Abstract: Educational research has shown that academic achievement and peer relationships are associated from early school years, where friends play a significant role in influencing students' school adjustment, attitudes, and behaviors. The present study examines how individual academic performance is associated with friendships among 240 5th and 6th graders. The information on students' friendships, academic performance, gender, popularity, and social preference was collected in a convenience sample from 8 classrooms of 2 private-subsidized schools in Santiago, Chile. Longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena) was used to study the co-evolution of academic performance and friendship dynamics, by assessing simultaneously selection and influence processes, and by incorporating social status covariates (popularity and social preference) as moderators of friendship selection and influence. Results showed that friendships were more likely to occur between same-sex peers and between students with similar social status. Regarding social influence, friends influenced individual's academic performance. Moreover, socially preferred students were more likely to be influenced by friends' academic performance, but the same did not occur for popular students. These results might suggest that socially preferred students' attributes (cooperation, reciprocity, and high-quality friendships) would facilitate the influence of academic performance. In contrast, popular students would be less sensitive to their friends' academic performance focusing instead on salient behaviors (e.g., aggression). The findings underline the importance of understanding social network dynamics in educational settings.

Resumen: La investigación educativa ha mostrado que los logros académicos y las relaciones con pares se asocian desde los primeros años escolares, donde las amistades juegan un papel importante al influir en el rendimiento escolar, así como en las actitudes y los comportamientos de los estudiantes. El presente estudio examina cómo el desempeño académico individual se asocia con las amistades en 240 estudiantes de quinto y sexto grado. La información sobre amistades, rendimiento académico, género, popularidad y preferencia social de los estudiantes se recopiló en una muestra de conveniencia de 8 aulas de 2 escuelas privadas subvencionadas en Santiago, Chile. Se utilizó el análisis longitudinal de redes sociales (RSiena) para estudiar la coevolución del rendimiento académico y la dinámica de la amistad mediante la evaluación simultánea de procesos de selección e influencia e incorporando covariables de estatus social (popularidad y preferencia social) como moderadores de la selección e influencia de las amistades. Los resultados mostraron que las amistades fueron más probables entre pares del mismo sexo y entre estudiantes con un estatus social similar. Con respecto a la influencia social, las amistades influyen en el rendimiento académico individual. Además, estudiantes socialmente preferidos tuvieron más probabilidades de verse influenciados por el rendimiento académico de sus amigas/os, pero no ocurrió lo mismo con los estudiantes populares. Estos resultados podrían sugerir que atributos asociados a estudiantes socialmente preferidos (cooperación, reciprocidad y amistades de alta calidad) facilitarían la influencia del rendimiento académico. Por el contrario, los estudiantes populares serían menos susceptibles al rendimiento académico de sus amigos, centrándose en cambio en comportamientos salientes (p. ej. agresión). Los hallazgos de esta investigación resaltan la importancia de comprender la dinámica de las redes sociales entre estudiantes en entornos educativos.

Abstract: Even though the relevance of intimate friendships has been studied as a promoting factor for wellbeing and social adjustment during adolescence, it is not clear which are the variables that facilitate intimate friendships. This study contributes with new evidence about the role of empathy in improving the establishment of intimate friendships, using the interpersonal intimacy model (Reis & Shaver, 1988) as a reference theory, which proposes that intimacy is generated and established through disclosure of personal experiences with friends. This study is not experimental, and the sample corresponds to preadolescents and adolescents from 10 to 19 years old. Through SEM analysis the hypothesized model was tested and confirmed, showing that cognitive and affective empathy were significant predictors of disclosure, and that disclosure was a significant predictor of intimacy. Also, mediational effects were calculated, identifying an indirect effect of empathy on intimacy, through disclosure. Results are discussed considering the processes through which intimacy is sustained in adolescence, and how empathy may be an explicative factor in this process.

Resumen: Si bien se ha estudiado la relevancia de las amistades de calidad como un factor favorecedor del bienestar de los adolescentes, es menos claro cuáles son las variables que facilitan que las amistades sean percibidas como íntimas. Este estudio aporta evidencias sobre el rol que podría cumplir la empatía para favorecer la construcción de amistades íntimas, utilizando como referencia el modelo de intimidad interpersonal (Reis & Shaver, 1988), que plantea que la intimidad se logra y construye desde la apertura de experiencias personales con amigos. El diseño es no experimental y la muestra corresponde a preadolescentes y adolescentes entre 10 y 19 años. A través de un modelo SEM, se contrastó y confirmó el modelo hipotetizado, encontrándose que la empatía afectiva y cognitiva tienen un efecto en la dimensión de apertura, y que esta dimensión a su vez media la relación entre ambas formas de empatía con la intimidad. Los resultados se discuten a la luz de los procesos a través de los que se mantiene la intimidad en la adolescencia, y sobre cómo la empatía puede ser un factor explicativo de estos procesos.

The savanna ecosystems in South Africa, which are predominantly characterised by woody vegetation (e.g. shrubs and trees) and grasslands with annual phenological cycles, are shaped by ecosystem processes such as droughts, fires and herbivory interacting with management actions. Therefore, monitoring of the intra- and inter-annual vegetation structure dynamics is one of the essential components for the management of complex savanna ecosystems such as the Kruger National Park (KNP). To map the woody cover in the KNP, data from European Space Agency's (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar satellite (C-Band vertical-vertical [VV]/vertical-horizontal [VH]) for the years 2016 and 2017, at 10 m spatial resolution and repeated acquisitions every 12 days, were utilised. A high-resolution light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data set was reclassified to produce woody cover percentages and consequently used for calibration and validation. Woody cover estimation for different spatial resolutions was carried out by fitting a random forest (RF) model. Model accuracy was assessed via spatial cross-validation and revealed an overall root mean squared error (RMSE) of 22.8% for the product with a spatial resolution of 10 m and improved with spatial averaging to 15.8% for 30 m, 14.8% for 50 m and 13.4% for 100 m. In addition, the product was validated against a second LiDAR data set, confirming the results of the spatial cross-validation of the model. The methodology of this study is designed for savanna vegetation structure mapping based on height estimates by using open-source software and open-access data, to allow for a continuation of woody cover classification and change monitoring in these types of ecosystems. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS: Information about the state and changes in woody cover are important for park management and conservation efforts. Both increasing (e.g. because of atmospheric carbon fertilisation) and decreasing (e.g. because of elephant impact) woody cover patterns will have cascading effects on other ecosystem processes such as fire and herbivory.

This article presents the design and validation of a scale to assess Normative Beliefs About Prosociality (CNPROS), taking as a model the Normative Beliefs About Aggression Scale, NBAGGS (Huesmann & Guerra, 1997). The validation was developed in several phases during 2012 and 2013, with a convenience sample of 762 4th, 5th and 6th graders from 4 private subsidized schools located in 4 different neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile. Analyses were carried out with 4 different samples of students from different grades and schools. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the structure and internal consistency of the scale were shown. Its direct correlations with empathy (for girls) and prosocial behavior (where significant gender differences cannot be discerned) and inverse correlations with NBAGGS and aggression showed concurrent validity. An analysis of variance among 6th graders showed that girls obtained a higher average score than boys in CNPROS. A 9 items scale is finally presented, which may help the diagnosis, research, and intervention in school contexts.

Se presenta el diseño y validación de la escala de Creencias Normativas Sobre la Prosocialidad (CNPROS). Se tomó como modelo la escala de Creencias Normativas Sobre la Agresividad (NBAGGS; Huesmann & Guerra, 1997). El proceso de validación se realizó en varias etapas durante 2012 y 2013, con un muestreo por conveniencia de 762 estudiantes de 4°, 5° y 6° año de educación básica de 4 establecimientos particulares subvencionados de 4 comunas de Santiago, Chile. Los análisis se realizaron con 4 muestras diferentes de alumnos de distintos grados y colegios. Los análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorio realizados, así como las correlaciones calculadas, fueron indicando la estructura, consistencia interna y validez concurrente que presenta la escala con la empatía (en mujeres) y las conductas prosociales (en las que no se aprecian diferencias por género), así como correlaciones inversas con la NBAGGS y la agresividad. Un análisis de varianza con alumnos de 6° grado mostró que las mujeres obtienen un promedio mayor que los hombres en la CNPROS. Se presenta, finalmente, una escala de 9 ítems que puede aportar al diagnóstico, investigación e intervención en contextos escolares.

Abstract This study tested social status correlates of aggression and bullying and how these are influenced by peer groups’ normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior among 1165 fourth, fifth and sixth graders in Chile. Associations between aggression and popularity (positive) and social preference (negative) were confirmed, whereas bullying was negatively associated with both dimensions. Normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior were assessed at the group level, while social status was assessed at the classroom level through peer nominations. Hierarchical Linear Analyses showed that in groups with a higher value associated with aggression, classmates rated aggressive peers as less popular but also less disliked. The status correlates of bullying remained unaffected by peer normative beliefs. The discussion focuses on the social function of aggression as compared to the social sanction associated with bullying, and on the specificity of these associations at different layers of the social ecology.

El presente trabajo describe un programa para favorecer el bienestar y aprendizaje socioemocional en estudiantes de tercer y cuarto año de Enseñanza General Básica, y su evaluación de impacto. Los fundamentos conceptuales del programa para el Bienestar y Aprendizaje Socioemocional se apoyan en la perspectiva del aprendizaje socioemocional, que integra factores tanto en el ámbito individual como del contexto. El programa enfatiza el desarrollo de vínculos interpersonales de calidad y el desarrollo de las competencias necesarias para ello. A través de un diseño cuasiexperimental que incluyó a 647 estudiantes de tercero y cuarto grado en cinco colegios particulares subvencionados de Santiago, Chile, la evaluación con análisis de la varianza de medidas repetidas mostró un impacto del programa en la autoestima de los estudiantes percibida por sus profesores (medida a través del test de autoestima). Asimismo, el programa mitigó el descenso en la percepción del clima escolar según la Escala de Clima Social, en indicadores de integración social, y en el rendimiento escolar, que se observó en el grupo control. Se discuten los resultados del programa y sus posibles implicancias para el desarrollo de intervenciones en este campo.

This paper presents a program to foster socioemotional learning and wellbeing in 3rd and 4th graders, and its impact on evaluation. The program is conceptually grounded in the socioemotional learning perspective, which integrates factors both at the individual and contextual levels. Development of quality interpersonal bonding is emphasized, as is the development of the necessary socioemotional skills to achieve this goal. A quasi experimental design was implemented which included tudents in five private subsidized schools in Santiago, Chile. Evaluation with Anova analysis of repeated measures showed an impact of the program on students' self-esteem reported by the teacher (measured with TAE). Seemingly, the program mitigated the decrease in the perception of school social climate (measured with ECLIS), in social integration, and in academic performance, as observed in the control group. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of interventions in this field.

El presente estudio respalda la creciente evidencia empírica sobre la relación entre la dimensión socioemocional y el rendimiento académico. Mediante análisis de correlación y regresión se testeó en estudiantes chilenos de educación básica la asociación entre el rendimiento académico y las dimensiones individual (autoestima y bienestar socioemocional) y contextual (percepción del clima social escolar) del aprendizaje socioemocional. Bienestar socioemocional y percepción del clima social escolar respecto a relaciones de pares y lugares de la escuela, mostraron una relación significativa con el aumento en el desempeño académico. Los hallazgos son discutidos en términos de sus implicancias para la práctica educativa y para futuras investigaciones.

This study supports the growing empirical evidence regarding the relationship between the socioemotional dimension and academic achievement. Through correlation and regression analyses the associations between individual (self-steem and socioemotional well-being) and contextual (perception of the school social climate) features of socioemotional learning and academic success in Chilean elementary students were tested. Socioemotional well-being and perception of school social climate with regards to peer relations and places at school were significantly related to improvements in academic achievement. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for educational practice and future research.

O trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento e a avaliação de impacto de um programa para favorecer o bem-estar e a aprendizagem socioemocional em estudantes de quinta e sexta série de Ensino Fundamental: o programa BASE. Por meio de uma revisão teórica da aprendizagem socioemocional se fundamenta a ênfase do programa no desenvolvimento de vínculos interpessoais de qualidade e o desenvolvimento das competências necessárias, integrando fatores de desenvolvimento individual e do contexto que favorece o mencionado desenvolvimento, assim como a geração de comunidades sadias e nutritivas. Para avaliar o impacto do programa foi utilizado um desenho quase-experimental do tipo pre-post com grupo controle. Os resultados mostraram um impacto significativo positivo do programa na autoestima, integração social, e na percepção do clima escolar dos estudantes que participaram, quando comparados com o grupo controle. Foram discutidos os resultados do programa e suas possíveis implicações para o desenvolvimento de intervenções nesse campo.

This article presents the development and impact evaluation of a program to enhance the wellbeing and socioemotional learning of 5th and 6th graders: The BASE program. Based on the theoretical framework of socioemotional learning, the emphasis of the program is oriented towards fostering quality interpersonal bounds and the development of competencies that are necessary for this, integrating both individual and contextual factors and the generation of healthy and nurturing communities. The study features a quasi-experimental pre-post design with a control group in order to assess the impact of the program. Results show a significant positive effect on self-esteem, social integration, and the perception of the school social climate of students who were part of the program, compared to their counterparts in the control group. These results are discussed in light of their potential implications for future educational interventions.

Se presenta el desarrollo y evaluación de impacto de un programa para favorecer el bienestar y aprendizaje socioemocional en estudiantes de quinto y sexto año de enseñanza general básica: el programa BASE. A partir de una revisión teórica del aprendizaje socioemocional se fundamenta el énfasis del programa en el desarrollo de vínculos interpersonales de calidad y el desarrollo de las competencias necesarias para ello, integrando tanto factores a nivel del desarrollo individual como también del contexto que favorece este desarrollo, así como la generación de comunidades sanas y nutritivas. Se utilizó un diseño cuasi-experimental pre-post con grupo control para evaluar el impacto del programa. Los resultados muestran un impacto significativo positivo del programa en la autoestima, integración social, y percepción del clima escolar de los estudiantes que participaron de él en comparación al grupo control. Se discuten los resultados del programa y sus posibles implicancias para el desarrollo de intervenciones en este campo.

The present study approaches school violence from the adolescents' perspective, identifying intervening factors in its emergence. An exploratory qualitative methodology within a grounded theory framework was used, interviewing individually and collectively 28 students of 11 to 14 years old from 3 schools in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Results show a gap between adult perspectives and students' socioemotional needs, which would favor their involvement in school violence. Schools and teachers do not have effective strategies to face this phenomenon. Peer dynamics can sustain, reinforce, or inhibit violence, through the establishment of social hierarchies within the peer social ecology. The relational analysis highlights the adolescent demands for structure, contention, and orientation, arguing that the adult system does not satisfy these needs adequately. Adolescents would build through violence a social order aimed to meet their relational needs. Violence might fulfill the function of calling adults' attention and fill the space of the social and emotional attachment dimension which constitutes a central need during this developmental stage.

El presente estudio aborda la violencia escolar desde la perspectiva de los adolescentes, identificando factores intervinientes en su emergencia. Se utilizó una metodología cualitativa exploratoria enmarcada en la grounded theory, realizando entrevistas individuales y grupales a una muestra intencionada de 28 estudiantes de 11 a 14 años de 3 colegios de la Región Metropolitana de Chile. Los resultados evidencian un distanciamiento entre las lógicas adultas y las necesidades socioafectivas de los estudiantes, lo que favorecería el involucramiento en violencia escolar. La escuela y los profesores no tendrían estrategias efectivas para hacer frente a este fenómeno. Las dinámicas de pares pueden sostener, potenciar o inhibir la violencia, al considerar elementos como el posicionamiento social y las jerarquías internas de la ecología social. El análisis relacional destaca la demanda adolescente por estructura, contención y orientación, planteando que el sistema adulto no satisface de manera adecuada estas necesidades. La violencia cumpliría la función de llamar la atención de los adultos y llenar el espacio de apego social y emocional que se constituye en una necesidad fundamental en esta etapa.

Apesar de que o bem-estar social e emocional tem sido proposto como uma meta principal da educação, sua associação com o desempenho acadêmico geralmente é negligenciado, especialmente considerando que as instituições educacionais são convidados a mostrar os resultados acadêmicos, e, portanto, o foco é no desenvolvimento cognitivo e da formação acadêmica. Este estudo adota uma perspectiva multinível para testar essa associação entre alunos chilenos do ensino fundamental, incluindo características individuais (bem-estar sócio-emocional, auto-estima e integração social) e sociais (clima social da aula e as características de rede social). Os resultados mostram que as variáveis sócio-emocionais, e em especial a percepção de professores da auto-estima de seus alunos, estão associados com desempenho acadêmico. Além disso, efeitos de interação das variáveis individuais e contextuais são apresentados. Implicações para a pesquisa e as intervenções são discutidos.

Even though social and emotional well-being has been proposed as a main goal of education, its association with academic achievement is usually overlooked, particularly considering that educational institutions are requested to show academic outcomes, and thus their focus is on cognitive development and academic training. This study adopts a multilevel perspective to test this association among Chilean elementary students, considering features at individual (socio-emotional well-being, self esteem, and social integration) and social levels (classroom social climate and social network characteristics). Results show that socio-emotional variables, and particularly teachers' ratings of their students' self esteem, are associated with academic achievement. Interaction effects of individual and contextual variables are presented, and implications for research and interventions are discussed.

The present article reflects on the existing tension between the programmatic offer for youth and the demand for support and services by this population. It is argued that the absence of the adolescent perspective in the development of programs and policies oriented to this population, the offer of programs and services responds to beliefs and expectancies displayed by the adult world. It is proposed that adolescent subjectivity should be acknowledged and integrated in order to achieve a better matching between offer and demand of youth programs and services. Through the analysis of the notions of psycho-social support (as offer) and the adolescent help-seeking behavior (from the demand's perspective), the present article intends to enlighten the discussion about how to approach the design and implementation of programs and policies aimed to foster adolescent development.

El presente artículo reflexiona en torno a la tensión existente entre la oferta de programas y servicios para adolescentes y la demanda de apoyo y servicios de este grupo poblacional. Se plantea que dada la ausencia de la perspectiva adolescente en el desarrollo de programas y políticas dirigidas a dicha población, la oferta programática responde a creencias y expectativas del mundo adulto. Se propone que la subjetividad adolescente debe ser reconocida e integrada con el objeto de articular en mejor forma la oferta y demanda de programas y servicios para jóvenes. A través del análisis de las nociones de apoyo psicosocial (como oferta) y las conductas de búsqueda de apoyo (desde la perspectiva de la demanda), el presente artículo pretende iluminar la discusión respecto de cómo enfocar el diseño e implementación de programas y políticas que estén orientadas a promover el desarrollo juvenil.