Today, the problem of piracy is a major concern for governments, academia and software industry as it has become a prevailing phenomenon. While much effort has been devoted to identify the factors that cause software piracy, most studies focus primarily on if social sanctioning mechanisms can be effective in deterring piracy. In this thesis, the research focus differs in that it emphasizes the role of self-sanction to safeguard copyright. Based on Bandura¡¦s Social Cognitive Theory, the determinants of effective self-sanction against piracy are presupposed to be enactive mastering and vicarious observation. We therefore hypothesize that well being resulted from previous software creativity experience as well as moral obligation should positively correlate with creative self-efficacy and ethical self-efficacy concerning software piracy. The results show that creative experience indeed significantly predicts both creative and ethical self-efficacy, and four constructs (i.e., creative experience, creative self-efficacy, moral obligation, and subjectively perceived critical mass) have significantly positive influence on ethical self-efficacy. Moreover, the results show that, within creative experience, the ¡§relationship development¡¨ dimension has significantly positive influence on ethical self-efficacy concerning software piracy, while the ¡§self-acceptance¡¨ dimension exerts significantly negative influence.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-60). Also available on the Internet.

Bakgrund: Kvinnor rekommenderas av Världshälsoorganisationen att amma exklusivt i sex månader och delvis i två år eller längre. Studier visar att amning har hälsofrämjande effekter på både modern och barnet. Trots detta är amningsförekomsten en sjunkande trend i Sverige. Råd och stöd av sjuksköterskor har betydelse för amningsförekomsten. Studier visar att mödrar som har hög self-efficacy till sin förmåga att amma, ammar i högre utsträckning. Syfte: Att undersöka om en intervention i form av evidensbaserad amningsinformation kan öka mödrars self-efficacy kring amning samt om förekomsten av exklusiv amning ökade när barnet var fyra veckor gammalt. Metod: Studien genomfördes med kvantitativ ansats och var baserad på en kvasiexperimentell före- och efter design med en kontrollgrupp (n=23) och en interventionsgrupp (n=27). Ett konsekutivt urval användes för att rekrytera förstföderskor. Interventionen bestod av en evidensbaserad amningsbroschyr samt strukturerad muntlig information med hjälp av ett blädderblock som gavs på BB. Mätning av self-efficacy genomfördes med hjälp av Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Score-Short Form på BB samt när barnet var fyra veckor gammalt. Resultat: De mödrar som ammade exklusivt när barnet var fyra veckor gammalt hade högre self-efficacy till skillnad från de mödrar som ammade delvis. Skattningen av self-efficacy ökade inom båda grupperna från första till andra mättillfället. Interventionsgruppen skattade sig ha högre self-efficacy än mödrar i kontrollgruppen. Slutsats: Att mäta self-efficacy på BB kan indikera hur amningsförekomsten kommer att föreligga. Interventionen påverkade mödrarnas self-efficacy och förekomsten av exklusiv amning när barnet var fyra veckor. / Background: Women are recommended by the World Health Organization to breastfeed exclusively for six months and partially for two years or beyond. Studies show that breastfeeding has health benefits for both mother and infant. Despite this, the breastfeeding prevalence is declining in Sweden. Advice and support from nurses are important for the breastfeeding prevalence. Studies show that having high self-efficacy in relation to breastfeeding is associated with high prevalence of breastfeeding. Aim: To investigate whether an intervention in the form of evidence-based breastfeeding information can increase maternal self-efficacy in relation to breastfeeding and whether this increased the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding when the infant was four weeks old. Method: The study was conducted with a quantitative approach and was based on a quasiexperimental before-and-after design with a control group (n=23) and an intervention group (n=27). A consecutive sample was used for the recruitment of mothers, all primiparous. The intervention consisted of an evidence-based breastfeeding brochure and structured verbal information using a flipchart that was given at the postnatal ward. Maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy was measured at the postnatal ward on BB and when the infant was four weeks old using the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Score-Short From. Result: Mothers who breastfed exclusively when the baby was four weeks old had higher selfefficacy compared to mothers who breastfed partially. Self-efficacy increased in both groups from the first to the second measurement. The intervention group had higher breastfeeding self-efficacy than mothers in the control group. Conclusion: Measuring maternal breastfeeding of self-efficacy at the postnatal ward can indicate future breastfeeding prevalence. The intervention had an impact on mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy and the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding when the baby was four weeks old.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka högstadieelevers upplevelser av ett hälsoprojekt. En högstadieklass i Uppsala län har under våren deltagit i ett pilotprojekt i syfte att utveckla metoder för fortsatta hälsofrämjande projekt samt på sikt förbättra ungdomarnas hälsa gällande ökad fysisk aktivitet, bättre kost- och sömnvanor samt en bättre sammanhållning i klassen. 19 av klassens 22 elever tackade ja till att delta i studien. Den kvalitativa metoden som använts för datainsamling är fokusgruppintervjuer. Eleverna fick tillsammans diskutera sina upplevelser, tankar och känslor kring hälsoprojektet och insatserna samt huruvida de har upplevt sin egen påverkan av projektets innehåll. Genom innehållsanalys plockades nio teman ut som senare bildade fyra kategorier. Kunskapsöverföring, samarbete och sammanhållning, klassens upplevelse av identitet, påverkan och delaktighet. Resultatet visade att majoriteten av eleverna inte upplevde att de fått märkbart ökad kunskap om hälsa, då många menade att informationens innehåll var sådant de visste sedan tidigare. Däremot menar de flesta att de upplevt en förändring inom klassen gällande samarbete och sammanhållning samt att samarbetsövningar är något de vill använda sig mer utav. En viktig sak som kom fram under intervjuerna var huruvida klassen uppfattade sin identitet och ställning på skolan. En slutsats som går att dra utifrån studiens resultat är att lyckad kunskapsöverföring och beteendeförändring är ytterst beroende av mottagarens tro på sin egen förmåga (self-efficacy) att utföra en förändring samt kopplat till individens intresse av förändring. En annan slutsats är att hälsofrämjande arbete för barn och ungdomar behöver vidareutveckla metoder för att nå goda hälsoresultat för målgruppen. Hälsorelaterade förändringar i tonåren antas vara starkt kopplat till intressen, grupptryck och attityder. / The aim of this study was to investigate high school students' experiences of a health project. A high school class in Uppsala participated in a health project during the spring of 2015. 19 of 22 students agreed to participate in this study and the qualitative method used for data collection was focus group interviews. Students were asked to discuss their experiences, thoughts and feelings about the health project and whether they have experienced their own influence on the content of the project. Using content analysis nine themes were found that formed four categories. Knowledge, cooperation and cohesion, conception of identity, influence and participation. The results showed that the majority of students do not feel they have markedly increased health knowledge. In contrast, the main results of the project seemed to consist of improved cooperation and shared stance in the class. The students expressed their need for further work of cooperation, in the form of collaborative exercises. One important thing that came up during the interviews was whether the class understood their identity and status of the school. Students' perception as to why their class was selected for the project was based on the class's bad reputation in the school and among teachers.

Possible selves represent how people think about their potential and about their future states (Markus & Nurius, 1986). To explore the cognitive processes involved in the decision to exercise, the possible selves (hoped-for and feared) of 93 undergraduate women at the University of Texas at Austin were examined, as were two self-efficacy constructs – scheduling and barrier self-efficacy. Most important hoped-for and feared possible selves related to exercise were categorized and analyzed. Physical and Health categories, followed by Personal and Spiritual, Occupation and Education, and Body Image were most commonly listed for hoped-for selves, while categories of Body Image, Health, and Personal and Spiritual, were most commonly cited for most important feared possible selves. Participants rated the importance, self-efficacy and outcome expectancy of their most important hoped-for and feared selves highly. Participants also felt highly efficacious in overcoming scheduling and barrier obstacles with regard to exercise. Comparisons were made across exercise levels, differentiating between those meeting or not meeting the recommended level of physical activity (Godin, 2011). Multiple logistic regression analyses, controlling for age, were used to test for significant relationships between motivational variables and exercise. Steps taken to achieve the most important possible self (odds ratio [OR] = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.21 – 2.92), steps taken to avoid the most important feared self (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.04 – 2.40), scheduling self-efficacy (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.18 – 2.10), and barrier self-efficacy (OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.04 – 2.40) were related to meeting the recommended level of physical activity, compared to not meeting the recommended level. These cross-sectional results suggest that the incorporation of college women’s possible selves and other motivational factors into interventions to increase women’s physical activity may be a promising area for future research. / text

Psykisk ohälsa blir allt vanligare bland svenskar och ökar i synnerhet hos yngre vuxna – men hur kommer det sig att majoriteten fortfarande är friska? Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga nivåerna av upplevd self-efficacy (SE), känsla av sammanhang (KASAM), respektive framtidsoptimism (FO) hos Umeå Universitets psykologprogramstudenter. Studien undersökte även om det fanns några könsrelaterade skillnader i de tre beroendevariablerna, samt jämförde studenternas skattningar med värden från liknande svenska undersökningar. Resultatet visade att studenter i början av programmet skattar lägre nivåer av både SE och KASAM än de som befann sig i mitten, respektive slutet av utbildningen. Det fanns ingen signifikant könsskillnad. Jämförelserna påvisade en signifikant skillnad mellan psykologprogramstudenterna och deltagarna i tidigare studier. Studenterna skattade lägre nivåer på skalorna än åldersblandade urval, vilket troligtvis beror på att skattningarna tenderar att bli högre med stigande ålder och att rollen som student – i synnerhet när den är ny – kan innebära ökad osäkerhet och påfrestningar. / Mental health problems are becoming more common in the Swedish population, particularly among young adults - but how come the majority is still healthy? The purpose of this study was to map out the levels of perceived self-efficacy (SE), sense of coherence (SOC), and future oriented optimism (FO) of the students studying the psychologist program at Umeå University. The study also examined gender differences, and compared the students' estimates with values from similar Swedish studies. The results showed that students in the beginning of the program estimated lower levels of both SE and SOC than those who found themselves in the middle, and the end. There were no significant gender differences. The comparisons showed a significant difference between the psychologist students and participants in the other studies. The students estimated lower levels than did people with mixed ages, which is probably due to phenomenon that the estimates tend to rise with increasing age. Also, the role of being a student - especially when it is new - may involve increased levels of insecurity and stress.

Research over the last three decades has documented that teacher efficacy has an effect on student achievement (Armor et al., 1976; Bandura, 1997). The literature on culturally responsive teaching (CRT) recognizes teacher efficacy as one of the attributes of successful teachers of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Researchers (e.g., Goddard & Goddard, 2001) have also found that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) beliefs can affect teachers’ goal setting, motivation, and persistence with challenging tasks or situations; specifically, the CTE construct not only explains school-level effects on achievement, but also explains effects on individual teachers’ self-efficacy. When CLD students require special education services, their instruction must be equally responsive to their cultural and linguistic characteristics in addition to their educational needs based on the disability (García & Ortiz, 2004; McCray & García, 2002). Consequently, CRT practices are central to improve these students’ learning outcomes (Gay, 2000). The purpose of this descriptive, correlational survey research study was to investigate (a) the relationship between special education teachers’ collective teacher efficacy beliefs and CRT efficacy for teaching CLD students in special education; and (b) the influences of personal and professional background variables on participating teachers’ CRT efficacy beliefs. The survey was sent to 855 special education teachers of CLD students with disabilities in three urban school districts in Texas; 344 complete responses were received, yielding a 44% response rate. The survey consisted of four sections: Background Information, Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CRTSE), and Culturally Responsive Teaching Outcome-Expectancy Scale (CRTOE). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The results revealed statistically significant relationships (a) between CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs, with a positive and moderate association; and (b) between CTE and CRT efficacy beliefs (CRTSE as well as CRTOE), but the associations were positive and weak. Teachers’ language characteristics, instructional setting, certification in bilingual education/English as a second language, and their perceptions of the quality of their professional preparation emerged as significant influences on their CRTSE and CRTOE beliefs. Implications for teacher education and future research are presented. / text

Self-efficacy is the belief an individual has about his or her capabilities to successfully complete an activity. Self-efficacy stems from four sources: verbal persuasion, physiological states, past experiences, and vicarious experiences. Increases in self-efficacy in education are connected with an increase in academic achievement. The current study sought to answer the question of which of three treatment options would have the most positive effect on mathematical achievement and self-efficacy for correctly answering problems on a multiplication math test. Participants were third- and fifth-grade students identified by their teachers as struggling in math. Students either received training on skills designed to increase self-efficacy, participated in cross-age peer tutoring, or received a combination of both treatments. Achievement and self-efficacy were measured before and after treatment and four weeks following the end of treatment to measure the lasting effects.

This dissertation adds to the teacher education literature by exploring the experiences education students have of mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy for teaching and learning mathematics. Further, the utility of a specific in-service teacher professional development project, focused on improving rational number instruction, in pre-service education is evaluated, and the potential impact of professional development experiences on the anxieties and efficacy beliefs of students before they enter the teaching profession is explored. This study provides evidence of the predictive capacities of teacher efficacy models that incorporate student experiences and feelings of anxiety to better understand task choice. For example, findings indicate that self-efficacy for teaching mediates the relationship between mathematics teaching anxiety, experience, and mathematics subject area preference for teacher education students. Further, there are indications of the potential for teacher education coursework and in-service teacher professional development to decrease students' experience of mathematics teaching anxiety. Finally, evidence is provided that teacher professional development is not only perceived as useful to teacher educations students, but has potential as an intervention for teacher efficacy and anxiety for teaching. Given these findings, it makes sense to further evaluate the ways in which the strengths of pre-service coursework and in-service professional development can be leveraged to best prepare future teachers for their professional roles. Further research is also needed to longitudinally track experiences of anxiety and self-efficacy as students leave teacher education and enter the classroom as professionals.

There is a lacuna in the literature regarding the measurement of community collective efficacy, especially in an African context. Previously, a variety of studies have used and validated self-efficacy measures in Western social contexts (Chen, Gully & Eden, 2001; Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1993; Carroll, Rosson & Zhou, 2005). Findings from cross-cultural psychology indicate that human behaviour is not acontextual (Devonport & Lane, 2006; Karademas, 2006; van de Vijver & Leung, 1997). Thus, this study was an attempt to explore the validation of a community collective efficacy scale in an African cultural context. A sample of 1050 Setswana-speaking participants was drawn from both urban and rural areas. The participants came from a relatively more collectivistic cultural context. Measuring instruments such as the Community Collective Efficacy Scale (Carroll, Rosson & Zhou, 2005), the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale ( Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1993), the New General Self-Efficacy Scale ( Chen, Gully & Eden, 2001), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) (Antonovsky, 1987, 1993) the Affectometer 2 (short version) (AFM) (Kammann & Flett, 1983), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979) were used in this study. Criterion-related validity of the CCES was established. Construct validity was determined by conducting confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses on the community collective efficacy scale. Results indicated a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.72 for the CCES and an acceptable inter-item correlations. Criterion-related validity was satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit and exploratory factor analysis yielded only one factor on the items used. The results of the study indicated that overall, the CCES may be a valid measure of community collective efficacy in the sample selected for the study based on parameter estimates. Future studies should further validate this instrument cross-culturally in various African groups and contexts. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.