Research in chemistry education has highlighted a number of variables that predict learning and performance, such as teacher-student interactions, academic motivation and metacognition. Most of this chemistry research has examined these variables by identifying dyadic relationships through bivariate correlations. The main purpose of this study was to simultaneously investigate students' perceptions of teacher-student interactions (autonomy support), motivation (expectancy, importance, utility and interest), metacognitive strategies for problem solving (planning, monitoring and evaluation), and performance in chemistry.Measures were collected from 503 Spanish undergraduates (53.13% females) aged 18 to 36 years. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the hypothesized direct and mediated relations between these variables. First, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided evidence of the robustness of the evaluation instruments. Second, perceived autonomy support positively predicted expectancy, importance, utility, interest, planning, monitoring, evaluation and performance in chemistry; motivational variables positively predicted metacognitive strategies and performance; and metacognitive strategies positively predicted performance. Moreover, all hypothesized mediated effects between variables were also supported.We conclude discussing the main findings of this study, highlighting their educational implications, acknowledging their limitations, and proposing lines of future research on chemistry education.

Durante el periodo dictatorial de 1966-1973, se llevó a cabo en Argentina un proceso de crea- ción de nuevas universidades nacionales que transformó marcadamente el sistema de educación superior. En este trabajo nos proponemos avanzar en el análisis de los rasgos proyectados paralas nuevas casas de estudio, procurando establecer continuidades y rupturas entre el perfil de las instituciones proyectadas y el que finalmente se concretó con la reforma emprendida. Es nuestraintención mostrar cómo, pese a la expansión cuantitativa que transformó el sistema de educa- ción superior en este país, no hubo una verdadera reestructuración cualitativa. Por el contrario, las nuevas casas de estudio reprodujeron el formato de las instituciones tradicionales. Para ello, trabajaremos con fuentes primarias y secundarias. Entre las primeras, pueden mencionarse dia-rios de tirada nacional y documentos oficiales atinentes a la vida universitaria, tales como losplanes de desarrollo, los planes de factibilidad, leyes y estadísticas universitarias.