This thesis will investigate the significance of the Eastern Orthodox perspective of theosis, for the bioethical principle of autonomy, specifically with regard to its respect for the elderly. Theosis is a central doctrine of the Orthodox Church which pertains to the salvation of human persons and their free and cooperative response to God's grace, and as such, has an intimate relationship with the Eastern Orthodox understanding of personhood. / On the one hand there are a number of areas of mutual concern or overlap between the concept of respect for autonomy and the Orthodox understanding of personhood and the goal of theosis. There are, however, significant differences which prevent them from being viewed as synonymous or even as totally compatible. / There are complementary aspects, some of which will be identified in this initial study. It is hoped that such an investigation can help to further develop Eastern Orthodox thinking with regard to bioethical issues and be of value when dealing with the complex issues related to the elderly. This topic will also be of interest to a wider audience involved in bioethical reflection from both Christian and secular perspectives.

The purpose of the study was to determine the association of college student smokers' perceptions of nicotine dependence and measurements of loss of autonomy. The participants of the study were students enrolled in 7 randomly selected large (N > 170) core curriculum classes at Ball State University, during spring semester 2003. Using a cross-sectional data collection process, participants completed a 33 item survey consisting of questions from the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist and National College Health Risk Behavior Survey. The design of this study was to determine whether student smokers' perceive themselves as dependent on nicotine and how this was associated with a measurement on a loss of autonomy scale. Descriptive statistics, chi square, and univariate analyses were used to analyze the data. The majority, 64%, of participants had smoked sometime in their life, with 30% being classified as current smokers. Significant associations were found between the following variables: loss of autonomy and participants' perceptions of nicotine dependence, loss of autonomy and amount of cigarettes smoked, loss of autonomy and the number of years smoked, and perceptions of addiction and the number of years smoked. Gender and race were not found to be significantly associated with loss of autonomy or perception of nicotine dependence. Further analysis showed that as the consumption of cigarettes increases to an average of 2-5 cigarettes a day, chance of losing of autonomy also increases. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The purpose of this study was to determine if shared governance systems result in an increased perception of autonomy for staff nurses. The population for this study included all registered nurses providing inpatient care at two mid-sized community hospitals in the Midwest, who were not identified as supervisors, managers or executives. The convenience sample was obtained from those completing and returning a distributed survey. The sample was 146 staff nurses from each organization. Only responses from nurses with more than one year experience at the current facility were included in the study. , One hospital had a shared governance system in place. The other hospital had a traditional organizational system.The theoretical framework for the study was the Neuman Systems Model (1989). Staff nurse autonomy was measured by the Nursing Activity Scale (Schutzenhofer, 1987). Management characteristics were measured by the Profile of Organizational Characteristics (Liken, 1978). Also administered was a brief demographic data questionnaire (Schutzenhofer & Musser, 1994).Each hospital provided the researcher with access to participant mailboxes of those registered nurses providing inpatient care and not in management or executive roles Surveys were placed in each mailbox, and drop boxes were made available in unit classrooms in one hospital, and in nursing administration in the other hospital. A reminder notice was placed in each participant mailbox one week after initial survey distribution. Drop boxes were retrieved by the researcher one week following the reminder notice distribution. Study participants were informed about the study by cover letter and invited to participate. Participation was strictly voluntary. Data was available only to the investigator and only group data were reported without reference to individual participants. Participant responses were completely anonymous. Questionnaires were printed on two different colors of paper in order to distinguish between hospitals. No code numbers or other identifying marks were placed on any of the questionnaires. The study provided information on which to base management decisions regarding nursing governance arrangements. / School of Nursing

This research project explored levels of self-determination in transitioning first-year college students using the MAP-Works Fall Transition Survey. Competency in self-determination skills has been called the most important element for students’ successful postsecondary experiences. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether there were statistically significant differences in levels of self-determined behavior between students with and without disabilities; and within the students with disabilities (SWD) grouping, whether there were meaningful differences in levels of self-determined behavior between students who had and had not registered with the Disability Services office and sought assistance. Comparisons of levels of self-determination were also made among students with varying demographic and student characteristics (i.e., gender, race, and GPA) as well as between SWD with visible and non-apparent disabilities. Gaining an understanding of how levels of self-determination differ among different incoming student groups can help success and retention strategists directly target interventions to students at risk and most likely to benefit. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided. / Department of Educational Studies

The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop an instrument to measure perceived food autonomy (PFA) among cognitively alert residents in state licensed Assisted Living (AL) facilities, and to investigate the influence of PFA on food satisfaction, while controlling for functional (physical, social, and psychological) status, general health, and demographic characteristics. The study was designed to achieve four objectives: 1) to define a theoretical framework for food autonomy among residents in AL settings and to develop an instrument accordingly; 2) to evaluate the content and construct validity of the PFA scale; 3) to evaluate the reliability of the PFA scale; and 4) to investigate the effect of perceived food autonomy, functional (physical, social and psychological) status, and general health on food satisfaction in AL settings. Definitions for food autonomy and three underlying dimensions were developed based on conceptualizations of personal autonomy for older adults in long-term care settings, which provided a theoretical framework for the PFA scale development. Content validity was established by expert panel evaluation and a pilot study. Construct validity was achieved from factor analysis procedures with a sample of 120 residents from eleven AL facilities. Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency showed the 11-item PFA scale to be reliable (alpha = .71). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the effect of residents' PFA, health and functional status, and demographic characteristics on food satisfaction. Food satisfaction was measured by a highly reliable (alpha = .87) scale that was compiled for this study. Perceived food autonomy was the most significant predictor of food satisfaction, explaining 37% of its variance. Residents' perceptions of daily pain along with the joint effect of ADL needs and dentures use made a lesser but significant contribution. Altogether, the above variables explained 48% of the variance in residents' food satisfaction. Application of reliable%instruments such as the PFA and FS scales can be used by AL provider to guide food service quality improvement efforts. Residents' PFA and food satisfaction should be periodically measured due to the typical decline in overall health and functional status of AL residents. / Graduation date: 2004

This thesis examined the utility of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2002) as a framework for understanding athlete burnout and its hypothesized opposite - athlete engagement. Athlete burnout was defined as "a psychological syndrome of emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation" (Raedeke, 1997, p.398). Athlete engagement was defined as a persistent, positive, cognitive-affective experience in sport that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and confidence. Based on the predictions of Vallerand�s (1997; Vallerand & Losier, 1999) motivational model, it was hypothesized that elite New Zealand athletes with higher perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness (i.e., basic psychological needs) would also report more self-determined motives to participate in sport and that individuals with higher self-determined motivation would experience lower athlete burnout and higher athlete engagement. Before testing these hypotheses four preliminary studies were necessary. First, because of the nomadic lifestyles of many elite athletes, it was decided that an online survey delivered via the Internet would be the most appropriate and effective method for collecting data to test the central hypotheses. However, a literature search revealed that no studies in sport psychology had compared online and traditional paper and pencil survey methods and therefore a preliminary study was needed to investigate potential survey format effects. Results of measurement invariance and latent mean structures analyses indicated that there were no differences on the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire for randomly assigned online (n=117) and paper and pencil (n=97) groups. Second, recent research (e.g., Martens & Webber, 2002; Riemer, Fink, & Fitzgerald, 2002) has indicated that the only published measure of behavioural regulations (i.e., motives) in sport (Pelletier, Fortier, Vallerand, Tuson, & Blais, 1995) has psychometric problems. Therefore, it was necessary to develop a reliable and valid measure of behavioural regulations in sport. Following rigorous scale development procedures that included expert review and pilot testing, results from two studies (n=382 and n=343) supported the reliability and validity of this new measure - the Behavioural Regulations in Sport Questionnaire. Third, while researchers in organizational and educational psychology have examined engagement experiences, no research has investigated athlete engagement. Results of a qualitative inquiry with elite New Zealand athletes (n=15) indicated that vigour, dedication, and confidence were core athlete engagement dimensions. Fourth, items for a quantitative athlete engagement questionnaire were created using operational definitions from the qualitative study and then reviewed by athlete burnout and positive psychology experts. Analysis of data from two samples (n=382 and n=343) supported the reliability and validity of the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire. Results from the final study (n=343) investigating the relationships amongst basic needs, behavioural regulations, burnout, and engagement generally supported the main hypotheses of the thesis. Indeed, athletes with higher perceptions of autonomy and competence reported more self-determined regulations; however, relatedness was not a significant predictor. Athletes� levels of self-determined motivation accounted for substantial portions of variance in athlete burnout symptoms: emotional/physical exhaustion (R�=.13), sport devaluation (R�=.43) and reduced accomplishment (R�=.42). Behavioural regulations were also strong predictors of athlete engagement, accounting for 49% of the variance in vigour, 42% of the variance in dedication, and 30% of the variance in confidence. Implications of these results for researchers and practitioners are discussed. Directions for research concerning SDT, athlete burnout, and athlete engagement are also highlighted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of Community Medicine, University of Adelaide, 1992. / Typescript (Photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 307-320).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008. / Prepared for: School of Education. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 161 - 174.