This study outlines the development and initial validation of an abbreviated instrument intended to measure motivation for mathematics of university students in developmental algebra courses. I look across many of the predominant theories on motivation with the aim of representing several of these theories as latent constructs in a single instrument that is short enough to be administered in a reasonable amount of time, but inclusive enough that it could incorporate subscales representing multiple distinct latent factors. This study answers a call by researchers expressing a need to investigate relationships between disparate theories on motivation and is a response to recent studies that have used several subscales from many published instruments in whole or in part as lengthy combined instruments to measure motivation across theories. The practice of utilizing many separate instruments to measure across theoretical frameworks may be unwieldy leading to validity concerns based on response processes, and the practice of taking individual items from separate instruments may potentially be incomplete leading to validity concerns based on the internal structure of the instrument and underrepresentation of the intended construct. To answer these concerns and develop a tool for future research, I conducted a three phase study. Phase one of this study asked experts in motivation to comment on and pick the best items from a pool of 122 items sourced from several popular previously published instruments that contained factors associated with self-determination, self-efficacy, achievement goals, and expectancy-value. The commentary by experts gave insight into item alignment with theory, and all items with at least 40% endorsement by experts proceeded to phase two. In phase two, cognitive interviews of students and instructors provided insight into the cognitive processes employed in responding to the 53 items endorsed in phase one. Two researchers coded these qualitative interview data with a grounded theory approach and quantified the data using intra-respondent matrices. Effect sizes of each code provided evidence of content validity of preferred items, and concerns over social dynamics, misrepresentation of factors associated with poor wording, and the use of words like “very much” that forced students to quantify their cognitive processes provided evidence against non-preferred items. During phase three I administered an instrument containing the surviving 34 items from phase two to 186 participants from twelve developmental algebra courses. Concerns over the broadness of the domain of mathematics led to the removal of self-efficacy and task-value items, and concerns over the abbreviated nature of the instrument led to the removal of items associated with extrinsic motivation. Concerns over the multilevel nature of achievement structured items led to their removal. Thus an exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the remaining 16 items representing intrinsic motivation, mastery orientations, performance orientations, and expectancy led to a four factor model that discriminated along theoretical lines and was a good fit for the data. A regression of achievement on the four latent factors from this model revealed expectancy to be the only significant predictor of achievement. With gender included as a moderating variable, performance and expectancy were both significant indicators of achievement for females, but expectancy was the only significant indicator for males. The latent factors from the instrument developed for this study had strong bivariate correlations to subscales from previously published instruments that represented similar constructs. Several sources provided evidence of content validity. Qualitative data provided evidence in the form of commentary from experts and cognitive interview data from students and instructors. A structural equation model provided evidence of validity based on relationships to other variables. For this model the dependent variable achievement was regressed upon the latent motivation variables with gender included as a moderating variable. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provided validity evidence based on the internal structure. Validity based on consequences and response processes was controlled by using an anonymous process where participation was blind to instructors and researchers, and the administration of an abbreviated measure in a familiar paper and pencil face-to-face format reduced construct irrelevant variance. This process produced a four factor 16 item Motivation for Mathematics Abbreviated Instrument measuring intrinsic motivation, mastery orientation, performance orientation, and expectancy while accumulating validity evidence for three out of five sources of validity. The result of this inquiry was a psychometric instrument that may be used by researchers, practitioners, and grant writers who desire a tool to measure motivation for mathematics across several of the predominant theories on motivation.

Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med studien var att undersöka motivationsklimat inom ungdomsakademier i elitfotbollen i Stockholm med hjä̈lp av följande frågeställningar: - Vad innebär ett prestations- och resultatorienterat motivationsklimat för chefer och tränare inom akademin? - Vilket motivationsklimat prioriteras i akademiverksamheten? - Upplever tränarna att motivationsklimatet ger effekter i termer av inre motivation och långsiktig idrottslig framgång? - Vilka metoder används i praktiken för att skapa önskvärt motivationsklimat? Metod Studien är en kvalitativ sådan. Arbetet har använt sig av en triangulering i två elitföreningar i fotboll, inkluderat två intervjuer med akademichefer, fyra intervjuer med akademitränare, samt en observation. För att besvara arbetets syfte och frågeställningar har en egen intervju- och observationsguide arbetats fram med achievement goal theory, och self-determination theory som grund. Intervjuerna har varit av semistrukturerad karaktär och behandlat fyra övergripande områden gällande motivationsklimat. Utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv har insamlad data transkriberats för vidare analys utifrån en deduktiv ansats vilket ligger till grund för arbetets resultat. Resultat En gemensam åsikt bland respondenterna är att ett resultatorienterat motivationsklimat innebär att lagets resultat är överordnat individens utveckling. Det innebär också att tränarna tillhandahåller sig rätten att matcha laget så som ansvarig ledare önskar. För spelaren innebär det att dennes speltid kan komma att påverkas. Respondenterna menar att ett prestationsorienterat motivationsklimat innebär att individens utveckling är överordnad lagets resultat. Tränaren kan i ett sådant klimat matcha spelare i en position där denne utvecklas mest. Det innebär att resultatet kan komma att påverkas negativt kortsiktigt men är till fördel ur ett långsiktigt perspektiv. Respondenterna är överens om att både resultat och prestation behöver finnas med, dock skiljer det sig när akademierna introducerar resultatet. Gemensamt är att spelarens individuella utveckling är av högsta prioritet. Resultatet visar att tränarna involverar spelarna med hjälp av frågor vilket författarna anser bidra till autonomi eftersom att spelarna involveras i deras utvecklingsprocess. Vidare utdelades positiv feedback som torde bidra till att öka spelarnas upplevda kompetens. Med hjälp av resultatet kan ansvariga ledare höja spelarnas arbetsinsats, det beskrivs dock som viktigt att fokusera på uppgiften för att enklare kunna utvärdera ens egen prestation. Slutsats Resultatet visar att akademiernas bild över vad ett resultat- och prestationsorienterat motivationsklimat innebär, överensstämmer med vad forskningen visar. Gemensamt för akademierna är att individens utveckling är av högsta prioritet och därmed överordnad lagets kortsiktiga resultat. Forskningen beskriver flera fördelar med ett prestationsorienterat motivationsklimat kontra ett resultatorienterat sådant. Det är dock ingen självklarhet att detta avspeglas bland Stockholms ungdomsakademier i fotboll.

With more than 5 million people sick and 300 thousand dead, the global economy has experienced an economic shock more severe than the financial crisis of 2008. The sudden emergence of COVID-19 as a global threat came at a time when a significant percentage of businesses are divided in their degree of digital maturity. The pandemic forced organizations to make digitalization and digital transformation a rapid strategic focus. One of the most important aspects of this transformation has been providing remote infrastructure that can support an entirely digital workforce. Besides this urgent need of digital technology, the situation has resulted in a need of leaders who might need very different competencies and behaviours than leaders needed a couple of years ago. The lack of literature on digital leadership in crisis and empirical research describing the impact of digital transformation on leadership called the authors for further exploration. The primary purpose of this thesis was to investigate the adaptation of managers to the rapid digitalization of their day to day assignments caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, the thesis also sought to explore how high digitalization and digital leadership could function as a vital part of building a crisis-resistant organization against future pandemics. To fulfil the purpose, the following research question was identified: How does a crisis affect digital leadership? The study was conducted through interviews with the management committee of one of the divisions at L’Oréal Group in the Nordics. The empirical findings of this study suggest that managers that lead their teams using digital tools require specific social and task-related skills in order to efficiently communicate with their team in times of crisis. In addition, the findings frame the COVID-19 pandemic as a driver of organizational change towards digitalization and digital transformation. It is concluded that organizations that have the necessary digital infrastructure, digitally skilled workforce and agile operations have and will be more prepared for similar types of events in the future. Correspondingly, this study provides further understanding of digital leadership by researching it in the context of crisis and by providing practical recommendations of how to establish a pandemic-proof business continuity model.

Sufficient rest breaks are needed for optimal performance in traditional workplaces, but it is unclear how working with a loosely structured work schedule impacts recovery. Students have temporal flexibility and serve as a good proxy for all groups who work unstructured work schedules. Since most students and employees use the weekend to recover, this study investigated the relationship between recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment, relaxation, and mastery) over the weekend and the state of being recovered on the following Monday. Further, the relationship between the state of being recovered on Monday and weekday performance indicators (i.e., task performance and personal initiative) was investigated. Data was collected over three consecutive weeks from a cohort of first-year university students (N = 106) using a quantitative diary study design. This study administered seven surveys (i.e., a personal data survey once, a pre-weekend survey three times, and a postweekend survey three times). After three weeks, 66 participants (N = 66) had completed all the surveys at the person level, yielding 148 matched observations at the week-level. Multilevel modelling showed that weekend relaxation positively predicted the state of being recovered on Monday. Weekend psychological detachment and weekend mastery experiences did not predict the state of being recovered on Monday, and the state of being recovered did not predict weekly personal initiative or weekly task performance. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are presented, as are limitations and suggestions for future research.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of basic multiplication mastery (0-12) and self-efficacy outcomes for elementary age students attempting to master multiplication facts in a Computer-Assisted Instructional (CAI) environment. Timez Attack (TA), a modern Internet based 3-D multiplication video game, was the computer program used in this study. Four third- and four fourth-grade classes of students at a public charter school received either 12 20-minute Teacher-Led Instructional (TLI), or TA multiplication practice sessions. Pre- and post Math Attitude Survey (MAS), timed multiplication tests, observations, and informal interviews were used to assess and compare TA and TLI's learning environments, performance, and self-efficacy outcomes. Both third- and fourth-grade TA students' level of multiplication mastery improved significantly after intervention. Results from the post-MAS also revealed significantly higher self-efficacy beliefs, and reduced nervousness in learning multiplication facts amongst some TA students. Statistical data analysis revealed no significant performance outcome differences between TLI and TA third-grade classes; however, post-test comparisons between fourth-grade TLI and TA students showed TA students significantly outperforming their comparison group counterparts by answering approximately 50% more problems in a given time and feeling significantly less nervous toward learning new multiplication math facts. The TA program's motivational, self-paced, and self-evaluative features seemed to produce a positive learning environment, which encouraged student learning. Educators should consider using CAI with features similar to TA's to improve students' academic performance and self-efficacy.

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Det finns ett kunskapsgap i mellanstadieelevers matematikprestationer mellan elever med låg socioekonomisk status och resterande elever i Sverige. Lärarens förväntningar visar sig även vara en viktig faktor när det kommer till elevers prestationer i matematik och inte minst för skolor med låg socioekonomisk status. Av den anledningen är det intressant att undersöka hur lärarens förväntningar och elevens prestation korrelerar i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur lärarens förväntningar korrelerar med elevens matematikprestationer för årskurs 6, i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden i en svensk medelstor kommun. Syftet besvaras genom frågorna: hur upplever elever lärarens förväntningar i ämnet matematik och hur ser sambandet ut mellan lärarens förväntningar, elevens motivation och elevens matematikprestationer i en svensk skolkontext? Studien använder Expectancy-Value-Theory som teoretisk utgångspunkt för att undersöka hur elevernas prestationer påverkas av lärarens förväntningar, både direkt och indirekt genom motivation. Studien använder en kvantitativ metod och data samlas in via en enkät som besvaras av 67 elever i årskurs 6. Det insamlade materialet analyseras med hjälp av korstabeller och Chi2-test. Resultatet i studien visar att majoriteten av eleverna upplever höga förväntningar, self-efficacy och uppgiftsinriktade mål, oavsett vilket betyg eleven har. Lärarens förväntningar visar inte ett direkt samband med elevernas matematikprestationer, men har ett signifikant samband med elevens self-efficacy och uppgiftsinriktade mål. / There is a knowledge gap in middle school students' mathematics performance between students with low socioeconomic status and other students in Sweden. Teachers' expectations also prove to be an important factor in students' performance in mathematics, particularly in schools with low socioeconomic status. For this reason, it is interesting to investigate how teachers' expectations and students' performance correlate in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.  The purpose of the study is to highlight how teachers' expectations correlate with students' mathematics performance in grade 6, in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in a medium-sized Swedish municipality. The purpose is addressed through the following questions: how do students perceive teachers' expectations in the subject of mathematics, and what is the relationship between teachers' expectations, students' motivation, and students' mathematics performance in a Swedish school context? The study uses Expectancy-Value Theory as a theoretical framework to examine how students' performance is influenced by teachers' expectations, both directly and indirectly through motivation. The study employs a quantitative method and data is collected via a questionnaire answered by 67 students in grade 6. The data is analyzed using cross-tabulations and Chi-square tests. The results of the study show that the majority of students perceive high expectations, self-efficacy, and mastery goal orientation. regardless of their grades. Teachers' expectations do not show a direct correlation with students' mathematics performance but have a significant correlation with students' self-efficacy and mastery goal orientation.

For low-income minority and marginalized communities, American democracy’s educational mission remains unfulfilled. Student voices have provided insight into ways that schools disserve and serve students and how schools can improve in promoting academic achievement; however, academically successful low-income students’ voices—particularly those at the elementary school level—are largely excluded from the literature. Providing a platform for student voices, this qualitative, intrinsic critical case study explored six high achieving low-income students’ views of their academic success and how that success was achieved. Participants were six fifthgrade students, their parents, and teacher, in a school-wide Title I urban public school. Data were collected over a 12-week period through individual interviews, observation, participation, and semiformal conversations. Using an immersive pattern analysis, four main categories emerged from the student interview data: student beliefs about their role; classroom structures; teacher practices; and family support. The study found four principal success factors: a dynamic effort-driven view of success and intelligence; a rigorous dialogic classroom that prioritized student voice, critical thinking, collaboration, and social imagination; an accountable classroom culture of high expectations and mastery learning; and the richly diverse experiences and teachings of parents and families as valuable funds of knowledge. Implications and recommendations are included for policy, practice, and future research.

Previous studies highlighted the importance of parental support for development of mastery of control and depressive symptoms. These studies tended to examine one time wave and outcomes related to that period, forwarding an assumption parenting behaviours do not change as children age. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-Children and Young Adults, this study filled the gap by examining children's supportive environment at three time points and determining how levels of support across these points impacted children's depression and mastery at 18 years of age. Relative stability of mothers' supportive parenting (i.e., encouragement of social maturity, warmth and affection, and physical punishment) at early childhood, middle childhood, and early adolescence was examined by Kendall's tau correlations. Encouragement of social maturity showed relative stability between early and middle childhood and middle childhood and early adolescence; warmth and affection showed relative stability between early and middle childhood, and physical punishment showed relative stability across all time points. Absolute stability was examined using hierarchical linear modelling and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. No instances were found. Latent class growth analysis identified different trajectories of supportive environment among participants and three groups were identified. Multiple regressions conducted to examine how different trajectories affect late adolescents' depression and mastery found children of mothers from the least supportive group had statistically significant higher level of depression and lower level of mastery of control at 18 years of age; children of mothers from the progressively and continuously supportive group had similarly positive results of depression and mastery.

The aim of this study was to describe the dimensions of Turkish Gazis' transition to civilian life, to explore the main factors that make this process easier or more difficult, and their psychological integration, that is, specifically, satisfaction with their life. To that end, this study examined the impact of combat-related traumatic stressor (e.g., functional limitations), personal resources (social support, sense of mastery), perceived mental health on Turkish veterans' adjustment into civilian life and their psychological integration. The data was collected in Turkey in 2015 by the researcher with the help of Türkiye Harp Malulü Gaziler Şehit Dul ve Yetimler Derneği, a non-profit veteran organization. The final sample included 240 Turkish Gazis. The level of perceived transition into civilian life and veterans' life satisfaction were the dependent variables in this study. A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was conducted. Hayes' PROCESS macro 3.0 was utilized to measure the direct, indirect and moderation effects of variables on transition and life satisfaction among Gazis. The results demonstrated that perceived available social support, perceived sense of mastery and mental health partially mediated the association between Gazis' functional limitations and transition into civilian life and they fully mediated the association between functional limitations and life satisfaction. Among control variables, only household income predicted transition into civilian life, and place of residence was the only significant predictor of life satisfaction. However, neither social support nor mastery had moderation effect on the relationship between functional limitations and dependent variables. Policy implications and suggestions for further studies are also provided at the end of the dissertation.