<p> There are three steps in planned learning: motivation, activity, and reinforcement. This project details the problems encountered by t eachers when they attempt to motivate and reinforce student learning. These problems in turn result in an emphasis on the selection of an activity. </p> <p> Of all the factors in motivation, it is proposed that an increase in one of them the willingness to learn will have a greater effect on learning than the choice of an activity, and that this increase can be accomplished by showing the students how the content to be learned can be immediately useful to them. </p> <p> The genetics unit from the grade thirteen biology course is amended in order to illustrate just how a teacher can alter a course to make it more useful to the students and yet still meet any future academic requirements. By having students apply theoretical knowledge to resolve life problems, it is suggested that student willingness to study is enhanced and the overall motivation to learn is significantly increased. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This study aims to investigate college students' security awareness of using social media in sharing information. The two theories that have guided this study are the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Data was collected from both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton. The total responses included 380 students from different majors with 291 valid responses for data analysis; The structural equation model (SEM) Lavaan package was used to find out the best fit of the model. A diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) was used to model the variables as ordinal in this study's analysis as ordinal data made the model fit substantially. The study found that 6 factors: attitude (AB), subjective norm (SN), perceived behavior control (PBC), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived risks (PR), and security awareness (SA) influenced behavior intention (BI). Also, I found that AB was influenced by PR and SA, as well as SN influenced by SA. Self-efficacy (SE) influenced PBC. On the other hand, the study found that controllability (C) did not influence PBC; perhaps, an individual's skills do not interact with social media security settings. Perceived ease of use (PEOU) did not influence BI; perhaps this occurred because of an individual's inability to prevent his or her information from being disclosed in the future, even if they had taken the right precautions. This study contributed to literature on understanding the nature of information sharing among college students on social media. The results may help college security professionals to evaluate or revise the rules and policies regarding cybersecurity and privacy.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) provides an option for librarians to administer a combination of LibQUAL+® and LibQUAL+® Lite to measure users' perceptions of library service quality. LibQUAL+® Lite is a shorter version of LibQUAL+® that uses planned missing data in its design. The present study investigates the loss of information in commonly administered proportions of LibQUAL+® and LibQUAL+® Lite when compared to administering LibQUAL+® alone. Data from previous administrations of LibQUAL+® protocol (2005, N = 525; 2007, N = 3,261; and 2009, N = 2,103) were used to create simulated datasets representing various proportions of LibQUAL+® versus LibQUAL+® Lite administration (0.2:0.8, 0.4:0.6. 0.5:0.5, 0.6:0.4, and 0.8:0.2). Statistics (i.e., means, adequacy and superiority gaps, standard deviations, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, and polychoric correlation coefficients) from simulated and real data were compared. Confidence intervals captured the original values. Root mean square errors and absolute and relative biases of correlations showed that accuracy in the estimates decreased with increase in percentage of planned missing data. The recommendation is to avoid using combinations with more than 20% planned missing data.

Mental health challenges among Canadian post-secondary students have been on a steep upward trend in recent years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, many students do not reach out to the mental health services available to them. To lessen or remove actual and perceived barriers, research has been exploring how to predict their intentions to seek help for their personal mental health challenges. Much of this work applies the widely used Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1980) which posits that behavioural intentions are best predicted by attitudes toward the behaviour; perceived normative expectations; and perceived behavioural control. Though the theory also posits that beliefs underlie and are formative of these three predictors, studies have largely neglected their measurement. This is problematic as it deviates from the TPB and frustrates efforts toward the development of interventions to enhance behaviours towards seeking help for mental health challenges. If they are to be effective, such interventions must be directed at changing salient beliefs. This research addresses this gap through a mixed-method sequential design. It provides a unique and valuable contribution to scholarship and practice by identifying and examining the role of students’ attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs with respect to their intentions to seek help. This is examined separately and together with the more traditionally studied direct predictors of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (i.e., the formative constructs defined by the beliefs). Students relied on six salient beliefs concerning their intentions to seek mental health help: two behavioural, two normative, and two control beliefs. Student attitudes, subjective norms, and PBC mediated the links between salient beliefs and intentions, with PBC being the strongest predictor of intentions to help-seek. The findings help inform interventions to change the beliefs most associated with low intentions to get mental health support. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation aims to advance the understanding of student intentions or—lack thereof—to seek mental health help following the onset of COVID-19. Salient beliefs that underlie student attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are examined, using a Theory of Planned Behaviour approach. The research provides valuable theoretical and practical contribution. It identifies the beliefs held by post-secondary students post COVID-19, which can inform interventions intended to increase mental health service use. In Phase 1 of this study, students’ salient beliefs were examined through survey and interview methods. In Phase 2, I assessed these beliefs as direct predictors of their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, and as indirect predictors of mental health help-seeking intentions. Six beliefs were identified as relevant to student intentions to seek help, and findings lend support for the applied and scholarly value of the TPB to this area of study.

Utilizing the theory of planned behavior, I examined the variables that affect Chinese individuals' help-seeking intention. A total of 251 Chinese individuals participated in this study. Results showed that the variables in the theory of planned behavior accounted for 16% of the variance in help-seeking intention. Specifically, attitude (r = .22, p < .001) and perceived behavioral control (r = .22, p < .001) were found to be significant predictors of help-seeking intention. Based on these results, mental health professionals can design outreach interventions, such as psychoeducational programs, to improve Chinese individuals' help-seeking attitude and perceived behavioral control in an attempt to increase mental health service utilization. Additionally, counselors can discuss with clients' their attitude and perceived behavioral control regarding seeking counseling in an attempt to assist clients in being committed to the counseling process.

The study aimed to develop the knowledge and provide a broader understanding of how management consultants (MC) manage strategic change, by examining their approach in relation to their function in strategic change processes. The literature review explored the function of MCs as change agents from four perspectives: standards setters, information sources, knowledge integrators, and knowledge brokers. Highlighting the client-consultant relationship as an aspect within their function. Additionally, the planned and emergent approach to change was presented. Based on the presented concepts, a conceptual framework was developed. A qualitative approach was taken where semi-structured interviews were conducted with MCs from different consulting firms to gather relevant data. Finally, the data was structured and thematically analyzed through our conceptual model.   There is no one-size-fits-all regarding managing strategic change. MCs focus on recognizing the unique context of each change process and client, implying that the MCs can function differently in different change processes. Furthermore, MCs approach strategic change processes in relation to their function as change agents by utilizing activities from both planned- and emergent activities, depending on the specific function they perceive they have.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to make visible preschool staff's conceptions of how democratic work in preschool can be manifested through play and planned teaching, and to answer this purpose, we have also chosen three questions that are connected to the purpose. We have used qualitative semi-structured interviews as a method where we have interviewed eight different people who are active in the preschool. Through nine different questions they have told us about their conceptions regarding the democracy work in the preschool and how this is manifested through play and planned teaching. In the study, we use the method approach phenomenography. The results show variations in preschool staff's conceptions of the democracy mission, which we describe as child focus, group focus, professional focus and community focus. The results describe both planned teaching and play in the democracy work of preschool staff, but the planned teaching is significantly more prominent than play. The variations of planned teaching that emerged were related to rules and norms, aesthetic expression, children's participation, value base. Regarding play, the variations appeared to be material play and body play. / Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om förskolepersonals uppfattningar om hur demokratiarbetet i förskolan kan manifesteras genom lek och planerad undervisning och för att besvara detta syfte har vi även valt tre frågeställningar som är kopplat till syftet. Vi har använt oss av kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod där vi har intervjuat åtta olika personer som är verksamma i förskolan. Genom nio olika frågor har de fått berätta om sina uppfattningar kring demokratiarbetet i förskolan och hur detta manifesteras genom lek och planerad undervisning. I studien använder vi oss av metodansatsen fenomenografi. Resultatet visar på variationer i förskolepersonals uppfattningar av demokratiuppdraget som vi beskriver som barnfokus, gruppfokus, professionsfokus och samhällsfokus. I resultatet beskrivs både planerad undervisning och lek i demokratiarbetet av förskolepersonal, men den planerade undervisningen är betydligt mer framträdande än leken. De variationer av planerad undervisning som framkom var att förhålla sig till regler och normer, estetiska uttrycksätt, barns delaktighet, värdegrund. Gällande lek framkom variationerna handla om dels materiallekar, dels kroppslekar.

The internationalization of higher education curriculum, including programs in educational leadership, in the United States is increasing, and with the increase in graduate interest in study abroad, this study predicted graduate students pursuing a graduate degree in higher education administration or student affairs (HESA) at institutions in the southeastern United States intent to study abroad short-term. The Theory of Planned Behavior was used to frame the study, which identified the behavioral beliefs (future job prospects), normative beliefs (family expectations), and control beliefs (administrative support) of graduate students that were related to study abroad. Future job prospects, family expectations, and administrative support formed one variable, willingness to pay, which was hypothesized to influence intent to study abroad. Desire and affordability were also hypothesized to influence intent to study abroad. The Theory of Planned Behavior and each variable were assumed to be important to short-term study abroad intent. However, this was an initial study focused on solely graduate students in an education discipline regarding study abroad intent to use the Theory of Planned Behavior and the chosen variables. A survey was emailed to all graduate students in a HESA program at 15 institutions in the southeastern United States. There were 171 students that fully completed the survey. In this study, I found that future job prospects had a positive relationship with willingness to pay. Thus, hypothesis 2 was supported. However, family expectations and administrative support did not have a positive relationship with willingness to pay indicating that hypotheses 3 and 4 were not supported. Regarding intent to study abroad, both desire and affordability positively influenced intent to study abroad with path coefficients of .62 and .24, respectively, while willingness to pay did not indicating that hypotheses 5 and 6 were supported while hypothesis 1 was not supported. The data were analyzed using a structural equation model (SEM) to create a structural model to understand the strength of the relationship of each variable by the resulting path coefficients and variance. Understanding the beliefs and intentions of such students provided implications to establish or improve existing study abroad programs focusing on graduate students.

Extension agents are tasked with disseminating educational content, announcing events, and promoting the outreach efforts of Extension. Social media can be a powerful resource for Extension agents (Skrabut, 2014). Integrating social media into outreach efforts can be an efficient way for agents to meet increasing work demands (Gharis & Hightower, 2017). Still, many Extension agents are not fully integrating social media as a means to communicate with their audiences (Garcia et al., 2018). To address this, Extension communication units are developing social media technical support efforts to increase the agents’ social media activity (Garcia et al., 2018, Newbury et al., 2014; Kinsey, 2010.) Social media competency influences a professional’s willingness to integrate social media as a function of their employment (Zhu et al., 2018). If communication units wish to provide Extension agents with technical support efforts, such as trainings and professional development opportunities, to assist them with integrating social media as one of their duties, we should assess the influence of these support efforts on their perceived social media competency. The purpose of this study is to describe Mississippi State University Extension agents’ perceived social media competency levels and explore the effect that a variety of technical support efforts have on their perceived social media competency.