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The aim of this study was to analyse the differentiated role played by academic self-concept on teacher identity, taking into account the mediating role of teacher efficacy and the gender of the pre-service physical-education teachers. In this cross-sectional study, 478 master's degree students in Secondary Education Teacher Training participated (Mean = 27.09; SD = 6.32; 54.8% male, 44.8% female, 0.4% other). The following scales were used: academic self-concept, teaching identity, and teacher self-efficacy. After finding significant differences in academic effort, a structural equation analysis (SEM) with the multigroup option was conducted to answer the research objective. The results revealed that the women had significantly higher mean academic effort values than the men. In addition, the SEM, which showed excellent fit indices, revealed that, for the men, teacher efficacy acted as a mediating variable between academic confidence and teacher identity. In contrast, for the women, teacher efficacy acted as a mediator between academic effort and teacher identity. However, academic effort also acted as a direct predictor of teacher identity in male pre-service teachers. As a main conclusion, it can be said that the findings highlight the importance of academic self-concept in undertaking the master's degree by increasing teacher identity through the teaching efficacy of pre-service teacher educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of studies that analyze the interaction between risk variables as predictors of back pain (BP) in adolescents. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between BP and several risk variables, and to analyze the effect of the mediation of gender in this association. This cross-sectional study included n = 617 adolescents (mean age: 14.10 ± 1.18 years old) who completed the BP Adolescent Survey and who performed the bench trunk curl (BTC) and Sorensen (SOR) tests. Males showed a significantly lower prevalence (OR: 0.67) and frequency (contingency coefficient: 1.73) of BP than females, less participation in leisure-time sedentary behaviors (LRSBs) per day of more than 2 h (Cramer's V: 0.110), a higher sufficient Physical Activity (PA) (Cramer's V: 0.323) and a higher score in the BTC test (Contingency coefficient: 0.346). A high BTC score indicated significantly lower risk of BP than mid (OR: 1.74; p = 0.025) or low (OR: 1.62; p = 0.022) BTC. The mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect with a significant value for the Sobel test (z = 7.45 ± 0.111). When the BTC test value was included in the equations, the connection between gender and BP was no longer significant. There was a difference in the prevalence between gender in BP and LRSB and PA. BP was associated with the SOR test. The association between BP and gender was mediated by SOR results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the dimensionality of the Spanish adaptation of two correlated subscales to assess motivational climate in the university education context: Mastery motivational climate and performance motivational climate. Two different studies with cross-sectional design and different samples of university students were used to accomplish this research (Study 1: 181 students, mean age = 20.83, SD = 1.76; Study 2: 354 students, mean age = 21.84; SD = 1.98). In Study 1, Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and reliability analysis of the scale were conducted. In Study 2, CFA, reliability analysis, discriminant validity, temporal stability, factorial invariance across gender, and nomological validity were managed through a regression model measuring the relationships between democratic and autocratic behavior, mastery climate, and performance climate. The final version of the Motivational Climate in Education Scale showed acceptable goodness of fit and values of discriminant validity, reliability, temporal stability, and invariance across gender. According to its nomological validity, democratic behavior was shown to be a statistically significant predictor of mastery climate, and the teacher's autocratic behavior was shown to be a statistically significant predictor of performance climate. This scale is a valid and reliable instrument to assess mastery climate and performance climate in the Spanish university educational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]