Shea Ling Yu, Kitty. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-70). / Abstracts in English and Chinese; questionnaire in Chinese.

Nesta pesquisa foi desenvolvido um modelo de ensino considerando a dimensão afetiva integrada numa estratégia de aprendizagem para fortalecer o desempenho dos estudantes do curso de Ciências Contábeis durante à formação profissional. Para realizar o estudo, foi criado um curso a distância em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem, aplicando a teoria da autoeficácia como estratégia de realização das atividades no curso. A Autoeficácia é um construto teórico da psicologia que condiz com os aspectos da responsabilidade social de contadores. A escolha de experimentar esse construto na modalidade de ensino a distância se deve à motivação de aliar aspectos afetivos à realidade tecnológica no modo virtual, participante do mundo acadêmico e do mercado profissional. A pesquisa está sedimentada no programa de governo Universidade Aberta do Brasil – UAB, executado em instituições de ensino superior como facilitador da formação profissional. A abordagem do desenvolvimento da pesquisa configura-se no modo qualitativo e utiliza a técnica de estudo de caso único comum com unidades incorporadas A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no laboratório de informática do Programa de Pós Graduação em Informática na Educação, no Centro Interdisciplinar de Novas Tecnologias de Educação (CINTED), na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, com alunos do curso de graduação em Ciências Contábeis da Universidade Federal do Maranhão –UFMA. A coleta de dados foi constituída por um questionário geral de Autoeficácia, escala de Autoestima e por observações das repostas e expressões dos alunos nas atividades. Para análise de dados, foi utilizado o método de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados indicam que o construto da Autoeficácia serve de apoio para docentes estruturarem e incorporarem a experiência vicária em suas práticas, a distância ou presencial, quando são oferecidas experiências de aprendizagem adequadas aos alunos. Todavia, o construto da autoeficácia pode ser associado a outros construtos, razão pela qual se insere na coleta de dados a escala de autoestima para melhor percepção sobre o desempenho dos alunos. / In this research, we developed an educational model considering the affective dimension, integrated into a learning strategy with the goal to strengthen the performance of students in the course of Accounting Sciences during vocational training. In order to conduct the study, we created a distance learning course in virtual learning environment, applying the theory of self-efficacy as a strategy for the execution of activities in the course. Self-efficacy is a broad theoretical construct that conforms to the social responsibility aspects of accountants. The choice to experience this construct in the modality of distance education is due to the motivation to combine emotional aspects and the technological reality in virtual mode, which is part of the academic world and the professional market. The research is sedimented on the government program Open University of Brazil – UAB, run on institutions of higher education as a facilitator of vocational training. The approach to the development of the research is qualitative and makes uses of the technique of single common case study with incorporated units The research was developed in the computer laboratory of the Postgraduate Program in Computing on Education, in the Interdisciplinary Center of New Technologies in Education (CINTED), at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, with students of the undergraduate course in Accounting Sciences of the Federal University of Maranhão –UFMA. Data collection was constituted by a general self-efficacy questionnaire, the self-esteem scale and by observations of the answers and of the pupils' expressions during the activities. For data analysis, the content analysis method was used. The results suggest that the self-efficacy construct serves as support for teachers to structure and incorporate the vicarious experience in their practices, either in the classroom or by distance, when appropriate learning experiences are offered to students. However, the construct of self-efficacy can be associated to other constructs, reason why the self-esteem is inserted in data collection, for a better perception on the performance of the students.

En kvalitativ studie genomfördes med intervjuer av 12 respondenter, varav sex nuvarande och sex utexaminerade studenter på en PA-utbildning. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka nuvarande och utexaminerade PA-studenters upplevelse av sin egen förmåga att hantera olika arbetsrelaterade uppgifter. Detta gjordes med hjälp av teorierna Work Selfefficayoch Self-efficacy. Man undersökte också om det har skett någon förändring sedanrespondenterna påbörjade sina studier eller arbeten. Med hjälp av Work self-efficacyinventorys (WS-Ei) förbestämda skalor undersöktes en rad olika upplevelser av temansåsom effektiv inlärning, arbetsuppgifter, problemlösning, stress/tidpress, team/grupp,rolluppfyllning, mål/resultat och regler/företagskultur. Ur empirin växte det sedan fram kategorier såsom arbetslivserfarenhet, utbildning, självkännedom, personlighet ochstöd/feedback. Dessa kategorier ansågs vara avgörande för nuvarande och utexamineradestudenters upplevelser av sin WSE. De var även samma kategorier som ansågs vara orsakentill varför respondenterna upplevde en förändring sedan de börjat studera/arbeta. / Program: Organisations- och personalutvecklare i samhället

Den här uppsatsen undersöker könsskillnader på de beroende variablerna livskvalitet, stress och self-efficacy. Den undersöker också om de oberoende variablerna fritidsintressen, ålder och socialt stöd påverkar. Frågeställningen är om det finns en negativ korrelation mellan stress och livskvalitet samt en negativ korrelation mellan stress och self-efficacy och slutligen om det finnas en positiv korrelation mellan livskvalitet och self-efficacy. I studien användes kvantitativ metod och stress mäts med PSS-10, self-efficacy med GSE och livskvalitet med BBQ. Pearsons korrelationstest visade på negativa korrelationer mellan livskvalitet och stress samt mellan stress och self-efficacy. Det fanns även en positiv korrelation mellan livskvalitet och self-efficacy. Multipel regression visade att socialt stöd predicerar livskvalitet och self-efficacy signifikant positivt och socialt stöd predicerar stress signifikant negativt.  Kön predicerar self-efficacy signifikant positiv och stress signifikant negativt. Oberoende t-test visade att det fanns signifikanta skillnader mellan könen på både self-efficacy och stress. Livskvalitet hade ingen korrelation med kön och oberoende t-test visade att det inte fanns någon signifikant könsskillnad på livskvalitet.

Self-efficacy is individuals' judgments regarding their capabilities to carry out future tasks or challenges. These judgments of capability are related to important learning behaviours such as effort and persistence, performance, and choice of career path. In order to support students' continued engagement with and learning of mathematics, it is important to consider how students make sense of their mathematical experiences as well as the relationship between students' mastery experiences and mathematics self-efficacy. In this thesis I address important gaps in the literature in regard to the conceptualisation of the self-efficacy construct, the relationship between self-efficacy and mathematics performance, the stability and change of self-efficacy when learning new topics in mathematics, and self-efficacy development over a series of lessons in mathematics across cycles of self-efficacy and mastery experiences. The thesis included two phases of data collection and analysis. The first phase involved students in grades 5, 8, and 9 (N = 756) and included measures of students' self-efficacy and national test performance. The second phase involved students in grades 6 and 10 (N = 181) and included repeated measures of students' self-efficacy and mastery experiences from a series of lessons in mathematics, when students were introduced to new topics. I analysed the data using different methods, including confirmatory factor analyses to investigate the structural validity of my measures, and structural equation models to investigate stability and change over time, and relationships between constructs. Major findings from the analysis include the following: students considered levels of difficulty when appraising their experiences in mathematics and when forming their self-efficacy; students' test performance predicted their self-efficacy one year later, but not the other way around; the mean-level of students' self-efficacy grew significantly across lessons when students were introduced to new topics, even as the rank-order of their self-efficacy remained highly stable; and there was a reciprocal relationship between students' self-efficacy and their mastery experiences, where substantial effects from both constructs on gains in the other construct remained stable across a sequence of lessons in mathematics. The findings have important implications for how we conceptualise self-efficacy, mastery experiences, and their relationship over time. Furthermore, the findings from my thesis have implications for teacher practice. In order to support adaptive self-efficacy, teachers need to consider the experiences students have with mathematics, not just the skills they learn. If teachers themselves gain knowledge about how individual students make sense of their mathematical experiences, they can support students' appraisals of these experiences, and prevent maladaptive cycles from occurring. In short, students need support not just to develop their mathematical skills, but also to develop adaptive appraisals of their mathematical experiences, in order to form self-efficacy beliefs that are reflective of each student's potential to learn mathematics.

presente trabalho objetiva analisar a influência da inserção de conteúdos conceituais e procedimentais, em um programa de condicionamento físico, sobre a prática autônoma de exercícios físicos. A metodologia foi o estudo de dois grupos: um realizou apenas exercícios e outro também recebeu orientação conceitual. Foi aplicado um questionário de conhecimentos e realizada autoaferição da frequência cardíaca, pré e pós-intervenção. Utilizou-se ANOVA não paramétrica para medidas repetidas com nível de significância de 5%. Foram realizadas entrevistas através de grupo focal e individualmente. Como resultado, tem-se que os grupos eram semelhantes inicialmente, após o programa foi observado aumento significante no número de acertos no questionário de conhecimentos no grupo intervenção. Conclui-se que o programa se mostrou adequado para a aquisição de conteúdos sobre exercícios físicos. Contudo, é importante que estratégias de adesão e superação de barreiras sejam incluídas em programas que visem à prática de exercícios físicos de maneira autônoma / The autonomous practice of physical exercises requires knowledge related to the topic. Objective: To analyze the influence of the inclusion of conceptual and procedural contents in a fitness program on independent practice of physical exercises. Methods: Two groups were studied: one performed only physical exercises and the other also received conceptual orientation. A knowledge questionnaire was applied and the subjects were asked to measure heart rate before and after the intervention. Nonparametric ANOVA for repeated measures was applied with significance level of 5%. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted. Results: The groups were similar initially. After the program, the intervention group significantly increased the number of correct answers on the questionnaire. Conclusion: The program proved to be suitable for the acquisition of contents related to physical exercises. However, overcoming barriers and adherence strategies have to be considered in programs that aim to promote self-efficacy and regular physical exercise practices

In the current study, structural equation modeling is used to explore the complex relationships between environmental and individual factors as they influence multidimensional indices of adjustment among a sample of Chilean adolescents. The first aim was to examine the direct relationships between school contextual factors and both educational and socioemotional outcomes. The second aim was to determine the mediational effect of academic self-efficacy and school connectedness on these relationships. Invariance testing was then applied to the full structural model to determine whether demographic variables such as sex or school placement had significant moderating effects on path coefficients. Participants in this study included 893 (428 male and 465 female) 9th through 12th grade students sampled from four distinct high school settings in and around Santiago, Chile. The Chilean Ministry of Education identified three of the four schools as "priority" (meaning "high risk") public high schools based on academic achievement, area poverty, local economic prospects, and school demographics (e.g., drop-out rate). The fourth school is a private Catholic school that is partially subsidized by the government and located in central urban Santiago. Overall, findings from this study highlight that school contextual assets and stressors have a significant impact on the multidimensional adjustment of Chilean adolescents, both directly and by influencing individual academic self-efficacy and school connectedness. Direct relationships were found between school contextual factors and both educational and socioemotional outcomes. In addition, results highlighted the significant mediating effect of both school connectedness and academic self-efficacy in these relationships, reinforcing the central protective role of such factors in the school engagement and adjustment of youth. Lastly, invariance testing revealed significant differences in model fit between groups based on school type but not sex. Culturally embedded implications for intervention and future research are discussed.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are serious health issues that continue to affect many nations. Specifically, the sub-Saharan African region has the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS worldwide. Africans living in informal settlements or townships have the highest prevalence of HIV in South Africa. Persons of low socioeconomic status (SES) in general become socialised into unhealthy behaviours and risk factors at early ages, and experience poor health outcomes. Physical activity (PA) is one cost-effective, non-pharmacological approach that has been reported as conjunctive therapy for HIV to effectively address these impairments. Aim: The aim of the study was to develop a contextualized intervention that promotes PA among persons living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) of low SES. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used. Studies included (1) a systematic review which assessed (a) specific and useful intervention techniques that were previously used in successful PA interventions (b) relevant behaviour change theories used to develop the intervention content, (2) a narrative review which examined the available literature on PA, social support and SES with a view to inform the design of effective PA interventions for PLWHA of low SES, (3) a cross sectional study which aimed at determining if age, body weight, height, gender, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), educational attainment, employment status, CD4+ cell count, and body mass index (BMI) could predict overall PA among PLWHA of low SES in Cross roads Township in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (4) a cross-sectional study which (a) examined the PA profile of PLWHA of low SES based on PA domains and intensity and (b) determined whether employment status and level of education can predict PA among PLWHA of low SES in Cross roads Township in the Western Cape Province, South Africa (5) a mixed methods study which investigated the benefits and barriers of PA for HIV-positive women of low SES using the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale and focus group discussions, (6) a study which sought to develop a contextualised intervention for promoting PA among PLWHA of low SES and (7) a crossover study conducted at a community centre caring for HIV positive Black African Xhosa-speaking women of low SES in Nyanga Township in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Results: The systematic literature review showed that the following techniques, namely, ‘provide feedback on performance’, ‘goal setting (behaviour)’, and ‘plan social support/social change’ were the most frequently used behavioural change techniques in interventions focusing on promoting PA for the management of chronic diseases amongst individuals of low SES. The review also showed that the Transtheoretical model of behaviour change and the Social Cognitive theory were the common theoretical frameworks of most study interventions.

Smoking remains a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Despite declining rates of smoking in developed countries, smoking prevalence remains high, and there is evidence that it has plateaued in recent years. Individuals with a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis represent a disproportionate percentage of those who continue to smoke and are particularly at-risk given they smoke at higher rates and consume more cigarettes compared to those with no diagnosis. Moreover, these individuals are often excluded from clinical trials of smoking cessation, making it difficult to generalize results of previous intervention studies. In the general literature of smoking cessation, smoking cessation self-efficacy, or one’s confidence in their ability to abstain from smoking, is a consistent predictor of positive abstinence outcomes. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to investigate smoking cessation self-efficacy as a predictor of abstinence outcomes in a population of treatment-seeking smokers with and without a history of psychiatric illness. To accomplish this, articles 1 and 2 investigated the psychometric properties of a multi-item measure of cessation self-efficacy. This entailed comparing the measure to other indices of smoking, and conducting a confirmatory factor analysis to ensure factor invariance and equivalence of the measure regardless of psychiatric status. We found a moderate correlation between our multi-item scale to a single-item measure of confidence to quit, as well as support for both the original two-factor model as well as a three-factor model, which explained 79.3% of the variance. Our results also supported the measure as being factor invariant across psychiatric diagnoses. Next, articles 3 and 4 investigated how this measure of cessation self-efficacy predicted several smoking outcomes (10-, 22- and 52-weeks following target-quit date), and whether this relationship was mediated by concurrent smoking and other interpersonal-indices of smoking cessation (nicotine withdrawal, negative affect). In article 3, we found support for a bidirectional and reciprocal relationship between smoking cessation self-efficacy and smoking status. While changes in concurrent behavior (smoking or abstinent) did impact subsequent evaluations of self-efficacy, the inverse was also true. Moreover, both concurrent smoking and cessation self-efficacy predicted outcomes at week 10. Article 4 built on this framework and investigated this relationship at 22- and 52-weeks post-target quit-date. Our results highlight the robust association between cessation self-efficacy and abstinence. Higher cessation self-efficacy was positively associated with better abstinence outcomes, even after controlling for concurrent smoking, withdrawal, and negative affect. Further, there was evidence that cessation self-efficacy partially mediated the impact of withdrawal and negative affect. In our fully adjusted model (adjusting for demographic characteristics, baseline smoking levels, withdrawal and negative affect), cessation self-efficacy along among the interpersonal-determinants predicted abstinence outcomes (Odds ratio = 1.078, 95% confidence interval (1.068 - 1.089). This was true for those with either a current, past, or no lifetime psychiatric diagnosis, and despite the finding that individuals in the lifetime (current or past diagnosis) category experienced overall lower self-efficacy. Overall, our results support the value of cessation self-efficacy as an important indicator of abstinence outcomes, and particularly highlight its potential utility for at-risk populations of comorbid psychiatric smokers.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of novice teachers in 1 school district regarding their professional experiences. Novice teacher was defined as someone with 5 years or fewer in the teaching profession. The study was of an emergent design using phenomenological qualitative methods that included face-to-face interviews, triangulation of information, and analyzation with specific adherence given to understanding the social phenomena of the lived experience from the participants’ perspectives. Specifically, the study addressed possible relationships between novice teachers’ experiences and perceptions of success and self-efficacy that contribute to their choice of continuing in the profession of teaching. Participants in this study ranged from 23-55 years of age, represented male and female gender, encompassed all levels of grade configuration within the school district (elementary, middle, high school), and covered experiences within each of the 5 years of defined novice work. Information was collected through individual one-on-one interviews covering preparatory programs, individual school sites, district induction programs, and the relationships developed within each spiraled experience. This study identified reasons for retention in the population of novice teachers and possible obstacles that might cause a novice teacher to leave the profession during or at the end of the 5 year apprenticeship. Information collected revealed that age, timing of entrance into a teaching career and preparatory programs had an effect on novice efficacy and job success. In addition data suggested that job support, job fulfillment, as well as future career choice were influenced by experiences a novice lived through within a school culture including type of administrative support, peer mentoring, collegial socialization, district expectations, and induction involvement.