University students in STEM disciplines are expected to successfully deal with academic stress while maintaining the well-being and motivation required to achieve superior performance. These students are at risk of overconfidence which can lead to disengagement when students are inevitably faced with disappointment. The present study evaluated the effects of a longitudinal motivational intervention encouraging downgrading expectations (Heckhausen, Wrosch, & Schulz, 2010) for pre-medicine university students (N = 52) on self-reported expectancies (academic expectations and optimism), academic emotions (enjoyment and anxiety), psychological well-being (illness symptoms and depression), and academic achievement (sessional GPA). Contrary to study hypotheses, results showed students in the intervention condition to report higher expectations and optimism on post-test measures, as well as lower GPAs over five academic semesters following the intervention. These paradoxical effects highlight the importance of tailoring previously successful motivational programs to the unique psychological needs and aptitudes of students in STEM disciplines. Keywords: Motivational intervention, STEM, downgrading expectations / Les étudiants universitaires dans les disciplines de STEM sont censés de traiter le stress académique en préservant leur bien-être et la motivation nécessaire pour obtenir un rendement supérieur. Ainsi, ces élèves sont à risque d'être trop confiants, ce qui peut provoquer un désengagement lorsque les élèves rencontreront des expériences décevantes. Cette étude a évalué les effets d'une intervention qui encourage un déclassement de leurs attentes auto-déclarées à long terme (Heckhausen, Wrosch, et Schulz, 2010) pour les étudiants universitaires pré-médecine (n = 52) concernant leurs réussites scolaires et leur optimisme, les émotions académiques (jouissance et l'anxiété), le bien-être (symptômes des maladies et la dépression), et la réussite scolaire (AMP). Les résultats ont révélé que, contraire à les hypothèses, les élèves de la condition d'intervention ont démontré des attentes scolaires et des niveaux d'optimisme plus élever, ainsi que les AMP inférieurs pendant une période de plus de cinq semestres académiques après avoir reçu l'intervention. Ces effets paradoxaux soulignent l'importance d'adapter les programmes de motivation éprouvées aux aptitudes et besoins psychologiques spécifiques des élèves dans des disciplines de STEM. Mots clés: intervention de motivation, STEM, déclassement d'attentes

Print materials for audiences with low levels of literacy usually include illustrations. This is particularly true of health education materials designed to raise awareness of serious diseases like the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and Tuberculosis (TB). When people cannot read well, it is often assumed illustrations will communicate information more clearly than written text. Theories of visual communication, however, suggest that visuals are ambiguous and more likely to be misinterpreted than written text, especially by under-educated viewers in environments where visuals and print materials are scarce. Moreover, the traditional guidelines on illustrating educational materials for adults with limited literacy are dated and often anecdotal. Due to South Africa’s high HIV/AIDS and TB infection rates, effective health education is important. The lack of basic literacy skills among millions of adults presents a challenge. It is important to understand the communicative potential and limitations of illustrations in health education materials in order to maximise their success. This qualitative research analyses how visual meaning is structured in illustrations from health education print materials from a semiotic perspective. A mixed method approach known as hybridised semiotics (Penn, 2000) is used, which in this case combines the semiotic analysis of the illustrations with data collected through interviews. Audience interpretations of the illustrations are contrasted with the producer’s intended meanings. 23 individual interviews were conducted with Zulu-speaking adult participants from ABET Level 1 Zulu literacy classes in two rural and two urban literacy centres in KwaZulu-Natal. The research instrument for the interviews included illustrations in different illustrating styles and with different approaches to content. The content of the illustrations included HIV/AIDS; the digestive system, safety for caregivers, and TB. The illustration styles included artistic techniques, levels of stylization, pictorial depth and background detail. The participants frequently misinterpreted the illustrations, or were able to describe the basic appearance of what was depicted without interpreting the complexities of the intended messages. Reported education levels seemed to influence participants’ abilities to interpret pictures, but not as significantly as expected. Findings suggest that rural participants were more likely to misinterpret illustrations containing symbols and unfamiliar objects, and tended to focus on describing surface details. Even though urban participants were more likely to discuss the connotations of illustrations, they often misinterpreted the intended message. Previous background knowledge and experience of the subject matter of the illustrations seemed to be the factor that enabled participants to infer the intended meanings of illustrations. This study demonstrates the use of a semiotic approach to analysing illustrations, which may help to predict and avoid sources of confusion for audiences with low literacy. It also confirms that certain guidelines remain relevant while others do not, and provides specific recommendations on how to enhance the effectiveness of visual communication in this context. Illustrations have many beneficial roles, and remain essential components of reading material for audiences with low levels of literacy. It is therefore important to understand their complexity, and the reasons why they may be misinterpreted, so that their educational potential can be maximised. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2014.

Adult neurogenesis is a conserved feature of the central nervous system across the animal kingdom. This process takes place in restricted neurogenic niches of the brain, where active populations of adult stem/progenitor cells are capable of producing newborn neurons. The niche is tightly controlled by intrinsic signals within the microenvironment and from stimuli arising from the external world, which together determine the cellular behaviour of the niche and neuronal output. Currently, our understanding of the biological properties of adult neurogenesis rests mainly on two niches of the vertebrate forebrain. To broaden our view of the diversity of this trait comparative models and new niches must be explored. Here, I have taken advantage of the robust neurogenic capacity of the adult zebrafish brain to examine differences in forebrain and sensory neurogenic niches in regards to cytoarchitectural organization, neurogenic plasticity, and regulation. Five principle findings emerge: (1) up to six morphologically distinct cell types compose forebrain and sensory niches, and are devoid of ependymal cells; (2) heterogeniety in the phenotype of the stem/progenitor cell exists across niches; some having radial glial characteristics; (3) active populations of proliferating stem/progenitor cells reside within primary sensory structures of the adult brain, forming a “sensory neurogenic niche”; different from other models of adult neurogenesis; (4) changes in the social environment induce neurogenic plasticity in sensory niches more readily than integrative niches of the forebrain, and occur independently of cortisol levels; (5) modality-specific stimulation influences stages of adult neurogenesis exclusively in corresponding primary sensory niches as a result of sensory-dependent neurogenic plasticity. Additionally, I have shown that Fibroblast Growth Factor signalling may not be involved in maintaining cell proliferation in sensory niches. These studies showcase the diverse properties of forebrain and sensory neurogenic niches and provide a new perspective concerning the functional role of adult neurogenesis.

Train-the-trainer is an educational method extensively used by organizations for capacity development. Despite the wide spread use of this method, there is little information regarding its use, role in educating adults, and participant perceptions of its utility. Healthcare service providers’ perceptions of a train-the-trainer educational method was investigated in this qualitative study. A focus group methodology was used. Content analysis revealed themes about participant perceptions. The overall theme identified was the need to address location-specific challenges, specifically, recognition by the trainer of the context of communities and programs in which the training occurs. Organizations using this method need be flexible and willing to revise the training plan based in adult learner needs. Service providers recommended that the provision of strategies and examples for transfer of learning into practice was critical as was the tailoring of train-the-trainer workshops in length, facilitation style, resources, and delivery modality to community capacity and needs.

All forms of child abuse are associated with a variety of short- and long-term negative effects. In particular, adult victims of child abuse have been known to experience more insecure forms of attachment to significant others in adulthood (McCarthy & Taylor, 1999; Muller, Lemieux, & Sicoli, 2001). It was hypothesized that particular forms of child abuse would be associated with particular forms of insecure attachment in adulthood and that adult attachment style would act as a mediator between child abuse history and negative outcomes. Five hundred fifty-two female and 294 male university student completed questionnaires on their child abuse history, adult attachment style, self-esteem, current psychological symptoms and a number of demographic variables. Regression analyses, ANCOVA’s and bootstrapping mediation analyses were completed. Physical abuse was associated with attachment avoidance and psychological maltreatment was associated with attachment anxiety. Some support was also found for associations between neglect and physical abuse with attachment anxiety. Sexual abuse was not associated with either attachment avoidance or attachment anxiety. Social support, as a control variable, was also found to be an important predictor of attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. While it was hypothesized that there would be differences between high and low severity sexual and physical abuse on adult attachment anxiety, no statistically significant differences were found. Both attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety were found to partially mediate the relationships between child abuse and psychological symptoms and child abuse and self-esteem. These findings provide more detailed information regarding the importance of adult attachment in the area of child abuse and implications for the support and treatment of child abuse victims. One’s child abuse history can provide important information regarding one’s attachment tendencies in adulthood impacting important adult relationships including the therapy relationship.

<p> This study explores how six professionals experience critical thinking within their occupation. The research methodology employed for this study was hermeneutic phenomenology. The aim of the research was to reveal the essence of the experience of these critical thinkers as they encountered the guidelines, standards, and policies of their work environment and how these affected their ability to think critically. </p><p> From the oral record of the lived events, five major findings surfaced from these experiences: Tactics and Values, Emotional State, Critical Questions, Pre-/Post-Expectations and Beliefs, and Inhibitors to Critical Thinking. </p><p> There was a confirmed connection to the literature for critical questions, the emotional state, and tactics and values of critical thinkers, but no apparent thematic connection in the literature was found regarding pre-/post-expectations and beliefs or a catalog of inhibitors to critical thinking. </p><p> Analysis of the findings led this researcher to the conclusion that leadership is the persistent and fundamental key to answering if an environment is appropriate or not for a critical thinker to flourish. The analysis also yielded recommendations for the critical thinker to catalog and be mindful of possible inhibitors to critical thinking within an occupation and for leaders within an organization to foster an environment that is hospitable to critical thinkers.</p>

<p>Math anxiety, defined as feelings of apprehension and fear of courses involving mathematics, often interferes with student learning in a variety of college-level courses. A related phenomenon, statistics anxiety, affects the performance of many students in statistics courses. Researchers have found evidence that including collaborative problem solving as an instructional methodology is effective at reducing the negative effects of statistics anxiety. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore adult perceptions of collaborative problem solving as an instructional methodology focused on improving the learning environment in a business statistics course. Behaviorist, constructivist, and adult learning theories provided the foundation for this study that gathered narrative interview data from 14 adult students. The narratives were analyzed by first coding responses to questions into 7 frames of reference. Further refining of the data was accomplished by grouping responses in each frame of reference into common realms of response. Findings indicated that the adult participants perceived collaboration to be effective at reducing stress levels and improving course performance. Additionally, the participants identified weekly learning tasks, collaborative partner selection methods, and student resource materials that could benefit from redesigning. The project that stemmed from this research involved restructuring the instructional methodologies, learning tasks, and student resources to better align with adult learning preferences identified by the participants. The benefits to positive social change resulting from this project study included improving the course learning environment for adults and identifying adult preferences for implementing collaboration as a learning methodology.

This thesis examines the growth in adults' take up of qualifications over the last 20+ years. The thesis asks who the participants are in terms of their social characteristics, and coins the term 'new adult qualifiers' to refer to this expanding student population. It aims to (I) locate the expansion in its wider social/historical context; (II) examine theories which might explain the increases, and (III) draw on a number of in-depth interviews with new adult qualifiers to explore the relevance of Giddens' concept of reflexive modernisation (RM). Part One of the thesis provides a statistical picture of trends in adults' participation in qualifying and non-qualifying courses in the UK since 1970. This shows that there have been substantial increases in the numbers of adults (21 +) and, particularly, older adults (25+) who pursue qualifications in the FE and HE sectors. The statistical account identifies the social, economic and educational diversity of this older mature student population. Part Two of the thesis discusses existing explanations for the expansiOn of qualifications in industrial societies (Dore 1976, Collins 1979), and identifies why they are of limited use in explaining the rise in adults' take up over the past two decades. It goes onto suggest that the RM thesis (Beck 1992, 1994; Giddens 1990, 1991, 1994), which is a general theory of social change as well as an evocative description of contemporary society, may provide the basis for an alternative explanation. The RM thesis provides a way of understanding how social and economic conditions, characterised by uncertainty and opportunity, have been produced. I hypothesise that it is these conditions that underlie the rising take up of qualifications by adults. This perspective is explored via a study of ten men and women who, in mid-life, have recently pursued first degrees at a university in England (Part Three). In the final chapter, I identify the strengths and weaknesses ofusing the RM thesis to help explain adults' changing relationship to qualifications. I conclude that the gap between the general social theory and the specific case of qualifications makes it unwise to claim that the perspective can fully explain the growth of qualifications for all adult groups.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effectiveness of distance learning within post-registration community nurse education. In this context, 'effectiveness' is defined as being useful to the student or 'fit for purpose' and it focuses on the educational experience. The study, which was designed in two stages, aimed to investigate whether learning support needs were similar for full-time adult students and distance learners. In the first stage, an original survey instrument was designed and posted to a group of nursing students who had undertaken a diploma-level course (n=169). A response rate of 69% was achieved. It aimed to determine whether the learning and educational support needs were similar between these two groups. The findings suggested that the learning and educational needs were alike and suggested the need for proactive support with adult learners, irrespective of their mode of study. In the second stage, a phenomenological approach was used to determine the experiences of the first cohort of graduates from a distance-learning degree course in community nursing (n=6); their community supervisors (n=9) and the academic staff involved with the course(n=7). Each group interpreted the meaning of 'effectiveness' in varying ways. The findings confirmed that distance learning is an effective mode of education, providing that the students' learning is facilitated and supported by regular contact with course tutors and other students. The significance of this study is in the model of supportive learning which was developed in light of the findings that will assist in the effectiveness of distance learning. The model has five elements within it, addressing 'student characteristics 1, 'tutor characteristics', 'student-student contact', 'course content' and the relationship between the student and tutor. It is proposed that this model could be used for the support of students, as a framework for staff development and for course evaluation.

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