The aim of this research was to determine the attitude towards scientific research in undergraduate university students from Peru and Spain. The research was descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 953 undergraduate students currently enrolled in universities in Spain (485) and Peru (468), and the information was collected through convenience sampling. The General Index of Attitude towards Research instrument was applied, which was adapted for the study. Its statistical validation was carried out and high reliability of the instrument was proved with a Cronbach's Alpha of 921. According to the questionnaire scores, a sociodemographic survey was also applied. Regarding the results, it was found that students from Peru have a high predisposition towards research (51.5%) compared to students from Spain (23.5%). Regarding knowledge about research, students in both countries recognize that scientific research is not adequately valued (60.6% in Spain and 54.3% in Peru); however, they would like to carry out educational scientific research (63.3% and 71.2, respectively). Regarding the evaluation of the quality of university education, undergraduate students from Spain perceive a better quality in their education (7.22 out of 10), quality of the program in which they are enrolled (7.31 out of 10), quality of fellow students (7.46 out of 10), and welfare and infrastructure services (7.30 out of 10). It is concluded that students from Peru show a better attitude towards research (M=28.98, DT=10.26) than students from Spain (M=22.61, DT=8.28).

Las TIC en el contexto educativo pueden verse conocidos como recursos transmisores de información que vincula al docente y al estudiante en la mejora de la enseñanza - aprendizaje adaptado a las necesidades y características de cada sujeto. Desde esta perspectiva se busca describir el estado de la producción científica Iberoamericana sobre la inclusión de las TIC en la disciplina educativa en el periodo 2010 al 2020. El estudio se basa en el análisis descriptivo retrospectivo de publicaciones recopiladas en revistas indizadas en Scopus. Se recolectó un total de n=1976 contribuciones. Se encontró que la producción aumentó en un 8,51%. España es el país Iberoamericano que contribuye con mayor producción científica, los autores con afiliación Iberoamericana suelen publicar a través de Artículos de conferencia, destacando ACM International Conference Proceeding Series. Frente a un análisis de madurez de conocimiento estamos ante un desarrollo de producción científica en proceso de crecimiento.

The attitude towards scientific research of university students is a determinant index of the education quality in an institution, and it is fundamental to consolidate the profession as a science. The aim of this study was to describe the attitudes towards scientific research of the Peruvian students of the professional program of psychology. The research approach was quantitative, non-experimental design of basic and field type. The sample consisted of 546 undergraduate students of the professional program of psychology. A sociodemographic form and the Index of Attitude towards Research were used to collect information. The results show that psychology students have an unfavorable attitude towards research. Likewise, they have a low opinion about their self-assessment of research skills, the quality of human resources in teaching research and the promotion of research by the university where they study. In conclusion, it is essential to promote strategies to improve students' attitudes towards research, reinforcing the quality of research courses and selecting teachers with knowledge of research and potential for scientific production.

This research compared the impacts of Persian and English cultural background knowledge on Iranian EFL learners’ listening skill. To that purpose, the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) was given to 86 Iranian EFL students; 50 of them were chosen as research participants. The respondents were then divided into two equal experimental groups (EGs) at random (Persian culture and English culture). A listening pretest was then given to both groups. The individuals in both EGs were then given the treatment. The researchers taught one EG by using the English cultural materials, while they taught the other group through the Persian cultural materials. The data were analyzed by utilizing paired samples and independent samples t-tests after the listening posttest was administered. The results showed that both EGs performed better on their posttests than on their pretests, and that there were no significant differences between the impacts of English cultural background knowledge and Persian cultural background knowledge on the listening skills of EFL students. The implications of this research can persuade EFL English teachers to incorporate more cultural-based materials into their teaching process.

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The main characteristics of publications on mental health in times of COVID-19, made by authors affiliated with Latin American institutions, are here described. A retrospective and descriptive analysis of 2,656 articles indexed in Scopus database during 2020 is conducted. This database was chosen for its high-quality scientific journals. The results indicate that Latin American scientific production represents 4.74% of the world production, and Brazil is the country with the largest production of publications, followed by Colombia, Mexico and Chile. Latin American scientific works have been published in 82 journals. Psychiatry Research is the journal with the largest number of publications, followed by Estudos De Psicologia Campinas (Brazil). The authors are mainly affiliated with institutions in Brazil, and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul as well as Universidad del Rosario in Colombia are the institutions with the largest number of publications. Review articles and letters to the editor are the most cited types of publications. Finally, it was found that the most used keywords were the descriptors coronavirus, pandemic, mental disease, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. We conclude that in Latin America there is a need for further research on mental health among health care personnel and the general population in order to establish knowledge that creates public policies for mental health problems generated during the course of the pandemic.

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Generic competences are considered to be the ability of people to adapt to changes, relate to others and work collaboratively. The objective of this study was to compare the generic competences of university students from Peru and Cuba. The study sample consisted of 248 female students from public universities with current enrollment in Peru (127) and Cuba (121). The data collection was carried out using the questionnaire on generic competences of university students (CCGEU), the Cronbach's Alpha reliability value was .979, showing a high reliability of the instrument. The results show that the mean of generic competences in Peru is 3.88 and in Cuba is 3.84, which are adequate levels. In addition, the dimensions Systemic competence, Interpersonal competence and Instrumental competence show sufficient levels in both countries. It is concluded that the generic competences in Peru and Cuba reach adequate levels, so they were developed in university students in a similar way. These results may be due to the fact that the evaluated samples have adequately developed these competences that promote the relationship, integration and effective communication among peers in a constant social cooperation, teamwork and sense of leadership.