This research study, undertaken in an all girls‘ secondary school in London, brings to light different approaches by which a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) may be adopted in order to support the development of students‘ Emotional Intelligence. It examined the views and experiences of 35 teachers (10 of whom were key informants); 5 teaching assistants; 150 students and 2 VLE Content Developers. Drawing upon data obtained from questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions, findings of the study indicate that the strategic adoption of VLE tools for use in discussion forums, homework support and feedback, amongst others, can help in boosting secondary school students‘ self-confidence, self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and motivation to use VLE resources. Furthermore, the argument is made, that developing students‘ Emotional Intelligence through the use of online learning tools can lead to the attainment of emotionally intelligent face-to-face classroom environments and hence positive learning outcomes. Based on a process of inductive reasoning, a framework for supporting teachers in developing their students‘ Emotional Intelligence through VLEs is subsequently proposed and its enablers as well as inhibitors discussed. Finally, whilst emphasising that the use of VLEs to promote Emotional Intelligence is eminently generalisable, the limitations of case study research studies such as this one are acknowledged. Hence, it is recommended that future research in this area is undertaken in different contexts so that a more holistic picture is obtained.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

The overall aim of this thesis was to develop and validate a self-report instrument for perceived driver competence. The thesis includes six papers and a summary. All papers focus on perceived driver competence from a measurement perspective; that is, how to develop an instrument for perceived driver competence and how to use and interpret the scores from the instrument in a reliable and valid manner. Study I reviews how perceived driver competence has been measured in other studies and discusses these methods from a measurement perspective. Most studies have examined perceived driver competence by asking drivers to compare their own skill to that of the average driver. That method is problematic, since it is not possible to determine if drivers are overconfident or not, when empirical information of their own skills is missing. In order to examine if drivers overestimate their skills or not, perceived driver competence should be compared with actual driving performance. Study II reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a self-report instrument for perceived driver competence - the Self-Efficacy Scale for Driver Competence (SSDC). The findings provides support for construct validity, as the SSDC demonstrated sound psychometric properties and as the internal structure of the SSDC corresponded to the theoretical model used as a basis for instrument development. In study III, the psychometric properties of the SSDC were further examined using an item response theory (IRT) model. The findings confirmed the results indicated by the classical analyses in Study II. Additional information was provided by the IRT analyses, as it was indicated that the scale would benefit from fewer scale points or by putting labels on each scale point. In study IV, Swedish and Finnish candidates’ self-assessment accuracy was examined by comparing candidates’ scores on the SSDC and a similar instrument for self-assessment of driving skill used in Finland, with driving test performance. Unlike previous studies, in which drivers compared their perceived skills to that of the average driver, a relatively large proportion made a realistic assessment of their own skills. In addition, in contrast to previous studies, no gender differences were found. These results were also confirmed in study V, where the results from the Finnish instrument for self-assessment of driving skill were compared with the results from a similar instrument used in the Netherlands. Study VI further examined the construct validity of a revised version of the SSDC, combining qualitative and quantitative sources of evidence. There was a strong relationship between the SSDC and an instrument for self-assessment of driving skills, providing support for convergent validity. No relationship was found between the SSDC and driving test performance. Explanations of the lack of relationship were provided from semi-structured interviews, as they indicated that confidence in performing different tasks in the test are different from being confident of passing the test, and that the candidates are familiar neither with assessing their own skills nor with the requirements for passing the test. In conclusion, the results from this thesis indicated that the choice of methods for assessing perceived driver competence as well as the quality of these methods affect the validity. The results provided support for different aspects of construct validity of the SSDC. Moreover, the findings illustrated the benefits of combining different methods in test validation, as each method contributed information about the validity of the SSDC. The studies in this thesis mainly examined internal and external aspects of construct validity. Future studies should examine procedural validity of the SSDC.

Self-efficacy has consistently distinguished between highly successful and less successful athletes. Given this relationship there is demand in sport to have strategies to enhance self-efficacy. The use of motivational general-mastery (MG-M) imagery is an effective psychological technique to enhance self-efficacy. What moderates the effectiveness of this technique is the athlete’s ability to use MG-M imagery. A single-subject multiple baseline design was employed where inter-collegiate golfers (n = 3; male) completed baseline and post-intervention measures: Motivational Imagery Ability Measure for Sport and the Golf Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Participants completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory prior to each competition and the score recorded for each round of golf was used to evaluate performance. Participants engaged in six sessions of guided MG-M imagery training over a 3-week period. The results of the study demonstrated that the sport confidence and golf self-efficacy of Participants 2 and 3 improved, while Participant 1 remained at a relatively constant level. All participants showed improved imagery ability and Participants 1 and 3 demonstrated improved golf performance. Post-experimental interviews indicated all participants felt the imagery training program was effective and appropriate for their sport.

Background: All the students in the University College of Södertörn in Sweden who are studying to become a teacher, are attending practice education. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to illuminate and analyze how the students experienced their practice education. My intent was to investigate if the students by their experiences have been affected in their own self-esteem. Method: This is a qualitative study that has been responded by 60 teacher students. The students attended in an internet- survey that included ten different questions. Result: The result of the interviews shows that the self-esteem has been affected, mostly in a positive way. Conclusion: The most common reason that affected the student self-esteem depended on how their supervisor has been treating them during their practice.

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the effect of self-modeling on self-efficacy and performance of balance beam routines. Subjects (n=ll) were intermediate level gymnasts rated at the 5, 6, and 7 skill levels with ages ranging from 8 to 13 years. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups, a self-modeling or a control group. For the self-modeling group, self-modeling videotapes were made of each subject performing her balance beam routine. During a six week period, the self-modeling group subjects viewed the videotape of themselves prior to practice three times a week for six consecutive weeks. All subjects completed two different self-efficacy inventories and a balance beam skills test at four intervals: a pretest, a 2-week test, a 4 week-test, and a posttest. During the six weeks, each group participated in their normal instructional program at the gymnastics academy.The results of this study indicated no significant differences in ratings of self-efficacy or balance beam performance, as based on judge's ratings between the self-modeling group and the control group. However, a significant correlation was found between predicted performance scores and actual performance scores for the self-modeling group (r=.92). This correlation was not significant for the control group (r=.02). Even though a significant effect of self-modeling on self-efficacy and performance scores was not found, this significant correlation indicates that self-modeling may enhance a subject's ability to realistically assess her/his performance. Thus, self-modeling may benefit the learner by developing an accurate conception of one's performance which would enhance the ability to understand and utilize instructional feedback to improve performance. / School of Physical Education

Self-efficacy has consistently distinguished between highly successful and less successful athletes. Given this relationship there is demand in sport to have strategies to enhance self-efficacy. The use of motivational general-mastery (MG-M) imagery is an effective psychological technique to enhance self-efficacy. What moderates the effectiveness of this technique is the athlete’s ability to use MG-M imagery. A single-subject multiple baseline design was employed where inter-collegiate golfers (n = 3; male) completed baseline and post-intervention measures: Motivational Imagery Ability Measure for Sport and the Golf Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Participants completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory prior to each competition and the score recorded for each round of golf was used to evaluate performance. Participants engaged in six sessions of guided MG-M imagery training over a 3-week period. The results of the study demonstrated that the sport confidence and golf self-efficacy of Participants 2 and 3 improved, while Participant 1 remained at a relatively constant level. All participants showed improved imagery ability and Participants 1 and 3 demonstrated improved golf performance. Post-experimental interviews indicated all participants felt the imagery training program was effective and appropriate for their sport.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 286-289).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-62). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.