments in 140 engineering students. An experiment was designed to test four factors combined (test goal orientation, test cognitive functioning level, test difficulty and test mode). The experimental task required participants to read 36 scenarios, one at a time and then estimate how much test anxiety they would experience in the evaluation situation described in each scenario. The results indicate three response styles (low, moderate, and high-test anxiety) among the participants. The orientation and difficulty of each given exam scenario were the most critical factors dictating test anxiety judgments. Only the moderate test anxiety group considered the test mode to be a third relevant factor. The integration mechanism for Cluster 1 was multiplicative, while for Clusters 2 and 3, it was summative. Furthermore, these last two clusters differed in terms of the valuation of the factors. These results suggest that programs that help students to cope with test anxiety need to take into account the valuation and integration mechanism that students use to integrate different information in specific examination contexts, since the way students assess their internal and external circumstances can influence how they deal with evaluative situations.</p>