Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Deborah D. Canter / SooCheong Jang / Senior casino gaming has been appearing as a leisure activity for the senior population as well as a research topic for many researchers from various academic disciplines. Finding out important reasons or motivations for older adults spending time in casino gaming will be the one of the fundamental ways to determine their future casino patronage intention. Accordingly, this study identifies a comprehensive inventory of senior casino gaming motivations by way of an exploratory approach. Followed Churchill’s (1979) scale development procedure, the study generated a to find five distinctive senior casino gaming motivation dimensions: winning and thrill, socialization, escape, enjoyment, and curiosity. Ultimately, confirmatory factor estimates supported that the finalized measure was unidimensional, reliable, and valid while the measurement scale was parsimonious and captured various dimensions of senior casino gaming motivation. The second part of this study investigated the applicability of an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) with motivation component attached in context of senior casino gaming behavior. Seniors’ past casino visit was also tested for a moderator effect between the major predictor variables (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and motivation) and seniors’ casino behavioral intention. The findings of a structural equation modeling suggested that all predictable variables of TPB had positive effects on seniors’ casino gaming intention. Among senior casino gaming motivation, ‘winning and thrill’ and ‘enjoyment’ had direct positive effects on behavioral intention. The results of metric invariance test for moderating role of past casino visit showed that there was no indication of seniors’ past casino visit having any influence on their intention to participate in casino gaming. The overall study results suggested that the proposed extended model is a useful tool to use in studying of senior casino gaming behavior. In conclusion, theoretical and practical implications of the study findings were discussed.

Some scholars have formed a more expansive view of knowledge that moves beyond the cognitive notion of intellect. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) theory posits that human intelligence encompasses both cognitive and emotional competencies, providing a framework for the concept of contemplative practices in an endeavor to support an eclectic understanding of cognition. Contemplative practices may benefit graduate student disposition and inform areas of educator preparation through the use of emotional adeptness in higher education. The purpose of this study was to: (a) develop a self-report measure: Scale of Contemplative Practice in Higher Education (SCOPE); (b) address the issues of validity and reliability related to the SCOPE; and (c) expand the understanding of contemplative practices in the literature. Data collected from an extensive review of the literature, reference to personal experiences, and consultation with an expert panel were used to generate scale items. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the factor model. Analyses resulted in a 30-item factor model with strong reliabilities.

Michael Moore's theory of transactional distance, developed in the age of correspondence schools, contributed greatly to theory building in distance education. The theory needs revision, however, when applied to web-based learning environments, specifically by defining transactional distance to include students' relationships with other elements in the learning environment that prohibit their active engagement with learning. The new theoretical model of transactional distance has four dimensions: transactional distance between student and student (TDSS), transactional distance between student and teacher (TDST), transactional distance between student and content (TDSC), and transactional distance between student and interface: online course management system (TDSI). A preliminary item pool of more than 200 items to measure the constructs of TD, TDST, TDSS, TDSC, and TDSI was generated and sent to a panel of experts for review. Items that the reviewers considered weak or very weak in terms of relevance to the constructs and/or clarity and conciseness were eliminated. After a pilot test and further revisions, the proposed scale of transactional distance was administered to a sample of 100 college students. Confirmatory factor analyses and exploratory analyses indicated that the measurement models, especially after modifications, possessed good fit for the data, and the modified scales possessed factorial validity. Reliability analyses indicated that the scales possessed strong internal consistency, with Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from 0.8169 to 0.9530. Structural equation modeling procedures tested for the causal relationship between the four dimensions and students' general sense of transactional distance in web-based courses. Results indicate that the proposed model of transactional distance is acceptable. The strongest factor that affected students' sense of transactional distance and engagement with learning was found to be transactional distance between student and students (TDSS), followed by transactional distance between student and teacher (TDST), and then by transactional distance between student and content (TDSC). The findings have implications for the development of a revised theory of transactional distance in online education, and provide strong support for constructivist learning theories and social learning theories, reinforcing the importance of establishing learning communities in online learning environments.

Video games have become a new platform for social interaction. I review the sociality of video games and the relationship between virtual- and real-world behaviors. I review and address the pros and cons of methods of measuring social behavior. Finally, I present two studies drawn from internet populations. In Study 1 (N = 250), I develop a scale, The Sociality in Multiplayer Online Games Scale (SMOG), which measures the frequency of social gaming behaviors in team-based, multiplayer online games. I hypothesized these to align on dominance and affiliation dimensions of social interaction (Kiesler, 1982). In Study 2 (N = 104), I conduct a confirmatory factor analysis, which supports a two-factor structure—Destructive and Constructive social behavior, resulting in the SMOG-6. I examine construct validity using measures of dominance and affiliation. Controlling for age, gender, and frequency of game-play, both factors predict dominance. SMOG-Destructive negatively, and SMOG-Constructive positively, predicted affiliation.

The rapid growth in opioid therapy for non-cancer pain has occurred without an adequate appreciation of the consequences of this growth. Few studies provide patient-centered evidence that can be used to inform the current proposed standards for efficacious (safe and effective) opioid prescribing in non-cancer pain. Furthermore, different terms may be used interchangeably in the literature to refer to opioid-taking behaviors, resulting in imprecise or vague interpretation of existing evidence. We therefore sought to explore patterns of opioid-taking behavior and their biopsychosocial-spiritual determinants in African-American adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Many questions surround opioid use for non-cancer pain, but little has been published about behavioral patterns of taking opioids in these conditions. The main objective of this study was to develop a disease-specific scale for describing prescribed opioid taking in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). As part of a multiphase, mixed-methods study, we used an adaptation of several published methods to construct 9 sequential, chronological steps for developing a new scale. We report here wide-ranging quantitative and semi-structured, qualitative interviews of 13 male and 11 female African-American adults with SCD, average age 36 years, from various socioeconomic and educational levels. We used grounded theory, priori and posteriori procedures to analyze the qualitative data, and to conduct an appraisal of translational validity. Scale development results have led to inclusion in the draft scale of new concepts namely momentary medication-taking behavior. The scale also captures concrete patterns of adherence for as-needed and scheduled medication and allows for several discovered conceptual domains that explain observed opioid-taking behaviors. These concepts challenge the current theories and models of medication-taking behavior and adherence. In summary, we found that contextual factors may drastically affect opioid-taking behaviors. Together, These uncovered phenomena raise new hypotheses that may challenge current theories and models of medication-taking behaviors and methods of assessing adherence. These hypotheses call for a new round of research on opioid-taking behavior, and need to be rigorously tested in future research

Despite heightened efforts to increase gender parity, organizations in the technology industry are struggling to implement and enact Gender Diversity and Inclusion policies (GDIPs). This purpose of this dissertation was to enhance understandings of obstacles to policy enactment and unearth ways in which organizations can create more equitable work environments. Specifically, this project investigated how members of technology organizations construct knowledge about Gender Diversity and Inclusion policies through their personal experiences, attitudes and beliefs, and interactions with others within and external to their organization. Utilizing a critical-interpretivist and intersectional feminism as ontological and epistemological frameworks, this dissertation study draws from structurating activity theory (SAT; Canary, 2010) and theories of organizational identification (Scott, 2007) to explore issues of policy knowledge construction, implementation, and enactment. Completed in two phases,this dissertation employed a mixed-methods design. Phase One used DeVellis’ (2017) framework to develop a Gender Diversity and Inclusion policy attitude scale (GDIPAS) to evaluate how personal opinions about GDIPs and larger constructs like sexism, feminism, identification, and social desirability contribute to the policy knowledge construction process. Phase Two used a parallel analysis design to quantitatively (i.e., surveys) and qualitatively (i.e., interviews) investigate how members of tech-based organizations construct GDIP knowledge through intra- and extra-organizational interactions, as well as personal beliefs and attitudes (Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009). Phase One resulted in five-factors underlying Gender Diversity and Inclusion policy attitude: perception of policy abuse, policy familiarity, perception of workforce gender inequity, policy support, and perception of organizational gender diversity. Results from Phase Two indicated that members of technology organizations interact within and across activity systems to construct knowledge about GDIPs through structural contradictions that (re)produce barriers to policy implementation and enactment.This project contributed to organizational communication theory by investigating the role of organizational identification in the policy knowledge construction process. Further, this dissertation extended SAT by identifying two new structural contradictions and a primary system-level contradiction, and by centralizing power in the investigation of policy knowledge construction. Methodologically, this dissertation offers a new policy attitude measure for scholars and practitioners. Finally, results of this project provide practical insights into barriers to policy implementation and enactment.

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La consommation fait partie des mécanismes qui permettent aux individus de se distinguer, plus particulièrement à travers les pratiques alimentaires, culturelles et sportives. Il a été démontré que les consommateurs expriment leur éthique dans leurs choix de consommation. Cependant, la définition de cette consommation éthique reste assez floue en marketing et en comportement du consommateur et sa mesure n’est pas toujours adaptée. Aussi, les travaux théoriques et les modèles dans le domaine de l’éthique en marketing ont, pour la plupart été développés dans le cadre des organisations. Nous proposons dans cette thèse de clarifier les concepts de sensibilité éthique du consommateur (SEC) et de comportement de consommation éthique (CCE) et de construire un cadre théorique approprié à l’étude de l’éthique dans un contexte de consommation. Après une revue de littérature sur les origines philosophiques de l’éthique et les travaux qui lient l’éthique à l’entreprise, puis à la consommation, nous proposons un modèle conceptuel qui décrit un processus de prise de décision éthique. Ce modèle est testé puis validé à l’aide d’équations structurelles. Une étude qualitative exploratoire (14 interviews), suivie d’une collecte de données quantitatives (559 participants), servent de terrain de recherche. Les résultats offrent des perspectives intéressantes dans le domaine de l’éthique des consommateurs, tant au niveau académique que managérial. / Consumption is part of the mechanisms that allow individuals to distinguish themselves, especially through culture, sports and food practices. Academics found that consumers express their ethics through their consumption choices. However, the definition of ethical consumption remains quite blurred in the field of consumer behavior and its measurement is not always appropriate. We propose in this research to clarify the concepts of consumer’s ethical sensibility (CES) and consumer’s ethical consumption behavior (ECB). Then, we build an appropriate conceptual framework to explore ethics in the field of consumption. First, a qualitative study was conducted with 14 in-depth interviews and then, in a second step, a quantitative data collection was conducted among 559 consumers. The results open interesting perspectives for academics and managers in the field of consumer ethics.

Title: Academic self-efficacy of high school students Author: Mgr. et Mgr. Jana Draberová Supervisor: Doc. PhDr. Ilona Gillernová, CSc. Department: Department of Psychology Abstract: This dissertation thesis deals with the concept of academic self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to develop a research tool for assessing high school students` academic self-efficacy, which is not yet available in the Czech environment. The theoretical part is based on a more general level of self-efficacy and further focuses on the specific characteristics of academic self- efficacy and ways of measuring it. The empirical part deals with the development of the questionnaire, with verification of its psychometric characteristics and finding out the relationship with other variables. The research sample consists of 1717 high school students from all regions of the Czech Republic. The research included secondary vocational schools and grammar schools. Students filled in the questionnaire for Czech language and for mathematics. The final research tool is highly reliable and also its validity has been verified. Furthermore, the statistically significant relationship between measured academic self-efficacy and other variables such as school grade, the type of school, gender, specific learning and behavioral disorders or the...

Problemformulering: Studier har visat att frivilliga inhyrda tenderar vara mer nöjda med aspekter som arbetstillfredsställelse och stöd från arbetsgivare, medan ofrivilliga är mer otrygga i sin rörliga arbetssituation och är mer benägna att sluta. Detta är en fråga om arbetstillfredsställelse, som är avgörande för vår hälsa. Ett problem när vi vill undersöka frivillighet i valet av en anställning som inhyrd är att många studier om detta är gamla eller internationella och gjorda i länder med annan reglering för bemanning än vi har i Sverige. Det innebär att många enkäter och frågeställningar är utformade på ett sätt som inte säkert fungerar optimalt i en svensk kontext, vilket kan innebära en avsaknad av skalor som kan mäta frivillighet anpassat till bemanning i Sverige. Syftet är att utveckla, reliabilitetstesta och preliminärt validera en skala passande i en svensk kontext, som kan mäta graden av frivillighet i en anställning som inhyrd via bemanningsföretag. Som metod användes en mixad metod, med fem kvalitativa kognitiva intervjuer som hjälp för att utforma skalan, som sedan skickas ut som webbenkät till 77 bemanningsanställda, vilket genererade i 26 kvantitativa svar. Dessa låg sedan till grund för tester av skalans reliabilitet och validitet. Resultat: Skalan i sin helhet hade otillräcklig reliabilitet och delades upp i två subskalor. En med items relaterade till frivillighet och en till ofrivillighet, vilket gav acceptabel reliabilitet till skalorna. Korrelationerna mellan de båda skalorna och indexet för arbetstillfredsställelse, visade sig dock vara mycket svaga, något som kan vara en konsekvens av ett mycket litet sampel. Slutsats: Trots acceptabel reliabilitet hos skalorna, visar sig validiteten vara övergripande svag. Skalan för frivillighet visar ett svagt positivt samband mellan arbetstillfredsställelse och frivillighet som ligger i linje med i flera tidigare studier. Skalan för ofrivillighet visar däremot närmast obefintligt samband med arbetstillfredsställelse. / Studies has shown differences between voluntary and involuntary agency workers perceived employment security and satisfaction in their flexible work situation. This is a matter of job satisfaction, that is crucial to our health. A problem when wanting to investigate voluntariness of agency workers is that many previous studies are old or international, and as the staffing regulation may differ in different countries, this has led to a lack of surveys that measure voluntariness in adaptation to a Swedish context. The aim of this study was to develop, test reliability and preliminary validate a scale that measure voluntariness of agency workers in staffing companies, suitable in Sweden. A mixed method was used; five qualitative cognitive interviews helped design the scale, that later was sent out as a web survey. The responses underwent reliability and validity tests, which revealed that the scale had poor reliability. The scale was therefore divided into two subscales, one related to voluntariness and the other to involuntariness, which gave acceptable reliability to the scales. However, despite the approved reliability, the validity proved to be overall weak. The voluntary scale however, showed a small positive relationship between job satisfaction and voluntariness, which is in line with previous studies.