There is an ongoing need for educational psychologists, researchers, policymakers, educators, and parents to continue to identify and understand the academic and nonacademic factors that influence academic achievement. Recent studies have documented the steady decline in the academic performances of students from Grades 7 to 9. The purpose of this study was to examine the statistical relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction in relationship with caregivers, mindsets of intelligence, and academic achievement among secondary school students in the Commonwealth of Dominica. This study was grounded in the self-determination theory and mindsets of intelligence theory. A non-experimental correlational design using survey methodology was used for this study. Participants were 143 3rd year secondary school students ages 11 through 15. The participants’ academic achievement, mindsets of intelligence and their basic psychological needs satisfaction in relationship with their caregivers, were measured. The data were analyzed using standard multiple regression. The results of the study found a significant inverse relationship between the relatedness component of psychological needs satisfaction and academic achievement. Additionally, higher mindset of intelligence scores significantly predicted higher scores in math, English, and science in the participants first and second years of secondary school. The positive social change implications of this study may equip policymakers, teachers, and parents with the relevant information needed to design and implement programs aimed at improving the academic achievement of secondary school students

The advent of text messaging as a popular and cheaper form of communication has offered a new research perspective on adolescent development. Erikson’s identity formation theory, the core tenets of existentialism, and the developmental factors of adolescence provided a conceptual framework for the present investigation, which was guided by two research questions: What are the needs of adolescents seeking assistance through text-based messaging? How do the needs expressed align with the stage of development that adolescents are in? Since the data set had already been established from text messaging between learners and tutors in the Dr Math online tutoring programme, secondary data analysis was employed. A qualitative approach, rooted in an interpretivist paradigm, was used. In total 143, of the 5284, messages were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thematic network analysis served to enable coding and grouping of the data into thematic networks for analysis. A bottom-to-top hierarchy of codes, basic themes, and organising themes led to the formulation of the global themes of romantic curiosity, emotional expression, academic and career concerns, personal counselling, and social interactions as central to arriving at a better understanding of adolescents’ psychosocial needs in an increasingly technological communication environment. Further research is recommended into ways in which training and development in technology can be used for aiding adolescents in South Africa, as well as into the role of technology in advancing practice and research for professionals. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

The purpose of the present study was to assess the associations between academic commitment theory (operationalised as meaningful commitment) (Human-Vogel & Rabe, 2015), and self-determination theoretical constructs (operationalised through need support, need satisfaction, autonomous self-regulation and perceived competence) (Deci & Ryan, 2000) in predicting the academic achievement levels of South African Gr 11 and 12 learners. Data was collected on two occasions; participants initially completed a survey and I then obtained their average academic marks. Participants reported average to higher levels of measured constructs and responses on all measurements displayed a normal distribution. I used path analysis to test two hypothesised and several additional models. The results indicated that neither autonomous self-regulation nor meaningful commitment directly predicted academic achievement but that both constructs indirectly predicted academic achievement through basic psychological need satisfaction and perceived competence. Meaningful commitment, furthermore, predicted twice as much variance in need satisfaction as autonomous self-regulation, and was a significant predictor of autonomous motivation. The findings of this study provide some insight into the role of meaning in self-determination theory, as well the organising role of meaningful commitment in self-regulating behavioural choices. These findings may also help educators and policy makers to create learning environments in which learners’ need for meaning and self-determination is supported, so that they can achieve academic success. Methodologically, the present study contributes to the validation of the meaningfulness subscale and the application of self-determination theory instruments in a South African context. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Teacher attrition, particularly in hard-to-staff urban schools, is a problem addressed by many researchers. Although this research often focuses on novice teachers, those with three or fewer years of experience, there is a growing body of literature that examines second stage teachers, those with between four and 20 years of experience. Like their novice colleagues, these second stage teachers are also at risk of leaving the profession, which can have negative consequences for students. While much of the research focuses on reasons why teachers leave the profession, there is a growing interest in understanding how teachers reach the decision to remain in the profession. Psychological theory and existing scholarship on the work lives of teachers provides one conceptual framework for exploring the topic of teacher retention. The theory of basic psychological needs explains that teachers, like employees in all other professions need to feel fulfillment of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in their professional lives. This contributes to their sense of job satisfaction, or enjoyment, which then makes it more likely for them to remain in the profession. One potential way to help second stage teachers meet these needs and experience job satisfaction is through teacher leadership roles, such as mentoring. The current exploratory study used qualitative methods to interview urban second stage teacher leaders to learn how their experiences fulfill their needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, lead to a sense of job satisfaction, and influence their decision to remain in the profession. The participants in this study all had between four and 20 years of experience and all served in a leadership role as a mentor to pre-service teachers through an urban teacher residency program. They shared details and experiences of their professional lives from their decisions to become teachers in the urban school district, through their novice stage of teaching, and into their second stage of teaching, including the decision to take on the complicated leadership role of serving as a mentor to a pre-service teacher through a yearlong residency program. The participants shared experiences which indicated fulfillment of the three basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. They also shared that they felt a sense of satisfaction both from their work as classroom teachers and their role as mentors. Although they experienced need fulfillment and job satisfaction, participants also shared sources of dissatisfaction, and many explained that they were contemplating leaving the profession, with some feeling that teaching is no longer a long-term career. One noteworthy finding is that participants expressed a desire for feeling like a professional, which played a large role in the career decisions they made.

Till följd av viruset Covid-19 har många organisationer implementerat arbetsformen distansarbete, vilket kan ha en påverkan av den upplevda motivationen hos medarbetare. Studiens syfte är att analysera medarbetarnas upplevda motivation vid arbete på distans. Studien undersöker vad medarbetare upplever som god motivation vid omställningen från en fysisk arbetsplats till arbete på distans. Utifrån tidigare forskning går det att utläsa vilka faktorer som skapar motivation hos individen, detta har tagits i avseende med hjälp av aktuell forskning för att komplettera de mer traditionella teorierna kring ämnet motivation. Metoden som använts för studien grundar sig i en kvalitativ metod som utgörs av både kvalitativa intervjuer, samt en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av enkäter. Till studien har det valts att använda en fenomenologisk metodansats, detta då forskningen inte valt att utgå från en specifik teori utan det har istället valts att upprätthålla ett öppet perspektiv. Resultatet som går att utläsa ur denna studie är att den dominerande faktorn till en påverkad motivation vid distansarbete är avsaknaden av den sociala kontakten. Det går däremot inte att dra en generell slutsats om distansarbete har haft en positiv eller negativ inverkan på motivationen. Det som även framkommit i studien är att faktorerna som påverkar en individs upplevda motivation är jämlika med vad som sägs i den aktuella och tidigare forskningen. / As a result of Covid-19, many organizations have implemented the form of working remotely, which can have an impact on the perceived motivation of employees. The purpose of the study is to analyze the employees' perceived motivation when working remotely. The study examines what employees experience maintains a good motivation when switching from a physical workplace to working at a distance. Based on previous research, it is possible to learn which factors create motivation in the individual, this has been taken into account with the help of current research to supplement earlier theories. The method used for the study is based on a qualitative method that consists of both qualitative interviews and a qualitative content analysis of surveys. For the study, it has been chosen to use a phenomenological methodological approach, this as it’s not chosen to be based on a specific theory but has instead been chosen to have an open perspective. The result of this study shows that the dominant factor in an influenced motivation in working remotely is the lack of social contact. On the other hand, it is not possible to draw a general conclusion whether working remotely has had a positive or negative impact on motivation. What also emerged in the study is that the factors that affect an individual's perceived motivation are equal to what is said in the current and previous research.

<p><a>This</a> study aimed to investigate how the satisfaction and frustration of 776 undergraduate STEM majors’ basic psychological needs were related to their help seeking in a difficult course. It also identified the factor structures of adapted measures of academic help seeking and basic psychological needs. Factor analyses indicated that academic help seeking showed a 4-factor structure (adaptive, expedient, avoidant), with adaptive help seeking further distinguished based on the two sources (from the instructor/TA and from peers). Basic psychological needs exhibited an 8-factor structure, differentiated by whether each need (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) was satisfied or frustrated; relatedness satisfaction and frustration were also each differentiated by source (instructor/TA and peers). Psychological need satisfaction explained the data better than need frustration did in terms of both main effects and interaction effects. Interaction effects demonstrated that one psychological need was associated with academic help seeking through being moderated by another need or moderating a relation between another need and academic help seeking. Particularly, psychological need satisfaction showed some synergistic effects in that associations between one need satisfaction and academic help seeking were stronger when another need satisfaction was met. Implications for university educators, limitations, and directions for the future study were discussed. </p>

The national aging trend suggests that population of those aged 65 and older will reach 83.7 million by the year 2050. With increasing age comes the growing possibility of one getting some form of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association expects the number of American’s with dementia to triple from the reported 5 million cases in 2014 by 2050. With a rise in this cognitively impaired population there is reason to look closely at the needs of persons with dementia living in residential facilities and whether or not they are being met. The main focus of residential facilities is to provide aid with physical needs. However, research shows that all people also have social and psychological needs that need to be met to have the highest quality of life possible. Other research shows that residents with dementia spend a majority of their days with little to no social interactions. This study aims to uncover what verbal and nonverbal behaviors, if any, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) in residential care facilities find to be important when interacting with persons with dementia. This study includes the analysis of 11 interviews of CNAs from local facilities and home health companies. Analysis of their responses uncovered very few observable verbal and nonverbal behaviors were actually discussed. What was more apparent was that attitudes and internal behaviors participants considered important drove the use of good verbal and nonverbal communication. Five themes were uncovered. They were: Observable Verbal and Nonverbal Behaviors, Valuing Personhood, Get on Their [Cognitive and Reality] Level, Be a Friend, and Compassion. Excerpts from the interviews are included for examples of how these themes presented themselves.

Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och förstå hur lärare i företagsekonomi uppfattar elevers motivation och elevers motstånd till arbete med bokföringsprogram i undervisningen. Denna studie bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. De empiriska materialen har samlats in i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer av fem lärare i företagsekonomi, som använder bokföringsprogram i sin undervisning. Denna studie föreslår en sammanslagning av Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) och Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) i motivationen för att beskriva och förstå elevernas positiva eller negativa beteendemässiga intention till arbete med bokföringsprogram. Studien visar att lärare uppfattar att koppling till verkligheten, positiv återkoppling, tillgänglighet till bokföringsprogrammet och bokföringsprogrammets automatiska funktioner spelar en motiverande roll för eleverna i arbete med bokföringsprogrammet. Å andra sidan visar studien att lärare uppfattar att faktorer som svårigheter att komma igång med programmet, bristen på lärarnas digitala kompetens och elevernas svaga teoretiska kunskaper om bokföring utgör motståndsfaktorer för elever i arbetet. Utifrån studiens resultat kan slutsatser dras om att uppfylla elevers behov av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet främjar upplevd nytta och upplevda användarvänlighet för bokföringsprogrammet, vilket leder till främjandet av inre motivation för arbete med det. Å andra sidan, minskning av elevers upplevda kompetens leder till att minska sin upplevda nytta och upplevda användarvänlighet för bokföringsprogrammet, vilket försvagar deras inre motivation för arbete med det.

Det finns många studier som handlar om digitalisering i den svenska skolan, särskilt i ämnet företagsekonomi. De flesta av dessa studier undersöker lärarnas perspektiv men elevernas erfarenheter ignoreras ofta. Några av dessa forskare har föreslagit att även undersöka elevernas perspektiv. Syftet med denna studie är att lyfta fram och förstå hur elever beskriver motivation och svårigheter i arbetet med bokföringsprogram i företagsekonomi. Denna studie grundar sig i en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. De empiriska materialen har samlats in i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio elever. Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) används för att analysera resultaten. Studien visar att koppling till framtiden, en önskan att använda modern teknik samt enkelhet är faktorer som motiverar eleverna att använda bokföringsprogram. De svårigheter de möter handlar om begränsat med tid till uppgifterna och för lite återkoppling från lärarna, vilket kan leda till att man inte riktigt förstår programmet samt behov av teoretiska kunskaper. Studiens resultat visar att läraren har en central roll när det gäller att uppfylla de grundläggande psykologiska behoven av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet hos eleverna. Dessa behov förstärker elevernas önskan att lära och ger dem både självförtroende och nöje att använda bokföringsprogrammet, vilket i sin tur främjar inre motivation och fler färdigheter. Avsaknaden av ett av dessa tre behov riskerar att leda till att eleverna, när de möter svårigheter, kommer att bli avskräckta och mindre motiverade.