The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the relations between support, academic self-efficacy, and stress during the transition into middle school. Research suggests that early adolescents experience an increase in stress across the middle school transition (e.g., Chung, et al., 1998), due to a mismatch between the individuals' developmental needs and the environment (Eccles et al., 1993). Stress has been found to be a risk factor for mental health disorders among adolescents (Grant et al., 2003). The current study examined if teacher and classmate support and academic self-efficacy served as external and internal resources for buffering stress by analyzing data from 142 young adolescents from an economically and racially diverse longitudinal sample. The current study examined: (a) the relations between support from teachers and classmates, academic self-efficacy, and stress; (b) patterns of change across the middle school transition; (c) the extent to which support from teachers and classmates is associated with stress in fifth and sixth grades; (d) the extent to which academic self-efficacy moderated the relation between support and stress, and (e) whether there were group differences (i.e., gender, race, and/or gender x race). Teacher support was negatively associated with perceived stress during sixth grade, while classmate support was a not significant correlate. There was not significant change over time in any of the key variables (i.e., teacher and classmate support, academic self-efficacy, and perceived stress). Regression results indicated that teacher and classmate support served different roles as academic self-efficacy moderated the relations between classroom support and perceived stress among fifth grade students. Teacher support was negatively related to perceived stress among sixth grade students. The only group difference found was that female sixth grade students reported higher levels of teacher support than male students did. Implications for school psychologists and future directions for research are also addressed.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a behavior based, theory driven multi-component nutrition education Intervention promoting healthy eating among two (17 to 19 year old) Lebanese adolescent samples from contrasting socioeconomic statuses. The effects of the intervention were examined in a quasi-experimental control design trial among two hundred and nine adolescent males and females from Beirut, Lebanon: one hundred and ten belonged to a high socioeconomic status (HSES) population and ninety nine belonged to a low socioeconomic status (LSES) population of adolescents. There were four study groups: two intervention and two control. The intervention groups received twelve nutrition lessons, one hour each, involving class based teaching, print materials and activities delivered by a dietitian. Intervention Mapping protocol was applied and constructs from the Social Cognitive Theory were used for the development of the intervention. At baseline and after the intervention, food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) were administered and three 24-Hour Dietary Recalls were used to examine dietary practices and nutrient intakes while semistructured interviews were conducted to gain insight to underlying determinants of food choice. Quantitative data were analyzed using Mann Whitney U Test and Chi-Square analysis. Post intervention, adolescents in both the HSES and LSES intervention groups showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) in some dietary practices and nutrient intakes; however, the impact was higher in the HSES group. In both intervention groups, positive changes were observed in some personal determinants of food choice but none were noted for external factors. These results propose that the developed nutrition education intervention is a promising instrument to promote healthy eating among similar groups of Lebanese adolescents; however, further research is needed for interventions that specifically target LSES groups.

The digital divide is a core issue of the information society. It refers to the division between those who have access to, or are comfortable using, information and communication technology (ICT) (the "haves") and those who do not have access to, or are not comfortable using ICT (the "have-nots"). The digital divide is a complex phenomenon. The majority of studies to date have examined the digital divide from a socio-economic perspective. These studies have identified income, education and employment as the key factors in determining the division between the "haves" and the "have-nots". Very little research has explore the psychological, social or cultural factors that contribute to digital inequality in community. The current study filled this gap by using Bandura's social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine the psychological barriers that prevent individuals from integrating ICT into their everyday lives. SCT postulates that a person will act according to their perceived capabilities and the anticipated consequences of their actions. Four studies have explored the digital divide using SCT. Because of limitations in the research design these studies have shed only limited light onto current understanding of digital inequality in community. The current research was the first study exploring the digital divide that (i) incorporated both socio-economic and socio-cognitive factors, (ii) used a community context that ensured the recruitment of participants who represented the full spectrum of the general population, and (iii) was conducted in both the US and Australia. Data was gathered via self administered questionnaires in two communities: Brisbane, Australia and San Jose, USA. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 330 and 398 participants from the US and Australia, respectively. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore the research question: what influence do socio-cognitive factors have in predicting internet use by members of the general population when the effects of socio-economic factors are controlled? The results of this analysis revealed that attitudes do matter. The US study found that socio-economic factors were not statistically significant predictors of internet use. The only factor that found to be a significant predictor of use was internet self efficacy. In short individuals with higher levels of internet self efficacy reported higher levels of internet use. Unlike the US study, the Australian study found that by themselves several socio-economic factors predicted internet use. In order of importance these were age, gender, income and ethnicity. However, the study also revealed that when socio-economic factors are controlled for, and socio-cognitive variables included into the analysis, it is the socio-cognitive and not the socioeconomic variables that are the dominant (in fact the only!) predictors of internet use. The research illustrated that the digital divide involves more than just the availability of resources and funds to access those resources. It incorporates the internal forces of an individual that motivates to them to use or integrate ICT into their lives. The digital divide is not just about ICT such as computers and the internet. It is about people. As such, the key to solving the issue of digital inequality is not going to be found with corporate or government funds providing physical access to technology. Instead, the key to solving digital inequality is inside the individual person. The alternative view of the digital divide presented in this research is by no means intended to minimise the role played by socio-economic factors. Indeed, the socioeconomic perspective has helped shed light on a very real social issue. What this research has done is suggest that the digital divide is more complex and more involved than has been imagined, and that further and different research is required if genuine insights and real steps are going to be made in establishing an information society for all.

O universo escolar é rico de sujeitos e, consequentemente, de comportamentos que tornam essa realidade um curioso objeto de pesquisa. O comportamento dos estudantes que se associa a seu desempenho escolar na disciplina de Física é um interessante agente de estudo. Desse modo, a presente pesquisa buscou compreender o quanto os comportamentos apresentados por alunos que demonstram um melhor desempenho na disciplina de Física estão associados a seus níveis de crenças de autoeficácia (BANDURA, 1986) e ao domínio das regras que estruturam o Contrato Didático (BROUSSEAU, 1986). Assim, por intermédio de uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa de estudo de caso, identificamos os níveis de crenças de autoeficácia de dois alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública do interior do Estado de São Paulo, que apresentam os melhores resultados de desempenho na disciplina de Física. Com o auxílio de um questionário de escala Likert, pudermos mensurar os elevados níveis de crenças de autoeficácia dos sujeitos participantes deste estudo. Além disso, fizemos uso de observações em sala de aula e de entrevistas semiestruturadas para identificar como suas crenças de autoeficácia atuam sobre seus comportamentos e também como esses sujeitos identificam e lidam com o Contrato Didático estabelecido. No decurso da análise das regras do Contrato Didático pudemos analisar como as crenças de autoeficácia influem na interpretação, condução e negociação dessas regras, bem como contribuem para o melhor desempenho dos alunos na disciplina de Física. Desse modo, o estudo nos possibilitou observar diferentes estratégias de aprendizagem, a fim de lidar com semelhantes regras do Contrato Didático que permitem a aproximação e o distanciamento desses alunos do saber físico. Tais perspectivas são reveladas em vista de uma busca constante dos sujeitos pela manutenção do Contrato Didático. O estudo demonstrou também que a motivação estabelecida pelos sujeitos para participar das dinâmicas fundamentadas pelo contrato está intimamente ligada aos seus níveis de crenças de autoeficácia que contribuem para o estabelecimento de estratégias de aprendizagem que permitem o alcance de um suposto sucesso escolar, ainda que este não esteja associado a uma maior aproximação do saber físico. Por fim, os estudantes demonstraram fazer uso de estratégias de aprendizagem relacionadas a seu antigo Contrato Didático, quando foram inseridos em uma situação didática denominada Atividade de Ruptura, na qual os alunos se encontravam em um contexto de estabelecimento de um novo Contrato Didático. O melhor desempenho dos alunos nestas circunstâncias de pesquisa está associado a estratégias de aprendizagem condicionadas a suas crenças de autoeficácia que orientam o comportamento dos sujeitos em vista de suas concepções sobre suas capacidades que estão associadas ao domínio das regras do Contrato Didático. / The universe is rich of individuals and, consequently, of behaviors, making them a curious object of research. The Physics course students behavior associated with their academic performance is an interesting issue to be studied. Thus, this research sought to understand how behaviors of students with a better performance in the Physics course are associated with their levels of self-efficacy beliefs (BANDURA, 1986) and the mastering of the rules which structure the Didactic Contract (BROUSSEAU, 1986). Therefore, through a qualitative case study research, we identified levels of self-efficacy beliefs of two students of the third year of high school in a public school in the State of São Paulo, who have achieved the best results in the Physics course.With the aid of a Likert scale questionnaire, we could measure high levels of self-efficacy beliefs of the participants in this study. In addition, we made use of classroom observations and semi-structured interviews to identify how their self-efficacy beliefs play a role in their behavior, and also how these guys identify and deal with the established Didactic Contract. In the course of the analysis of the Didactic Contract rules, we could analyze how self-efficacy beliefs influence the interpretation and negotiation of these rules, as well as contribute to the better performance of the students in the Physics course. The study enabled us to observe different learning strategies, in order to deal with similar rules of the Didactic Contract, which allows the approximation and distancing of these students from their knowledge of Physics. Such perspectives are revealed in a constant search of the individuals for maintaining the Didactic Contract. It also demonstrated that the motivation established by the individuals to participate in the dynamics based on the contract is closely linked to their levels of self-efficacy beliefs that contribute to the setting of learning strategies that enable the achievement of an alleged academic success, although this is not associated with theirknowledge of Physics. Finally, students have shown to make use of learning strategies related to their former Didactic Contract when they were inserted into a learning situation called Breaking Activity, in which students had toset a new Didactic Contract. The best academic performance under this research circumstances is associated with learning strategies that depend on self-efficacy beliefs that guide the individuals behavior in accordance with their conceptions of their own abilities associated with mastering the Didactic Contract rules.

The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.

Bakgrund: Cancer är en av de vanligaste dödsorsakerna bland barn, där ca 300 barn i Sverige insjuknar varje år. Sociala, psykologiska och fysiska faktorer påverkas negativt hos barn med cancer, vilket i sin tur har en negativ påverkan på barnens livskvalité. Barn som drabbats av cancer bör erbjudas fysisk aktivitet, då psykosociala symtom kan reduceras med hjälp av fysisk aktivitet. Syftet med studien var att sammanställa forskning gällande hur beteendeförändring i form av fysisk aktivitet eventuellt kan påverka biopsykosociala faktorer och livskvalitén hos barn med onkologiska sjukdomar, samt bedöma studiernas kvalité. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie utfördes, där sökningarna genomfördes i databaserna PubMed, Medline och CINAHL Plus. Sju studier inkluderades i enlighet med studiens syfte och frågeställningar, samt kvalitetsgranskades enligt SBU:s granskningsmallar för randomiserade kontrollerade studier. Resultat: Fyra av studierna redovisade att fysisk aktivitet påverkar livskvalitén hos barn med cancer. En studie påvisade endast effekt gällande fysiska faktorer och två studier visade inga statistiskt signifikanta effekter. Fem studier bedömdes ha hög kvalité och två medelhög. Slutsats: En beteendeförändring i form av fysisk aktivitet kan påverka biopsykosociala faktorer och livskvalitén hos barn med onkologiska sjukdomar. / Background: Cancer is one of the most common causes of death amongst children and about 300 children in Sweden get sick every year. Social, psychological and physical factors are negatively affected in children with cancer, which has a negative impact on their quality of life. Children with cancer should be offered physical activity as psychosocial symptoms can be reduced by it. Objective was to compile research on how behavioral change in form of physical activity could possibly affect bio-physcho-social factors and the quality of life of children with oncological diseases and to assess the quality of those studies. Method: A systematic literature study was conducted where the searches were made in the databases PubMed, Medline and CINAHL Plus. Seven studies were included in accordance to the objective and issues of the study. The quality was assessed according to SBU's review templates for randomized controlled trial. Results: Four studies reported that physical activity affects the quality of life of children with cancer. One study showed effect on physical factors and two showed no statistically significant effects. Five of the studies were assessed to be of high quality and two of average. Conclusions: A behavioral change in the shape of physical activity may affect biopsychosocial factors and the quality of life of children with oncological diseases.

The first purpose of this study was to investigate whether different modeling conditions (Aural and Aural/Notated Transcription) produced significant differences for improvisation achievement. Another purpose was to investigate whether music learning theory-based improvisation instruction had an effect on students' self-efficacy for improvisation and for instrumental music. Participants (N = 76) from an accessible population of 6th through 8th grade instrumental music students were assigned to either an aural model group or an aural and notated transcription model group based on scores from Gordon's Harmonic and Rhythmic Readiness Records (1998). All students were administered two researcher-designed self-efficacy scales before and after a 10 treatment session music learning theory-based improvisation instruction. Following the treatment sessions, each participant was individually recorded and assessed by three experienced music educators. The posttest improvisation scores were subjected to an ANOVA, while the pretest to posttest scores of the students' self-efficacies for music improvisation and instrumental music were subjected to two repeated measures ANOVAs. The Bonferroni technique was used to adjust the alpha level from .05 to .017. The statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in improvisation achievement for the modeling conditions of aural and aural/notated transcription. Further statistical analyses showed there were significant increases in students' self-efficacy for improvising and for instrumental music following improvisation instruction. This study's results suggest that music educators should consider using either modeling technique for improvisation learning experiences. Results also suggest that music educators may wish to consider using a music learning theory-based improvisation approach to facilitate greater confidence in improvising. Additionally, results suggest that classroom music educators may wish to consider improvisation instruction as a means for achieving greater student confidence in instrumental music. This study concludes with issues for further study.

Bakgrund: I Sverige är fotboll den idrott där flest personer skadar sig under idrottsutövning. Oavsett skada kan fotbollsspelaren behöva komma i kontakt med fysioterapeut för rehabilitering. Biopsykosociala faktorer är viktiga under rehabiliteringen då de kommer påverka individens möjlighet att återgå till fotboll. Det råder dock en oklarhet bland fysioterapeuter vad psykosociala interventioner innebär och hur de ska användas. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka rehabiliterade fotbollsspelares upplevelse av psykosociala faktorer av betydelse för återgång till fotboll, samt deras upplevelse av hur fysioterapeuter beaktat dessa psykosociala faktorer under rehabiliteringen. Metod: En deskriptiv kvalitativ design med induktiv och deduktiv ansats har använts för att svara på studiens syfte. Urvalet skedde genom ett ändamålsenligt urval. Kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes. Data analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Dataanalysen resulterade i sex kategorier som var av vikt för återgång till fotboll. Tre som berör psykologiska faktorer: negativa känslor, motivation och känna sig sedd. Tre som berör sociala faktorer: samhörighet med laget, förväntningar från familjen och stöd från tränare. Enligt fotbollsspelarnas upplevelser beaktade inte fysioterapeuterna psykosociala faktorer så mycket som fotbollsspelarna uppgav att de behövde. Slutsats: Psykosociala faktorer var av betydelse för spelarnas återgång till fotboll och upplevelsen kring hur fysioterapeuterna beaktade faktorerna påverkade rehabiliteringen. De spelare som hade ett behov av psykisk och social stöttning upplevde också att de saknade frågor om psykosociala faktorer från fysioterapeuten. Nyckelord: Fysioterapi, socialkognitiv teori, fotboll, psykiska faktorer, sociala faktorer. / Background: Soccer is the sport where most people injure themselves during sports in Sweden. Regardless of the injury, the soccer player may need to get in contact with a physiotherapist for rehabilitation. Biopsychosocial factors are important during rehabilitation as they will affect the individual's ability to return to sports. However, there is a lack of clarity among physiotherapists what psychosocial interventions means and how they should be used. Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate rehabilitated soccer players' experiences of psychosocial factors of importance for returning to soccer, as well as their experiences of how physiotherapists have taken these psychosocial factors into account during rehabilitation. Method: A descriptive qualitative design with an inductive and deductive approach has been used. A purposive sampling technique was applied. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis.  Result: The data analysis resulted in six categories which were experienced as important for returning to soccer. Three involving psychological factors: negative emotions, motivation, and the feeling of being seen. Three involving social factors: affiliation with the team, expectations from the family and support from coaches. According to the soccer players experiences the physiotherapists did not take psychosocial factors into account as much as the soccer players stated that they needed. Conclusion: Psychosocial factors was of importance for the players return to soccer and the experience of how physiotherapists took the factors into account affected the rehabilitation. The players who had a need for psychological and social support also experienced that they lacked questions about psychosocial factors from the physiotherapist. Keywords: Physiotherapy, social cognitive theory, soccer, psychological factors, social factors.

Bakgrund: Orsaken bakom graviditetsrelaterad bäcken- och ländryggssmärta är multifaktoriell och många kvinnor drabbas någon gång under sin graviditet. Besvären kan påverka många aspekter av det dagliga livet. I arbetet som fysioterapeut ingår det att främja hälsa, minska lidande och behålla/återvinna optimal rörelseförmåga, speciellt om människans aktivitet och delaktighet begränsas. Behandlingsalternativen till graviditetsrelaterad bäcken- och ländryggssmärta är många, vilket ställer krav på fysioterapeutens kompetens. Många gravida kvinnor upplever sig mötas av oförståelse inom vården, däribland av fysioterapeuter.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur fysioterapeuter inom primärvården beskriver sitt arbete med graviditetsrelaterad ländrygg- och/eller bäckensmärta avseende återgång till viktiga vardagliga beteenden. Metod: Genom ett ändamålsenligt bekvämlighetsurval rekryterades 6 fysioterapeuter som arbetar inom primärvården. Intervjuer skedde därefter enligt en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. Materialet från intervjuerna analyserades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys.   Resultat: Resultatet delades upp i fem stycken huvudkategorier och totalt sju stycken underkategorier. Fysioterapeuterna beskrev hur de specifikt arbetade med smärta, arbete med fysisk aktivitet och träning, arbete med psykologiska faktorer, arbete med omgivningsfaktorer och sin upplevda kompetens.  Slutsats: Fysioterapeuterna beskrev hur de på olika sätt arbetade med fysiska och psykologiska faktorer hos patienten samt hur de tog hänsyn till omgivningen. Deltagande fysioterapeuter upplevdes kunna bemöta dessa patienter i dagsläget.