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To promote active and healthy lifestyles in schoolage children, many afterschool physical activity programs offer students opportunities to participate in a variety of physical activities. The effects of such programs on students’ levels of physical activity, however, depend largely on whether the students are motivated to participate and to demonstrate high levels of engagement behaviors in the programs. Therefore, it is critical for researchers and teachers to gain an understanding in this area. This study utilized a trichotomous achievement goal model to explore and describe what actually happened in terms of students’ achievement goals, attitudes, and disruptive behaviors in an afterschool physical activity program. More specifically, the purposes of the study were fivefold: (1) to examine the reliability and validity of the scores generated by the trichotomous model, (2) to identify achievement goals endorsed by students, (3) to determine students’ attitudes toward the program, (4) to identify students’ disruptive behaviors, and (5) to investigate the relationships among students’ achievement goals, attitudes, attendance, and disruptive behaviors. Results of this study indicate the trichotomous model observed in academic settings also existed among atrisk elementary school students in an afterschool physical activity program and the scores generated by this model were valid and reliable. Furthermore, students were found to score significantly higher on the mastery goal than they did on the performanceapproach and performanceavoidance goals, demonstrate positive attitudes, and display disruptive behaviors identified with the literature. Finally, the mastery goal was found to be positively related to students’ positive attitudes and negatively related to students’ selfreported low engagement, whereas the performanceapproach and performanceavoidance goals were found to be positively related to students’ selfreported disruptive behaviors. Overall, the findings of the present study provide empirical support for the utilization of the trichotomous model in the context of afterschool physical activity programs. They also suggest the positive motivational effects of mastery goals observed in the classroom and physical education can be translated in the context of an afterschool physical activity program with atrisk elementary school students. Therefore, promoting mastery goals among students should become a high priority in afterschool physical activity programs.

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The present study was concerned with differences between four groups of college students with various vocational goals. The impetus for this study stems from the development of a new instrument designed to scientifically measure the underlying factors of basic goals in life.

Africa is a continent characterised by deepening environmental degradation and increasing loss of natural resources. This has had an adverse effect on human health and well-being in the region. Environmental degradation has also made it impossible for average Africans to enjoy the human right to environment guaranteed under the continent-wide African Charter, and the constitutions and laws of most African nations. Several factors are responsible for perpetuating this state of affairs, namely poverty, lack of political will to enforce or adopt environmental regulations, and weak institutional capacity. An opportunity to reverse this trend has been offered by the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by all United Nations member States in 2000. The MDGs are eight developmental goals with time-bound targets. However, the MDGs are not legally binding despite their global adoption. Despite this inherent legal weakness, the MDGs still have important normative value as they provided a framework for holding governments accountable to their millennium anti-poverty commitments vis-à-vis instituting sound socio-economic reform and strengthening good governance. This thesis proposes that the role of the MDGs in guiding or stimulating national and international policy reform towards the realisation of the right to environment in Africa is, as a framework of accountability, they can be used to promote good governance and socio-economic reform, two ingredients that are essential to creating the enabling environment for implementing the right to environment in Africa. This thesis is therefore an in-depth analysis of this role. The purpose of this analysis is sixfold. First, to provide an overview of the concepts as well as the research methodology used in this study; second, to determine whether there is an established human right to environment in Africa; third, to analyse the extent to which the right has been realised as well as the factors responsible for the non-realisation; fourth, to discuss the relationship between the achievement of the MDGs and realisation of the right in Africa; fifth, to analyse how the MDGs can guide or stimulate policy reform towards the realisation of the right; and sixth, to analyse the major policies adopted for the achievement of the MDGs in Africa to ascertain how they would contribute to the realisation of the right to environment in the region.

While successful goal pursuit is associated with well-being for individuals, new work has begun exploring the role of goals in satisfaction with romantic relationships. The present work examines the effects of spousal involvement in goal pursuit on personal and marital outcomes. One hundred twenty married couples completed measures of perceived spousal facilitation (i.e., perceiving one's spouse as being encouraging and helpful) and hindrance (i.e., perceiving one's spouse as hindering) of goals, individual well-being, and marital satisfaction over 3 points in time, starting as newlyweds. Mediation analyses tested various models in which enhanced goal progress mediates the influence of perceived spousal facilitation and hindrance of goals on personal and marital outcomes. Results showed some support for the idea that spousal involvement in goal pursuit can be related to concurrent as well as later personal and marital outcomes. Specifically, perceiving one's spouse as facilitating and hindering one's goals predicted personal and marital outcomes in both cross-sectional and longitudinal models, depending on whether the goals represented personal or relationship-focused aspirations. Furthermore, reports of goal progress mediated both within-individual and cross-partner effects in some longitudinal models. Findings from this study offer implications for further understanding the role of a spouse in goal pursuit and in personal as well as marital outcomes over time.

This dissertation examined the effect of subconscious goals on performance of tasks that people must acquire knowledge or skill to perform them effectively. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effect of priming (1) a performance goal, (2) a learning goal, and (3) both a performance and learning goal on performance. In Experiment 1 (n =167), a 2 (primed performance goal vs. control) x 2 (primed learning goal vs. control) factorial design revealed a significant main effect for priming a learning goal on generating ideas for a complex brainstorming task. In Experiment 2 (n = 61), a 2 (primed performance goal vs. control) x 2 (primed learning goal vs. control) x 3 (trials) repeated measures factorial design showed a significant main effect for priming a learning goal on performance on a complex scheduling task. On the third trial, there was a significant interaction effect between a primed learning and a performance goal on performance. In both experiments, priming a performance goal significantly increased the implicit motive of need for achievement measured by a projective test. No mediating effects were obtained for a primed learning or performance goal with task performance. The results are interpreted within three theoretical frameworks: goal setting, automaticity, and goal systems.

The following research thesis examined services offered by the Ozosunon program which is an Aboriginal Foster Care program. Its focus is to have Aboriginal families care for Aboriginal children within the community. The Ozosunon Neighbourhood Care Program Evaluation examined two primary questions: 1. Does the Ozosunon program provide services that are culturally appropriate? If the services are determined to be culturally appropriate, a second question was posed in an attempt to address the benefits of the services: 2. Does the Ozosunon program provide culturally appropriate services that support the child’s needs? The research was a mixed qualitative and quantitative study. The methods used were semi-structured interviews and questionnaires aimed at collecting relevant information regarding the program and the services offered. The results of the research showed that there are many shared positive views from participants regarding the program and its services. The responses showed that the program is offering cultural services but that perspectives regarding what that means were varied. After having completed the research it appears there is a need for further study on the services offered by the program, particularly how they are understood by staff, foster parents and families.

The following research thesis examined services offered by the Ozosunon program which is an Aboriginal Foster Care program. Its focus is to have Aboriginal families care for Aboriginal children within the community. The Ozosunon Neighbourhood Care Program Evaluation examined two primary questions: 1. Does the Ozosunon program provide services that are culturally appropriate? If the services are determined to be culturally appropriate, a second question was posed in an attempt to address the benefits of the services: 2. Does the Ozosunon program provide culturally appropriate services that support the child’s needs? The research was a mixed qualitative and quantitative study. The methods used were semi-structured interviews and questionnaires aimed at collecting relevant information regarding the program and the services offered. The results of the research showed that there are many shared positive views from participants regarding the program and its services. The responses showed that the program is offering cultural services but that perspectives regarding what that means were varied. After having completed the research it appears there is a need for further study on the services offered by the program, particularly how they are understood by staff, foster parents and families.

This dissertation examined the effect of subconscious goals on performance of tasks that people must acquire knowledge or skill to perform them effectively. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the effect of priming (1) a performance goal, (2) a learning goal, and (3) both a performance and learning goal on performance. In Experiment 1 (n =167), a 2 (primed performance goal vs. control) x 2 (primed learning goal vs. control) factorial design revealed a significant main effect for priming a learning goal on generating ideas for a complex brainstorming task. In Experiment 2 (n = 61), a 2 (primed performance goal vs. control) x 2 (primed learning goal vs. control) x 3 (trials) repeated measures factorial design showed a significant main effect for priming a learning goal on performance on a complex scheduling task. On the third trial, there was a significant interaction effect between a primed learning and a performance goal on performance. In both experiments, priming a performance goal significantly increased the implicit motive of need for achievement measured by a projective test. No mediating effects were obtained for a primed learning or performance goal with task performance. The results are interpreted within three theoretical frameworks: goal setting, automaticity, and goal systems.