Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.89-92).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ball State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-50).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ball State University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 46-49). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

D.Ed. / The aim of this investigation is to edit, prune or graft an existing motivation measurement scale proposed by Kieck (1993:121a), in order to make it more accurate, less subjective and more user-friendly. This process should therefore make it more accessible for students at training institutions and teachers in 'in-service 'training programmes. The aspects being addressed include : those classroom activities (whether personal, behavioural or environmental) that influence a pupil's motivation. ; using the categorized elements together with additional psychological principles as foundations defined in this study to develop a template for a motivation measurement model for the classroom situation (micro teaching). ; developing a scale with a different arrangement or format in order to measure the aspects identified, analysed and categorized above. ; testing the new proposed scale statistically in order to see whether it is possible to incorporate it in secondary or tertiary institution educational training programmes, in order to ' educate ' the teacher in the classroom to motivate his pupils.

D.Ed. / The situation in education in Soweto in the 1980's was an important contributory factor to this study. Problems resulting from underachievement, early school drop-out and the consequent loss of manpower provision, are current and are often ascribed to inadequate achievement motivation. As part of the project "Learning motivation" which has been undertaken by the Education Faculty of the Rand Afrikaanse University, inter-disciplinary in approach and financially supported by HSRC, this study attempts to locate achievement motivation in the anthropological-pedagogic paradigm. Within the context of black education, it is particularly aimed at devising measuring instruments for the establishment of reliable and valid measures of achievement motivation for standards six, eight and ten pupils in Soweto. It also attempts to establish whether there is any tendency in the achievement motivation between these different standards and certain biographical information with the objective of setting up a possible guidance programme which would endeavour to strenghten the achievement motivation of these pupils. A number of theories on motivation, learning- and achievement motivation were studied. Direct and indirect measuring techniques to determine the level of achievement motivation were then considered. Eventually it was decided to include Viljoen's (1983) achievement motivation questionnaire (AMQ) and Hermans' (1972) "Prestatie Motivatie Test voor Kinderen" (PMT-K) in the questionnaire booklet. This booklet comprised the following tests: the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire (AMQ), the aspiration level test, the Prestatie Motivatie Test voor Kinderen (PMT-K), the Modernity Scale of Thompson (1977 & 1980) and questions to gather biographical data. The AMQ consists of eighty items of which eight indicate social desirability, while the rest indicate certain characteristics, as derived from the study of the literature, of the achievement motivated person. The PMT-K consists of four achievement motivation scales namely achievement motive, positive fear of failure, negative fear of failure and social desirability. These two questionnaires·are used in an attempt to determine the scholastic achievement motivation and fear of failure of standards six, eight and ten pupils in different secondary schools in Soweto (N = 778). A further in-depth study using the projective Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) of Baran (1971) was undertaken with a small group of standard six pupils, but the results of this investigation were not significant. Statistical calculations were applied to the data to determine the reliability and validity of the measures of the AMQ and PMT-K. Furthermore an attempt was made to determine whether there were any significant differences between the achievement motivation and fear of failure of standard six pupils and a number of biographical information. The results of the study led to the following conclusions: = the Achievement Motivation Questionnaire appears to be effective in determining the achievement motivation of standard six pupils in Soweto; = further research and refinement of the AMQ and PMT-K are necessary to develop possible reliable and valid measures of achievement motivation in standards eight and ten:= in-depth research is necessary with regard to the fear of failure as one of the components of the nomological network in which achievement motivation operates; it appears that significant differences exist in the achievement motivation of standard s.Lx pupils when some biographical aspects are considered. These differences should be taken into consideration in devising a guidance programme for these children.

M.Ed. (Orthopedagogics) / The purpose of this study is to determine whether milieu-deprived school beginners reveal fear of failure and achievement motivation tendencies. Fear of failure is a phenomenon which normally occurs among all people, although it can vary in degrees of intensity. It would appear, from the literature, that fear of failure can be viewed as a specific form of anxiety which has a detrimental effect on achievement. Owing to the human functioning as a totality, the concepts of fear of failure and achievement motivation can not be examined in isolation, therefore the relationship between these concepts and those of anxiety and achievement has been investigated. Several researchers agree that pre-school children are quite capable of forming a clear notion concerning their personal capabilities and that motives are established in their pre-school years. Views expressed by researchers suggest that at school entry, motive preferences are already perceptible in school beginners; these children may be achievement motivated or reveal a fear of failure. The low achievement motivation and negative self-concept of milieu deprived school beginners are conspicuous at school entry. These children are neither able to measure up to the school's expectations nor actualize their potential properly because of limited experiences, deficient cognitive and language development, as well as inadequate concentration. This is a result of unfavourable educational circumstances and insufficient developmental opportunities during the pre-school period. The above-mentioned short-comings which milieu-deprived school beginners experience, cause anxiety. They perceive school as a threat and anticipate and fear failure...

M.Ed. (Psychology of Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to test the attribution theory of motivation cross-culturally by comparing performance and attribution patterns on inductive rule learning in two different cultures (Canadian & Korean) within the framework of collectivism vs. individualism. Two hypotheses were formed: 1) Korean and Canadian students would show differences in attribution patterns following success or failure outcome due to different cultural emphasis. 2) Given the effort attribution of failure, Korean students would perform more accurately on the reasoning task than Canadian students, and given higher ability attribution of success, Canadian students may perform better or at least equally as well as Korean students. A Total of 120 grade seven students (60 Canadian and 60 Korean) from a middle-class community from Korea and Canada participated in the computerized experimental tasks. The research design involved two culture groups (Canadian and Korean) and three outcome feedback (control, failure, and success), as independent variables, and the number of instances, response rate and accuracy on the inductive reasoning tasks as dependent variables. Findings of this study indicate that Canadian culture may not be defined as more individualistic than Korean culture. The study results did not provide a clear cut distinction of collectivistic vs. individualistic cultures between Korean and Canadian cultures. In terms of attribution patterns, both culture groups showed similar patterns, but different from Weiner's theory of motivation, not only effort but also ability attribution influenced positively the accuracy of performance on the subsequent task upon receiving failure feedback. Given failure feedback, Korean grade seven students performed better, while Canadian counterparts' performance level on the subsequent task deteriorated with failure feedback. Further research on cross-cultural study of attribution theory has been suggested along with educational implications. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The effects of instructions, non-contingent reinforcement, and contingent reinforcement on the level of self-determined standards for both experimental and generalization items were assessed using a reversal design. In addition the effects of the level of self-determined standards on performance in spelling was examined. The results indicated that contingent reinforcement for raising standards was an effective means of training the 30 subjects in this study to set high standards of performance for both experimental and generalization items. High standards did not, however, result in high levels of performance. When reinforcement was contingent upon subjects raising their standards and then scoring at this higher level (matching), both the level of standards and the level of performance showed moderate increases for most subjects. Subjects also exhibited similar increases in standards and performance for the generalization items. The maintenance of these increases during the subsequent reversal phase, however, limited the extent to which the changes could be attributed to the experimental manipulation. Further research is needed to evaluate more fully the effects of a matching procedure on the level of self-determined standards and performance.