The perception of self-efficacy is a central cognitive construct in explaining motivation. Assigned goals are established in the literature as affecting self-efficacy, but only a few researchers investigated their effects in complex tasks. One stream of research revealed the positive effects of easy goals on performance in a complex task without regard to self-efficacy perceptions. In the present study, the focus was on the effects of assigned, easy goals on self-efficacy and personal goals in complex task performance. It was expected that easy goals would be superior to moderate or impossible goals because the complexity and uncertainty of the task distorts subjects' perceptions of goal difficulty.

EXPLORING THE PERCEPTION OF SELF-EFFICACY AMONG TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS IN MEETING THE DEMANDS OF CONTEMPORARY SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVES

Stress är vanligt förekommande hos studenter. Tidigare forskning har visat att self-efficacy reducerar stress och self-handicapping. Syftet med studien var att undersöka sambandet mellan akademisk self- efficacy, self-handicapping och upplevd stress samt vilka variabler som förklarar mest variation i upplevd stress. Deltagarna var 156 studerande, varav 24 män, på en högskola i Mellansverige. Deltagarna besvarade en enkät bestående av Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), College Academic Self-efficacy Scale (CASES) samt Self- handicapping Scale (SHS). Resultaten visade att akademisk self- efficacy hade ett negativt samband med stress och self-handicapping. Däremot hade self-handicapping ett positivt samband med stress. En hierarkisk regression visade att både akademisk self-efficacy och self- handicapping förklarade signifikant variation i upplevd stress och att det var akademisk self-efficacy som bidrog mest. Studien bidrar med kunskap om studenternas situation och för framtida forskning skulle det vara intressant att göra interventionsstudier med fokus på att höja akademisk self-efficacy hos studenter.

The purpose of this study was to examine familial influence on adolescents' self-efficiency and intentions to commit to cancer-risk reducing behaviors (breast and testicular self-exams, reducing fat intake, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and exercising regularly). Specifically, the relationship between family commitment to cancer-risk reducing behaviors and adolescents' self-efficacy and intentions to commit to these behaviors as mediated by adolescents' perceptions of family importance of cancer-risk reducing behaviors were examined. The current study also examined whether there are ethnic differences in family commitment to cancer-risk reducing behaviors, adolescents' perceptions of family importance of cancer-risk reducing behaviors, and adolescents' self-efficacy and intentions to commit to these behaviors. Data for this study were collected as part of data collected for A Bridge to Better Health (BRIDGE) (1 R01 CA102760-01A1 - P.I. S Danish), a life skills program that was created to promote cancer-risk reduction among adolescents. Participants were 1,509 ninth grade students who were recruited from health and physical education classes from 6 high schools in Chesterfield County, VA. The results of this study provided support for perceptions of family importance of cancer-risk reducing behaviors as a mediator between family commitment to cancer-risk reducing behaviors and adolescents' self-efficacy and intentions to commit to these behaviors. The results of this study also provided support for ethnic differences in levels of family commitment to, family importance of, and self-efficacy and intentions to commit to cancer-risk reducing behaviors. Implications for future research on familial influences on adolescents' health behaviors are discussed, as well as interventions aimed to promote cancer-risk reduction among adolescents.

This study considered the effects of mentoring on protégés’ beliefs in their abilities to be leaders and on their development of interpersonal skills. This study explored, in 260 business graduate students, the relationship between (a) mentoring and leadership self-efficacy and (b) mentoring and political skill. Participants completed surveys including the Self-Efficacy for Leadership Scale, the Political Skill Inventory, and the Mentoring Functions Questionnaire. Comparisons between non-mentored and mentored individuals showed that having a mentor is associated with increased political skill (p < .05) but not increased leadership self-efficacy (p > .05). Among mentored individuals, higher quality mentoring relationships are associated with significantly higher leadership-self efficacy (p < .01) but not with significantly higher political skill (p > .05). The presence of a mentor is important for protégé development of political skill, but the quality of the mentoring relationship is important for protégé development of leadership self-efficacy.

Consumers consistently pursue new beginnings regarding health, financial wellbeing, and personal growth. Conceptual metaphors like the "fresh start" can be powerful tools for reframing problems and motivating behaviors (Coulter and Zaltman 2000; Lakoff and Johnson 1980; Landau, Keefer and Meier 2010; Thibodeau and Boroditsky 2011), and are frequently featured in movies, blogs, strategic marketing communication, and products. However, research has not examined whether fresh starts can indeed help consumers set new goals and improve their performance. This dissertation seeks to explore the role of the fresh start metaphor in consumers' lives. In Chapter 2, I define the fresh start as consumers' pursuit of new beginnings, and develop a reliable scale distinct from related constructs such as optimism, hope, entity theory and psychological closure. I find that consumers who score higher on the fresh start scale focus on the future more optimistically, report higher intentions to set new goals, and increase efforts toward health and financial budgeting. In Chapter 3, I investigate whether actively engaging the metaphor of the fresh start can change consumer outcomes. I find that when participants are prompted to activate a fresh start they expect to perform better on a challenging task (e.g., losing weight or saving money) because it increases their belief that present obstacles will have less hold in the future. I also find that a fresh start translates into performance improvements when participants perform poorly on a task in a personally important domain, and self-efficacy mediates the effect. Overall, results provide strong support for the role of the fresh start as a powerful tool that consumers can use to improve well-being, overcome poor performance, set new goals, and transform for the better.

M.A. / None

Cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities are causing substantial financial losses for governments and organizations all over the world. Cybersecurity criminals are stealing more than one billion dollars from banks every year by exploiting vulnerabilities caused by bank users' computer misuse. Cybersecurity breaches are threatening the common welfare of citizens since more and more terrorists are using cyberterrorism to target critical infrastructures (e.g., transportation, telecommunications, power, nuclear plants, water supply, banking) to coerce the targeted government and its people to accomplish their political objectives. Cyberwar is another major concern that nations around the world are struggling to get ready to fight. It has been found that intentional and unintentional users' misuse of information systems (IS) resources represents about 50% to 75% of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities to organizations. Computer Crime and Security Survey revealed that nearly 60% of security breaches occurred from inside the organization by users. Computer users are one of the weakest links in the information systems security chain, because users seem to have very limited or no knowledge of user computer self-efficacy (CSE), cybersecurity countermeasures awareness (CCA), and cybersecurity skills (CS). Users' CSE, CCA, and CS play an important role in users' computer misuse intention (CMI). CMI can be categorized as unauthorized access, use, disruption, modification, disclosure, inspection, recording, or destruction of information system data. This dissertation used a survey to empirically assess users' CSE, CCA, CS, and computer misuse intention (CMI) at government agencies. This study used Partial Least Square (PLS) technique to measure the fit of a theoretical model that includes seven independent latent variables (CSE, UAS-P, UAS-T, UAC-M, CCS, CIS, & CAS) and their influences on the dependent variable CMI. Also, PLS was used to examine if the six control variables (age, gender, job function, education level, length of working in the organization, & military status such as veteran) had any significant impact on CMI. This study included data collected from 185 employees of a local and state transportation agency from a large metropolitan in the northeastern United States. Participants received an email invitation to take the Web-based survey. PLS was used to test the four research hypotheses. The results of the PLS model showed that UAC-M and CIS were significant contributors (p

This study examined personal, social, and demographic factors related to physical activity (PA) level and body mass index (BMI) in adolescent African American (AA) females. The participants were 211 AA females from selected parochial schools in a city in the southern U.S. Participants completed the Physical Activity Determinant Scale (PADS: Mitchell & Kontos, 2002), the Three Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR: Weston, Petosa & Pate, 1997), the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ: Godin & Shepard, 1985), and demographic items. Height and weight measures were taken to assess BMI. Results from logistic regression indicated that the personal factor was a significant (p<.001, ExpB=4.65) predictor of PA level, and the social factor (p<.05, ExpB=1.43), age (p<.05, ExpB=.74), and age at menarche (p<.05, ExpB=.80) were significant predictors of low BMI for age. Results from ANOVA revealed that late maturers had significantly (p<.05) lower BMI scores, but were no more physically active than early and average maturers. Findings suggest that female adolescent AAs exert more control over personal PA factors, than social PA factors, such as peer pressure and sport socialization. Additionally, BMI was not related to PA for this sample, suggesting that BMI may be influenced by other factors not investigated in the current study. Based on these findings, potential interventions should focus on aspects of the personal factor for increasing PA in adolescent AA females. Future investigations are needed to further explore the relationship between personal, social, and demographic factors, and PA and BMI for adolescent AA females.

Sexuell hälsa är betydelsefullt i alla människors liv. Personer med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning möter ofta barriärer som hindrar dem att uttrycka sin sexualitet. Personalen är outbildad inom området, därav använder sig av sin egen moral i bemötandet. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur bemötande till sexualitet hos personer med intellektuell funktionsnedsättning, hos den bedömde ser ut. Påverkas bemötandet till sexualitet av graden av intellektuell funktionsnedsättning och self-efficacy av bedömaren? Sammanlagt deltog 96 socionomstudenter och 38 boendestödjare i en vinjettstudie med experimentell mellangruppsdesign. Vinjetten varierade i två olika betingelser. Deltagare fick ta ställning med hjälp av egengjorda skalor och en self-efficacy skala. Resultatet visar positivt samband mellan self-efficacy och pedagogisk kompetens hos bedömaren. I fråga om bemötandet i relation till sexualitet och graden av intellektuell funktionsnedsättning visades ingen signifikant skillnad. Förslag på framtida forskning är att undersöka hur skillnader ser ut beroende på kön hos den bedömde.