South Africa has been witnessing an escalation in drug use amongst adolescents in high school. Thus, the main question that motivated this research was: How can a psycho-educational programme, using a selected audio-visual media resource, assist teachers and parents in an effort to prevent adolescent students’ substance abuse problem behaviour? Social cognitive theory (SCT) and self-efficacy theory (SET) were used as a conceptual framework. The study explained these theories in-depth. Adolescent substance abuse was also studied as well as programmes to address this problem. This was followed by a perusal of numerous audio-visual resources for their possible incorporation into prevention programmes. The ‘Above The Influence’ (ATI) resource was selected for the psycho-educational programme which was designed for the study. The programme was put into action during seven sessions over a period of about two months, and implemented with a group of 26 Grade 10 and Grade 11 students in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to evaluate its relevance for adolescent substance abuse prevention. To evaluate the programme, a qualitative approach was used. The data were gathered during the programme implementation by means of in-person and online focus groups, individual interviews, written open-ended questions, observation notes and follow-up interviews some time after the programme had ended. Eleven principles were identified from the literature to evaluate the potential of the programme to be effective in preventing adolescent substance abuse. In particular the programme needed to increase adolescents’ skills related to studying, communication, peer relationships, self-efficacy, assertiveness, and drug resistance. The programme also had to employ interactive techniques and needed to address the type of drug abuse problem in the local community, for example, the ‘gateway’ substances of marijuana, alcohol and tobacco. In addition, the programme potential was evaluated in the light of SCT and SET. The findings indicated that the psycho-educational programme, using ATI as audiovisual medium, can be used very effectively by teachers to raise students’ awareness and develop particular skills that could contribute towards the prevention of adolescent substance abuse. It is recommended that the programme should be used in the long-term with repeated reinforcing sessions over time. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The aim of this study was to explore the role of feedback in managing resistance to organisational change. A general systems theoretical model of individual resistance to change was developed. It describes the origin, function and outcomes of individual resistance to planned organisational change. The role of feedback within this process was identified as a central one and feedback was therefore identified as an important point of leverage in managing resistance to change. The survey feedback approach was adopted in a retail organisation undergoing significant change. Staff were asked to respond to a survey on their experience of the change. Results were analysed and then fed back to them during group discussions. The process was repeated. It was concluded that the survey feedback approach significantly contributed to a reduction in resistance to change and that both survey feedback approach and the model of individual resistance to change merit further investigation. / Industrial Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This qualitative study used an interpretive paradigm within a theoretical framework of social cognitive theory to explore fatalism within the context of the lived experiences of adolescents. A tentative assumption was made that fatalism among adolescents may be at the root of a variety of recognisable behavioural and educational problems that manifest in South African society. At the same time the study aimed to investigate how fatalism may manifest in and colour the lived experiences of adolescents, as well to investigate how fatalism possibly affects educational attainment. This study was informed by a literature review which addressed the different theoretical perspectives pertaining to the etiology of fatalism. The literature was approached from a very wide perspective, including contributions from the various disciplines in the field of social sciences including theology, philosophy, psychology and social theory. These insights were complemented by perspectives from educational psychology particularly with regard to adolescent development and learning theory. The sample of the study constituted of 164 grade 11 learners from five schools in the Western Cape. Data was collected by making use of creative strategies, focus groups and personal interviews. This study found the following: adolescent fatalism seems to emanate from the lived experiences of adolescents as a cognitive phenomenon, rooted in the deterministic beliefs of adolescents about their selves, others, as well as the physical and social environments, with behavioural, affective and psychological consequences. Adolescent fatalism colour their lived experiences by causing alienation from those experiences, oppositional behaviour and feelings of pessimism, anxiety and depression. Adolescent fatalism seems to affect educational attainment by contributing to fixed implicit theories of academic potential, low level of motivation, disengagement from the educational system and the social aspects of learning. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie is gedoen binne 'n interpretatiwe paradigma en vanuit die teoretiese raamwerk van die sosiaal-kognitiewe teorie ten einde fatalisme binne die lewensondervindinge van adolessente te ondersoek. 'n Tentatiewe aanname is gemaak dat fatalisme onder adolessente aan die kern van 'n verskeidenheid van herkenbare gedrags- en opvoedkundige probleme in die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing mag lê. Verder was die studie daarop gemik om ondersoek in te stel na die manifestering van fatalisme in die lewens van adolessente, hoe dit die lewensondervindinge van adolessente raak en hoe dit die bereiking van opvoedkundige doelwitte beïnvloed. Die studie is gebaseer op 'n literatuuroorsig wat die verskillende teoretiese perspektiese rakende die etiologie van fatalisme aanspreek. Die literatuuroorsig is vanuit 'n wye perspektief benader en sluit interdissiplinêre bydraes uit die veld van die sosiale wetenskappe byvoorbeeld teologie, filosofie, sielkunde en sosiale teorie. Hierdie insigte is gekombineer met perspektiewe uit die opvoedkundige sielkunde, spesifiek ten opsigte van adolessente ontwikkeling en leerteorie. Die steekproef vir die studie het uit 164 leerders uit 5 skole bestaan. Data is ingesamel deur van kreatiewe strategieë asook fokusgroep en individuele onderhoude gebruik te maak. In hierdie studie is die volgende bevindinge gemaak: adolessente fatalisme blyk uit die lewensondervindinge van adolessente te voorskyn te kom. Dit manifesteer as 'n kognitiewe fenomeen wat gewortel is in die deterministiese geloof van adolessente aangaande hulself, ander, sowel as die fisieke en sosiale omgewings, met gedrags-, affektiewe en sielkundige gevolge. Adolessente fatalisme kleur hul lewenservaringe deur hulle van daardie ervaringe te vervreem, tot weerstandige gedrag aanleiding te gee en gevoelens van pessimisme, angs en depressie te veroorsaak. Adolessente fatalisme blyk ook die bereiking van opvoedkundige doelwitte te beïnvloed deurdat dit aanleiding gee tot vaste implisiete teorieë oor akademiese potensiaal, lae vlakke van motivering meebring, onttrekking uit die opvoedkundige stelsel aan die hand werk en die sosiale aspekte van leer beïnvloed.

Background: Breastfeeding confers health and social benefits on both mother and baby and is thus a key global public health priority, with exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months recommended. A variety of factors can influence a woman’s decision to initiate breastfeeding but a short duration of breastfeeding appears to be common in developed countries. In the UK, promotion of breastfeeding has been government policy since 1974 and gradually the incidence has increased. In Scotland in 2010 the incidence was 74% but by one week 17% of women had given up. A minority of women find that their babies attach easily at birth and more than half report problems at this time. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding falls sharply in the first few weeks and the introduction of formula is associated with a shorter duration. It is therefore crucial to understand what happens at this time to enable women to continue breastfeeding effectively. Study Aim: To use Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explore and help explain the expectations, knowledge and experiences of women and midwives with regard to breastfeeding initiation. Methods: A systematic review of qualitative studies synthesised using thematic analysis and SCT was conducted and afforded insight into what had been known before and highlighted further aspects that needed to be explored with a qualitative study. The qualitative study was comprised of five focus groups with ten antenatal women, eight postnatal women and eighteen midwives. Photographs included in a leaflet “Feeding cues at birth”, and the chart of “Feeding cues after the first few hours” were developed and used as focussing exercises during the focus groups and interviews. The focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a hybrid process of inductive and deductive thematic analysis which integrated data driven codes with theory driven codes based on SCT. Results: Twenty one studies were included in the systematic review and identified clear differences in the experiences of women when breastfeeding was going well as compared to when it was going wrong at the start. There were also differences in the midwives’ knowledge, experience and confidence when breastfeeding was going well in contrast to when it was going wrong. The synthesis did not identify any qualitative studies relevant to initiation which explored skin contact, instinctive behaviour or strategies to resolve failure to attach in the first few days after birth, from the perspectives of mothers and midwives. These topics were therefore explored in detail in the qualitative study. Few mothers recruited to my study experienced instinctive behaviour and successful attachment (in SCT enactive behaviour) at birth. The majority of mothers did not experience attachment at birth and struggled to persist and maintain their motivation to enable breastfeeding initiation in an unfamiliar environment. Midwives’ social expectations and environmental circumstances made women centred care difficult. Midwives considered that sleepy babies who were unable to feed were normal, but women were unprepared for this, compounding the difficulties in initiating breastfeeding. The triangulation of the findings from the systematic review and the qualitative study provide a more complete picture of contributory factors to understanding of difficulties in breastfeeding initiation. Conclusion: It is recognised that behaviour interacts with emotions, perceived abilities and the environment, as in triadic reciprocal causation, which affects peoples’ decisions, experiences and abilities to enable the successful initiation of breastfeeding. Social Cognitive Theory could be used as a framework to develop strategies and materials to enhance women’s confidence both antenatally and in the postnatal period. In a minority of women, breastfeeding goes well and is more likely when the baby is an active participant and the midwife a knowledgeable and confident supporter. This is not the case for the majority of women and babies or their midwives. There is a need to consider strategies to develop appropriate skills and environmental changes that would in turn lead to changes in behaviour and successful interventions. More emphasis should be made clinically on facilitating instinctive behaviour. The current position where babies’ sleepy behaviour is considered normal in this particular environment could be challenged. Social Cognitive Theory could be utilised in research to develop strategies to increase women’s and midwives’ confidence specifically in initiation.

Fysisk inaktivitet är ett växande problem i dagens samhälle, det bidrar till olika sjukdomar och orsakar samhället stora kostnader. En stillasittande fritid är något som har ökat i Sverige, speciellt bland barn och unga. Arbetet för en ökad fysisk aktivitet är viktigt för en god folkhälsa då det kan påverka hälsan och funktionsförmågan positivt hos många olika individer, särskilt bland barn och unga som är en prioriterad målgrupp i det hälsofrämjande folkhälsoarbetet. Syftet med studien var att undersöka i vilken utsträckning och av vilka anledningar ungdomar i Västerås i åldern 16–19 år är fysiskt aktiva samt undersöka om det finns köns- och åldersskillnader. För att besvara syftet användes en kvantitativ ansats, där respondenterna till undersökningen var gymnasieungdomar i årskurs 1, 2 och 3. I resultatet framkom en signifikant könsskillnad gällande hur mycket respondenterna rör sig i snitt per dag. Resultatet visar på att pojkar rör sig i mer än 60 minuter per dag i större utsträckning än flickor. Resultatet visar på att det främsta motivet till att respondenterna tränar är för att förbättra fysiken. Resultatet har diskuterats utifrån social kognitiva teorin och har använts för att tolka och kunna förklara delar av resultatet, som exempelvis motiv till fysisk aktivitet. / Physical inactivity is a growing problem in today's society and causes major expenses to the society. A sedentary leisure time has increased in Sweden, especially among children and youths. The work to increase physical activity is important for a good public health because it can affect the health and functional capacity positively among various individuals, especially among children and youths who are a prioritized target group in the health-promoting public health work. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent and for which reasons youths in Västerås aged 16-19 are physically active and to examine whether there are gender and age differences. To fulfill the aim, a quantitative approach was used and the respondents to the study were secondary school students in grades 1, 2 and 3. The result showed a significant gender difference regarding how much the respondents are physically active in average per day. The results show that boys are physically active more than 60 minutes per day more often than girls. The results show that the main motive for the respondents to exercise is to improve their physique. The results are discussed on the basis of social cognitive theory and has been used to interpret and explain some of the results, such as motives for physical activity.

The purpose of the current study was to discern the effects of three latent constructs – self-efficacy, academic engagement, and student-teacher relationships on Algebra I achievement among ninth-grade African American male students. A nationally representative sample from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS09) was used in the study. Study participants were 697 African American males enrolled in ninth grade in the fall of 2009 across the United States. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analytical procedures were performed to test the hypothesized relationships of Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) theoretical assumptions. The results indicate that the three latent variables directly or indirectly were related to Algebra I achievement among ninth grade African American male students. Moreover, the results revealed that self-efficacy and student-teacher relationships constructs had direct significant impact on Algebra I academic performance; nonetheless, the relationships were not strong. These two latent variables had small effect sizes of 5% and 1%, respectively. Combined, self-efficacy, academic engagement, and student-teacher relationships explained only 8% of the variance in the Algebra I achievement among African American males across the United States (R2=.08). The magnitude effect of these factors on Algebra I achievement was minimal. Overall, these findings suggest that the self-efficacy and student-teacher relationships latent variables had a negligible effect as predictors of Algebra I academic success among ninth grade African American male students. A summary of the results are presented and future research is recommended.

Background: Fifty percent of medications are not taken as prescribed. This is a major public health issue yet there is very limited evidence on the factors associated with medicines adherence in people with mild to moderate Intellectually Disabilities and diabetes (IDD). This study evaluated the frequency of, and factors associated with, medicines non-adherence in this group compared to people without ID but with diabetes (non-IDD).Methods: A systematic review of the literature informed the theoretical model tested. A two-stage, sequential mixed methods study with 111 people with type 1 and 2 diabetes, (IDD = 33, non-IDD = 78) was then carried out. Stage one (quantitative) compared frequency of medication adherence in the group overall, IDD and non-IDD. Univariate and multiple regression analysis evaluated associations between factors (ID, depression, side effects, self-efficacy and perceived level of social support) and medicines non-adherence. Stage two (qualitative) explored findings of stage one with 12 stage one participants' carers using semi-structured interviews. Results: Data were collected between July 2014 and May 2016. The frequency of medicines adherence was similar in the IDD and non-IDD population (70% vs 62%, p = 0.41). The theoretical model did not predict medicines non-adherence. After controlling for support with medicines and complexity of regime (number of medications and use of insulin), depression was an independent predictor in the non-IDD and group overall (p < 0.001). In the IDD group, perceived side effects was an important, but non-significant, predictor of non-adherence (p = 0.06). Carers' perceptions of adherence and depression were consistent with stage one findings. Conclusions: Optimising adherence to diabetes medicines is equally challenging in IDD and non-IDD populations. Associations between independent factors and adherence differed between the two groups: in the non-IDD population, depressive symptoms were associated with non-adherence whereas in the IDD population perceived level of side effects appeared most dominant. Due to small sample sizes findings were inconclusive therefore, a sufficiently powered study further investigating the relationship between adherence and side effects in people with ID and diabetes is recommended.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Waldir Silva.pdf: 2480070 bytes, checksum: c1dfd101365f63f6e545306ca9078b67 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-08 / The purpose of this dissertation is to study the contribution of actions of truck drivers training, searching for operational costs reduction of the load carrier companies. For it, the learning theories provide support to the training actions analysis, notably the social cognitive theory of Albert Bandura (1986), which explains human actuation through a reciprocity model in which the behavior, the cognitive personal factors and the environmental events interact among themselves in a determinant way. It is an approach between the two mainly learning models, behaviorist and cognitivist. From the hypothesis that capacitated drivers contribute to companies competitiveness, indicators were defined to make possible that such subjective concepts could be understood and measured in an objective manner. The field research involved 105 vehicles with its respective drivers, distributed into 14 companies. The investigation was quantitative, with comparison of measuring data before and after training actions. It was tried this way to verify the statistic significance of the indicators variation between the two measurements. The work was developed in two steps. At the first step, the data were analyzed for the 14 companies as a whole. At the second step, an individual analysis was preceded, it means, route by route. The research revealed that to the sample as a whole and to 13 from 14 companies, when evaluated individually, the training actions produced changing at the drivers actuation manner with the vehicles being conducted in a safer and more economic way, consequently generating operational cost reduction to the companies / RESUMO O objetivo desta dissertação é o de estudar as contribuições de ações de capacitação de motoristas de caminhão, com vistas na redução dos custos operacionais das transportadoras de carga. Para tanto, as teorias de aprendizagem dão suporte à análise das ações de capacitação, notadamente, a teoria cognitiva social de Albert Bandura (1986), que explica a atuação humana por um modelo de reciprocidade no qual a conduta, os fatores pessoais cognitivos e os acontecimentos ambientais interagem entre si de forma determinante. Trata-se de uma aproximação entre os dois principais modelos de aprendizagem, o behaviorista e o cognitivo. A partir da hipótese de que motoristas capacitados contribuem para a competitividade das empresas, foram definidos indicadores para possibilitar que tais conceitos subjetivos pudessem ser entendidos e medidos de forma objetiva. A pesquisa de campo envolveu 105 veículos, com seus respectivos motoristas, distribuídos em 14 empresas. A investigação foi quantitativa, com comparação dos dados das medições antes e após as ações de capacitação. Procurou-se, dessa forma, verificar a significância estatística das variações dos indicadores entre as duas medições. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa, os dados foram analisados para as 14 empresas como um todo. Na segunda etapa procedeu-se a uma análise individual, ou seja, rota a rota. A pesquisa revelou que para a amostra como um todo e para 13 das 14 empresas, quando avaliadas individualmente, as ações de capacitação produziram alteração na forma de atuação dos motoristas com os veículos sendo conduzidos de forma mais econômica e segura, conseqüentemente, gerando redução dos custos operacionais para as empresas

This study employed the theoretical framework of Albert Bandura???s social cognitive theory, to investigate how differing levels of self-efficacy impact on both the type and degree of self-regulatory behaviour employed by the students when composing music in a high school music program. The literature review revealed an abundance of related research suggesting a strong relationship between self-efficacy and self-regulated behaviour in the ???core??? academic domains of education. In contrast, there was no specific research found that had examined self-efficacy and self-regulation in the context of students composing music. An independent school in Sydney served as the research site, with sixty-eight students of varied year levels and musical experience participating in the study. Students used stand alone computers, the software ???Cubase??? and MIDI keyboards as they completed a task that involved creating an original piece of music in a genre of their own choice, over a series of four composition sessions. A mixed methodology was employed to determine if the influence of the students??? self-efficacy beliefs upon their self-regulation in a creative activity were consistent with existing research. Data were collected using a mixture of weekly measures and self-report scales, combined with a variety of questionnaires, logs, tally sheets and interviews. Eight variables, including the self-regulatory sub-processes of goal setting-strategic planning, intrinsic motivation, goal orientation, task expectation, time on task, task completion, monitoring were analysed together with an additional variable, defined as creative ability, to determine if evidence could be found of a relationship between self-efficacy and these specific behaviours while composing. The results suggest that the pre-task (Week 1) measure of self-efficacy was closely associated with the students??? use of the eight self-regulatory dimensions as well as their perceived level of creative ability. Weekly self-efficacy measures also suggested that students??? employ self-regulated sub-processes proportionally to their respective levels of self-efficacy. Importantly, the more efficacious students employed a wider and more sophisticated repertoire of self-regulated behaviour when composing in contrast to the less efficacious students. Self-efficacy was also identified as a key factor amongst students who were initially identified as being naive self-regulators, but who through the duration of the task, modified their behaviour to become more skilful self-regulators. Throughout the study, the consistent level of interaction between self-efficacy and the use of self-regulated behaviours were aligned with findings in the core ???academic??? disciplines of education.

During the past decade, the environmental issue has been an important concern of public affairs because the problems generating from the physical environment are the main focus of local development. Generally, the most effective work of community development is to encourage people to participate in environmental improvement actions. For example, the literature has indicated that individual is the most important factor for environmental improvement actions. Thus, people who highly participate in the community affairs often have better performances on community improvement actions. Base on an efficient society and the budget of government downsizing, promoting community residents to actively participate in environmental improvement actions would help the community environment management to be more sustainable and indirectly leading the local development. Concerning community environment, the responsibility for the community, knowledge of environmental action, and the ability of self-control might be correlated with the community residents¡¦ participation behavior in environmental improvement actions. The purpose of study is to explore the relationships among sense of community, the knowledge of environmental action, environmental moral obligation, and participating environmental improvement actions. Four objectives are mainly specified: first, to develop a sense of community scale of Taiwanese population; second, to integrate theories to test a community participation behavior model in environmental improvement actions; third, to understand the influential factors of community residents participation in environmental improvement actions; finally, to compare and interpret community residents participation in environmental improvement behavior model and ¡§Theory of Planned Behavior¡¨. This study surveyed community residents who ever participated in ¡§urban community landscape renaissance project¡¨ supported by Construction and Planning Agency, and ¡§rural community landscape renaissance project¡¨ founded by Soil and Water Conservation Bureau. A total of 616 community residents were administrated a self-report questionnaire. Further analysis of the data based on comparing respondent¡¦s residence, respondents were grouped into to urban planning district group and non-urban planning district group. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was then employed to test a conceptual model. There were nine domains proposed in the conceptual model. Five of nine domains adopted from planning behavioral theory included ¡§attitude¡¨, ¡§subjective norm¡¨, ¡§perceived behavioral control¡¨, ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ and ¡§behavior¡¨. One of nine domains, ¡§self-efficacy¡¨, was chosen from social cognition theory. Two of nine domains from environmental citizen behavioral model were ¡§knowledge of environmental action¡¨, ¡§environmental moral obligation¡¨. ¡§Sense of community¡¨ was referenced to the last domain. The findings provided support for eight hypotheses and two hypotheses were partial supported. The detailed descriptions of hypothesis-testing results were as below. Eight hypotheses supported, they included: (1) After residents reflected on the ¡§subjective norm¡¨, the ¡§attitude¡¨ toward participating environmental reform behaviors was remarkably promoted. (2) Resident¡¦s ¡§attitude¡¨ significantly influenced their ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ of participating environmental improvement behaviors. (3) Resident¡¦s ¡§perceived behavioral control¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ of participate in environmental improvement behaviors. (4) Resident¡¦s ¡§sense of community¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ of participating environmental improvement behaviors. (5) Resident¡¦s ¡§knowledge of environmental action¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§self-efficacy¡¨. (6) Resident¡¦s ¡§self-efficacy¡¨ significantly effected their ¡§perceived behavioral control¡¨. (7) Resident¡¦s ¡§environmental moral obligation¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§attitude¡¨ of participating environmental improvement behaviors. (8) Resident¡¦s ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ significantly impacted their participating environmental improvement ¡§behaviors¡¨. Two hypotheses were partial supported: (1) Only in non-urban planning district resident¡¦s ¡§subjective norm¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§behavioral intention¡¨ of participating environmental improvement behaviors. (2) Only in urban planning district and all districts resident¡¦s ¡§perceived behavioral control¡¨ significantly impacted their ¡§attitude¡¨ of participating environmental improvement behaviors. Additionally, the findings confirmed that Italian Sense of Community Scale (ISCS) was an appropriate scale to measure Taiwanese population¡¦s sense of community. These findings provide researchers and practitioners for insight of resident¡¦s participation in environmental improvement, which is better than ¡§Theory of Planned Behavior¡¨.