Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is critical for children’s health and wellbeing. Despite the numerous health benefits, most Canadian children do not meet the Canadian PA guidelines. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions added new challenges to meeting the PA guidelines. Mobile health (mHealth) technology can be leveraged to promote PA among children. Combining gamification with mHealth interventions has the potential to further improve program effectiveness. Thus, “Draco” was developed as a virtual pet smartphone app to increase PA in children using self-determination theory as a framework to promote intrinsic motivation for PA. Objective: The primary objective is to evaluate the satisfaction and acceptability of the Draco app after four weeks. Secondary objectives include evaluating the preliminary effectiveness of the Draco app to improve average daily steps, average daily MVPA, perceived autonomy for PA, perceived competence for PA, and perceived relatedness to the app. Methods: 43 Canadian children, aged 8-14 years old, not meeting the Canadian PA guidelines of 60min of MVPA per day were randomly allocated to an intervention or control group. Participants in the control group used a step-tracking app for four weeks. Intervention participants were instructed to use the Draco app. Participants completed a baseline and follow-up questionnaire. PA outcomes were tracked using a Fitbit provided to each participant. Intrinsic PA motivation was assessed using an adapted version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). Intrinsic motivation was assessed using the satisfaction subscale. Exit interviews were completed to determine app acceptability. Results: Participants demonstrated high levels of satisfaction and acceptability with the Draco app 2.83 (1.29). Intervention participants increased their average daily steps by 909 (1701). The control group increased their steps by 46 (1507). The Draco app had a small effect on promoting steps, MVPA, relatedness and small effects at increasing autonomy and competence. Conclusion: Participants demonstrated high levels of satisfaction and acceptability with the app. Participants in the intervention group showed greater increases in PA with small effect sizes. Preliminary evidence highlights the importance of tailoring game design to the users. Technical limitations impacted recruitment and user experiences. Additional development time should be taken to stabilize the app and add new game features for a definitive RCT. / Graduate

Several children immigrate to South Africa every year and it has been shown that some migrant children experience challenges in their host countries. These challenges have been documented to affect their academic performance in school. A total number of 164 immigrant learners from Gauteng schools, in grade 11 and 12 participated in the study. The study first, determined the positive correlation between academic motivation, academic self-concept and perceived support and academic performance. Second, the study established whether academic motivation, academic self-concept and perceived support would predict academic performance. Third, the study determined whether academic self-concept would mediate the relationship between academic motivation and academic performance. Correlation, regression and mediation analyses were used to address the aims of the study. There was a positive relationship between academic motivation, academic self-concept, perceived support and academic performance. Only academic self-concept predicted academic performance. Academic self-concept significantly mediated the relationship between academic motivation and academic performance. The results from the study demonstrate the importance of psychological factors informing immigrant learners’ academic performance in school. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Alternative school settings are success prospects for students at risk of school failure. However, research on the daily experiences of the special educators in alternate school settings tasked with educating the at-risk population, is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was (a) to recognize the perceptions of special educators concerning their preparation to advance the success of SEN students who are at risk of school failure; (b) to determine how to improve special educator preparation programs in alternative school settings. Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, focused on student success provided the study's framework. Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted to examine special educators' perceptions on preparation and practice for student success. Data were analyzed through block coding, code comparison and thematic searches. The study's results included accounts of special educators' perceptions and challenges related to preparation and practice for student success in alternate school settings. Emergent themes included applying classroom structure and technology, as well as individualized student instruction. Participants cited a need for rich teacher/student relationships to advance student success. Included are inferences regarding the development of teacher/student relationships. Also included are suggestions for educational leaders to consider while preparing preparatory methods for special educators who teach within the alternative school setting such as administrator knowledge of what special educators require to teach in the alternate classroom. This study may lead to social change by providing information on special educator preparation coursework meant to develop student success for the alternative school student population.

Det har idag blivit alltmer populärt att spåra sin aktivitet i syfte att förbättra och förenkla sin vardag och sitt liv. Genom att använda olika verktyg kan människor idag ge produkter och tjänster tillgång till deras data för att spåra deras aktivitet. Ett sådant verktyg är aktivitetsarmbandet och smartklockan. Med dessa kan användare bland annat mäta puls, antal steg och få sms- och samtalsnotifikationer. Armbanden och klockorna samlar därmed in data kring användarnas hälsa och aktivitet och på så sätt kan de visa statistik för användarna för att ge dem information om hur mycket - eller hur lite - de till exempel rör sig under en dag. Denna studie har fokuserat på hur användare upplever användningen av dessa armband och klockor och hur dessa verktyg påverkar deras motivation. Tillvägagångssättet för studien har varit en dagboksstudie kombinerat med kompletterande intervjuer. Genom denna metod har olika teman kunnat identifieras utifrån svaren som dagböckerna och intervjuerna har gett. Dessa teman är: aktivitetsspårning, funktionalitet, personlig utveckling, feedback och uppkoppling. Resultatet har visat att deltagarna i studien upplever i stort sett en motivation av att använda armbanden och klockorna, på så sätt att de uppmuntras att ta fler steg när de ser svart på vitt hur många steg de hittills har tagit. Resultatet pekar även på ett större engagemang hos deltagarna att hålla en koll på deras motion och hälsa, vilket armbanden och klockorna möjliggör. / It has become popular today to track one’s activity in order to improve and simplify one’s everyday life and well being. By using different tools you can today give products and services access to your data for them to track your activity, be it your movement or your phone activity logs. By giving them access to such you can in turn get information for example about how much - or how little - you exercise during a day. This study has focused on how users experience wearables and smart watches and how these tools influence their motivation. Through a diary study and interviews we have identified five themes: activity tracking, functionality, personal development, feedback and connection. The result of this study has shown that most of the participants of the study experience motivation to use the wearables and watches, partly because they can clearly see how many steps they have taken and how many steps they have left to reach their goal. The result also shows a higher commitment among the participants to track their activity and their health, which the wearables and smart watches enable them to do.

Syftet med denna examensuppsats är att synliggöra högstadieelevers upplevelser och deltagande i skolämnet idrott och hälsa (IDH). Detta med utgångspunkt i motivationsteorin självbestämmandeteorin (SDT). Metoden som används i denna uppsats är kvalitativa intervjuer. Totalt utfördes 6 intervjuer med 7 olika elever från 2 skolor i sydvästra Skåne. Den tidigare nationella och internationella forskningen visar att det finns flera olika faktorer som påverkar elevers motivation till ämnet. Flera av dessa vetenskapliga studier synliggör att det är möjligt att öka elevers deltagande och motivation till ämnet genom att förändra olika aspekter i lärandet som gör eleverna nyfikna och mer motiverade. Resultatet visar att de flesta elever har en externt reglerad motivation som regleras av främst belöning i form av närvaro och betyg. Resultatet visar att det finns flera olika skäl till låg motivation till ämnet. De viktigaste aspekterna som redovisas är ämnesinnehåll, lärarens egenskaper, kommunikation och bedömning samt sociala och kulturella aspekter i lärandet. Mot bakgrund av dessa diskuteras elevers upplevelser av IDH, faktorer som påverkar deltagandet i ämnet samt vad lärare kan göra för att öka elevers deltagande och motivation till ämnet. / The purpose of this master thesis is to make visible the experiences and participation of high school students in the school subject physical education and health (PEH). This is based on the motivation theory self-determination theory (SDT). The method used in this essay is qualitative interviews. 6 interviews were performed with 7 different students from 2 schools in southwestern Skåne. Previous national and international research identifies several factors that affect students' motivation for the subject. Several of these scientific studies make it clear that it is possible to increase students' participation and motivation in the subject by changing various aspects of learning that make students curious and more motivated. The results show that most students have an externally regulated motivation in connection to attendance and grades as well as there are several different reasons for low motivation for the subject. The most important aspects in this regard are subject content, the teacher's characteristics, communication and assessment as well as social and cultural aspects in learning. Finally, the thesis discusses students 'experiences of IDH, factors that affect participation in the subject and what teachers can do to increase students' participation and motivation in the subject.

The purpose of this study is to develop a better understanding of the industry employment intentions of the undergraduate freshmen majoring in tourism and hospitality management, their motivation for choosing these programs, and the relationship between their industry employment intentions and their motivation as well as demographic profiles. The 1140 undergraduate freshmen who were enrolled in the tourism and hospitality management programs at Shanghai's 13 higher educational institutions in the fall of 2013 were recruited to participate in the study. In the pilot study, 244 students among 250 recruited completed the survey developed by the researcher using Self-determination Theory as the theoretic framework. In the formal study, 685 out of 890 students completed the modified survey. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics, one-way between-subjects factor ANOVA, and multiple regression. Results of the study showed that: (1) on average, students' motivations for choosing a tourism and hospitality program were slightly above a moderate level of autonomy; (2) students' intentions to find job placements in the tourism and hospitality industry after graduation were at a moderate level; (3) there were significant differences among students majoring in tourism and hospitality management from the three different tiers of higher educational institutions regarding their family SES, motivations for choosing tourism and hospitality programs, and industry employment intentions; (4) among students' demographics, gender, family SES, and tier of higher educational institutions were significant predictors of their industry employment intentions, though only explaining 4.0% of the variance in students' industry employment intentions; (5) degree of autonomy of students' motivation for choosing their academic programs was a significant predictor of their industry employment intentions, explaining 15.3% of the variance in students' industry employment intentions; (6) degree of autonomy of students' motivation in choosing their academic programs was still a significant predictor of their industry employment intentions after controlling for demographics, leading to a 15.2% increase in explained variance; and (7) the degree of autonomy of students' motivation in choosing their academic programs and their demographics combined predicted 19.2% of their industry employment intentions. Implications for researchers, educators, policy makers and industry, as well as recommendations for further study, were discussed.

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In view of the scarcity of studies that in Sweden aim to investigate the relationship between motivation and linguistic competence of heritage speakers (Montrul, 2010: 9), the present study has two objectives: (a) examine if motivation, here understood as total motivation, is correlated with language proficiency of Spanish heritage speakers, enrolled in mother tongue classes, and (b) determine whether or not the underlying motivational subtype is decisive for the learning results, in Spanish, achieved by these students.    The motivation and linguistic proficiency of 51 students were surveyed through a questionnaire based, in part, on the self-determination theory and a proficiency test divided in two parts: a cloze test and a multiple-choice test. Owing to the limitations of the study, the main group studied consisted of 41 students, who were either born in Sweden or had arrived here before the onset of puberty, defined as an age of more than 11.     The analyses showed that only the identified regulation, a more autonomous type of extrinsic motivation, is related to the heritage speakers’ score on the cloze test, hence indicating that the concept of relatedness emphasized by Ryan & Deci (2000) and the value placed on the Spanish language by this group, is linked with the range of their lexical knowledge. Factors that could influence the group’s linguistic proficiency, such as the number of hours spent speaking Spanish each time it was used (more or less than three hours) and the years of residency in a Spanish speaking country, were also investigated. Only the first variable, contact hours, showed a statistical significance; the second variable did not. These findings might lead to the reflection that although parental involvement is crucial, heritage speakers’ linguistic development requires a concerted effort not only by the parents, but also the school and the educational institutions, encouraging students to explore their identity and linguistic background through activities directly related to their own self-perceptions and interests.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka och bidra med kunskap om ledarskapets påverkan på medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivation i provisionsbaserade arbetsmiljöer. En kvalitativ forskningsansats med ett abduktiv angreppssätt har tillämpats i detta arbete. Nio semi-strukturerade intervjuer med medarbetare har genomförts. Studien visar att ledarskapet har påverkan på både inre och yttre motivation, samt att varje ledarskapsstil påverkar medarbetarnas motivation i viss utsträckning. Studien visar även att inre motivation är mer beständig samt att det transformativa ledarskapet genererar motivation i störst utsträckning hos medarbetare i provisionsbaserade arbetsmiljöer. / The purpose of the study is to examine and contribute knowledge about the impact of leadership on employees' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in commission-based work environments. A qualitative research approach with an abductive approach has been applied in this study. Nine semi-structured interviews with employees have been conducted. The study demonstrates that leadership has an impact on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and that each leadership style affects employee motivation to some extent. The study also reveals that intrinsic motivation is more enduring, and that transformative leadership generates motivation to a greater extent among employees in commission-based work environments.