Mediation of study approaches and skills in university students during covid-19: the effect on the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy

Abstract

Objetivo: La autoeficacia es una característica que ayuda a los estudiantes universitarios a cumplir con las tareas y metas pedagógicas y académicas. El apoyo de la familia o las habilidades de los estudiantes son importantes para su carrera universitaria, que puede verse afectada por la pandemia del CO-VID-19. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar si la influencia familiar y los enfoques y habilidades de estudio pueden predecir la autoeficacia y si la relación entre la influencia familiar y la autoeficacia puede estar mediada por los enfoques y habilidades de estudio de los estudiantes. Métodos: Participaron en el estudio 174 estudiantes universitarios portugueses de ambos sexos, con una edad media de 23,70 años (±8,47). Los instrumentos aplicados fueron la Escala de Influencia Familiar, la Escala de Autoeficacia para la Educación Superior, el Inventario de Enfoques y Habilidades de Estudio para Estudiantes (versión corta) y un cuestionario sociodemográfico. Resultados: Los enfoques y habilidades de estudio predicen de la autoeficacia y median la relación entre influencia familiar y autoeficacia.

Objective: Self-efficacy is a characteristic that helps university students to fulfill pedagogical and aca-demic tasks and goals. The support of the family or the skills of students are important to their university career, which may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to analyze whether family influence and study approaches and skills can predict self-efficacy and whether the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy can be mediated by students’ study approaches and skills. Methods: Participated in the study 174 Portuguese university students of both genders, with an average age of 23.70 years (±8.47). The instruments applied were the Family Influence Scale, Higher Education Self-Efficacy Scale, Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (short version) and a sociodem-ographic questionnaire. Results: The study approaches and skills predicts of self-efficacy and mediates the relationship between family influence and self-efficacy. Conclusion: Knowing the important impact of study approaches and skills on stdents’ self-efficacy will contribute to the definition of support strate-gies that universities should promote, in a pandemic and post-pandemic phase, for the mental health and academic success of their community.