Juan Luis Castejón

The relationship between quality management practices and their effects on quality outcomes

Recent research into quality management has examined the relationship between quality management and performance. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationships between quality management practices, and to examine the direct and indirect effects of these practices on quality outcomes by means of replication research. The paper uses a path analysis and a research model is tested using cross-section data collected from 106 certified firms in Spain. The findings support the relationships between quality management practices and the positive impact of these practices on quality outcomes. Evidence is also found confirming previous research showing that a firm could transfer the organizational forms and behaviours underlying quality management to other countries with similar cultures. However, as minor differences emerge, managers should consider the cultural issues. The contribution of the paper is that it provides empirical support for direct and indirect effects of quality management on performance in Spain compared to previous studies carried out in USA and Korea.

Un contraste del modelo atribucional de la motivación de Weiner en contextos educativos

Resumen En este trabajo se somete a prueba un modelo global sobre la teoría atribucional de la motivación de Weiner en contextos reales de aula. Los datos se obtienen secuencialmente en una muestra de 324 sujetos de Educación Secundaria, con una edad media de 14 años. Se emplea una metodología causal y multivariada con análisis de estructuras de covarianza. Los resultados muestran poco apoyo al modelo inicial. Se cuestiona el papel determinante de las atribuciones y dimensiones causales.

Differences in Learning Strategies, Goal Orientations, and Self-Concept between Overachieving, Normal-Achieving, and Underachieving Secondary Students

The aims of this work were to identify and establish differential characteristics in learning strategies, goal orientations, and self-concept between overachieving, normal-achieving and underachieving secondary students. A total of 1400 Spanish first and second year high school students from the South-East geographical area participated in this study. Three groups of students were established: a group with underachieving students, a group with a normal level of achievement, and a third group with overachieving students. The students were assigned to each group depending on the residual punctuations obtained from a multiple regression analysis in which the punctuation of an IQ test was the predictor and a measure composed of the school grades of nine subjects was the criteria. The results of one-way ANOVA and the Games-Howell post-hoc test showed that underachieving students had significantly lower punctuations in all of the measures of learning strategies and learning goals, as well as all of the academic self-concept, personal self-concept, parental relationship, honesty, and personal stability factors. In contrast, overachieving students had higher punctuations than underachieving students in the same variables and higher punctuations than normal-achieving students in most of the variables in which significant differences were detected. These results have clear educational implications.

La teoría atribucional de Weiner y los sesgos atributivos: hacia la integración de un desencuentro

ResumenEn este estudio se plantean una serie de cuestiones criticas sobre la teoria atribucional de la motivacion y la emocion de Weiner. Se propone, como medio para superar tales deficiencias, el amplio campo de estudio que ha generado el analisis de los sesgos atribucionales desde las nuevas corrientes de la psicologia social europea. En una muestra de 324 alumnos-as de Educacion Secundaria Obligatoria se comprueba la existencia del sesgo favorable al yo en las atribuciones y del sesgo de confirmacion en las expectativas. Finalmente se sugiere que los resultados obtenidos desde las investigaciones sobre los sesgos deberian tenerse en cuenta en el modelo atribucional propuesto por Weiner.

Personality and salary at early career: the mediating effect of emotional intelligence

Abstract This paper examines the role of emotional intelligence (EI) as a mediator in the relationship between salary at early career and personality. The longitudinal data was collected from a selected sample of 130 university graduates, who were in the early stages of their professional careers. The results of a path analysis indicated that salary was indirectly predicted by personality traits, as measured by the Big Five model. Salary was predicted by neuroticism (both positively and negatively), extraversion (positively), and openness (positively) via the EI dimensions following the causal chain: perception, understanding and emotional regulation. Our findings have suggested the advantages of using EI measures as a complement to more dispositional measures, such as ability or personality measures, for personnel selection and people development in organizations and have provided real practice with clear suggestions for improving HRM.

Can Emotional Competence Be Taught in Higher Education? A Randomized Experimental Study of an Emotional Intelligence Training Program Using a Multimethodological Approach

Since the introduction of the Bologna Process, the goal of education has been not only to acquire technical skills but also to master other skills, such as teamwork, effective communication skills, time optimization, and the ability to manage ones emotions. The present work describes a program to develop emotional intelligence in higher education, the “Emotional Intelligence Training Program,” with a multimethodological approach that offers the opportunity for university students to develop their emotional intelligence. A total of 192 higher education students participated in this educational experience. Of the participants, 66% were women, and 34% were men; the average age of the sample was 18.83 years with a standard deviation of 2.73. The results indicate that our program can help improve emotional intelligence through three proposed methodologies: online, in the classroom, and coaching. It has been demonstrated that the program is effective in the three methodological modalities presented, offering a range of possibilities to future users because it is possible to select the most appropriate modality based on the resources and possibilities available in each situation. Finally, Future research should focus on the application of this program to assess the acquisition of emotional competences at the postgraduate level.

Differences in cognitive, motivational and contextual variables between under-achieving, normally-achieving, and over-achieving students: A mixed-effects analysis

Abstract Background: There are few studies in Spain which analyze the influence of individual, motivational and contextual variables, which might be different between underachieving, normally achieving and overachieving students. Method: A total of 1,398 Spanish high school students participated. Mixed‐effects models were used to analyze data. Results: The results showed some evidence of: (a) Partial mediational effect of self‐concept on the association between cognitive ability and academic achievement. (b) Higher levels of learning goals in the overachieving group than in the underachieving group, but no differences in achievement and reinforcement goals between groups. (c) Positive effect of learning strategies on attainment, both in the underachieving and the nonunderachieving students. (d) Little effect of context variables on academic achievement, both in the underachieving and non‐underachieving students. Conclusions: Underachieving students seem to employ all the learning strategies considered to a lesser extent than normally and overachieving students. They also have a lower level of learning goals. On the contrary, overachieving students score more highly than under and normally achieving students in almost all of the above factors. Resumen Diferencias en variables cognitivas, motivacionales y contextuales entre alumnado con rendimiento menor, igual y mayor al esperado: análisis de efectos mixtos. Antecedentes: apenas existen estudios en España que analicen la influencia de variables cognitivas, motivacionales y contextuales capaces de establecer diferencias entre los estudiantes con rendimiento menor, igual y mayor al esperado. Método: participaron 1.398 estudiantes españoles de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria. Se emplearon modelos de efectos mixtos para el análisis de datos. Resultados: los resultados mostraron evidencia de: (a) efecto mediacional parcial del auto‐concepto en la asociación de la habilidad cognitiva y el rendimiento académico; (b) mayores niveles de metas de aprendizaje en el grupo de estudiantes con rendimiento mayor al esperado; (c) efecto positivo de las estrategias de aprendizaje sobre el rendimiento en todos los grupos; (d) efecto pequeño de las variables contextuales sobre el rendimiento en todos los grupos. Conclusiones: los estudiantes con rendimiento menor al esperado emplean en menor medida las estrategias de aprendizaje y las metas orientadas al aprendizaje. Por el contrario, los estudiantes con rendimiento mayor al esperado muestran niveles superiores que el resto de grupos en la mayor parte de variables. Palabras clave: rendimiento menor al esperado, rendimiento mayor al esperado, Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, Análisis de Efectos Mixtos.

Comparative analysis of academic grades in compulsory secondary education in Spain using statistical techniques

Abstract The present study, based on the construct comparability approach, performs a comparative analysis of general points average for seven courses, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the Partial Credit model (PCM) with a sample of 1398 student subjects (M = 12.5, SD = 0.67) from 8 schools in the province of Alicante (Spain). EFA confirmed a one-factor model which explains 74.44% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha value for this factor was .94. The PCM supported the one-factor model, and an optimal fit was achieved in all of the courses. The analysis of differential item functioning showed no significant differences in any course. Equitable distribution was observed in the evolution of the difficulty indices along the measurement scale for each course. This type of analysis confirms the measurement of a single latent construct in the different topics analysed, despite addressing various theoretical and procedural contents.

The SAAS-R: A New Instrument to Assess the School Attitudes of Students with High and Low Academic Achievement in Spain

The present work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Award number: EDU2012-32156) and the Vice Chancellor for Research of the University of Alicante (Award number: GRE11-15). The last co-author is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Reference of the grant: BES-2013-064331).ABSTRACTWe examined the psychometric properties of the School Attitude Assessment Survey–Revised in a Spanish population (n = 1,398). Confirmatory factor analysis procedures supported the instruments five-factor structure. The results of discriminant analysis demonstrated the predictive power of the School Attitude Assessment Survey–Revised scales as regards academic performance. Implications for education and assessment are discussed.