Relationship among Perceived Stress, Life Satisfaction and Academic Performance of Education Sciences Students of the University of Jaén after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review the article. I appreciate the work Authors did and I think the study has the potential to develop, but I have some doubts whether the paper in its current form meets the journal's standards.

The basic question that arises after reading the article is what is the theoretical/empirical novelty of the obtained results? What does this study add to the literature? What are practical implications for the university students?

Authors in a simple way present the existing literature on the topic and apply the Partial Least Squares. Besides empirical rationale for using the PLS, what are the theoretical reasons? From the text, the reader may conclude the causal type of relationship between the variables. Does this model allow us to do so?

Moreover, the Authors claim that stress influences life satisfaction. Did they consider some other variables or check for confounders?

Another question: Is it enough to evaluate academic performance with the expectations for improvement? I think it would be more appropriate to use a real data, even only after a semester of study.

Lines 90-92: “after the COVID-19 pandemic” (do Authors think about a particular wave? – Because as it is now, it does not make sense since we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic)

Line 36: I do not know whether I understand well, but “according to” should be changed into “depending on”

Some sentences have a very long structure. This makes it difficult to follow their sense. I suggest shortening some of them to make the text clearer.

There are many sentences that require revision. For example: lines 33-35; 48-49; 76-81 ;88-90; 93-95, and many others.

The literature is prevalently Spanish, therefore I would recommend extending it, taking into account many English studies.

Author Response

Thank you very much for your review and your comments and suggestions. Below I will try to clarify the doubts that have arisen to you; I will indicate the modifications that have been introduced in the draft at your suggestion, too.

• The basic question that arises after reading the article is what is the theoretical/empirical novelty of the obtained results? What does this study add to the literature? What are practical implications for the university students? Modifications made to the draft in lines 381 to 389.
• Authors in a simple way present the existing literature on the topic and apply the Partial Least Squares. Besides empirical rationale for using the PLS, what are the theoretical reasons? Modifications made to the draft in lines 108 to 124.
• From the text, the reader may conclude the causal type of relationship between the variables. Does this model allow us to do so? Modifications made to the draft in lines 125 to 127.
• Moreover, the Authors claim that stress influences life satisfaction. Did they consider some other variables or check for confounders? Modifications made to the draft in lines 92 to 100.
• Another question: Is it enough to evaluate academic performance with the expectations for improvement? We consider that evaluating academic performance is sufficient because we consider evaluation as an opportunity to assess learning and provide feedback to students with the aim of improving their results, not as a punishment.
• I think it would be more appropriate to use a real data, even only after a semester of study. The data used in the study are real, since the survey has been answered by university students of the Master's Degree but, certainly, I agree with you that it would be very useful to try to corroborate these data at the end of the course.
• Lines 90-92: “after the COVID-19 pandemic” (do Authors think about a particular wave? – Because as it is now, it does not make sense since we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic). You are right, and to clarify the issue, we have introduced the sentence "and during the onset of de-escalation, which started on September 20 at the University of Jaén (Rectorate of the University of Jaén, 2021) ", since the Rector's Office of the University of Jaén issued a statement regarding the establishment of the face-to-face modality in the teaching system on that date (lines 106-107).
• Line 36: I do not know whether I understand well, but “according to” should be changed into “depending on”. Done
• Some sentences have a very long structure. This makes it difficult to follow their sense. I suggest shortening some of them to make the text clearer. Done
• There are many sentences that require revision. For example: lines 33-35; 48-49; 76-81 ;88-90; 93-95, and many others. Done
• The literature is prevalently Spanish, therefore I would recommend extending it, taking into account many English studies. Done

Best regards

Reviewer 2 Report

This reads a familiar story. Global pandemic generates so much stress anxiety on many people. But it is important to talk about the issue so that people can be made aware of the challengin situations that many people experience. To make the study publishable, I would like the authors to explain why education science students were chosen (I know that they were seriously affected by school shutdown because of pandemic. Many of them had to delay their prac and graduation). 

The authors also need to justify the individual students' variables examined in the analysis (e.g. gender). Why should the authors be interested in these variables, not others? I think that they need to explain the inclusion of these variables in the literature review for the study. 

Can the authors be more specific about what readers can do with the findings? Any specific actions we can take in response to the findings? 

Author Response

Thank you very much for your review and your comments and suggestions. Below I will try to clarify the doubts that have arisen to you; I will indicate the modifications that have been introduced in the draft at your suggestion, too.

1. This reads a familiar story. Global pandemic generates so much stress anxiety on many people. But it is important to talk about the issue so that people can be made aware of the challengin situations that many people experience. I totally agree with you; It may be a familiar story but that the people who live today have never experienced (the last pandemic took place in Spain in 1918). That is why it is important to delve into its effects on the population in general and teachers and future teachers in particular.
2. To make the study publishable, I would like the authors to explain why education science students were chosen (I know that they were seriously affected by school shutdown because of pandemic. Many of them had to delay their prac and graduation). We have chosen teaching students because they will be the teachers of future workers and they have in their hands the possibility of instilling knowledge to know how to face each situation, in this case, a pandemic.
3. The authors also need to justify the individual students' variables examined in the analysis (e.g. gender). Because as the data from the University of Jaén show the male/female ratio in these Degrees is a differentiating characteristic, at least in this university, since there are always many more female students than male students. (SIUJA (2021). https://www.ujaen.es/gobierno/anuario/datos-estadisticos/estudiantes/4212-numero-de-estudiantes-de-nuevo-ingreso-por-centro-titulacion-y (lines 168 to 172)
4. Why should the authors be interested in these variables, not others? I think that they need to explain the inclusion of these variables in the literature review for the study. Because it is a relational-predictive study of perceived stress and life satisfaction with academic performance, measured with two instruments (Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)) whose reliability and validity are amply demonstrated in the literature.
5. Can the authors be more specific about what readers can do with the findings? Any specific actions we can take in response to the findings? We have introduced the sentence: In this sense, we believe that more studies related to this issue should be carried out. The data obtained will allow administrations to develop interventions (economic, instrumental, educational, social...) that facilitate the implementation of training actions that reduce the level of perceived stress in the university context (lines 419 to 424).

Best regards.