As one of the most influential constructs in educational psychology, academic motivation represents individuals’ drives and energies to learn; as an emerging construct attracting increasing interest, engagement manifests individuals’ drives and energies, such as the use of self-regulation strategies. However, little existing research simultaneously considers these two groups of constructs within one framework, or takes their antecedents and outcomes into account, especially in regards to Chinese university students. The present study attempts to systematically study motivation and engagement on the basis of social-cognitive motivation theory and achievement orientation theory as a means of unifying substantive and empirical claims. To accomplish these purposes, two studies, each with two parts, have been conducted with Chinese university students as participants. In Study One, Part One explores the factor structure of several instruments – including the Motivation and Engagement Scales-University/College (MES-UC), the Goal Orientation and Learning Strategies Survey (GOALS-S), the Scale of Institution Integration (SII) and the Academic Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ) – in half the sample (426 cases). Cross-validation with the other half of the sample is then undertaken (423 cases). Part Two investigates a process model, which includes student multiple motivational beliefs, engagement and educational outcomes through path analysis. The results suggest that students’ work avoidance goal predicts their academic dissatisfaction directly and indirectly via maladaptive engagement; their social concern goal indirectly predicts intellectual development via adaptive engagement; their social approval goal directly influences achievement; and student engagement mediates the impacts of other motivational beliefs on their academic dissatisfaction, intellectual development and achievement. Furthermore, social concern, social approval, social status goals and work avoidance goals are significantly related to motivation and engagement. 　　In Study Two, Part One cross-validates the MES-UC instrument in a new independent sample (836 cases) of Chinese university students. Other instruments including the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey (PALS) are also validated. Part Two investigates a process model, which includes classroom goal structure, motivational beliefs, engagement and achievement through path analysis. The results find that the classroom mastery goal structure predicts adaptive and maladaptive engagement via adaptive motivation, and the classroom performance-avoidance goal structure affects maladaptive engagement via personal performance-approach goal orientation and maladaptive motivation In summary, by considering the classroom goal structure as a contextual antecedent and a variety of motivational beliefs as individual antecedents, as well as achievement-related constructs as outcomes, the thesis finds the mediation effect of motivational beliefs between classroom goal structure and student engagement, as well as the mediation effect of engagement between motivational beliefs and achievement-related outcomes. The thesis also summarizes the main contributions, and implications, noting the limitations and pointing out some directions for future research in the field of student motivation and engagement. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to attain an understanding of knowledge, attitudes and use of contraception amongst learners attending a high school in Mdantsane. A quantitative, descriptive survey was conducted. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire which was self-administered by 150 female learners. These learners were doing grade 10-12 and were aged between 18-20 years. The findings indicated that 86.67% of the learners understood contraception as prevention of pregnancy, only 8.67% understood contraception as prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The 66.3% of learners had positive attitude towards contraceptives. The 77.27% of the learners were using injectable contraceptives. The main reason for stopping use of contraception was side effects. Majority of learners had basic knowledge of contraceptives, but knew few types and did not know their mechanism of action. Most learners had positive attitude and were using contraceptives. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to attain an understanding of knowledge, attitudes and use of contraception amongst learners attending a high school in Mdantsane. A quantitative, descriptive survey was conducted. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire which was self-administered by 150 female learners. These learners were doing grade 10-12 and were aged between 18-20 years. The findings indicated that 86.67% of the learners understood contraception as prevention of pregnancy, only 8.67% understood contraception as prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The 66.3% of learners had positive attitude towards contraceptives. The 77.27% of the learners were using injectable contraceptives. The main reason for stopping use of contraception was side effects. Majority of learners had basic knowledge of contraceptives, but knew few types and did not know their mechanism of action. Most learners had positive attitude and were using contraceptives. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

<p>The thesis explores the attitudes towards large carnivores as a resource for tourism in northern Värmland. The purpose is to study the carnivore issue and the problems of carnivore tourism from a geographical perspective in order to illustrate the differences and connections between different approaches to a controversial and a potential rural resource.</p><p>The empirical material is made up mainly of surveys and newspaper articles. Three actor groups were studied: the local community, tourism entrepreneurs, and visitors to carnivore information centers. The studies were underpinned by a two-pronged theoretical frame of reference, the first based on the concepts of place and landscape, the second on tourism as a concept and social phenomenon.</p><p>Carnivore tourism constituted only a small part of that published in the media about carnivores, which showed that the tourism-oriented perspective on carnivores has been accorded only minor status in the media.</p><p>The attitudes of the three actor groups towards carnivores and carnivore tourism differ. Attitudes among the local community were generally less favorable than among tourism entrepreneurs and visitors. The community perspective on carnivores and carnivore tourism may be regarded as a insider perspective strongly dominated by the “life place” perspective, one in which forest-oriented culture and practices enjoy strong status, particularly in the more peripheral parts of the geographical study area. Tourism entrepreneurs, who are an important link between the locals and visitors, generally had more positive attitudes, but the group as such was divided depending on the strength of local connections. Entrepreneurs with strong roots in the community had considerably more negative attitudes and usually saw no potential in carnivores as a resource for tourism. These entrepreneurs can be presumed to represent the life place perspective, while other entrepreneurs may be regarded as representing the “destination place” perspective. Visitors were the group with the most positive attitudes, even as they stood for a distinct outsider perspective. They had a keen interest in nature in general and carnivores in particular. Several factors had significant impact on the attitude towards carnivores and carnivore tourism, in particular the view on the naturalness of the wolf, that is, whether it had been reintroduced or had returned on its own, age, education, whether or not the person was a hunter, experience, and knowledge about large carnivores.</p>

The thesis explores the attitudes towards large carnivores as a resource for tourism in northern Värmland. The purpose is to study the carnivore issue and the problems of carnivore tourism from a geographical perspective in order to illustrate the differences and connections between different approaches to a controversial and a potential rural resource. The empirical material is made up mainly of surveys and newspaper articles. Three actor groups were studied: the local community, tourism entrepreneurs, and visitors to carnivore information centers. The studies were underpinned by a two-pronged theoretical frame of reference, the first based on the concepts of place and landscape, the second on tourism as a concept and social phenomenon. Carnivore tourism constituted only a small part of that published in the media about carnivores, which showed that the tourism-oriented perspective on carnivores has been accorded only minor status in the media. The attitudes of the three actor groups towards carnivores and carnivore tourism differ. Attitudes among the local community were generally less favorable than among tourism entrepreneurs and visitors. The community perspective on carnivores and carnivore tourism may be regarded as a insider perspective strongly dominated by the “life place” perspective, one in which forest-oriented culture and practices enjoy strong status, particularly in the more peripheral parts of the geographical study area. Tourism entrepreneurs, who are an important link between the locals and visitors, generally had more positive attitudes, but the group as such was divided depending on the strength of local connections. Entrepreneurs with strong roots in the community had considerably more negative attitudes and usually saw no potential in carnivores as a resource for tourism. These entrepreneurs can be presumed to represent the life place perspective, while other entrepreneurs may be regarded as representing the “destination place” perspective. Visitors were the group with the most positive attitudes, even as they stood for a distinct outsider perspective. They had a keen interest in nature in general and carnivores in particular. Several factors had significant impact on the attitude towards carnivores and carnivore tourism, in particular the view on the naturalness of the wolf, that is, whether it had been reintroduced or had returned on its own, age, education, whether or not the person was a hunter, experience, and knowledge about large carnivores.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy