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Perceived social support is a multifaceted construct conceptualized as one's cognitive appraisal as to the existence of a connection to others, based on trust, on whom one can rely on when necessary. The aim of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of perceived social support, using the following scales: Social Support Questionnaire-short Form (SSQ6) and Social Provisions Scale (SPS), on a sample of 855 first year university students - 575 females and 280 males - enrolled in 16 professional degrees at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). The SSQ6 Scale assesses the dimensions of perceived support availability and satisfaction, whilst the SPS Scale assesses its social support functions. The factor analysis conducted confirms the SSQ6 Scale's twodimensional model and the SPS Scale's six-factor structure. Internal consistency of both scales is satisfactory, as is the evidence of validity obtained from the correlations between the two scales and their subscales. The results reveal that the Spanish version of the SSQ6 and SPS scales are reliable and valid measurements for assessing perceived social support amongst university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of characterization of higher and distance education in Colombian universities presents the current status of distance education. While we have statistical studies on higher education, they are not specific on distance education, notwithstanding the fact that it represents 10% of higher education in our country. The main source of information is the analysis and exploration of the data provided by the National Higher Education Information (SNIES) and the Labor Observatory for Education, official information systems from the Ministry of Education, which provide extensive statistical information about higher education in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article presents information on the life of sociologist Frédéric Le Play, and discusses various issues related to his contributions to the field of sociology. Le Play, who also worked as a mining engineer, occupies a prominent place in the field of sociology. His professional activities enriched him intellectually. He is a key figure to understand the process of creation of sociology. He had developed his own method for the study of society which is based on monographs of working families. He advocated for having a science of the government wherein planning is based on statistical evidences. According to Le Play, statistics must be in hands of those who have the means of observation--the government and not the particular affiliations.