This dissertation examined the relationship between attitude and motivation with English language achievement among Mexican university students across three undergraduate academic programs. This study also aimed at enhancing theoretical knowledge about students' motivation and attitudes towards learning English as a second language through the use of quantitative (a survey and an adapted version of the AMTB) as well as qualitative research instruments and techniques (interviews, class observations, and a questionnaire). The major results in this dissertation are: 1) Student participants display positive motivation and attitudes toward learning English as a second language in general, but these motivation and attitudes towards the English classes they receive in the University of Aztlán (fictitious name for the research site of this dissertation) are lower. 2) These attitudes and motivations can be affected by the way in which the English language program is structured. 3) Students' interest in foreign languages, motivational intensity to learn English and teacher evaluation can impact students' scores in their English exams when they are first assessed, but that scores improve once students understand the assessment process, discover what information is evaluated in the exams, and focus on the areas to be assessed. 4) Students with more previous English contact before enrolling the university, obtain higher scores than students with limited previous contact with the language. 5) Interviews and class observations proved to be the most effective research techniques to identify the actual activities that are performed in the research site, which suggests that continuous and accurate English program evaluation is necessary in Mexican universities for the benefit of students, teachers and society in general.

Few research efforts have tested Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory in an educational setting. Though the results from these studies have provided support for this theory's applicability in this setting, the effects of certain model behaviors and characteristics have not yet been determined. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of videotaped peer models on children's self-efficacy judgments and persistence times on an intellectual task. One hundred and sixty-two fourth grade children were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions or one control condition with equal numbers of males and females in each condition. Eight videotapes constituted the eight experimental conditions. Each tape consisted of either a male or female peer model trying to solve a block puzzle at one of two levels of persistence and success. Children's persistence on the insolvable block puzzle was measured by time in seconds, while an efficacy scale assessed children's conviction that they could master the block puzzle. It was found that children's persistence times and self-efficacy judgments regarding a block puzzle task were influenced by a model's persistence and success behaviors. Model persistence was more influential than model success on children's persistence, while self-efficacy was influenced only by model success. Sex of the model and sex of the subject did not affect children's persistence times; however, sex of the subject did affect children's self-efficacy judgments. The research findings were discussed in terms of: (1) The role of self-efficacy as a cognitive mediator, (2) Same-sex versus different sex modeling, (3) The utility and strength of videotaped modeling relative to live modeling, and (4) Peer models versus adult models.

This study explored the relationship between L.D.S. seminary discontinuation and the characteristics of individual dropouts. It also sought to identify distinguishing characteristics of students who continue enrollment in seminary. The seminary teachers and the program itself were considered for their impact on a student's decision to continue attendance. Major factors such as peer associations, Priesthood involvement, parental influence and recruitment practices were considered. The roll of public school academic requirements in connection with premature seminary dissociation were also investigated. Initially a sample of dropout and continuing students form Southern Arizona were interviewed using an open-ended, semi-structured format. This process elicited data in four major domains: (1) discriminating personal characteristics; (2) external factors; (3) structural factors; and (4) church related factors. The responses were analyzed and used to develop a second questionnaire. This second survey was then administered to a larger sample of dropout and continuing students throughout Arizona.

Three theoretical models explaining reactivity in self-monitoring were examined including one cognitive-behavioral and two operant views. Each theoretical account was represented by the following self-monitoring conditions: (1) self-monitoring (Rachlin-operant recording response model), (2) self-monitoring and goal setting (Kanfer-cognitive-mediational model), (3) self-monitoring, goal setting and self-reinforcement (Nelson and Hayes-multiple cueing stimuli model), (4) goal setting and self-reinforcement (Kanfer-cognitive-mediational model), and (5) training only. The comparative effects of the five self-monitoring conditions on the dependent measure, verbal nonfluencies, were evaluated using a repeated measures analysis of covariance design with the pretest as covariate. Results of the study indicated that self-monitoring conditions containing a self-reinforcement component (i.e., conditions 3 and 4) produced the greatest reactivity. Moreover, the presence of reinforcement appeared to positively influence whether subjects reached their individually set goals for reducing nonfluencies. The vast majority of self-reported cognitions associated with the occurrence of the target behavior were independently judged to be neutral rather than self-reinforcing or self-punishing. The implications of this study for the role of external versus covert forms of reinforcement were discussed as well as the use of this technique in clinical practice.

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