In a time when education and inclusion, are very much on the political agenda, what makes some teachers confident and competent teachers of special educational needs (SEN) and others less so? This thesis aimed to explore a variety of factors; attitude to inclusion; school climate; burnout and general teaching self-efficacy as they relate to self-efficacy for inclusive teaching. It also aimed to explore the teaching practices of teachers who report high self-efficacy for inclusive teaching scores. 66 participants, selected from seven primary schools took park in the first phase of the research. From this sample, five participants were selected for their high self-efficacy for inclusive teaching scores and were interviewed about their inclusive teaching practice. A mixed methods approach was used; utilising questionnaires in the first phase to explore the six factors and the correlations between them. Interviews were employed in the second phase to explore the inclusive practices of participants. Initial statistical analysis from the questionnaires indicated that years teaching experience, as well as aspects of attitude to inclusion, school climate, burnout and general teaching efficacy are predictive of self-efficacy for inclusive teaching scores. Regression analysis indicated that attitude to inclusion; school climate and general teaching self-efficacy were together the best predictors of self-efficacy for inclusive teaching. Thematic analysis from the interviews suggested that stress was a major factor for the participants. It also identified that participants who were good at including children with SEN were those who got to know their children well, and who were engaged, motivated members of staff. The study concluded with a consideration of how the above results are relevant to educational psychologists by suggesting that their role is vital in supporting teachers to get to know children holistically and in supporting staff with stress management through supervision or staff clinics.

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Agradecemos a compreensão. on 2018-06-21T12:42:00Z (GMT) / Submitted by DANIELLE MARINHO VIEGAS EMÍLIO (dannibtu13@gmail.com) on 2018-06-24T20:39:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 texto finalizado Danielle.pdf: 1605296 bytes, checksum: e99ee16335a4b4affabc6ba03da33363 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ROSANGELA APARECIDA LOBO null (rosangelalobo@btu.unesp.br) on 2018-06-26T12:07:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 emilio_dmv_me_bot.pdf: 1605296 bytes, checksum: e99ee16335a4b4affabc6ba03da33363 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-26T12:07:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 emilio_dmv_me_bot.pdf: 1605296 bytes, checksum: e99ee16335a4b4affabc6ba03da33363 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-03 / Introdução: O aleitamento materno, além das propriedades nutritivas e imunológicas, propicia momentos essenciais de interação mãe-bebê. Quando o recém-nascido, especialmente o prematuro, é separado da mãe devido à sua internação em uma Unidade Neonatal, diversos fatores podem prejudicar o início do aleitamento materno e sua duração. Pesquisas com crianças nascidas a termo mostram que dentre vários fatores, a percepção de autoeficácia materna está associada com maior tempo de amamentação exclusiva e desmame mais tardio; entretanto, pouco se sabe sobre o papel da autoeficácia em mães de prematuros. Objetivos: Avaliar a percepção de autoeficácia em mães de prematuros durante a internação e após a alta e sua associação com a manutenção do aleitamento materno e desmame. Método: Trata-se de um estudo longitudinal, com 47 mães de prematuros cujos dados sociodemográficos e clínicos foram obtidos a partir de entrevista realizada até o terceiro dia após o nascimento e dos prontuários médicos do bebê. Entre três e sete dias após início da amamentação foram aplicados dois questionários para avaliação de autoeficácia: a) com relação aos cuidados (Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy – PMP); b) com relação à amamentação (Brastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale – Short-Form – BSE - SF). No primeiro retorno após a alta hospitalar do bebê, o BSES – SF foi reaplicado, e 60 dias após o nascimento foi verificado no prontuário, ou por contato telefônico se os bebês continuavam sendo amamentados. Resultados: A mediana da idade gestacional foi de 32 semanas e o tempo médio de internação foi de 20 dias. Na alta 85% dos prematuros estavam em aleitamento materno exclusivo, e até 60 dias após o nascimento 31,7% continuaram em aleitamento materno exclusivo. Nenhuma mãe pontuou para baixa autoeficácia, e altos índices de autoeficácia foram predominantes em mães com maior idade, multíparas e cujo recém-nascido teve melhor vitalidade ao nascer. A autoeficácia não se associou com tempo de amamentação, mas nascer pequeno para a idade gestacional foi fator de proteção e maior idade materna foi fator de risco para o desmame. Conclusão: A alta autoeficácia na amamentação não se associou com risco de desmame. As taxas de aleitamento materno foram elevadas na alta hospitalar mas caíram drasticamente 60 dias após o nascimento, o que sinaliza para a necessidade de retornos mais frequentes aos serviços de saúde após a alta para continuar encorajando o aleitamento materno, dando orientações técnicas ajustadas às necessidades individuais de cada mãe, visando aumentar seu empoderamento, sua percepção de autoeficácia e confiança em sua capacidade de amamentar. / Introduction: Breastfeeding propitiates not only nutritional and immunological advantages, but also essential moments of mother-baby interaction. According to the literature, when a newborn, especially if premature, is separated from the mother to be admitted into a Neonatal Unit, several factors can impair breastfeeding and its duration. Research with infants born at full-term shows that among several factors maternal perception of self-efficacy is associated with exclusively breastfeeding for a longer period and weaning at a later date. However, little is known about the role of self-efficacy in mothers of premature babies. Objectives: Evaluating the perception of self-efficacy in mothers of premature babies during hospitalization and after discharge and its association to breastfeeding and weaning. Methodology: A longitudinal study with 47 mothers of premature babies whose sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained through an on-site interview conducted up to three days after birth and from the baby’s medical charts. From three to seven days after they first started breastfeeding, two questionnaires were used to evaluate self-efficacy: a) the - Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy (PMP-E); and b) the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale – Short-Form (BSES-SF). On the first consultation after discharge the BSES-SF questionnaire was applied once more and and 60 days after birth medical charts were consulted or by phone contact to check whether the mother was still breastfeeding. Results: Average gestational age was 32 weeks at birth and the children were admitted for an average of 20 days. 85.1% of the children were discharged on exclusive breastfeeding and up to 60 days after birth 31.7% continued on exclusive breastfeeding. No mother had a low score on self-efficacy and high levels of self-efficacy were predominant in older mothers who had given birth before and whose children had higher Apgar scores. No mother scored for low self-efficacy, and high self-efficacy rates were predominant in older mothers, multiparous, and whose newborn had better vitality at birth.Self-efficacy was not associated with breastfeeding time but being small for gestational age appeared as a protective factor and having an older mother a risk factor for weaning. Conclusion: The high self-efficacy in breastfeeding was not associated with risk of weaning. Breastfeeding rates were high at hospital discharge but dropped dramatically 60 days after birth, signaling the need for more frequent returns to post-discharge health services to continue encouraging breastfeeding, providing technical guidance tailored to individual needs of each mother, in order to increase their empowerment, their perception of self-efficacy and confidence in their ability to breastfeed.

The understanding of maternal factors associated with child feeding problems is limited due to a lack of research which has examined a comprehensive range of maternal factors and the existing literature focussing on a narrow range of ideas about the wider familial context in which feeding problems occur. The broad aim of this thesis is to investigate maternal parenting of children with and without clinical feeding problems to provide insights into the wider context in which feeding problems occur. In study 1, thematic analysis of interviews with 10 mothers of children with, and 10 mothers of children without, clinical feeding problems revealed that mothers of children with clinical feeding problems appeared to have less maternal self-efficacy for managing parenting challenges than mothers in the non-clinical group. A template analysis found that these perceptions seemed to be informed by four theoretical sources of self-efficacy: mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experience and physiological state. In study 2, 278 mothers of children with and without clinical feeding problems completed existing self-report measures of maternal self-efficacy. It was found that lower levels of maternal self-efficacy for establishing structure and routine around instrumental child care tasks and for implementing discipline and setting limits for the child was predictive of problematic child feeding behaviour and maladaptive maternal responses to child feeding problems. In study 3, 215 mothers of children with and without feeding problems completed self-report measures of the theoretical components of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experience, physiological state). Physiological state was found to be the strongest predictor of maternal self-efficacy for establishing structure and routines as well as for providing discipline and setting limits for the child. Maternal self-efficacy mediated the relationship between physiological state and problematic child feeding behaviour and the relationship between parenting stress and maladaptive maternal responses. The final study was a pilot study using autophotography. This study explored parenting dimensions and tasks which contributed towards perceptions of maternal self-efficacy in 13 mothers of children without clinical feeding problems. Findings suggested that child feeding was an especially difficult and complex task for mothers to manage, with many mothers reporting perceptions of low efficacy for managing mealtimes. This appeared to be due to the large number of health related concerns and the worry mothers felt when children did not eat a healthful diet. Overall, results of this thesis suggest that mothers who lack confidence in their ability to manage child behaviour report more problematic child feeding behaviours and use more maladaptive strategies for managing feeding problems. Findings of the studies in this thesis suggest that mothers of children with feeding problems, and who are experiencing high levels of stress, may be especially vulnerable to lower levels of maternal self-efficacy which may exacerbate difficulties. Increasing maternal self-efficacy for providing structure, routines and discipline in mothers experiencing feeding problems in their children may improve outcomes for those affected.

abstract: Purpose: To examine: (1) whether Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) with diagnosed arthritis differed in self-reported physical activity (PA) levels, (2) if NHB and NHW with arthritis differed on potential correlates of PA based on the Social Ecological Model (Mcleroy et al., 1988), and (3) if PA participation varied by race/ethnicity after controlling for age, gender, education, and BMI. Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis of data collected from 2006-2008 in Chicago, IL as part of the Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion. Bivariate analyses were used to assess potential differences between race in meeting either ACR or ACSM PA guidelines. Comparisons by race between potential socio-demographic correlates and meeting physical activity guidelines were assessed using Chi-squares. Potential differences by race in psychosocial, arthritis, and health-related and environmental correlates were assessed using T-tests. Finally, logistic regression analyses were used to examine if race was still associated with PA after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Results: A greater proportion of NHW (68.1% and 35.3%) than NHB (46.5% and 20.9%) met both the arthritis-specific and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations for physical activity, respectively. NHB had significantly lower self-efficacy for exercise and reported greater impairments in physical function compared to NHW. Likewise, NHB reported more crime and less aesthetics within their neighborhood. NHW were 2.56 times more likely to meet arthritis-specific PA guidelines than NHB after controlling for age, gender, education, marital status, and BMI. In contrast, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, age and gender were the only significant predictors of meeting ACSM PA guidelines. Discussion: There were significant differences between NHB and NHW individuals with arthritis in meeting PA guidelines. After controlling for age, gender, education, and BMI non-Hispanic White individuals were still significantly more likely to meet PA guidelines. Interventions aimed at promoting higher levels of physical activity among individuals with arthritis need to consider neighborhood aesthetics and crime when designing programs. More arthritis-specific programs are needed in close proximity to neighborhoods in an effort to promote physical activity. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Exercise and Wellness 2013

Care work is emotionally and physically demanding and is coupled with organisational challenges. As such, care work has been associated with emotional exhaustion which not only negatively impacts staff but also the care that they provide. Greater understanding of the psychological health of dementia care staff and their perceptions of their work will provide insights into how this group may be better supported. The first paper provides a review of the literature relating to psychological outcomes in dementia care staff. The literature identified was viewed in terms of an existing model of psychological health, the BASIC Ph, with the aim of evaluating the evidence and enhancing understanding of psychological health in this group. The utility of this model was also evaluated. The model highlighted areas for potential intervention as well as those for future research. Clinical implications for Clinical Psychologists were also discussed. The second paper aimed to increase understanding of the experiences of dementia care assistants who perceived themselves to be competent in their role. Eight care assistants who had high levels of self-efficacy were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed four superordinate themes. Accounts of experiencing dilemmas provided important contextual information and constituted the first superordinate theme. The second theme 'togetherness and connection' described participants' experience of the need for support, closeness and the value of engaging with older people with dementia. The third theme encompassed the attunement between care assistants and the older people for whom they cared and described empathy, personal perspective-taking and circularity of emotion as guides to care. The final theme 'caring as part of life' described the link between caring and identity as well as a genuine interest in people, an accepting attitude and motivation to care. These themes provide fruitful areas for further research and have implications for care staff training.

It has long been accepted in the field of EFL teaching and learning that writing in a foreign language by learners is a complex practice that involves not only cognition, but also psychology. With this in mind, in the present study, social-psychological and social-cognitive research frameworks were adopted to explore the relationship between the writing attitudes, apprehension and self-efficacy of Saudi learners of English, and their writing performance, with a view to expanding the frontiers of current scholarship. This relationship was investigated on two levels: that of writing in general, and that of writing specific types of text. This relationship has been neglected in previous research; in addition, the scope of past studies of Saudi students has been limited to only one of the two traditional genders. The current study was designed to contribute to filling these gaps. The thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter One introduces the objectives, research question, theoretical framework and background of the study. Chapter Two reviews the related literature. Chapter Three describes the sample population, data collection and procedures. Chapter Four deals with the data analyses. Chapter Five discusses the findings and implications of the investigation. Chapter Six presents a summary and conclusions. The research found no correlation between psychological characteristics and writing performance in general, nor between psychological characteristics and the writing of narrative and persuasive text types, in particular. Overall, the results conflict with those of previous studies, in that it was found that rather than psychological characteristics influencing writing performance gender difference influenced writing performance, and the psychological characteristics did not influence anything, it was the other way round, gender difference also influenced psychological characteristics. This thesis thus contributes to the growing body of knowledge in the field of EFL, by providing evidence that the influence of psychological characteristics on writing is not salient in every socio-cultural context, and that the writers' gender can have an effect on their writing performance.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / This study aimed to synthesise the debates on factors associated with promoting resilience among women survivors of sexual abuse. Using systematic review methodology, six electronic databases (EBSCO, PsychINFO, SAGE, Science Direct, Springerlink and JSTOR) were used. Several keywords related to resilience and sexual abuse were utilised to search for articles published between January 2000 and December 2013 for inclusion. These primary studies were collocated, systematically assessed, synthesised and interpreted. Using two reviewers, data extraction was conducted in three stages, namely: the title reading, the abstract reading and the full text reading of articles. For the quality assessment, four instruments were employed, two of which were self-constructed tools. Thirty articles acquired an acceptable threshold score during the analysis and were used to compose this systematic review. Findings of this review highlighted that resilience is multidimensional; that is, it is made up of intrinsic and extrinsic resources/factors and is also a complex gradual dynamic process with specific indicators. These indicators include demonstration of competence and excellent functioning in important areas of life such as work, relationships, self-management, psychological well-being, and good health. Ten interacting factors were identified as promoting resilience including, 1) availability of social support from family and friends; 2) ego resources; 3) temperament/personality factors; 4) biographic characteristics; 5) ability to regulate emotions; 6) cultural factors; 7) positive life opportunities; 8) religion and spirituality; 9) abuse related factors; and 10) coping skills/strategies. These factors interact together, leading the survivor to be resilient. Major findings of the study as well as the implications for practice and further research are discussed.

In Taiwan, the running race has become a prevalent physical activity (PA) over the past decade. A personalized running program, Run-Up, is a middle distance running unit that integrates a series of educational activities into an existing high school physical education (PE) course for enhancing students’ efficacy beliefs and enjoyment of running. Self-efficacy theory (SET) provided a framework to help the researcher understand how and why the Run-Up program activities affect students’ efficacy beliefs and perspectives on running. This qualitative case study was designed to explore the effectiveness of the Run-Up program in promoting high school students’ self-efficacy and enjoyment of a middle distance running in a single class of grade twelve students in Taiwan. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with students and the teacher, their course feedback forms, and the samples of their journal entries including the students’ course work and teacher’s teaching notes. Data were analyzed by using constant comparison. Three resulting themes explicated how diverse learning activities integrated with multiple learning strategies in the Run-Up program could serve as an avenue to foster high school students’ self-efficacy and enjoyment of running. Comments from both the teacher and students highlighted the value of the Run-Up program as an educational PA program. / Graduate

Midwives are often the lead providers of maternity care for women. To provide the variety of care required by women, they need to be confident in their role and practice. To date, only limited evidence exists in relation to confidence as experienced by midwives. This thesis aims to explore the phenomena of confidence through the lived experience of midwives. In particular, this will encompass confidence in the context of the intrapartum care setting. The theoretical basis for the study was hermeneutic phenomenology, guided by the work of Heidegger and Gadamer. Midwives were recruited from three clinical settings to obtain a diversity of views and experiences. Rich data from diaries and in-depth interviews, from twelve participants, provided insight into the phenomena of confidence and the factors midwives encountered that affected their confidence. The phenomena of confidence consisted of a dynamic balance, between the cognitive and affective elements of knowledge, experience and emotion. This balance was fragile and easily lost, leading to a loss of confidence. Confidence was viewed as vital to midwifery practice by the participants of the study; however, maintaining their confidence was often likened to a battle. A number of cultural and contextual factors were identified as affecting confidence within the working environment, including trust, collegial relationships and organisational influences. Midwives also described various coping strategies they utilised to maintain their confidence in the workplace environment. This study provides unique insight into the phenomena of confidence for midwives working in intrapartum care, resulting in a number of recommendations. These highlight the importance of leadership, education and support for midwives in the clinical environment in enabling them to develop and maintain confidence in practice.

This study examines the extent to which locus of control and social support are linked to self-efficacy with regard to disease management in HIV-positive adults. Perceived ability to effectively manage illness was measured with the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale. Scores from the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale were used as predictors. The gender-balanced sample (N = 69) of HIV+ adults was primarily African-American (65.3%) and European American (30.5%), with a mean age of 47 years (SD = 8.37). Correlational analyses suggested significant positive relationships between self-efficacy, social support, and locus of control due to powerful others. A regression analysis found that the model accounted for 23% of the variance in self-efficacy (adj. R-squared =.23, F (5, 63) = 4.81, p < .01), with social support (&#946; = .37, t = 3.28, p < .01) and locus of control (&#946; = .25, t = 2.26, p < .05) both significant predictors. Results suggest that social support and locus of control contribute to the belief that HIV can be managed. Interestingly, an external locus of control contributed to this belief, perhaps due to the perception of a physician, religious icon, or partner as a "powerful other." Results suggest that a strong supportive relationship with a trusted other along with enhanced social support typically associated with group-based interventions may improve health outcomes by increasing self-efficacy in disease management in HIV-positive adults.