Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Mara Morelli1 , Roberto Baiocco1 , Stefano Cacciamani2 , Antonio Chirumbolo1 , Vittore Perrucci2 and Elena Cattelino2
1 Sapienza University of Rome, Italy,
2 Aosta Valley University, Italy
Background: Academic satisfaction (AS) is a key marker of educational success at university. It is therefore extremely important to investigate any factors that may enhance AS. Drawing on social cognitive theory, Lent’s model of life satisfaction, and self-determination theory, the present study examined the roles of academic self-efficacy (ASE) and type of motivation for attending university in AS, while controlling for sex and course year. More specifically, the study investigated whether friendships at university moderated the relationship between AS and ASE, and between AS and the various kinds of motivation for going to university. Method: A survey was completed by 431 Italian university students. Five moderation regression analyses were run. Results: Having friends at university affected the relationship between amotivation and AS and between extrinsic motivation and AS: the more students were motivated or had low extrinsic motivation, the more satisfied they were, if they had a high number of friends at university. Conversely, if students lacked motivation or had high extrinsic motivation, they tended to be less satisfied, regardless of how many friends they had at university. Conclusions: A large number of friends at university maximizes and amplifies the effect of being self-determined on AS. We discuss the educational implications of these findings.
Antecedentes: La satisfacción académica (SA) es un índice importante del éxito educativo en la universidad. Es importante estudiar qué factores mejoran la AS. Basándose en la teoría cognitiva social, el modelo de Lent y la teoría de la autodeterminación, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el papel de la autoeficacia académica (ASE) y las motivaciones para asistir a la universidad en el AS, controlando por sexo y año de curso. Este estudio investigó el efecto moderador de las amistades en la universidad en la relación entre ASE y AS, y entre diferentes motivaciones y AS. Método: 431 estudiantes universitarios italianos completaron una encuesta. Se realizaron cinco análisis de regresión de moderación. Resultados: Tener amigos en la universidad condicionó la relación entre desmotivación y SA y entre motivación extrínseca y SA: cuanto más motivados están los estudiantes o tienen baja motivación extrínseca, más satisfechos están si tienen muchos amigos en la universidad; por el contrario, si los estudiantes están desmotivados o tienen una motivación extrínseca alta, están menos satisfechos independientemente del número de amigos en la universidad. Conclusiones: Un alto número de amigos en la universidad amplifica la importancia de ser autodeterminado en SA. Se discuten las implicaciones educativas.
SPANISH
ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2022.254