Javier Cavazos Vela

Understanding Latina/o Students’ Meaning in Life, Spirituality, and Subjective Happiness

One-hundred nineteen Latina/o college students provided perceptions of presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, daily spiritual experiences, and subjective happiness. Perceptions of meaning in life and daily spiritual experiences were significant predictors of subjective happiness. A discussion regarding the importance of these findings is provided, and implications for university staff are offered.

Positive Psychology and Familial Factors as Predictors of Latina/o Students' Psychological Grit.

Positive psychology is a useful framework to understand Latina/o students’ experiences. In the current study, we examined how presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, hope, and family importance influenced 128 Latina/o college students’ psychological grit. We used the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), Subjective Happiness Scale, Hope Scale, Pan-Hispanic Familism Scale, and Short Grit Scale to measure the aforementioned factors. Using multiple regression analysis, findings indicated that hope and search for meaning in life were significant predictors of psychological grit. Higher levels of hope positively predicted psychological grit, while higher levels of search for meaning in life negatively predicted psychological grit. We provide a discussion regarding the importance of these findings as well as recommendations for future research.

Positive Psychology and Familial Factors as Predictors of Latina/o Students’ Hope and College Performance

We investigated the contributions of positive psychology and familial factors as predictors of hope and academic performance among 166 Latina/o college students enrolled at a Hispanic Serving Institution of Higher Education. The results indicated that presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, daily spiritual experiences, and mother’s educational level were significant predictors of goal-specific hope. None of the positive psychology or familial factors predicted Latina/o students’ college performance.

The Impact of Individual, Interpersonal, and Institutional Factors on Latina/o College Students’ Life Satisfaction

This manuscript investigated the contributions of individual, interpersonal, and institutional factors on Latina/o college students’ life satisfaction. Participants included 130 Latina/o students enrolled at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Results indicated that search for meaning in life, mentoring, and family support were significant predictors of life satisfaction. Researchers provide implications for counselors and psychologists.

An Exploratory Investigation of Levels of Learning and Learning Efficiency Between Online and Face-to-face Instruction

This study examined differences in levels of learning and perceived efficiency between online (n = 22) and face-to-face (n = 32) graduate level subjects. Participants were master’s students enrolled in an accredited counselor preparation program. Findings indicated that students in both groups equally exhibited gains in levels of learning; however, there was a significant difference between groups in perceived learning efficiency, favoring the online instructional modality. Limitations regarding this study are noted, particularly related to the research design. Additional studies examining levels of learning and perceived efficiency of students enrolled in online courses are recommended.

Online Learning Perceptions and Effectiveness of Research Methods Courses in a Hispanic-Serving Higher Education Institute

In this article, the authors first reviewed related literature on possible factors that influence learning between an online learning (OL) course format and a face-to-face (F2F) course format. The authors investigated OL and F2F learning perceptions and effectiveness of a graduate-level research methods course at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). Thirty-three graduate students who took the same introductory research methods course in different formats participated in this exploratory study. The authors conducted content analysis for qualitative data and exploratory data analysis, bivariate correlation analysis, and mean comparisons for quantitative data using SPSS. Similarities and differences between OL and F2F in a research methods course from HSI learners’ perspectives were presented. Findings also revealed that perceived difficulty of coursework and perceived time involvement were important factors in delivering course content when designing either OL or F2F courses. Future directions, study limitations, and practical implications are discussed.

The mediation effects of achievement motivation and locus of control between academic stress and life satisfaction in undergraduate students

ABSTRACT This study investigated the mediation effect of locus of control and achievement motivation between academic stress and life satisfaction. A total of 307 undergraduate students recruited from a Hispanic Serving Institution in South Texas participated in the study. In the frame of the study, two mediation models were tested by utilising PROCESS Procedure for SPSS (Hayes, 2013. Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press). The results indicated that bivariate correlations among study variables ranged from −.24 to .32. The overall composite indicated that academic stress contributed to 6% of the variance in life satisfaction (p < .01) among students (b = −.06), while the mediating effect of locus of control contributed to 10% of the variance in Life Satisfaction (p < .01) among students (b = −.4).

Öğretmen ve Okul Psikolojik Danışmanı Destek Ölçekleri’nin Faktöriyel Yapısı: Latin Öğrenciler Örneği

Bu calismada, ogretmenlerin ve okullardaki psikolojik danismanlarin ogrencilere verdikleri destegin boyutunu Latin ogrenciler ile olcen guncellenmis Ogretmen Destek Olceginin (ODO-G) ve Okul Psikolojik Danismani Destek Olceginin (OPDO) psikometrik ozellikleri incelenmistir. Calisma, olceklerin gecerlik ve guvenirliklerinin farkli gruplardan bireylerle incelenmesi, elde edilen verilerin ogretmenlerin ya da psikolojik danismanlarin destek boyutunun tutarli bir sekilde olculmesi acisindan onem arz etmektedir. Olceklerin guvenirligine dayali calismalar arastirmacilar tarafindan incelenmisken alanyazinda Latin ogrenciler grubuyla ya da bireylerle yapilmis gecerlik calismasina rastlanmamistir. ODO-G’nin ve OPDO’nun yapi gecerliligi dogrulayici ve aciklayici faktor analizi (DFA ve AFA) yontemleri kullanilarak olculmustur. ODO-G’nin iki farkli modeli olusturulmus ve analiz edilmistir. Dogrulayici faktor analizi sonuclari, ODO-G’nin bes faktorlu ve 22 maddeli modelinin kabul edilebilir duzeyde oldugunu gostermistir. OPDO’nin faktor yapisini belirlemek amaciyla paralel analiz ve aciklayici faktor analizi uygulanmistir. Bulgular OPDO’nun uc’lu bir faktor yapisina sahip olugunu ve toplam varyansin %68’ini acikladigini gostermistir. Latin ogrencilere yonelik arastirma ve uygulama onerileri sonuclar bolumunde tartisilmistir.

Examining Teachers' Understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The aim of this study was to examine teachers’ knowledge, misconceptions and concerns about students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This mixed methods study involved 173 school teachers from five elementary schools. Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale (KADDS) was used to measure teachers’ knowledge and perspectives about ADHD. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Additionally, themes were created based on the responses from open-ended responses. The findings indicate that the majority of the teachers did not have coursework related to students with ADHD in their teacher preparation programme. The teachers indicated inadequate administrative support and access to professional development as primary reasons for their inability to include ASHD in their classrooms. This study concludes that given a rise in the numbers of students with ADHD, it is imperative that teachers receive specific and advanced training related to ADHD signs and symptoms to implement specific teaching strategies. Furthermore, future research should focus on evaluating teacher training programmes to demonstrate how emotional health as a result of ADHD could impact students’ performances negatively.

The Role of Positive Psychology, Cultural, and Family Factors on Hispanic/Latino College Students’ Depressive Symptoms and Subjective Happiness:

This study examined how presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, hope, gratitude, enculturation, and family influenced Hispanic/Latino college students’ depression and subjective happiness. The first regression model showed that hope, presence of meaning in life, family, and search for meaning in life were related with depression. The second showed that gratitude and presence of meaning in life were related with subjective happiness. Findings and recommendations for counselors and higher education professionals are provided.