In this research, it was proposed that self-efficacy is the missing underlying psychological factor in innovation diffusion models of higher education. This is based upon research conducted in the fields of innovation-diffusion in higher education, technology adoption, self-efficacy, health and behavioral change. It was theorized that if self-efficacy is related to adoption, it could provide a quick-scoring method for adoption efficiency and effectiveness that would be easy to administer. The innovation-diffusion model used in this study was Hall and Hord\'s (1987) Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) and it\'s Seven Stages of Concern (SoC) About an Innovation. The SoC measures a user\'s perception of"and concerns about"an innovation over time.  The self-efficacies under study were general, teaching, and technology.  The scales used in this research instrument were Chen\'s New General Self-Efficacy (NGSE), Prieto\'s College Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (CTSES), and Lichty\'s Teaching with Technology Self-efficacy scale (MUTEBI), respectively.  This research hoped to uncover a relationship between self-efficacies and a Stage of Concern in the adoption of an instructional technology innovation, Google Apps for Education, at a large university institution.  Over 150 quantitative responses were collected from a pool of 1,713 instructional faculty between late Fall 2012 and early Spring 2013 semesters.  The response group was not representative of the larger population. Forty-six percent represented non-tenure track faculty compared to the expected 19 percent.  Analysis using nominal logistic regression between self-efficacy and Stages of Concern revealed that no statistically significant relationship was found.  Of note is that nearly all participants could be classified as being in the early-stages of an innovation adoption, possibly skewing the overall results. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to describe the software development industry in South Africa by determining the current and future trends in adopting software development methodologies. The main objective was to determine which factors influence the selection of software development methodologies and whether they are effective in delivering projects successfully within the South African context. This study found that the Agile method is the most dominant methodology adopted in the software development industry in South Africa and is also the preferred methodology to be used in the future. It is common practice for companies to adopt more than one software development methodology and the Waterfall method is the next methodology most widely used. There is little adoption of CMMI. All identified factors influence the selection of software development methodologies, however, the distinguishing factors influencing the selection of Agile methods over the Waterfall method in the South African context is team size of between one and five members, project duration of less than three months, iteration length of between two and four weeks and the use of new technology. The most important measurement of project success within the South African context is the delivery of projects on time. The majority of respondents believe that their current dominant methodology is effective in delivering projects successfully. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This research evaluates the results of a change in policy by Oregon's Children's Services Division permitting foster parents to adopt their foster child. A comparison was made between two groups of children, both of whom were seen by their caseworkers as not likely to return home and adoptable. One group was believed likely to be adopted by foster parents and the other believed likely to be adopted by new parents. Process and outcome of placement efforts for the two groups are described and compared. The study sample, comprised of 155 children, were followed for 28 months from the time the decision was made that they were not likely to return home and were adoptable. Decisions necessary to reach the adoption goal were identified, and the time they took were summarized for the sample. An assessment was made of the extent to which variables having to do with characteristics of the child, his history with the agency and the influence of the agency and court accounted for decisions made and time. From the results of this study it appears that adoption by foster parents is a viable option for permanent placement. It can be accomplished as quickly, for as many children, and with no more risk than adoption by new parents. No difference was found in the proportion of the sample who were adopted by new parents and those adopted by foster parents. It took approximately one year, no matter what the outcome. Children who might not otherwise be placeable were adopted by foster parents. These were the older children who had been in foster care longer and were considered less placeable. This provides a placement option for those most difficult to place. Though adoption was seen as likely, half of the sample (74 of 155) remained in foster care. Of these, 31 percent (23 of 74) were freed from parents but not adopted. Children who remained in foster care are the oldest and the least placeable in the sample. For these children the options for exit from foster care are limited, and this seems to call for an intensive effort to find adoptive homes. Also needed is a closer monitoring of cases from entry into foster care to assure that the case is resolved as quickly as possible. Children were more likely to be placed in a permanent home if they liere part of a demonstration project which assigned special caseworkers to work intensively toward the goal of finding a permanent home for the child. Return to parents had the highest priority; or, if this was not possible, adoption. Eleven percent of the sample returned to their parents, though they had been thought not likely to return home. Children chosen for the project efforts were younger and more placeable. Methods used by the project caseworkers should be made available for every case to facilitate their early resolution. Several findings point to a need for some formal case review process. Some case decisions which should have been made on the facts of the case were accounted for, at least in part, by caseworker attitude. Such bias might be reduced by basing decisions on the consensus of several informed people.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study set out to develop an integrated model that could explain the sustainable adoption of mHealth, among the rural populations. With a penetration level of 130%, the ubiquitous mobile phone infrastructure was conducive to implementing mHealth even in the remote and rural regions of Kenya, which otherwise grapple with inequality and inequity of the healthcare system and a rising chronic diseases burden. Whereas mHealth could provide a suitable low-cost solution to disseminate targeted education to the grass-root masses in a short time, its uptake was reported to be low and short- lived. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the factors that could explain the low levels of mHealth adoption for education on chronic diseases in the rural settings of the country. From a theoretical perspective, a combination of four social behaviour change theories, three technology adoption models, and two health behaviour change models guided the development of the theoretical framework. Seven factors were subsequently tested: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, age, and language literacy, all of which measured mobile phone use for health literacy. Thirteen hypotheses were formulated from these factors.

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Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka internationellt adopterade individers erfarenheter av adoption i Sverige och lyfta fram deras identitetsprocess. Studien bidrar till ökad förståelse för hur det är att vara internationellt adopterad i Sverige, vilket är avgörande för att utveckla och förbättra adopterades möjligheter att få adekvat stöd. Tidigare forskning har visat att adopterade i många fall befinner sig i speciellt utsatta positioner med ökad risk för psykisk ohälsa, utanförskap och en alltmer komplex identitetsprocess än icke-adopterade. För detta ändamål togs tre frågeställningar fram, vilka riktar ljuset mot den adopterades känslor, identitet och omgivningens påverkan på identitetsprocessen. Studien har sin botten i den sociala interaktionismen och med hjälp av den kvalitativa innehållsanalysen analyserades 10 podcast-avsnitt från svenska och internationella podcasts. Totalt analyserades erfarenheter från 12 internationellt adopterade svenskar. Resultaten visade att de negativa känslorna associerade med adoptionen är överrepresenterade jämfört med de positiva, och att utseendet i många fall har en grundläggande inverkan på individens mående. Vidare styrker resultaten idén om att adoptionen har en betydande påverkan på identiteten, vilket tidigare påståtts av forskare inom adoptionsforskningsfältet. Även omgivningen och oegentligheter i adoptionen visade sig ha en tydlig inverkan på känslorna och identiteten, där förlusten av sitt ursprung och rasism väcker en identitetskonflikt hos den adopterade.

Recent technological innovations allow Southeastern blueberry farmers to machine harvest highly profitable fresh-market berries with marginally equivalent quality as labor intensive hand harvesting, drastically reducing labor costs while minimally increasing equipment costs. Concurrent with these innovations, the largest blueberry producing Southeastern states of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi have proposed statewide legislation affecting immigrant status and enforcement, leading to documented labor shortages and wage volatility among seasonal agricultural laborers. Using survey information, this study uses ex-post and ex-ante logit regression models to determine if machine harvester technology (MHT) adoption is explained by human capital variables, production differences, risk preferences, wage variability, regional differences and differences in Southeastern blueberry cultivars. Ex-post results conclude that experience, production increases, observed measures of risk-averse preferences, increased wage variation, and regional differences explain current MHT adoption in the Southeast. Ex-ante results conclude regional differences explain future consideration of MHT adoption likelihood.

The goal of the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES) is to improve the quality of life for all Mississippians. One specific group that agricultural change agents work with at the county level is beef producers. Grazing lands have received much attention over the last few years regarding environmental concerns and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for beef cattle operations. The adoption of these practices was voluntary during the time this study was conducted, however; adoption was highly encouraged by the MSU-ES and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). By knowing the level of adoption of BMPs that Mississippi beef producers have implemented, change agents can more effectively plan educational programming efforts for producers to better understand the importance of BMP adoption. The purpose of this study was to describe the adopter categories of Mississippi beef producers as determined by Rogers (2003) adopter characteristics generalizations based on their (1) socioeconomic status, (2) personality values and communication behavior, and (3) opinions. It also examined the correlations between the adopter categories to predict the level of the three BMPs being studied. The adopter categories were innovator, early adopter, early majority, late majority, and laggard. The three BMPs that were the focus of the study were rotation grazing, riparian buffers, and pasture renovation. The results of the study indicated that Mississippi beef producers could be correctly identified in the adopter categories. By identifying the adopter categories of the Mississippi beef producers and then examining the correlations among the variables, prediction of BMP adoption of rotational grazing and riparian buffers was possible. The relationships between MSU-ES agents and their programming efforts, as well as the relationships between NRCS district conservationist and their programs, were studied. Nonoption, though not an adopter category, was also examined and the reasons for it were cited.

No description available.

No description available.