Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-06, Section: A, page: . Adviser: Gary E. McPherson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-177) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (M. S.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Bryan R. Loney, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 42 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Arizona State University, 1998. / Adviser: Howard Sullivan. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons children identify for initially enrolling and for continuing to enroll in piano lessons. Several factors were examined to assess their effect on the reasons for enrollment; these factors were gender, age, who initiated enrollment, and length of enrollment in piano lessons. Study participants included 71 children currently enrolled in private piano lessons in Northern Indiana and Northern Ohio. While previous research has focused on the reasons adults enroll in piano lessons, this study focused on children under the age of 18. The participants each completed the Reasons for Enrollment in Piano Lessons Survey. The survey listed various reasons for enrollment, for which the children rated their level of agreement based on a five-point Likert scale. Results indicated that the most agreed upon reason children initially enrolled in piano lessons was they thought it would be fun, and they continue enrollment in piano lessons because it is fun. In addition, the children also stayed enrolled in piano lessons because they wanted to become better pianists, they wanted to become better musicians, and they enjoy learning new music. An important implication for piano teachers is to consider the interests of students when selecting repertoire and provide ample playing opportunities during the lesson time in an effort to increase the amount of enjoyment for the students. In addition, teachers could take advantage of the increasing desire for improvement by challenging older students with more difficult and diverse repertoire, higher overall lesson preparation expectations, and new activities that address the student’s weaknesses. Suggestions for future research include utilizing a larger population, examining the effect of socio-economic status on children’s reasons for enrollment, surveying children in group lessons, and investigating what children think makes a lesson fun. / School of Music

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

The purpose of this program of research was to study how socialization agents can facilitate children's internalization of important but uninteresting activities. Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1980, 1985b, 1991, 2000) posits that autonomy is essential in fostering optimal (i.e. integrated) internalization. It was thus hypothesized that autonomy-support would facilitate internalization while offering rewards for compliance would thwart it. In the present thesis, two experimental studies and one longitudinal study compared the effects of autonomy-support and rewards on children's internalization and general functioning. In Study 1 and 2, we asked children to perform a tedious task in an autonomy-supportive manner or under a reward contingency. Children's affect, perception of the task's value, and free-choice engagement served as dependent measures. ANOVA results revealed positive effects associated with autonomy-support whereas no effect for rewards was found. Moreover, split-group correlational analyses showed that autonomy-support led to integrated self-regulation, whereas rewards were associated with behaviors incongruent from affect and value. / Study 3 examined the over-time impact of maternal autonomy-support on children's adjustment in school. Autonomy-support, rewards, and other parenting dimensions were measured when children were 5 years old. Regression analyses revealed that autonomy-support was positively related to teacher-rated adjustment and reading achievement when children were 8 years old whereas the use of rewards was unrelated to these outcomes. Supplemental analyses also revealed that autonomy-support was associated with children's greater integration across social and academic domains. Together, these results highlight the significance of autonomy-support in early childhood.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by Julia M. Braungart-Rieker for the Department of Psychology. "April 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-69).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-105).