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The purpose of this study was to use a single subject research design to examine the effects of immediate feedback and delayed feedback within the Math to Mastery Intervention Package. The participants were 6 elementary school students who were performing approximately 1 year below grade level in math. A combined simple phase change design was used for the study. 3 of the students experienced the design in the A/B/A/C order, while the other 3 students experienced the design in a reversed order for B and C. During this study, ‘A’ represented the baseline phase and the return to baseline phase, ‘B’ represented the immediate feedback intervention phase, and ‘C’ represented the delayed feedback intervention phase. Each feedback phase was implemented separately for up to 4 weeks for each student. The final phase of intervention for each student included use of the most effective intervention condition after the student was exposed to both intervention feedback conditions. 2 weeks after the best intervention, follow-ups were conducted to determine if the students were able to maintain the skills that they were taught during the intervention. Results revealed that both intervention conditions were successful for addressing deficits in math academic performance. Improvement was seen for all 6 students with increases in digits correct per minute on single skill math worksheets, single skill math progress worksheets, and multiple skill math progress worksheets. Implications for school leadership within school settings are provided.

Math to Mastery (MTM) is a multi-component math intervention that has demonstrated effective results in building math fluency and skill acquisition. Few studies have explored the use of brief experimental analysis (BEA) procedures to create an individualized, abbreviated MTM intervention to address skill deficits in basic math. The purpose of this current study is to analyze the utility of randomizing BEA procedures to effectively identify necessary mathematic components to create a more efficient intervention that will yield the highest math gains among participants. Researchers used an alternating treatment design with an extended analysis phase to address basic math skills. Participants included three grade school students with difficulty across different core math skills including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Overall, this study yielded mixed results. Results indicated an abbreviated MTM intervention was effective for 1 out of 3 participants. Results, limitations, implications, and future research are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was: (a) to examine the predictive utility of the achievement goal and Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) frameworks for characterizing Chinese students’ motivation and achievement, and (b) to investigate how Confucian-heritage culture (CHC) may combine with achievement goals or SAL to generate different learning processes and outcomes and to promote optimal motivation. A questionnaire was conducted during a two-week period with over 700 first-year students who took both of the two courses—college English classes for non-English majors and advanced mathematics classes for science students—at a university in northern China. The questionnaire consisted of students’ self-reported demographic information and the instrument that was designed to measure: (a) goal orientations, (b) attitudes towards the specified CHC values, (c) SAL constructs, and (d) two variables widely used in research in this field—metacognitive strategy and school well-being. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the consistency of the extracted factor solutions with the four goal constructs postulated by the 2 x 2 conceptualization, the two SAL contructs posited by the SAL framework, and the five cultural value contructs derived from the literature review. Standard analysis procedures were used to calculate the reliability of the scales and to determine which items should be retained for further analyses. Then regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship of the goal orientation framework and SAL framework to cultural values, school well-being, metacognitive strategies, and grades. Results indicated that the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework was an appropriate model for characterizing the types of achievement goals these Chinese students pursued and for predicting a number of achievement-relevant processes and outcomes, as was the revised two-factor SAL framework for characterizing the different ways students approached their learning and for predicting these learning processes and outcomes. The results supported Chinese students’ multiple goal pursuit in an additive goal pattern, an interactive goal pattern, or a specialized goal pattern to promote their optimal motivation and achievement. The results also provided evidence that CHC values combined with achievement goals or SAL either in an additive or interactive pattern to facilitate Chinese students’ learning processes and outcomes. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-31 12:20:50.812

The current study examines how individuals become masters of interpersonal communication. Its significance is in its unique findings that contribute to existing counselling literature. Qualitative methodology and thematic analysis were used in this study. Five peer nominated individuals took part in semi-structured interviews and were asked to tell their story of how they became masters of interpersonal communication. Findings show observational learning, being aware of others' needs, listening, striving to be better, bringing true self forward, trusting gut feeling, learning to accept limits, and mentors emerged as important themes. Future research investigating the trajectories of individual journeys in becoming a master of interpersonal communication across developmental stages is suggested along with research that could lead to the creation of valid and reliable instruments that may identify potential masters of interpersonal communication.

La présente étude avait pour but de déterminer si un programme de prévention de la violence par l’entraînement aux habiletés en résolution de conflits et en médiation pouvait avoir une incidence sur la motivation scolaire et le sentiment d’appartenance à l’école. De par ses trois missions fondamentales (instruire, qualifier et socialiser), l’école québécoise est pour l’élève à la fois un milieu de vie et un milieu d’apprentissage. Toutefois, des problèmes de comportement et de motivation à apprendre peuvent freiner la réussite de certains jeunes. Pour remédier à la situation, des programmes visant à améliorer le comportement des élèves et à prévenir la violence à l’école ont été mis sur pied et évalués, indiquant une amélioration de certains comportements. Quelques études ont aussi noté une corrélation entre ces programmes et la motivation à apprendre. Sachant que l’adoption de buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance à l’école sont des variables qui agissent positivement sur la motivation à apprendre, il est pertinent de se demander si un tel programme peut avoir une incidence sur ces variables. Des analyses secondaires de données issues du Rapport final d’évaluation des impacts du programme Vers le pacifique pour les quatre années de sa mise en œuvre (Bowen, 2006) ont été effectuées afin de vérifier si le programme Vers le Pacifique avait un impact sur les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance et déterminer quels comportements appris grâce au programme agissaient sur ces deux mêmes variables. De plus, le sexe des participants, ainsi que le niveau d’implantation du programme dans les écoles, ont été considérés dans les analyses. Les résultats aux analyses de variance ont révélé que le programme Vers le pacifique n’avait pas d’incidence sur les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance. Peu importe le groupe et le sexe, les buts de maîtrise et le sentiment d’appartenance ont diminué au deuxième temps de mesure. Toutefois, un des comportements appris grâce à Vers le pacifique, la gestion des émotions, agit positivement sur l’adoption de buts de maîtrise. À la lumière de ces résultats, qui cadrent avec certaines théories présentes dans la littérature, il est recommandé aux praticiens d’intégrer de manière plus explicite un volet motivationnel au programme Vers le pacifique, dans le but de contrer la diminution des buts de maîtrise et du sentiment d’appartenance et ainsi favoriser le développement de la motivation à apprendre et la réussite scolaire. / The object of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a conflict resolution and mediation training program on student’s motivation and sense of belonging to school. By its three fundamental missions (instruct, qualify and socialize), Quebec’school system serves as a living and a learning environement for its students. However, behaviour and/or school motivation problems can have a negative impact on some students’ achievement. Taking in consideration those problematic issues, schools have implemented programs in order to prevent violence and improve student’s behaviour. Different evaluations of these programs indicated an improvement of certain behaviours and a correlation with some aspects of school motivation. Considering that mastery-oriented goals and the sense of belonging to school are factors that contribute to school motivation, it is relevant to ask if such a program may have an impact on these variables. A secondary analysis of data from Rapport final d’évaluation des impacts du programme Vers le pacifique pour les quatre années de sa mise en œuvre (Bowen, 2006) was conducted in order to verify if the program Vers le pacifique had an impact on mastery-oriented goals and the sense of belonging to school, and to determine which specific students’ behaviours developped through this program had an impact on these two factors. Furthermore, sex and level of implementation of the program in the school were taken in consideration for these analysis. Multivariate and univariate analysis results reveal that Vers le pacifique program does not have a significant impact on mastery-oriented goals and sense of belonging. Both variables decreased over time, whatever the sex or level of implementation of the program. Yet, one of the behaviours developped through the program, emotion management, has a positive impact on students’ mastery-oriented goals. These results, consistent with some theories from the literature, lead to recommendations such as implementing a complementary motivationnal component to Vers le pacifique. Thereby, it might be possible to counteract the decrease over time of mastery-oriented goals and sense of belonging to school, while promoting school motivation and success.

Essa dissertação se propôs a discutir o conceito de tradição, bem como a sua importância, no campo das artes marciais chinesas (Kung Fu) no Brasil. Para tanto, recorri às histórias orais de vida de cinco mestres brasileiros, discípulos de chineses, como fontes primárias para contribuir com essa discussão. Essas narrativas foram cotejadas com os referenciais teóricos a respeito da relação mestre-discípulo, da relação entre tradição e autoridade e de certos momentos da história do Kung Fu, com destaque para o intenso processo de transformação sofrido por essas práticas ao longo do século XX, o que abarcou, inclusive, a migração de alguns mestres para o Brasil. Em concordância com o esboço metodológico proposto por Pierre Bourdieu, a análise desse elemento específico do Kung Fu, a tradição, foi precedida por um delineamento de seu - campo esportivo, o qual revelou que as artes marciais chinesas apresentam, de fato, uma grande dispersão em suas denominações, não somente em relação às suas diversas manifestações, mas também pelas experiências de vida dos mestres de cada denominação e sua relação com questões de classe social, de capital social, de gênero, de raça/etnia e de territorialidade. A respeito da tradição, é unânime a consideração dos entrevistados de que se trata de um elemento fundamental no Kung Fu, sendo que um estilo, escola ou família podem ser denominados tradicionais em razão de sua antiguidade e de sua genealogia. Entretanto, é a justificação da importância do conceito de tradição que demarca dois discursos distintos: o primeiro, remetendo-se à ancestralidade, à fundação e a elementos simbólicos, se volta para a tradição enquanto manutenção do legado dos mestres; o segundo, referendando-se no caráter intrínseco da relação entre mestres e discípulos e em contextualizações histórico-políticas das artes marciais, alude para um processo interpretativo em relação aos elementos considerados tradicionais. Chama a atenção o fato de que ambos os discursos são reticentes em relação ao modelo esportivo, mas sob perspectivas diferentes: se um enfatiza os conteúdos simbólicos e filosóficos em resistência ao tecnicismo, à competitividade e ao apelo estético das manifestações esportivas, o outro pontua as questões que permearam as artes marciais chinesas em relação à dominação política e cultural que sofreram em determinados momentos da história. Desse modo, a presente pesquisa evidenciou que essa circulação de narrativas é relevante para a compreensão do campo esportivo do Kung Fu no Brasil. Além disso, as artes marciais chinesas demonstraram ser um campo privilegiado que permite aos envolvidos entrarem em contato com questões sofisticadas a respeito das relações estreitas que a história, a política, a cultura e a sociedade podem estabelecer com as práticas corporais. Ainda que não sejam nomeados, mitologia e história, sincronia e diacronia, estrutura e transformação, tradição e autoridade são conceitos circulantes caros ao campo esportivo do Kung Fu e que não podem ser negligenciados quando se aborda essa prática de maneira rigorosa e crítica. / This dissertation aimed to discuss the concept of tradition as well as its importance in the field of Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu) in Brazil. To this end, I resorted to the oral life histories of five Brazilian masters, disciples of Chinese ones, as primary sources to contribute to this discussion. These narratives has been confronted with the theoretical background about the master-disciple relationship, the relationship between tradition and authority and certain moments in the history of Kung Fu, especially the intense process of transformation undergone by these practices throughout the twentieth century, which encompassed even the migration of some masters to Brazil. In accordance with the methodological outline proposed by Pierre Bourdieu, the analysis of this particular element of Kung Fu, the tradition, was preceded by a design of its \"sports field\", which revealed that Chinese martial arts have, in fact, a great dispersion in their denominations, not only in relation to their different names and manifestations, but also by the life experiences of the masters of each denomination and its relation to issues of social class, social capital, gender, race/ethnicity and territoriality. Regarding the tradition is unanimous the consideration of the interviewed that it is a fundamental element in Kung Fu, and a style, school or family can be called traditional because of its antiquity and its genealogy. However , is the justification of the importance of the tradition\'s concept that demarcates two distinct discourses: the first, referring to the ancestry, the foundation and symbolic elements, turns to tradition while the maintaining of the masters\' legacy; the second, endorsing on the intrinsic character of the relationship between masters and disciples and the historical and political contextualization of martial arts, refers to an interpretive process in relation to the elements considered traditionals. It calls atention the fact that both discourses are reticent about the sports model but from different perspectives: the first one emphasizes thee symbolic and philosophical content in resistance to the technicality, competitiveness and aesthetic appeal of the sports, the another one points out the issues involved in the Chinese martial arts in relation to political and cultural domination suffered at certain times in it history. Thus, the present study showed that this movement of narratives is relevant for understanding the sports field of Kung Fu in Brazil. Moreover, Chinese martial arts have shown to be a privileged field that allows the subjects involved on it to get in touch with sophisticated issues about the close relations that history, politics, culture and society can be established with body practices. Although not named, mythology and history, synchrony and diachrony, structure and transformation, tradition and authority are circulating concepts valued to the sports field of Kung Fu and that can not be overlooked when discussing this practice rigorously and critically.

Essa dissertação se propôs a discutir o conceito de tradição, bem como a sua importância, no campo das artes marciais chinesas (Kung Fu) no Brasil. Para tanto, recorri às histórias orais de vida de cinco mestres brasileiros, discípulos de chineses, como fontes primárias para contribuir com essa discussão. Essas narrativas foram cotejadas com os referenciais teóricos a respeito da relação mestre-discípulo, da relação entre tradição e autoridade e de certos momentos da história do Kung Fu, com destaque para o intenso processo de transformação sofrido por essas práticas ao longo do século XX, o que abarcou, inclusive, a migração de alguns mestres para o Brasil. Em concordância com o esboço metodológico proposto por Pierre Bourdieu, a análise desse elemento específico do Kung Fu, a tradição, foi precedida por um delineamento de seu - campo esportivo, o qual revelou que as artes marciais chinesas apresentam, de fato, uma grande dispersão em suas denominações, não somente em relação às suas diversas manifestações, mas também pelas experiências de vida dos mestres de cada denominação e sua relação com questões de classe social, de capital social, de gênero, de raça/etnia e de territorialidade. A respeito da tradição, é unânime a consideração dos entrevistados de que se trata de um elemento fundamental no Kung Fu, sendo que um estilo, escola ou família podem ser denominados tradicionais em razão de sua antiguidade e de sua genealogia. Entretanto, é a justificação da importância do conceito de tradição que demarca dois discursos distintos: o primeiro, remetendo-se à ancestralidade, à fundação e a elementos simbólicos, se volta para a tradição enquanto manutenção do legado dos mestres; o segundo, referendando-se no caráter intrínseco da relação entre mestres e discípulos e em contextualizações histórico-políticas das artes marciais, alude para um processo interpretativo em relação aos elementos considerados tradicionais. Chama a atenção o fato de que ambos os discursos são reticentes em relação ao modelo esportivo, mas sob perspectivas diferentes: se um enfatiza os conteúdos simbólicos e filosóficos em resistência ao tecnicismo, à competitividade e ao apelo estético das manifestações esportivas, o outro pontua as questões que permearam as artes marciais chinesas em relação à dominação política e cultural que sofreram em determinados momentos da história. Desse modo, a presente pesquisa evidenciou que essa circulação de narrativas é relevante para a compreensão do campo esportivo do Kung Fu no Brasil. Além disso, as artes marciais chinesas demonstraram ser um campo privilegiado que permite aos envolvidos entrarem em contato com questões sofisticadas a respeito das relações estreitas que a história, a política, a cultura e a sociedade podem estabelecer com as práticas corporais. Ainda que não sejam nomeados, mitologia e história, sincronia e diacronia, estrutura e transformação, tradição e autoridade são conceitos circulantes caros ao campo esportivo do Kung Fu e que não podem ser negligenciados quando se aborda essa prática de maneira rigorosa e crítica. / This dissertation aimed to discuss the concept of tradition as well as its importance in the field of Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu) in Brazil. To this end, I resorted to the oral life histories of five Brazilian masters, disciples of Chinese ones, as primary sources to contribute to this discussion. These narratives has been confronted with the theoretical background about the master-disciple relationship, the relationship between tradition and authority and certain moments in the history of Kung Fu, especially the intense process of transformation undergone by these practices throughout the twentieth century, which encompassed even the migration of some masters to Brazil. In accordance with the methodological outline proposed by Pierre Bourdieu, the analysis of this particular element of Kung Fu, the tradition, was preceded by a design of its \"sports field\", which revealed that Chinese martial arts have, in fact, a great dispersion in their denominations, not only in relation to their different names and manifestations, but also by the life experiences of the masters of each denomination and its relation to issues of social class, social capital, gender, race/ethnicity and territoriality. Regarding the tradition is unanimous the consideration of the interviewed that it is a fundamental element in Kung Fu, and a style, school or family can be called traditional because of its antiquity and its genealogy. However , is the justification of the importance of the tradition\'s concept that demarcates two distinct discourses: the first, referring to the ancestry, the foundation and symbolic elements, turns to tradition while the maintaining of the masters\' legacy; the second, endorsing on the intrinsic character of the relationship between masters and disciples and the historical and political contextualization of martial arts, refers to an interpretive process in relation to the elements considered traditionals. It calls atention the fact that both discourses are reticent about the sports model but from different perspectives: the first one emphasizes thee symbolic and philosophical content in resistance to the technicality, competitiveness and aesthetic appeal of the sports, the another one points out the issues involved in the Chinese martial arts in relation to political and cultural domination suffered at certain times in it history. Thus, the present study showed that this movement of narratives is relevant for understanding the sports field of Kung Fu in Brazil. Moreover, Chinese martial arts have shown to be a privileged field that allows the subjects involved on it to get in touch with sophisticated issues about the close relations that history, politics, culture and society can be established with body practices. Although not named, mythology and history, synchrony and diachrony, structure and transformation, tradition and authority are circulating concepts valued to the sports field of Kung Fu and that can not be overlooked when discussing this practice rigorously and critically.

Project managers are important to organizational performance and survival because of their role in managing, controlling, and steering organizational projects to success. Research has shown that project failures are globally pervasive due to the shortage of experienced and well-skilled project managers. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to improve the current understanding of the relationships among project managers' project management experience, self-efficacy, and project success, for which the research questions were focused on in addition to the role of project management experience on self-efficacy and project success. The theoretical framework was based on the social cognitive theory. This study involved a nonexperimental research design with a survey to collect data. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 51 Canadian-based Project Management Institute certified project managers with experiences in IT projects. The assessment of the role of project management experience on self-efficacy and project success was achieved through multiple linear regression. Results indicated significant relationships among project management experience, self-efficacy, and project success and that project management experience did not mediate the relationship between self-efficacy and project success. The results may assist organizational leaders to better understand the holistic implications of project managers' project management experiences with project success as well as the role of self-efficacy on project success. The positive social change implications of this study include greater project success and decrease project risks due to ineffective project management. Improved project success may enhance the economic prosperity of organizations, employees, and the community.

The thesis aims at establishing what teachers of programme specific subjects state is the foundation for their assessment at the Hotel and Restaurant Programme (HR-programme). The theoretical framework of the thesis is based on social constructionism. The respondents were practising teachers of programme specific subjects at HR-programme. The empirical data based on interviews and video interviews was analyzed with: types of knowledge, key qualifications, specific vocational knowledge and skill and levels of expertise. Seven key qualifications have been discerned: independence, planning skills, problem solving skills, co-operation, customer contact, communication and power of initiative. These can be divided in three dimensions: personal, cognitive, and social/interactive. For the student, the most important to focus on for getting a higher grade is independence. Five categories of programme specific subjects have been identified: understanding the vocational area, skills in working techniques and methods, hygiene and handling work tools, as well the ability to see the whole and to act simultaneously. Differences in qualifications between levels of expertise can be identified in skills, speed and comprehensive thinking which appear to be valued more by the respondents. Key qualifications include all types of knowledge, theoretical knowledge, practical mastery and appropriate action but also a keen mind for reflection over ones actions. Appropriate action in general is assessed on the level of overall focus, the highest level of expertise, and theoretical knowledge the lowest level of expertise. There’s concordance between respondents on assessment of knowledge and skills. Students have to have a great part of specific vocational knowledge and skills to achieve the degree of Pass. The respondents’ descriptions and appraisements of what is assessed reflect their vocational culture where experience has a master role which could be the main reason why an inexperienced student cannot achieve higher grade levels.