ANTÓNIO M. DINIZ (**)

LEANDRO S. ALMEIDA (***)

RESUMO

Neste artigo apresentamos o processo de construção e de validação da Escala de Integração Social no Ensino Superior (EISES). Este processo conduziu ao teste de duas estruturas factoriais hipotéticas (bi e tridimensional; ambas hierárquicas) (LISREL8-SIMPLIS). Recorremos a estudantes universitários do 1.º ano da Universidade do Minho (amostragem de conveniência). Os dois estudos conduzidos, exploratório (N=142) e confirmatório (N=447), revelaram as dificuldades em operacionalizar duas dimensões de cariz mais estritamente institucional. As preocupações iniciais dos estudantes reportaram-se, principalmente, ao bem-estar pessoal e ao estabelecimento de novas relações, dimensões da satisfação consigo e com os outros (estrutura factorial bidimensional hierárquica). Estas dimensões e o equilíbrio emocional (estrutura factorial tridimensional hierárquica) representam as áreas problemáticas da integração social dos estudantes. Por último, discutimos a validade da EISES e a sua utilização na investigação e no aconselhamento junto dos estudantes.

Palavras-chave: Ensino Superior, estudantes do 1.º ano, escala de integração social, validação factorial.

ABSTRACT

This article presents the construction and validation process of the Escala de Integração Social no Ensino Superior (EISES) [College Social Integration Scale (CSIS)]. That process ends with the test of two hypothetical factorial structures (bi and tridimensional; both hierarchic) (LISREL8-SIMPLIS). The participants were first-year students of the University of Minho (convenience sampling). Two studies were made, one exploratory (N= 142) and the other confirmatory (N=447). They showed the difficulties of defining two scale dimensions more strictly related with the institutional context. In their initial phase of academic involvement, student’s concerns are mainly related to personal well-being and to interpersonal relationships, dimensions of the personal and peer satisfaction (hierarchic bidimensional factorial structure). These dimensions and the emotional equilibrium (hierarchic tridimensional factorial structure) reflect the problematic domains of students’ social integration. Finally, we discuss the scale’s validity and its utilization in research and counseling with students.

Key words: Higher Education, first-year students, social integration scale, factorial validity.

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(*) Agradecemos os comentários feitos por João Maroco a uma primeira versão deste texto.

(**) Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa. E-mail: antonio.diniz@ispa.pt

(***) Universidade do Minho, Braga. E-mail: leandro@iep.uminho.pt