The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between mentor characteristics (i.e., motivational tendencies, personality traits), mentoring provided, and protégé outcomes. A motivational approach was taken, in the sense that motives to mentor, as well as personality characteristics of the mentor, were considered in regard to their ability to predict the type of mentoring provided and outcomes for the protégé. Specifically, the potential relationships between personality traits (Intrinsic Motivation, Learning Goal Orientation, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Machiavellianism) and mentor motives, as well as the provision of career and psychosocial mentoring, were examined. In addition, the current study examined the ability of mentor characteristics to predict several protégé outcomes. Ninety-one mentors (i.e., college juniors and seniors) were paired with 91 protégé (i.e., college freshmen) and were asked to meet for a half hour each week for four consecutive weeks. Self-report measures were collected from both mentors and protégés before the mentoring sessions began (T1) and after (T2) they were completed to determine the effect of having a mentor on various outcomes. All mentoring sessions were videotaped so that trained raters could code the type of mentoring behaviors that occurred within a given session. Results were analyzed via correlational analyses, exploratory regression analyses, and hierarchical regression analyses. Individuals who were generally more intrinsically motivated and learning goal oriented reported being more motivated to mentor others for intrinsic satisfaction reasons. Mentors who were more extraverted and agreeable than their peers reported being more motivated to mentor in order to benefit others. In addition, having a mentor who provided career mentoring reduced school-related stress for a protégé. The key findings of the current study provide support for the view that personality and motivational characteristics of the mentor affect the type of mentoring provided, albeit indirectly in some cases. In addition, it is important to consider multiple sources of mentoring data provided (i.e., mentor, protégé,independent rater) rather than just the protégé's point of view because this will provide a more well-rounded picture of the mentoring relationship, as well as identify potential gaps in perception that may exist between mentors and protégés.

<p>This Master thesis sets its goals in researching and understanding the structure of different educational systems. The main goal that this paper inflicts is to develop a middleware aiming at translating courses between different educational systems.</p><p>The procedure is to find the meaning of objects and courses from the different educational systems point of view, this is mainly done through processes such as identifying the context, semantics and state of the objects involved, perhaps in different activities. The middleware could be applied, with small changes, to any structured system of education.</p><p>This thesis introduces a framework for using ontologies in the translation and integration of course aspects in different processes. It suggests using ontologies when adopting and structuring different educational systems on an international level. This thesis will, through an understanding of ontologies construct a middleware for the translation process between different courses in the different educational systems. As an example courses in Sweden, Germany and Tajikistan have been used for the mapping and constructing learning goals and qualifications.</p>

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the role of dispositional characteristics in effective mentoring relationships. A learning and development framework was incorporated to examine the relationships of protégé and mentor characteristics, mentoring provided, and developmental mentoring outcomes. First, relationships between individual characteristics and mentoring provided were examined. Second, relationships between individual characteristics and partner developmental outcomes were examined. Third, mentoring provided was examined as a mediator of individual characteristics and partner developmental outcomes. The final sample consisted of 93 protégé-mentor pairs. Protégés and mentors were asked to complete an online survey measuring learning goal orientation, locus of control, self-efficacy for development, mentoring received/mentoring provided, and multiple assessments of relationship effectiveness. In general, the hypotheses were not supported, but supplemental analyses provided support for the importance of examining individual characteristics. Key findings contribute to the mentoring literature by illustrating the role of learning goal orientation and self-efficacy for development in effective mentoring relationships. Future research should investigate additional underlying mechanisms that further explain the mentorship learning exchange processes.

This Master thesis sets its goals in researching and understanding the structure of different educational systems. The main goal that this paper inflicts is to develop a middleware aiming at translating courses between different educational systems. The procedure is to find the meaning of objects and courses from the different educational systems point of view, this is mainly done through processes such as identifying the context, semantics and state of the objects involved, perhaps in different activities. The middleware could be applied, with small changes, to any structured system of education. This thesis introduces a framework for using ontologies in the translation and integration of course aspects in different processes. It suggests using ontologies when adopting and structuring different educational systems on an international level. This thesis will, through an understanding of ontologies construct a middleware for the translation process between different courses in the different educational systems. As an example courses in Sweden, Germany and Tajikistan have been used for the mapping and constructing learning goals and qualifications.

A meta de aprendizagem, essencial ao processo de aprendizagem autocontrolada, tem sido negligenciada na literatura sobre aprendizagem motora. A questão que fundamentou o presente estudo foi se o fato de dizer aos aprendizes o que os espera após um período de prática, leva-os a elaborar estratégias de aprendizagem que beneficiam a aprendizagem de habilidades motoras. Os participantes receberam instrução para que se preparassem para um teste, no qual os parâmetros controlados por eles seriam aleatórios, e isto se constituiu a meta de aprendizagem. Nos experimentos 1 e 2 a tarefa utilizada consistiu em pressionar a barra de espaço de um teclado de computador simultaneamente à chegada de um objeto a um ponto de contato. A cada tentativa, a velocidade com que o objeto iria atravessar a tela de um monitor de 17 polegadas pôde ser escolhida, dentre três possibilidades, pelos participantes dos grupos com controle da prática. Ambos os experimentos foram desenvolvidos em três etapas: fase de aquisição (90 tentativas), teste de transferência imediato e teste de transferência atrasado (igual ao anterior, porém, realizado após 15 minutos). Os testes de transferência consistiram em quatro tentativas em cada velocidade (24 tentativas), organizadas em uma ordem pseudo-aleatória (sem velocidades consecutivas) e sem feedback aumentado. No Experimento 1, todos os participantes (n = 16) puderam controlar a prática, mas somente alguns deles receberam a meta de aprendizagem antes do início da fase de aquisição (grupo TES, n = 8). Os resultados confirmaram que os aprendizes usaram a meta de aprendizagem para guiar sua prática e que houve, em decorrência disso, um efeito benéfico na aprendizagem motora. No Experimento 2, foram introduzidos dois grupos yoked (YOK, n = 8; YTA, n = 8) pareados aos grupos do Experimento 1. Os resultados indicaram que o efeito benéfico obtido no Experimento 1 pode ser atribuído à organização da prática. Nos experimentos 3 e 4 a tarefa utilizada consistiu em pressionar o botão esquerdo de um mouse de computador para que um cursor, fixo na tela, disparasse um projétil num alvo móvel. Os participantes que controlaram a própria prática puderam escolher, dentre três possibilidades, a distância em que o alvo se deslocaria em relação ao cursor. Esses experimentos incluíram não somente os testes realizados nos experimentos 1 e 2, como também um teste de retenção (24 horas) e testes com a velocidade do alvo aumentada. As condições de prática do Experimento 3 foram as mesmas do Experimento 1 (TES, n = 8; TAR, n = 8). Os resultados revelaram que o efeito obtido no Experimento 1 é generalizável para uma tarefa com maior demanda de antecipação, bem como para parâmetros não praticados pelos participantes. No Experimento 4, um grupo de prática aleatória foi incluído (VAR, n = 8). Os resultados sugerem que a variabilidade de prática não é suficiente para explicar o efeito benéfico na aprendizagem observado nos grupos TES. Os resultados do estudo foram discutidos considerando idéias como a hipótese da variabilidade de prática, o efeito da superioridade da intenção, esforço cognitivo e efeitos motivacionais de condições de prática autocontrolada. Em conjunto, os resultados evidenciam que a meta de aprendizagem é um elemento essencial na prática autocontrolada, tendo em vista que afeta a forma como os aprendizes organizam sua prática e leva a efeitos benéficos para a aprendizagem motora. Entretanto, as limitações relacionadas à permanência do efeito deverão ser alvo de próximos estudos / The learning goal, essential to the self-controlled learning process, has been neglected in the motor learning research. The main question that guided the study was whether telling learners what is expecting them after a period of practice leads them to create learning strategies that benefits motor learning. In the present study, participants were provided an instruction to prepare for a test, in which the parameters controlled by them would be randomized, and this constituted the learning goal. In experiments 1 and 2 the motor task consisted of hitting the space bar of a computer keyboard in synchrony with the arrival of an object at a contact point. Participants controlling their practice were allowed to choose the velocity in which the object would travel the 17-inch monitor screen, before each trial, among three possibilities. Both experiments were carried out in three stages: acquisition phase (90 trials), immediate transfer test and delayed transfer test (same as immediate transfer, after 15 minutes). Transfer tests consisted of four trials of each practiced velocity (24 trials), in a pseudo-random organization (without consecutive velocities) and no augmented feedback. In Experiment 1, all participants (n = 16) were given the control over practice, but just some of them received the learning goal before the acquisition phase (group TES, n = 8). Results confirmed that learners used the learning goal to guide their practice and that it had a beneficial effect on motor learning. In Experiment 2, two yoked groups (YOK, n = 8; YTA, n = 8), matching the ones in Experiment 1, were employed. Results indicated that the beneficial effect observed in Experiment 1 was due to practice organization. In experiments 3 and 4 the motor task consisted of pressing the left button of a computer mouse in order to make a fixed cursor in the screen to shoot a moving target. Participants controlling their practice were allowed to choose, among three possibilities, the distance in which the target would pass above the cursor. These experiments included not only tests comprised in experiments 1 and 2, but a retention test (24 hours) and tests with a faster moving target. Practice conditions in Experiment 3 were the same employed in Experiment 1 (TES, n = 8; TAR, n = 8). Results revealed that the effect obtained in Experiment 1 can be generalized to a task with higher anticipatory demands as well as to a task parameter that was not practiced by the participants. Experiment 4 included a random practice group (VAR, n = 8). Results suggested that variability of practice cannot account alone for the beneficial effect observed in TES groups. Results were discussed considering ideas such as variability of practice hypothesis, intention superiority effect, cognitive effort and motivational effects of self-controlled practice conditions. Altogether, results showed that the learning goal is an essential element in self-controlled practice, since it affects the way learners organize their practice and leads to beneficial effects on motor learning. Nevertheless, limitations regarding the permanence of the effect remain to be further investigated

Submitted by Jinlong Huo (thassiafgv@gmail.com) on 2018-04-03T19:44:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jinlong Huo- Dissertation.pdf: 664289 bytes, checksum: 9edf2cf8666e879beaf88d10ee2dbb92 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2018-04-10T16:02:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Jinlong Huo- Dissertation.pdf: 664289 bytes, checksum: 9edf2cf8666e879beaf88d10ee2dbb92 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2018-04-13T12:46:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Jinlong Huo- Dissertation.pdf: 664289 bytes, checksum: 9edf2cf8666e879beaf88d10ee2dbb92 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-13T13:06:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jinlong Huo- Dissertation.pdf: 664289 bytes, checksum: 9edf2cf8666e879beaf88d10ee2dbb92 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-05 / Leaning from external sources is a crucial but challenging task for improving team performance. Using the role-based team composition approach, we investigate how traits of team members in different roles—spanners and receivers—influence a team’s ability to benefit from its external advice ties. We argue that the interplay between spanners’ learning goal orientation and receivers’ agreeableness affect the influence of teams’ external advice ties on team performance. In 88 teams working over the course of 14 weeks, we find that team external advice ties influence team performance more positively when spanners’ learning goal orientation and receivers’ agreeableness are high. We discuss both theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.

Hippocampal place-cell sequences observed during awake immobility often represent previous experience, suggesting a role in memory processes. However, recent reports of goals being overrepresented in sequential activity suggest a role in short-term planning, although a detailed understanding of the origins of hippocampal sequential activity and of its functional role is still lacking. In particular, it is unknown which mechanism could support efficient planning by generating place-cell sequences biased toward known goal locations, in an adaptive and constructive fashion. To address these questions, we propose a model of spatial learning and sequence generation as interdependent processes, integrating cortical contextual coding, synaptic plasticity and neuromodulatory mechanisms into a map-based approach. Following goal learning, sequential activity emerges from continuous attractor network dynamics biased by goal memory inputs. We apply Bayesian decoding on the resulting spike trains, allowing a direct comparison with experimental data. Simulations show that this model (1) explains the generation of never-experienced sequence trajectories in familiar environments, without requiring virtual self-motion signals, (2) accounts for the bias in place-cell sequences toward goal locations, (3) highlights their utility in flexible route planning, and (4) provides specific testable predictions.