Abstract Past research has shown that motivation is an important predictor of goal-related behaviors. Sheldon and Elliot (1999) proposed the Self-Concordance Model (SCM), to distinguish between personal goals that reflect intrinsic interests and values (self-concordant goals) and personal goals that are pursued because of self-imposed and social pressures (self-discordant goals). Another important motivational construct is self-efficacy, people’s beliefs in their capabilities to exercise control over their level of functioning and their environment (Bandura, 1996). Self-efficacy has been shown to predict goal attainment and well-being as people who are self-efficacious put more effort and commitment towards their goals (Koestner, Horberg, Gaudreau, Powers, Di Dio, Bryan, Jochum & Salter, 2006). Despite the unique contribution of self-concordance and self-efficacy, little is known about their combined effects. I performed a study with 135 university students to investigate whether two self-regulatory processes could in fact be better than one. Results using hierarchical regression analyses indicated that self-efficacy did moderate the relationship between self-concordance and the outcome variables. Self-concordance was associated with greater well-being and goal progress for those high on self-efficacy (β = .21, p < .05; β = .33, p < .01) while negatively relating to well-being and goal progress for those low on self-efficacy (β = -.22, p = .07; β = -.19, p > .05 ). It appears that two motivational processes combined, self-concordance and self-efficacy, are in fact better than one.

The first objective was to test the prospective relationship between need satisfaction and coping. A total of 113 undergraduate students completed a measure of need satisfaction at Time 1 (T1; i.e. a few weeks before the midterm exams) as well as a measure of coping at Time 2 (T2; i.e. a few weeks after the midterm exams). Results indicated that need satisfaction T1 explained unique variance in both dimensions of coping T2, namely task-oriented and disengagement-oriented coping, even after having statistically controlled for gender, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and social desirability at T1. The second objective was to examine a model in which need satisfaction and coping predict the amount of progress towards academic goals and, in turn, how coping and goal progress are associated to increases in need satisfaction over the course of a semester. A total of 166 undergraduate students completed a measure of need satisfaction at Time 1 (T1; i.e. a few weeks before the midterm exams) as well as measures of coping, goal progress, and need satisfaction at Time 2 (T2; i.e. a few weeks after the midterm exams). Results from structural equation modeling indicated that coping T2 fully mediated the relationship between need satisfaction T1 and goal progress T2. Results also indicated that goal progress T2 partially mediated the relation between task-oriented coping T2 and need satisfaction T2 as well as between disengagement-oriented coping T2 and need satisfaction T2.

This study was an investigation of academic outcomes for student athletes who did or did not participate in an athlete-specific freshman Summer Bridge program in a private Division I university in the western United States. Analysis of data across five years yielded results regarding fall, winter, and cumulative GPA; and progress toward degree for special admit and general admit student athletes. Data indicate significant differences between groups in terms of GPA and progress toward degree for the first year. However, there were no significant main interaction between time and group as measured by differential slopes over time according to group membership in terms of semester GPA. The discussion includes application for practice and further research.

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This inquiry lesson uses a variety of practical situations to help students construct their knowledge of combustion, including a fire accident and a candle burning in a sealed jar experiment.

This study used a cross-age design to investigate Taiwanese students' understanding of combustion and how they apply their knowledge in a variety of practical situations. The study used nine content and six application questions to investigate 631 students' understanding of combustion ranging from 6th grade to university students. For example, three application questions were used to investigate the students' knowledge application in closed systems, including how/why should people act when a fire accident occurs in a room (Q13), why does a lighted candle extinguish in a bottle (Q14), and how/why do two lighted candles of different lengths burn in a bottle (Q15)? Students' conceptions about how combustion occurs in semi-closed and closed systems, which have very important real world consequences have not been studied in detail and science instruction rarely mentions the situation. There are two main findings. First, the older students, in general, had better understanding of content knowledge than the younger students. For example, the younger students could not recognize water as one of the products in a combustion reaction (19% vs. 91% in the older students). Second, the students' performance on the application questions, though requiring similar knowledge to solve, varied considerably. For example, most of the answers about the fire accident (Q 13) were correct regardless of their ages. On the question about a single candle experiment (Q 14), the students' performances were uniformly low regardless of age. As students had problems with the conceptions of combustion, the study has implications for science teachers and science teacher educators. Specifically, teachers can utilize the findings to develop different instructional strategies to overcome the alternative conceptions. The findings can benefit teachers giving similar instruction to students and curriculum developers modifying current curriculum materials.

Combustion is an everyday phenomenon familiar to people in all walks of life. The science is complex enough to be interesting, while still being understandable by young learners. There are, however, some alternative conceptions that emerge when people are asked to explain combustion in a closed system. This inquiry activity, developed as part of an inquiry program for 8th grade students in Taiwan, uses a variety of practical situations to help students improve their understanding of combustion. For example, Question 1 (Figure 1) uses a fire accident, question 2 uses the candle burning in a sealed jar experiment, and question 3 involves a scenario with two lighted candles of different lengths and asks students to predict and explain which candle would go out first. This presentation will discuss the development, implementation, and evaluation of the inquiry materials.

The lack of access to effective diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a persistent global challenge. Human rights arguments for access to treatment mostly focus on the right to health. However, a key challenge in access to effective diagnosis and treatment is the glaring absence of scientific research in neglected diseases such as TB. This thesis sets out to elaborate the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and explore its potential to increase scientific research in DR-TB and consequently enhance access to effective diagnosis and treatment in South Africa. This research project was conducted using three interrelated sub-studies; a legal analysis sub-study which examines the current conceptualisation of the REBSP in international law; a policy analysis sub-study which interrogates South Africa’s legal and policy efforts towards the realisation of the REBSP and access to diagnosis and treatment for DR-TB; and a qualitative sub-study which explores the South African context regarding research and development (R&D) in general, and in DR-TB in particular. The qualitative sub-study included 17 stakeholders who are active in TB R&D, advocacy and policy work, from human rights and research institutions, government agencies, civil society organisations, and donor agencies. This thesis finds that the REBSP essentially ensures two things, namely the production of science and access to the benefits of scientific progress. However, most countries including South Africa have systems, policies and resources aimed at advancing the production of science but lack similar systems, policies and resources to purposely ensure the enjoyment of the benefits from scientific progress. Internationally, there is no clear guidance on the interpretation of the REBSP, making it difficult for states to domesticate it in their national policies and framework laws. A General Comment by a UN human rights monitoring body is therefore urgently needed to secure global consensus on the interpretation of the REBSP. In the meanwhile, South Africa can still draw inspiration for the REBSP and together with the right to health, use it to advance access to DR-TB diagnosis and treatment alongside many other interventions. To enable better access to effective diagnosis and treatment of DR-TB, this thesis recommends that South Africa i) develops systems that would make scientific progress and results accessible, and affordable; ii) removes system and regulatory barriers that hinder the conduct of research or that delay registration of new drugs; iii) monitors and regulates the conduct of third parties and prevent them from exploiting communities; iv) encourages pharmaceutical companies to provide free access to successful treatment and tools in communities where trials are conducted; and v) mobilises financial and technical resources and allocates them to DR-TB researchfrom drug discovery through to implementation science.

This study of the pupil-progress reports of the elementary school of the state of Utah came about as the result of an assignment of the late Superintendent Keith Wahlquist. In answer to requests of local teachers and principals, a committee was assigned to make an investigation and recommendations for a revision of our reporting system. The work with the committee led to further study, which finally led to the writing of this thesis.

Cette thèse s’intéresse à l'impact des « patent pools » sur l’innovation cumulative. Nous analysons huit patents pools modernes développés dans les secteurs des technologies de l’information et de la communication. Un patent pool est un regroupement de propriétaires de brevets qui permet la négociation d’une seule licence pour plusieurs brevets essentiels à l’implémentation des normes techniques. Les patent pools font l’objet de nombreux travaux théoriques et empiriques. Ces travaux notent le risque collusif et monopolistique existant au sein de ces institutions. Cependant, la majorité des travaux se concentre principalement sur les facteurs qui motivent une entreprise à se joindre à un patent pool et non pas l’évolution des normes techniques au fil du temps. / This thesis investigates the impact of patent pools for technical standards on the direction of cumulative innovation. It examines eight modern patents pools in the information and communication technology sector and measures the effect of pool formation and pool extension on rates of follow-on innovation in the direction of pool technology. Patent pools are the subject of much theoretical and empirical work. The aim of this thesis is to fill a gap in current literature that focuses on the motivations of firms to join a patent pool. This thesis contributes to the literature by extending analyses to the introduction of patents to patent pools over time. It consists of three empirical studies. Patent pools as institutions possess mechanisms that encourage and discourage innovation. The formation of a patent pool and its extension as a result of the addition of patents to the patent pool after its launch may alter the incentives to innovate of outsider firms. This, in turn, may have important impacts on competition and society. Finally, this thesis also analyzes the evolution of an industry that is particularly linked to technology in patents pools—the film industry. Digitization has transformed movie distribution and technological disruption has altered the supply and demand dimensions of this market. The main findings of these three studies are presented at the beginning of each chapter.