Jai Jarlin Pascual-Mariño

Introduction: Academic self-efficacy is a robust predictor of educational attainment, yet its existential and positive-psychology antecedents remain under-examined, particularly in Latin America. This study examined the role of meaning in life (presence and search) and psychological wellbeing as statistical predictors of academic self-efficacy in Peruvian university students. Methods: A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used with 606 Peruvian university students ( M _age = 21.38, SD = 3.09; 58.7% male). Structural equation modeling with item parceling (balanced serpentine assignment) and robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR; Yuan-Bentler scaled test statistic and Huber-White robust standard errors) was applied. Results: The model showed good fit (CFI = 0.976, TLI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.065 [90% CI: 0.051–0.079], SRMR = 0.031, GFI = 0.967). Within the specified model, psychological wellbeing was the strongest statistical predictor of academic self-efficacy (β = 0.638, p < 0.001), followed by the presence of meaning (β = 0.171, p = 0.021); the search for meaning was not a significant unique predictor (β = 0.031, p = 0.397). The model accounted for 61.9% of the variance in academic self-efficacy (R ² = 0.619), and this pattern was robust to the parceling procedure. Discussion: These findings highlight the relevance of both psychological wellbeing and the perception of existential meaning for the perceived academic competence of university students, and offer hypotheses for the design of psychoeducational support to be tested in longitudinal and experimental research.

Background: Sense of university belonging is a key predictor of academic retention, well-being, and performance. Although study goals and academic satisfaction have been independently linked to students’ university experience, their joint predictive role—and whether satisfaction accounts for the statistical association between goals and belonging remains unexplored among Peruvian university students. Self-Determination Theory and the Need to Belong hypothesis provide the theoretical scaffolding for this inquiry. Methods: A cross-sectional, predictive study was conducted with 541 Peruvian university students (M _age = 22.1, SD = 4.6; 69.3% women; 66.2% public institutions). Three validated instruments were administered: the Study Goals Scale (EME; ω = .88–.90), the Brief Academic Satisfaction Scale (EBSE; α = .79), and the University Sense of Belonging Scale (ESPU; ω = .67–.93). Analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson correlations, multiple regression, and mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstrap resamples using IBM SPSS v.28. Results: A statistically significant indirect effect linking study goals to sense of belonging through academic satisfaction was observed [indirect effect: B = 0.060, 95% CI bootstrap (0.036, 0.086); standardized β _ab = .119]. The direct effect of study goals on belonging was non-significant after controlling for satisfaction ( β = −.012, p = .794). Academic satisfaction was the only statistically significant predictor in the adjusted regression model ( β = .297, p < .001). The model explained 8.2% of the variance in belonging [R ² _adj = .082, F(2, 538) = 25.11, p < .001, f ² = .093]. Conclusion: Academic satisfaction was associated with a significant indirect effect linking study goals and sense of university belonging, alongside a non-significant direct effect. These findings, interpreted within the framework of Self-Determination Theory, are consistent with the possibility that motivational orientations toward learning are associated with belonging primarily when accompanied by a positively evaluated academic experience, although the cross-sectional design does not permit causal or temporal conclusions. Institutional strategies that strengthen academic satisfaction represent a plausible target for future intervention research aimed at fostering belonging and reducing dropout.

Background: Medical education represents a complex field of study, influenced by various psychological, demographic, and contextual factors. Academic motivation, essential for educational success, has been linked to critical decisions in medical careers and can be modulated by contextual elements such as socioeconomic and geographical environments. The theory of self-determination has provided a solid framework for understanding the multidimensional nature of motivation. Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Short Scale of Academic Motivation among Peruvian medical students. Methods: Using an instrumental design, the factorial structure, reliability, and gender invariance of the SAMS-S were assessed. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to validate the scale’s structure based on seven dimensions. Additionally, reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and omega coefficient, and gender invariance was determined through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The Peruvian version of the SAMS-S showed a good fit in the CFA with satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices. However, challenges in discriminant validity among certain dimensions were detected, suggesting the presence of a second-order factor. The proposed second-order model yielded an adequate fit (χ² = 198.26, df = 70, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.08 [90% CI: 0.07–0.1], SRMR = 0.07), validating the factorial structure of the SAMS-S. The scale’s reliability and its subscales were within acceptable ranges. Furthermore, the gender invariance of the SAMS-S was confirmed at all levels, from configural to strict. Conclusions: The second-order model of the SAMS-S presents as a valid and reliable tool for measuring academic motivation among medical students in Peru. Its robustness and adaptability make it relevant for future research in similar educational contexts and can serve as a basis for interventions aimed at improving academic motivation in this specific group.