Föreliggande studie syftade till att undersöka sambandet/effekten mellan målsättning, behovstillfredsställelse, behovsfrustration, motivation och träningsfrekvens bland gymaktiva vuxna. Utifrån två arbetsmodeller utformades två hypoteser som testades via medieringsanalyser. En kvantitativ forskningsansats genomfördes där respondenterna fick besvara ett enkätformulär med frågor från mätinstrumenten: Godin Leisure- Time Exercise Questionnaire, Task and Ego Goal Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, The Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs, samt Behavorial Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire. Utifrån ett bekvämlighetsurval rekryterades 128 respondenter (70 kvinnor och 58 män) i åldern 19-36 (M = 22.3, SD = 2.5) som deltog i studien. Medelvärdet på antal träningspass/vecka (lätt, måttlig och hård träning) uppkom till cirka nio stycken bland deltagare. Studiens huvudsakliga fynd var att prestationsmål korrelerade positivt med identifierad reglering, inre motivation, tillfredställelse av de tre grundbehoven samt självbestämmande motivation. Det fanns även ett positivt samband mellan inre motivation och träningsfrekvens. Vidare visade resultatet ett positivt samband mellan resultatmål, amotivation och behovsfrustration. De två hypoteserna förkastades då resultatet inte genererade några direkta medierande effekter. För framtida forskning föreslås bland annat studier som syftar till att undersöka hur effekten på träningsfrekvens kan påverkas beroende på målorientering, samt föreslås ytterligare studier som undersöker behovsfrustration i samband med gymkontexter. / The present study aimed to investigate the relationship/effect between goal orientation, needs satisfaction, needs frustration, motivation and training frequency among gym active adults. Based on two working models two hypotheses were designed and tested through mediation analyzes. A quantitative research approach was conducted in which respondents were asked to answer a questionnaire with questions from the following measuring instruments: Godin Leisure- Time Exercise Questionnaire, Task and Ego Goal Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, The Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs and Behavioral Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire". From a convenience sample, 128 respondents (70 women and 58 men) in the age 19-36 (M = 22.3, SD = 2.5) were recruited who participated in the study. The average number of training sessions/week was about nine for the participants. The study's main finding suggest that task goals positively correlated with identified regulation, intrinsic motivation, satisfaction of the three basic needs and self-determination motivation. There was also a positive correlation between exercise frequency and intrinsic motivation and exercise frequency. The results also showed a positive correlation between ego goals, amotivation and thwarting. The two hypotheses were rejected because the result did not generate any direct media effects. For future research, it is suggested to design studies that aim to investigate how the effect of exercise frequency may be affected depending on the goal orientation, and further suggested studies that investigate thwarting in relation to gym contexts.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has reached epidemic levels worldwide during the past two decades. It affects nearly 26 million adults in the U.S. Advances in both the treatments for T2DM and guidelines for its optimal management are extensive. Despite these advances, barely half of type 2 diabetics achieve recommended glycemic targets. Specific Aims: The specific aims were to: Describe the available research on clinical inertia and interventions that have been implemented to reduce it. Analyze various behavioral theories that explain and predict self-care practices in diabetes in order to develop a conceptual model on which to base an investigation of predictors of readiness to initiate insulin therapy in type 2 diabetics. Determine predictors of readiness to initiate insulin therapy in patients with T2DM when oral medications fail to control hyperglycemia using the conceptual model based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework. Results: A review of research articles published from 1990 to 2010 concluded that clinical inertia of primary care providers treating T2DM resulted in a majority of patients experiencing unnecessary chronic uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Behavioral theories were analyzed for their ability to predict self-care behaviors in type 2 diabetics. A conceptual model was developed based on the major constructs of SDT in order to guide the design of study to investigate predictors of readiness to begin insulin therapy in T2DM. Finally, a descriptive, correlational study was performed to determine readiness to initiate insulin therapy in patients with T2DM when oral medications fail to control hyperglycemia. Results of the study revealed that participants who had a friend or family using insulin were 5.5 times more likely to rate their readiness to initiate insulin as high than those who had neither (p=.020). In addition, those with greater negative beliefs and attitudes toward insulin therapy were more likely to rate their readiness to initiate insulin as low (p=.012). A majority (58%) of participants rated their readiness to begin insulin therapy as immediate if it would give them better control over their hyperglycemia. The study also confirmed findings from previous studies that clinical inertia was present in this setting.

En kvantitativ undersökning med 248 enkätsvar har genomförts. Syfte var att jämföra och analysera motivationen hos elever med olika betyg i matematik och elever som läser eller inte läser matematikinriktning samt beskriva hur skolan kan hjälpa elever till ökad motivation i matematik. Ett särskilt fokus riktades på SUM-elever. Motivationsteorierna Achievement goal theory, Self-determination theory och Attribution theory studerades för att se vilka karakteristiska drag som leder till ökad motivation. Resultatet pekade på samband mellan elevers betyg och motivation i matematik. Elever med högre betyg hade högre motivation än elever med lägre betyg. Det framkom vad elever tycker är viktigt för att de ska lära sig matematik, vilket till stor del sammanfaller med vad motivationsteorierna beskriver att skolan ska arbeta med för att öka motivationen. Sammanfattningsvis pekade resultatet på att skolan bör ange tydliga mål, ge valmöjligheter samt utmanande men anpassade uppgifter för att hjälpa elever till ökad motivation. Dessutom bör skolan hjälpa elever att notera sina framsteg, att inse att misstag bidrar till lärande samt att ansträngning leder till känsla av kompetens.

Sport dropout during adolescence is a common phenomenon which is connected to motivation. Therefore this thesis investigated the relationship between coaches’ (N = 61, Mage = 40.39) transformational leadership and athletes’ (N = 132, Mage = 20.61) type of motivation in Swedish sport clubs. In addition, the moderating role of personality and self-other agreement ratings were examined. A cross sectional research design was used and data was collected through self-ratings and other ratings. Data was analysed using SPSS and the add-on program Process macro. To investigate the moderating role of personality and level of agreement, coach-athletes dyads were created (N = 38). The result showed that transformational leadership is positively associated with more self-determined types of motivation. Four of the coach’s personality traits (i.e., honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion and conscientiousness) moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and motivation. For the athletes agreeableness moderated this relationship. A majority of the coaches and athletes disagreed in rating the coaches’ transformational behaviours; however the result only showed significant correlation between coaches who underestimated and athletes’ lack of motivation. In conclusion, transformational leadership is suitable in a sport context. Future research could use a longitudinal design to further explore personality’s role in leadership. Practical implications of transformational leadership in connection to education are discussed.

In recent years, personalized learning has become a buzzword in the field of education and an approach that schools across the United States have adopted in their attempts to account for the diverse interests, aspirations, and needs of their students. Despite the growing interest in personalized learning, there is a dearth of empirical research on this educational approach, particularly as it relates to the student experience. Given the paucity of research in this area, little is known about the extent to which personalized learning can offer students a more beneficial quality of experience than traditional educational methods. This question is further complicated by the fact that personalized learning has been defined and put into practice in diverse ways. Given these conditions, the purpose of this study was to explore students' experiences with more humanistic forms of personalized learning at three high schools in Vermont. A pragmatic approach to qualitative research was used along with self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework to investigate students' perceptions of their autonomy, competence, relatedness, motivation, and well-being within the context of personalized learning. SDT was used as framework because it offers a lens for analyzing how social contexts affect people's experiences and proposes that individuals experience higher qualities of motivation, engagement, and performance when their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met. Study findings, which are based on interviews with 28 students from three Vermont high schools, suggest participants generally felt autonomous, competent, and related in their personalized learning environments, which contributed to their intrinsic motivation, engagement, and well-being within these settings. Some features of personalized learning that supported multiple facets of students' basic psychological needs were the individualized nature of instruction, student-driven curriculum, and structures that enabled and supported community-based learning. Although many students suggested personalized learning supported their basic psychological needs, some struggled to direct and manage their own learning, which diminished their feelings of competence while others indicated that the individualized nature of their projects undermined their sense of relatedness to their peers. Overall, the findings indicate that humanistic approaches to personalized learning have the potential to contribute to a more beneficial quality of experience for high school students than traditional educational methods. The study has implications for educational policy and practice as it suggests personalization may be an effective approach for engaging a variety of students with their education and promoting the skills and dispositions for lifelong learning.

Self-Directed Work Teams (SDWT) are strategic organization designs based on the belief that the time required to make good decisions decreases when employees are empowered to tap their tacit job knowledge. Because this strategy requires employees to think differently about the way they perform their jobs, the supervisor plays a critical role in SDWT implementations. If leaders fail to adequately manage the challenges associated with the transition to the SDWT structure, employee commitment towards the team and organization at large may suffer, putting the realization of SDWT benefits at risk. To better understand this complicated process, this research describes a field study observation designed to explore the relationship between the constructs of Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness) with employee affective commitment towards a SDWT transition. Additionally, this research evaluates the mediating role leadership influence tactics has on the relationship between Self-Determination Theory and employee affective commitment towards a SDWT transition.

The purpose of the thesis is to examine how adult immigrants in Romania describe the learning strategies that have helped them integrate in the new culture. To be able to draw conclusions about migrants' learning strategies and what has made them work, I have looked at the experience of five immigrants who speak Romanian and who have successfully integrated in the Romanian culture. The study employs a qualitative methodology, information has been collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis and a framework approach to data analysis. The key findings of the thesis are that integration through education, specifically through language learning, takes place more effectively if migrants are driven by intrinsic goals or if they internalize the extrinsic rewards that they expect upon completion of their goals. These findings can be put into practice to form better strategies and actions steps in organizational programs that aim at integrating migrants. They can also be brought to the knowledge of migrants looking to successfully integrate, to make them aware of how their choices and goals, even those apparently unrelated, can impact the outcome of their integration efforts.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths in the United States, highlighting the need for ways to reduce teenage driver crash rates. Adolescents (n = 176, M age = 16.4 years, 53% female) and their parents (n = 204, 71% mothers) self-reported on parenting style, driving restrictions, and risky driving. Results showed that more parental restrictions were associated with less adolescent risky driving. Three-way interactions were found such that more restrictions were associated with less concurrent risky driving in boys only under conditions of high parental warmth, structure, or autonomy support. Parenting style generally did not moderate the association for girls, although more restrictions were associated with less risky driving one year later for girls only in the context of low autonomy support. Findings are discussed in terms of how parenting may differentially affect risky driving as a form of risk-taking versus risky driving stemming from inexperience.

Ce mémoire de maîtrise a été accompli simultanément à des études à temps plein en droit. / Le Québec est confronté à un vieillissement de sa population et une pénurie de main-d’œuvre spécialisée. Pour faire face à ces difficultés tout en restant compétitives à l’échelle internationale, les entreprises québécoises doivent adopter des méthodes de gestion novatrices qui génèrent une performance élevée chez leurs travailleurs peu nombreux. Il est donc essentiel de se servir – et de repenser – le mieux possible des déterminants reconnus de la performance au travail, au premier chef : la motivation. Or, les recherches adoptent habituellement une perspective linéaire en un temps entre ces variables, alors que différentes études soulèvent la possibilité que les relations soient différentes lorsque ces variables sont analysées dans une perspective autre que linéaire. La présente étude teste si une dynamique cyclique se produit. Les résultats de médiation multiples ne révèlent pas d’effet significatif de la motivation entre les performances de deux temps de mesure consécutifs. Cela conforte la nécessité d’élargir la recherche sur de nouvelles variables de manière à vérifier le potentiel lien cyclique entre deux performances. Également, cette recherche relève une zone d’ombre dans la relation dynamique entre la motivation et la performance : ce lien n’est pas aussi lisse qu’il ne le semble. Il arrive parfois que les motivations et performances initiales aient un impact plus déterminant sur les comportements futurs. / Québec has to deal with an aging population and a shortage of highly-skilled labor. In order to face these difficulties while remaining competitive internationally, Quebec’s businesses must adopt new management methods that generate a higher performance from their fewer workers. It is therefore essential to better utilize – and rethink – the predictors of work performance with motivation at the forefront of this endeavor. However, studies usually adopt a one-time only linear perspective between these variables, while other studies suggest that the relations between them would differ when analyzed more dynamically. The present study tests if a cyclic relation performance-motivation- performance occurs. Multiple mediation results do not show a significant effect of various forms of motivation on the performance of two consecutive time measures; hence supporting the need for future studies to test new variables in order to verify the potential cyclical link between two performances. Moreover, the present study identifies a grey zone in the dynamic relation between motivation and performance. Indeed, the link isn’t as smooth as it seems since initial motivations and performances appear to have the greatest impact on future behaviors.

Regular physical activity (PA) participation and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption confers numerous positive health outcomes for cancer survivors, including prevention of cancer recurrence, second primary cancers, and other non-communicable chronic diseases. Rural-living young adult cancer survivors (YAs) possess unique barriers and concerns that influence their ability to participate in traditional face-to-face behaviour change interventions. Few researchers have explored alternative means for delivering behaviour change interventions grounded in theory utilizing a mixed-methods approach to assess processes of change and behavioural outcomes. To fill this gap and provide recommendations for future interventions and services focused on positive health behaviours in this population, the objective of the research presented in this thesis was to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week theory-based telehealth behaviour change intervention aiming to improve PA and FV consumption using a single-arm, mixed methods pilot trial. Over a 7-month period, 14 YAs self-referred. Of these 14, 5 were eligible and consented to participate with 3 completing the study. Retention to the study was 73% and adherence to the health coaching program ranged from 66.67-100% with a 40% attrition rate. Inquiry into the acceptability of the intervention offered insight into participants experiences, which was summarized within five themes: (1) the more time the better, (2) the human factor, (3) supporting access, (4) influencing the basic psychological needs, and (5) finding motivation. Collectively, the findings suggest the methods used require minor modifications before being deemed feasible despite the general acceptability of the intervention. Importantly, they highlight the necessity of more expansive recruitment strategies and a need to explore participants’ underlying intentions for participating in behaviour change interventions. Further, recommendations are made based on the findings to improve this style of intervention, including testing stepped down models of support because it may help some YAs maintain behaviour change post-intervention.