Una aproximación al perfil de los estudiantes universitarios excelentes

Abstract

[ES] El objetivo de este trabajo era concretar el perfil de los alumnos excelentes en la universidad, de cara a precisar modelos eficaces de funcionamiento que se pudieran generalizar y enseñar, en la medida de lo posible. Para ello se recogieron datos de varios grupos de alumnos de 1º de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia con las mejores notas de entrada de diferentes titulaciones cuyos resultados se compararon con los de alumnos de calificaciones medias. Fueron 281 estudiantes, 148 excelentes y 133 medios, elegidos como tales por las notas de la PAU, de 11 titulaciones de 9 centros de esta universidad. Se evaluaron las estrategias de aprendizaje, los enfoques y estilos de aprendizaje, las actitudes ante el aprendizaje y el auto-concepto de los estudiantes medios y excelentes de la muestra. Se analizó también la relación con el sexo y con el CI. Se llevó a cabo análisis de diferencias de las variables estudiadas y también un CATPCA. Los resultados de ambas pruebas mostraron una alta coherencia y nos permiten concretar un perfil de los estudiantes excelentes de la muestra que presentan mejores estrategias de aprendizaje que sus compañeros medios, con un claro enfoque profundo de aprendizaje predominante, que se asocia con mayor rendimiento académico, con preferencia por los estilos reflexivo y teórico de aprendizaje, con mejores actitudes ante el aprendizaje, con mejor auto-concepto académico, y con mejores calificaciones. Además, este perfil está más asociado con la mujer que con el hombre.

[EN] The aim of this work was to concrete the profile of excellent students at University, in order to specify effective performance models that could be generalized and thought, as much as possible. In order to do it, data from several students groups of 1st year at the Polytechnic University of Valencia were collected. These students got the best marks in the access exam to university in different degrees and their results were compared to those of average student from the same degrees. They were 281 students, 148 of them were excellent students and 133 of them were average students. They were chosen as excellent or average students for their marks in the access exam to the university. They were from 11 degrees and form 9 university centers. Learning strategies, learning approaches, learning styles, attitudes to learning and self-concept of excellent and average students were assessed. The relation of excellence with sex and IQ was also analyzed. Analyses of differences between excellent and average students in these variables was carried out and also a categorical principal components analysis (CATPCA) was performed. The results of both statistical tests were highly coherent and they allow to concrete a profile of excellent students: they manage better strategies than their average partners, they also use a deep approach to learning, associated with a higher academic performance, they prefer reflective ant theoretical learning style, with better attitudes to learning. They have better self-concept and they get better marks. Moreover, this profile is more associated with women than with men.