This is a book review of the Academic careers of women and men, edited by Renata Siemieńska. The authors of the chapters presented in the book show selected problems of gender inequality and discrimination in Polish higher education compared to other countries. They analyze excitingly, among others: the low share of women in technical and engineering sciences in European countries, mechanisms marginalizing women in the surgical profession, a small percentage of women in the staff of art universities, as well as the course of doctoral studies and access to research grants awarded to women and men by Polish institutions. The discussed aspects also present a historical perspective and investigate the causes of the existing state of affairs. The research results on the situation of women in the academic world cited in the book prove that regularities persist for years, such as slower development of scientific careers among women or their low presence in higher positions in the academic hierarchy.
The research focused on identifying differences in the sense of self-efficacy and self-regulation of stress among 470 students from Polish and Spanish universities and on determining the differences between students starting and finishing their studies. The following tests were used in the study: General Self-Efficacy Scale, COPE Inventory and Self-Regulatory Formative Questionnaire. Statistical analysis confirmed the correctness of the 6 hypotheses. The obtained results showed that the level of self-efficacy and self-regulation and the choice of coping strategies are related to gender, nationality, age, and multiple attitudes to a stressful situation. Moreover, other confirmed hypotheses show the conclusions that self-efficacy is higher in the group of men than in the group of women. On the other hand, women have higher self-regulatory skills and are more likely than men to choose favourable stress regulation methods. In contrast, the hypotheses about cross-cultural differences show that Spanish students have better self-regulatory skills and choose adaptive coping strategies, while Polish students use non-adaptive strategies.
Self-efficacy can affect an individual’s thoughts and emotions. It can be related to self-regulation processes and coping strategies. The aim of the study was to try to answer the question of whether there are correlations between the mentioned variables. To test this, an online survey was designed on the Google Forms platform, which included sociodemographic questions and three questionnaires: General Self-Efficacy Scale, COPE Inventory, Self Regulation Formative Questionnaire. The survey was prepared in English. The survey included 470 participants from Poland and Spain. The study was conducted during increased stress, which is the exam session. The result of the statistical analysis confirmed the accepted hypothesis. Strategies used in coping with stress are related to the level of selfregulation and self-efficacy. The higher the sense of self-efficacy, the more frequent the selection of favorable coping strategies, as well as the higher the level of self-regulation, the more frequent the selection of adaptive strategies and the rarer the selection of adaptive coping strategies. The results obtained are discussed in relation to the literature on the topic and previous studies, and it is suggested that further studies be conducted in a different context, taking into account that the results of self-efficacy or self-regulation could be different during intensified stress, for instance before or after an exam.
The following study focuses on individual differences between musicians who play solo (performing individually or as leaders), and musicians performing as part of a chamber ensemble, band, choir, orchestra, etc. We predicted that soloists would be higher on grandiose narcissism and self-efficacy. The results showed that soloists (n = 59) not only were higher on narcissism, but also had higher self-efficacy scores than musicians who perform in ensembles (n = 65). However, soloist and band players are not different in narcissism and self-efficacy when the other trait is controlled, which indicates that common features of both traits differentiate solo and band musicians. Results raise further questions on what factors affect the development of a musician’s career path.
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