A current national priority is improving secondary school mathematics performance. Middle school students’ trust in their mathematics teachers can lead to better relationships and increased feelings of competence, or mathematics self-efficacy, which is consistently linked to achievement. Student trust is based on perceptions of a teacher’s competence, benevolence, openness, reliability, and honesty. To determine the effect of trust in a teacher on student mathematics self-efficacy while accounting for the non-independence due to shared classroom experiences, hierarchical linear modeling will be utilized. Controlling for prior achievement, mathematics self-efficacy is expected to be higher for students who perceive their mathematics teacher meets more of the criteria for trust, with a stronger effect for low-achieving students. The implications of the outcomes of the proposed study suggest the creation of a training program to facilitate trust building between students and teachers. This report also includes an evaluation plan which details the components of the trust building program, a model for the program, and the proposed method to measure the reported outcomes. / text

Given extensive research highlighting the benefits of need-supportive practices and need satisfaction, it seems likely that academic advisors who use practices found to be need-supportive in classroom, work, and other contexts, will foster students’ perceived autonomy and competence toward the academic major decision-making process and facilitate longer-term goals of enhancing motivation and satisfaction with their academic coursework. A longitudinal study was conducted in order to examine the stability in perceptions of college students' academic major decision-making experience over time as a function of need-supportive advising. The study also examined the stability in satisfaction and motivation outcomes as a function of need-supportive advising over time. Participants included undecided students who completed an online survey at three time points during either the 2012-2013 or 2013-2014 academic year. The online survey included measures assessing perceptions of advisors' needs-supportive practices, students' autonomous and competent decision-making, satisfaction with and motivation for coursework, and subjective well-being, as well as demographic characteristics. Analyses on several models were performed using Mplus version 6.12. Results suggest need-supportive advising at the beginning of the academic year predicts improved academic satisfaction, academic efficacy, subjective well-being, and value toward coursework toward the end of the academic year particularly when advising sessions satisfy students need for competence throughout the year which, in turn, provides students with increased competence about choosing an academic major. Implications and future directions are discussed. / text

Postsecondary curricula are often the first opportunity where students can and are compelled to make choices regarding their adult professional life and the first opportunity students have to engage in serious and focused exploration of the various career options that might be available to them. While the general impact of a postsecondary education on career experience, including job satisfaction and success, is well documented, the factors influencing postsecondary students' career choice and how those factors impact college outcomes, including motivation towards, satisfaction with, and achievement in their chosen major field, appear to be more obscure and uneven. Self-determination theory (SDT) is a well-established motivational construct in the educational psychology field and the goal of this study is to explore the role that SDT may play in the relationship between determinants influencing a student's choice of major and their satisfaction and achievement outcomes. Using self-reported survey data from students across five disciplines at a large public four-year university, a cluster analysis was performed to determine if students could be grouped meaningfully based on their self-determination and the determinants that influenced their choice of major. Meaningfulness was assessed based primarily on the differences across the clusters on the satisfaction and achievement measures. Students were found to be too similar across the clusters on the achievement measure for meaningful interpretation on that outcome, but there did appear to be an important relationship between the influence of future outcomes and personal experiences in choosing a major and the students' satisfaction with their major. Multiple regression analysis was also employed to assess the degree to which achievement could be predicted by students' satisfaction, self-determined motivation, and determinants influencing choice of major. Self-determined autonomy was an important mediator and moderator of the effects that the determinants influencing choice of major had on satisfaction and achievement. Future directions in the research program, as well as the practical implications of the results, are discussed. / text

Students' engagement tends to decline as they progress through school (Anderman, Maehr, & Midgley, 1999; Eccles et al., 1993; Harter, Whitesell, & Kowalski, 1992; National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, 2004; Yazzie-Mintz, 2010) and disengagement is linked with negative school outcomes such as dropping out of school, retention, failing to earn a diploma, lower grades, and decreased learning (Christenson et al., 2012; DiPerna, Volpe, & Elliot, 2002; Skinner et al., 2009). Youth with ADHD are an at-risk group for lower levels of emotional and behavioral engagement (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). This study investigated whether teacher instructional style (i.e., autonomy support and structure) predicts student engagement and disengagement utilizing an existing dataset collected from 52 students, and their parents and teachers from Dunedin, New Zealand. Student participants met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, and ranged from 5 to 11 years of age. Class-wide, teacher-provided structure was measured by the Classroom Environment Scale Rule Clarity, and Order and Organization subscales. Class-wide, teacher-provided autonomy support was measured by the Classroom Environment Scale Innovation, Teacher Support, and Teacher Control subscales. Students' emotional engagement in school was measured by Teacher Report Form Working Hard, Happy, Withdrawn, and Anxious/Depressed T-scores. Correlational and multiple regression analysis were used to answer the study's research questions. Results from this study include findings that increased teacher control and lower ADHD severity significantly predicted greater student work effort (engagement). Student age and ADHD severity, and teacher-provided order and organization (structure) were found to significantly predict increased happiness (engagement). Higher teacher-provided structure in the form of rule clarity, order, and organization were found to significantly predict decreased student withdrawn and depressed behaviors (disengagement). In addition, lower teacher-provided order and organization (structure) and higher ADHD severity together were found to significantly predict increased anxious and depressed student behavior (disengagement). If replicated, findings from the current study could inform future intervention research by indicating the components of teachers' instructional styles that may be most influential in engaging students with ADHD in school.

Den, i olika forskningsartiklar, återkommande uppfattningen om att enperson som är autonomt orienterad är mer benägen till att utveckla enmotivation till personlig utveckling ledde till denna undersökning.Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur autonomi påverkar människortill motivation till personlig utveckling. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt iself-determination theory och dess underteori causality orientationstheory, med de tre orienteringarna kontrollerad, impersonell ochautonomi, vilka handlar om orsak till varför en person handlar på ettvisst sätt och effekten därav. De olika orienteringarna mättes med enenkät konstruerad efter general causality orientation scale ochmotivation till personlig utveckling mättes med egenkonstrueradefrågor. Enkäten lades ut på fyra olika sidor på Internet medförhoppning om att nå ett brett deltagande. Studien visade att denkontrollerade orienteringen var den av de tre orienteringarna sompåverkade människor i högst grad till motivation till personligutveckling. I studien ingick 62 stycken försöksdeltagare.Den, i olika forskningsartiklar, återkommande uppfattningen om att enperson som är autonomt orienterad är mer benägen till att utveckla enmotivation till personlig utveckling ledde till denna undersökning.Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur autonomi påverkar människortill motivation till personlig utveckling. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt iself-determination theory och dess underteori causality orientationstheory, med de tre orienteringarna kontrollerad, impersonell ochautonomi, vilka handlar om orsak till varför en person handlar på ettvisst sätt och effekten därav. De olika orienteringarna mättes med enenkät konstruerad efter general causality orientation scale ochmotivation till personlig utveckling mättes med egenkonstrueradefrågor. Enkäten lades ut på fyra olika sidor på Internet medförhoppning om att nå ett brett deltagande. Studien visade att denkontrollerade orienteringen var den av de tre orienteringarna sompåverkade människor i högst grad till motivation till personligutveckling. I studien ingick 62 stycken försöksdeltagare.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad som motiverar arbetslösa deltagare i AMA Arbetsmarknads verksamhet Jobbcentrum att söka ett arbete. Ett annat syfte var också att undersöka om AMA hjälper dessa deltagare att motiveras och kunna återvända till den ordinarie arbetsmarknaden. Tidigare forskning inom området har ofta fokuserat på samband mellan arbetssökarbeteende och de arbetslösas förväntningar på och värderingar av arbete. Motivation sägs vara påverkad utifrån såväl inre som yttre faktorer. Våra teoretiska utgångspunkter har varit Becks teori om risksamhället samt två motivationsteorier, dels en teori om förväntningar och dels en teori om självbestämmande. Studien är kvalitativ och den metodologiska ansats som använts är hermeneutik. Intervjuer genomfördes med 10 deltagare från Jobbcentrum som valdes ut genom ett ändamålsenligt urval. Resultatet visar att vad som värderas med ett arbete i första hand är den trygghet det ger, inte enbart pga. lönen utan även pga de sociala kontakterna och rutinerna. Att ha en meningsfull sysselsättning var motiverande för att söka arbete. Att vara aktiverad – både fysiskt och psykiskt – visades i studien vara viktigt för motivationen. Deltagarnas förväntningar på vad Jobbcentrum kunde göra för dem var låga, istället betonades det personliga ansvaret för att få ett arbete.

The use of coercion to induce entry to addiction treatment is controversial and a large body of research has accumulated considering ethical issues, benefits, and repercussions. However, development of evidence-based policy and practices is hampered by limitations of existing literature. Theoretical and empirical work on self-determination suggests that perceptions of coercion have negative implications for motivation, behaviour change, and psychological well-being; however, these insights have not generally informed research on coerced treatment. The present work seeks to further understandings of the meaning and effectiveness of coerced addiction treatment through a theory-based, prospective study of coercion and treatment processes. The sample includes 276 adults admitted to an outpatient counseling program for alcohol- and drug-related problems. At admission, participants completed questionnaires on motivation, perceived coercion, and pressures to enter treatment. Two months later, a second questionnaire assessed engagement in treatment and substance problem severity (follow-up rate = 74.3%). Retention was determined via self-report and agency records. Analysis was guided by a conceptual model based on Self-Determination Theory. Perceived coercion at admission was associated with greater pressures from legal and informal sources, and lower substance problem severity. Fewer than half (45.7%) of participants were still attending treatment at 2-month follow-up. Clients who reported greater coercion were more likely to leave treatment within the first 2 months, and to qualify that decision by statements indicating a lack of perceived need for continued treatment. Greater autonomous motivation was associated with higher client confidence in treatment, and lower perceived coercion and greater informal pressure were associated with greater resolution of substance problems in the weeks following admission. This work contributes empirical evidence to ongoing debates over the legitimacy of coerced addiction treatment by reframing relevant concepts in terms of client perspectives and evaluating the impact on treatment processes. Results raise questions about previous conclusions of the effectiveness of coerced treatment and suggest many future avenues for research. In particular, research is needed to evaluate the longer-term implications of coercion and the changing nature of perceptions and motivation during treatment.

The use of coercion to induce entry to addiction treatment is controversial and a large body of research has accumulated considering ethical issues, benefits, and repercussions. However, development of evidence-based policy and practices is hampered by limitations of existing literature. Theoretical and empirical work on self-determination suggests that perceptions of coercion have negative implications for motivation, behaviour change, and psychological well-being; however, these insights have not generally informed research on coerced treatment. The present work seeks to further understandings of the meaning and effectiveness of coerced addiction treatment through a theory-based, prospective study of coercion and treatment processes. The sample includes 276 adults admitted to an outpatient counseling program for alcohol- and drug-related problems. At admission, participants completed questionnaires on motivation, perceived coercion, and pressures to enter treatment. Two months later, a second questionnaire assessed engagement in treatment and substance problem severity (follow-up rate = 74.3%). Retention was determined via self-report and agency records. Analysis was guided by a conceptual model based on Self-Determination Theory. Perceived coercion at admission was associated with greater pressures from legal and informal sources, and lower substance problem severity. Fewer than half (45.7%) of participants were still attending treatment at 2-month follow-up. Clients who reported greater coercion were more likely to leave treatment within the first 2 months, and to qualify that decision by statements indicating a lack of perceived need for continued treatment. Greater autonomous motivation was associated with higher client confidence in treatment, and lower perceived coercion and greater informal pressure were associated with greater resolution of substance problems in the weeks following admission. This work contributes empirical evidence to ongoing debates over the legitimacy of coerced addiction treatment by reframing relevant concepts in terms of client perspectives and evaluating the impact on treatment processes. Results raise questions about previous conclusions of the effectiveness of coerced treatment and suggest many future avenues for research. In particular, research is needed to evaluate the longer-term implications of coercion and the changing nature of perceptions and motivation during treatment.

Sammanfattning Syfte Syftet har varit att undersöka om Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolans (GIH:s) tre månader långa hälsoprojekt på sikt hade effekt på seniordeltagarnas aktivitetsvanor. Därtill studerades seniorernas motivation till fysisk aktivitet vid uppföljningen tio månader efter projektets slut. Metod GIH:s hälsoprojekt är ett stående inslag i hälsopedagogutbildningen vid GIH. Det omfattar ledarledd fysisk aktivitet, två gånger per vecka, under åtta veckor. Dessutom ingår individuella hälsotester och hälsosamtal före projektets start, och vid projektets slut. I denna studie gjordes en kvantitativ uppföljning av seniordeltagare tio månader efter projektets slut. De frågor som berörde fysisk aktivitet hämtades från GIH:s hälsoenkät och Socialstyrelsens aktivitetsenkät. De frågor som berörde motivation för motion utgjordes av SDT-skalorna MPAM-R (Frederick och Ryan 1997) och amotivationsskalan från BREQ-2 (Markland och Tobin 2004).  Det var 200 enkäter som skickades ut till seniorerna. Totalt 152 personer besvarade enkäten, varav 97 var kvinnor och 55 var män. Medelåldern för kvinnorna var 72,5 ± 6,0 (64-91) år och medelåldern för männen var 73,0 ± 5,0 (66-89) år. All databearbetning genomfördes i Statistica. Resultat och diskussion Sammanfattningsvis var seniorernas aktivitetsnivå högre vid projektets slut, jämfört med hur aktivitetsnivån såg ut före projektet och vid uppföljningen, enligt frågor med fasta svarsalternativ. Detta betyder att de vanligen återgått till sina ursprungsvanor cirka ett år efter hälsoprojektet. Troligen var det främst den fysiska träningen som ökade under hälsoprojektet. För gruppen totalt sett fanns ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad mellan de tre olika skattningstillfällena avseende vardagsmotion. Antal timmar stillasittande följde samma mönster som den fysiska träningen, det vill säga att deltagarna var stillasittande färre timmar vid hälsoprojektets slut, jämfört med innan och vid uppföljningen. Seniorerna uppgav att deras främsta motivationsfaktorer för fysisk aktivitet var, i följande rangordning: hälsoskäl, glädjeskäl och utvecklingsskäl. Utseendeskäl och sociala skäl skattades relativt lågt. Lägst var amotivation. Resultaten från Socialstyrelsens aktivitetsenkät visade att fasta svarsalternativ skiljde sig från självskattade siffror, samt att vidare utvärderingar av enkäten behövs.   Slutsats GIH:s tidsbegränsade intervention tycks inte räcka för att åstadkomma långsiktiga effekter på motionsvanor. Seniorernas motivationskombination som framträtt tyder på att de borde vara tillräckligt motiverade till att vara fysiskt aktiva, då motivationsmönstret liknar det som enligt tidigare forskning visat sig vara fördelaktigt. Förklaringen till varför de inte fortsatt verkar inte stå att finna i bristande motivation, utan snarare i tidsbegränsningen av själva projektet, eller andra omkringliggande faktorer. Det förefaller sig därför viktigt att göra hälsoprojektet till en kontinuerlig verksamhet, alternativt att förlänga durationen till mer än tre månader, för att se om det är det som krävs för att seniorerna ska bibehålla sin förhöjda grad av motion eller fysisk träning långsiktigt. Resultaten av detta arbete är av betydelse, eftersom Socialstyrelsens aktivitetsenkät används fortlöpande inom vården för att registrera aktivitetsnivå. Nyckelord: interventionsuppföljning, fysisk aktivitet, hälsotester, hälsosamtal, Self-determination Theory, enkätundersökning, äldre.

Le Québec est confronté à un vieillissement de sa population et une pénurie de main-d’œuvre spécialisée. Pour faire face à ces difficultés tout en restant compétitives à l’échelle internationale, les entreprises québécoises doivent adopter des méthodes de gestion novatrices qui génèrent une performance élevée chez leurs travailleurs peu nombreux. Il est donc essentiel de se servir – et de repenser – le mieux possible des déterminants reconnus de la performance au travail, au premier chef : la motivation. Or, les recherches adoptent habituellement une perspective linéaire en un temps entre ces variables, alors que différentes études soulèvent la possibilité que les relations soient différentes lorsque ces variables sont analysées dans une perspective autre que linéaire. La présente étude teste si une dynamique cyclique se produit. Les résultats de médiation multiples ne révèlent pas d’effet significatif de la motivation entre les performances de deux temps de mesure consécutifs. Cela conforte la nécessité d’élargir la recherche sur de nouvelles variables de manière à vérifier le potentiel lien cyclique entre deux performances. Également, cette recherche relève une zone d’ombre dans la relation dynamique entre la motivation et la performance : ce lien n’est pas aussi lisse qu’il ne le semble. Il arrive parfois que les motivations et performances initiales aient un impact plus déterminant sur les comportements futurs. / Québec has to deal with an aging population and a shortage of highly-skilled labor. In order to face these difficulties while remaining competitive internationally, Quebec’s businesses must adopt new management methods that generate a higher performance from their fewer workers. It is therefore essential to better utilize – and rethink – the predictors of work performance with motivation at the forefront of this endeavor. However, studies usually adopt a one-time only linear perspective between these variables, while other studies suggest that the relations between them would differ when analyzed more dynamically. The present study tests if a cyclic relation performance-motivation- performance occurs. Multiple mediation results do not show a significant effect of various forms of motivation on the performance of two consecutive time measures; hence supporting the need for future studies to test new variables in order to verify the potential cyclical link between two performances. Moreover, the present study identifies a grey zone in the dynamic relation between motivation and performance. Indeed, the link isn’t as smooth as it seems since initial motivations and performances appear to have the greatest impact on future behaviors. / Ce mémoire de maîtrise a été accompli simultanément à des études à temps plein en droit.