<p><i>Background.</i> Regular physical activity is beneficial for older adults in order to protect against age related injuries and illnesses, and to maintain their independence and quality of life. However, older adults are the least likely age group to meet the physical activity guidelines set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine and World Health Organization. According to the self-determination theory framework, health practitioners and exercise instructors should aim to create and deliver interventions in a way that fosters an autonomy-supportive health care climate (e.g., taking the perspectives of patients, providing choices) to facilitate satisfaction of the basic psychological needs and self-determined motivation. <i>Purpose</i>. The specific aims of this study were to (1) determine whether autonomy support is associated with physical activity-related need for autonomy, autonomous regulation, and physical activity behavior; and to (2) determine whether autonomy support moderates the association between physical activity-related need for autonomy and autonomous regulation. <i>Methods.</i> The design of the study was longitudinal. A total of 431 adults aged ≥ 55 years completed an online survey (Baseline – Week 0) containing self-determination theory-related predictor variables, along with past month and past week physical activity. Weekly online physical activity recall questionnaires were completed for four weeks (at Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4). The product of coefficient <i>a</i> × <i>b</i> approach was used to test the mediation effect using multiple linear regression analysis. The Monte Carlo 95% confidence interval [95% CI] (5,000 bootstrap samples) for the mediated effects were obtained using Hayes SAS MCMED macro. <i>Results. </i>Physical activity-related need for autonomy was found to partially mediate the relationship between autonomy support and autonomous regulation, but only for those who were engaging in physical activity 2 days per week (0.0195 [0.0004, 0.0438]) and ≥ 4 days per week (0.0390 [0.0098, 0.0774]). Additionally, the physical activity-related need for autonomy and autonomous regulation were found to mediate the relationship between autonomy support and physical activity, but only for those who were previously physically active (≥ 4 days per week in the last month) and younger (e.g. aged 58 years). Autonomy support was not found to moderate the need for autonomy-autonomous regulation relationship. Physical activity-related need for competence was positively associated with autonomous regulation and physical activity behavior. <i>Conclusion.</i> In line with the self-determination theory, the current findings suggest that the facilitation of autonomy support and the subsequent fulfillment of the psychological needs; consequently, lead to an increase in autonomous regulation. Future research should consider how the need for competence plays a role in physical activity participation beyond autonomous regulation as adults age. </p>

Abstract Background:  Both the fitness and gamification industry are booming with no signs of slowing down in the near future. Gamified applications are entering the markets, attempting to induce gameful elements into tedious environments to enhance intrinsic motivation. The same goes for the gym sector, as market leaders, such as the Swedish gym chain Nordic Wellness, are increasingly implementing gamification elements into their business models.   Problem: The true effectiveness of gamification on intrinsic motivation remains underdeveloped. Literature highlights the necessity of adapting gamification design towards the end-user, by considering the different effects from the individual game elements and the context. However, the gym context has been completely neglected, even though gamification has become increasingly utilized in this sector.     Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the body of knowledge on how extrinsic mechanisms such as gamification can influence intrinsic motivation. This study utilizes the context of a gamified gym application for Nordic Wellness to determine the motivational potential of game elements. Thereby, the research team attempts to add to the body of literature by expanding on the effectiveness of gamification on intrinsic motivation, while also contributing through entering a currently undiscovered domain of gamification in the gym context.   Method: A qualitative approach with fifteen semi-structured interviews has been conducted on young Swedish adults attending the Swedish gym chain Nordic Wellness.   Results: The findings suggest Self-Determination Theory as a valid framework to examine the effects of gamification on intrinsic motivations. Through connecting the identified themes and theory, a framework is proposed for the evaluation on the effectiveness of game elements on intrinsic motivation. From evaluating the discussed game elements through this framework, recommendations are made for a gamified gym application that is argued to positively satisfy the psychological needs and therefore enhance the intrinsic motivations in a gym context.

Vårt syfte med denna uppsats har varit att öka vår förståelse för om, och i så fall hur, ledarskap skiljer sig åt mellan idrottsorganisationer och näringsliv med fokus på ledare och spelare/medarbetare. Uppsatsen har en kvalitativ ansats med semi-strukturerade intervjuer, där både ledare och spelare/medarbetare från båda organisationer intervjuats. Ledarskapen har jämförts med hjälp av The Full Range of Leadership av Bass &amp; Bass (2008) samt The Self- Determination Theory av Ryan &amp; Deci (2000). Våra resultat visar att ledarskapet skiljer sig åt på flera punkter, däribland mål, konflikthantering, feedback och motivation. Vi fann även likheter som bestrider tidigare forskning.

Destruktiva former av ledarskap har visat sig ha stor negativ påverkan på både individnivå och organisatorisk nivå. För att minska förekomsten av destruktiva ledarbeteenden är det viktigt att förstå vad som bidrar till att chefer agerar destruktivt. Studien syftade därför till att undersöka antecedenter (orsaker) till kontrollerande ledarskap. Data insamlades i en medelstor kommun genom webbaserade enkäter till chefer (n = 37) och deras medarbetare (n = 329) vid två tillfällen. Flernivåanalys användes för att analysera data. I linje med Self-determination theory (SDT) visade resultaten att lägre känsla av kompetens hos medarbetare predicerar ökad grad av kontrollerande ledarbeteenden hos chefer. Vidare återfanns resultat som visar att medarbetares arbetsprestation samt chefers stress inte predicerar kontrollerande ledarskap. Sammanfattningsvis indikerar resultaten att följare har betydelse för ledares användande av kontrollerande ledarbeteenden. Denna kunskap kan bidra till utformningen av interventioner i syfte att minska kontrollerande ledarskap och i förlängningen de kostsamma effekter som följer. / Destructive forms of leadership have been proved to have major negative impact at both individual and organizational levels. To reduce the occurrence of destructive management behaviors it is important to understand what contributes to the manager acting destructive. The study therefore aimed to investigate antecedents (causes) to controlling leadership. Data were collected in a medium-sized municipality through web-based surveys, to managers (n = 37) and their employees (n = 329) on two occasions. Multilevel analysis was used to analyze data. In line with Self-determination theory (SDT), the results showed lower sense of competence among employees predicts higher levels of controlling leadership behaviors among managers. Furthermore, the results showed that employees’ work performance and managers’ stress do not predict controlling leadership. In summary, the results indicate that followers play a role in manager’s use of controlling leadership behaviors. This knowledge can contribute to the design of interventions in order to reduce controlling leadership and, in the long run, the costly effects that follows.

Denna studies syfte var att undersöka vilka uppgifter i matematikämnet som elever själva valde när de gavs möjlighet. Bakgrunden till studien har sitt ursprung i en systematisk litteraturstudie med syftet att se om undervisningens utformning kan påverka elevernas motivation och attityd inför matematikämnet. Studien och resultatet bygger på semistrukturerade intervjuer med 30 elever från två olika skolor. I intervjun fick eleverna börja med att själva berätta vad de tycker om att arbeta med inom matematik. Därefter utvärderades åtta olika matematikuppgifter och eleverna fick svara på vilka de föredrog att arbeta med. Denna studie visar att eleverna själva föredrog matematikuppgifter kopplade till den inre motivationen då de känner en tilltro till sin egen förmåga när de själva gav möjlighet att välja uppgifter. De uppgifter som eleverna föredrog är de uppgifter som ligger på en elevnära, spännande och lustfylld nivå som är rätt för varje enskild individ.

Wine production is one of the farming practices with the highest negative environmental impacts, mainly due to a heavy use of pesticides, why it is important to find more sustainable wine production practices. One such practice is organic farming, but the transition is slow and the number of organic certified vineyards remain low. The purpose of this study is to map what motives and barriers Swedish wine farmers perceive in using organic practices in their production, and to what extent the decision to do so is guided by intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. This was studied by visiting 11 Swedish vineyards and conducting interviews with the wine farmers. The theoretical framework used in this thesis builds on the Self-determination theory about motivation together with previous research on motives and barriers to convert to organic farming. The results show that despite that only 5% of the Swedish vineyards are organically certified, all visited vineyards almost exclusively use organic practices in their production. The main motives to use organic practices were identified to be soil protection and long-term scope of the vineyard, biodiversity and ecosystem protection, lower exposure to agrochemicals, to produce an honest product, and the possibility of increased sales. Perceived barriers with using organic practices among Swedish wine producers were increased workload and labour costs, lack of access to knowledge about organic viticulture, difficulties with weed and pest control, and lower harvest yields. The decision to use organic practices are mainly guided by inner beliefs about producing the wine in harmony with nature, not causing unnecessary damage, producing a high-quality product they can be proud of, and the desire to get a professional challenge and develop as winemakers, consequently indicating that Swedish wine farmers are motivated by intrinsic motivation. Only weak indicators of extrinsic motivation were found in the study. Furthermore, the study found that the climate in southern Sweden is facilitating for organic viticulture which together with a lack of regulations regarding grape- and vine varieties could act as a foundation for Sweden to become a leader in sustainable wine production, but that a lack of knowledge and the strict regulation on sales of alcohol might prevent this.

Arbetet handlar om motivation inom beroendevården i Sverige. Beroende av alkohol och andra droger har arbetats med i flera tusen år på olika sätt och med olika framgång. Allt ifrån inlåsningar på psykiatriska institutioner till elchocker. Syftet med denna studie var att se om behandlare i Sverige har speciella medvetna strategier i sättet de jobbar på för att väcka motivation hos klienterna till fortsatt behandling.    En större del av de tillfrågade (87 %) uppgav att de använder en speciell metod eller har en speciell tanke innan ett första möte. Flertalet av dessa använder sig av motiverande samtal eller lågaffektivt bemötande.    Flera av de tillfrågade ansåg att vara lyhörd och förmedla tillit var de viktigaste sakerna i ett första bemötande med en ny klient.    Det finns stöd för att behandlare inom beroendevården i Sverige använder sig av specifika metoder i ett möte med klienten. Flera av dessa metoder finner stöd i tidigare forskning och litteratur i att vara främjande för att skapa känslor av autonomitet, samband/släktskap och kompetens. Enligt Self-Determination theory (jfr. Deci &amp; Ryan, 2008) kan detta ses som något som något som är nödvändigt för att kunna bygga en stark inre motivation. Studier visar att en stark inre motivation är positivt för att kunna tillgodogöra sig behandlingen.

Background: Despite national guidance and empirical support for its clinical and cost-effectiveness, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is underused. Only 44% of patients go to CR, with angioplasty (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; PCI) patients being least likely to attend (31% of 87,000). Aim: To investigate the relationship between ‘continuity of care’ and patients’ motivation towards CR, through the lens of self-determination theory, and develop a model to inform service design to increase CR uptake and adherence. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used. In Study 1, a theoretical model of continuity of care and motivational antecedents was tested with a cross-sectional sample of 107 PCI patients. To further explore interactions between continuity of care and motivation towards cardiac rehabilitation, a Critical Interpretive Synthesis of the extant literature was used in Study 2, and focus groups were carried out with patients and service providers in Study 3. Results: In Study 1, continuity of care positively predicted patients’ autonomous motivation towards CR, and this was partially mediated by autonomy support. Autonomy support was associated with CR attendance. In Studies 2 and 3, aspects of continuity of care with positive effects on attendance were identified. These included timely, appropriate information provision, relationships bridging CR phases and settings, and continuing management strategies incorporating trusting, warm staff-patient relationships, and positive encouragement and feedback about progress. The SDT constructs of autonomy support, need satisfaction, internalisation and quality of motivation helped to explain positive and negative influences of continuity on attendance. Conclusion: Continuity of care has a positive effect on patients’ motivation towards CR. The most enduring motivation comes from delivering continuity of care in an autonomy-supportive and competence-supportive way. Longitudinal research is needed to compare how need-supportive and need-thwarting aspects of continuity of care affect CR attendance and adherence, and whether these relationships are influenced by need satisfaction and need frustration.

Motivationsteori avser att förklara hur individer motiveras på sin arbetsplats. I den omfattande forskningen på området delas motivation ofta in i yttre och inre motivation. Yttre motivation förklarar beteenden som drivs av yttre faktorer såsom lön eller befordran, medan inre motivation förklarar beteenden som styrs av en individs egen vilja eller driv. I denna studie har vi valt att undersöka om det finns skillnader i upplevd motivation mellan individer på två olika hierarkiska nivåer inom en organisation. Inre och yttre motivationsfaktorer användes för att kartlägga individernas upplevda motivation. Undersökningen genomfördes genom intervjuer med chefer och anställda på Uppsala Vatten och Avfall. Resultatet är att man på en lägre hierarkisk nivå blir mer motiverad av lön och att man på en högre hierarkisk nivå motiverades mer av att nå en maktställning. Några skillnader baserat på inre motivationsfaktorer mellan grupperna kunde inte påvisas i denna studie.

A presente dissertação de mestrado objetivou a adaptação transcultural para o Português Brasileiro da Medida Integrada de Independência Decisória para Adolescentes (MIIDA). Esta foi desenvolvida por pesquisadores da Bélgica, constitui-se de três subescalas que avaliam a tomada de decisão dependente e independente, com base nos preceitos da Teoria da Autodeterminação (TAD). O estudo de validação contou com uma amostra de 672 adolescentes (52,7% meninas), de 11 a 20 anos (M=15,6; DP=1,6), estudantes de escolas da rede pública de Porto Alegre (RS). Após análises a estrutura do instrumento mostrou-se consistente de acordo com a medida original, apresentando uma solução de dois fatores para as três subescalas: Quem decide, independência decisória e dependência decisória. Além disso, foram realizadas análises de correlação com a escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg (1965) e com a escala de Estilos Parentais (Teixeira, Bardagi & Gomes, 2004) com intuito de verificar a validade de construto da MIIDA. Os resultados demonstraram que a MIIDA apresenta boas propriedades psicométricas e evidências de validade e fidedignidade, sendo um instrumento útil para avaliar a independência decisória em termos de motivação para a tomada de decisão. / This master's thesis made the cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Integrated Measure of Decisional Independence for Adolescents. It is based on the precepts of Self- Determination Theory and consists of three subscales that assess the dependent and independent decision-making. The validation study included a sample of 672 adolescents (52.7 % female) , 11-20 years ( M = 15.6 , SD = 1.6), attending public schools in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Factorial analyses indicated a two-factor solution for the three subscales: Who decides, independent and dependent decision-making. The results pointed out for good psychometric properties and evidence of validity and reliability, being a useful tool to evaluate the decision-making independence regarding motivation for decision-making.