This study investigated how students perceived their motivation in high school social studies classes in school and to determine if a correlation exists between students’ grade level, race, gender, and their motivation. The sample included 337 high school students in Broward County, Florida. To assess students’ perceptions on their motivation the academic self-regulation questionnaire was utilized. Results indicate that social studies students show high levels of external regulation, with a mean score at 22.31 on a scale of 36 points. The results show a mean score of 24 on a scale of 28 points for identified regulation among social studies students. Findings revealed that student motivation could be gauged. No statistical significance was found between high school students’ grade level, race, gender, and their motivation in social studies classes. The findings of this study have shown that students at Boyd H. Anderson High School want to learn social studies.

Cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death in Canada and other developed countries. Physical activity based cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to reduce the likelihood of subsequent cardiac events and even reverse the disease process. However, factors influencing physical activity in cardiac patients are still not clearly understood. The overall objective of this dissertation was therefore to better understand motivation and physical activity in a cardiac rehabilitation context. Specifically, theory-based motivational variables were studied as correlates of physical activity. To accomplish this objective, a two-purpose research approach was taken. First, two articles (Article-1 and Article-2) aimed to test and integrate concepts from two strong motivational theories: Self-Efficacy Theory (SET) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) into one comprehensive model using the novel and rigorous approach of Noar and Zimmerman (2005). The second purpose of this dissertation was to extend the findings from the first purpose by investigating physical activity and motivational patterns over a 24-month period in cardiac patients (Article 3). With regards to the first purpose, Article-1 revealed that the integration of SDT and SET was feasible as the integrated model had good model fit, explained more variance in self-determined motivation, confidence, and physical activity and supported similar number of hypothesised links in a cross-sectional cardiac sample as well two other samples: primary care adults and university students. Due to the cross-sectional nature of Article-1, Article-2 tested the integrated SDT-SET model from cardiac patients with longitudinal data of patients following a cardiac rehabilitation program. Although no motivational variables predicted residual change in physical activity at 4-months, this longitudinal model was found to have good model fit. Across both articles, the integration of SDT and SET was found to be possible. However, more research is needed to further test the integration of these theories. As for the second purpose of this dissertation, Article-3 investigated physical activity and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation participants over the course of 24 months. Distinct patterns were found for physical activity, self-determined motivation, barrier self-efficacy and outcome expectations. In addition, individuals in the higher patterns of the motivational/expectancy variables had greater probability of being in the maintenance physical activity pattern compared to individuals in the other motivational/expectancy patterns. Therefore, this article extended findings from the first purpose by linking SDT and SET variables to long-term physical activity behaviour. SDT and SET should continue to be investigated together in order to increase our understanding of the mechanisms leading to greater motivation and subsequent increases in physical activity levels. Having a theoretically supported pathway to build motivation is ideal to inform future interventions and cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Although there is a well-known relationship between physical activity and well-being, particularly among women, this association is complex. There is a call for more research regarding key moderating processes that will help to explain the circumstances under which physical activity can lead to optimal well-being. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to examine the influence of situational motivation (Self-Determination Theory; Deci & Ryan, 1985) and passion (Dualistic Model of Passion; Vallerand et al., 2003) as predictors of the relationship between physical activity and indicators of well-being, namely affect and vitality, in active women with multiple life roles. The influence of perceived intensity (RPE) was also investigated. Study 1 followed a within-subject experimental design (N = 40). Article 1 revealed a significant interaction effect between RPE and introjected regulation whereby at low levels of introjection, RPE was positively associated with changes in positive affect with a running task. In Article 2, identified and introjected regulations were positively associated with pre- to post-running increases in positive affect. Moreover, participants with high introjection reported a greater increase in positive affect with a running task but also a greater decline in affect after a non-physical control task. Study 2 employed the Experience Sampling Method over a 14-day period (N = 66). Article 3 revealed a novel motivational sequence whereby introjected regulation was associated with higher RPE, intrinsic motivation (as well as RPE), was positively related to post-physical activity positive affect and the positive influence of identified regulation on affect appeared 3-hours post-activity. Lastly, Article 4 revealed that women’s daily affect was related to engaging in their passionate activity (i.e., physical activity) and that higher harmonious passion and lower obsessive passion led to more stable positive affect across days. Vitality, as measured at endpoint, was negatively predicted by obsessive passion and positively by harmonious passion. The findings are discussed in relation to theoretical tenants and previous studies. The unique results give rise to interesting avenues of future enquiry such as exploring motivational profiles. It is recommended that wellness interventions should emphasize women’s internalization of physical activity in hopes of achieving balanced, sensible physical activity.

Using the action-based model of dissonance (Harmon-Jones, Amodio, & Harmon-Jones, 2009) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2008) as theoretical frameworks, this thesis sought to explain the motivational processes underlying the environmental belief-action gap. The thesis examined why and how people resolve inconsistencies between their favourable attitudes toward environmental protection and their environmentally harmful behaviour. I hypothesized that accounting for individual differences in autonomous and controlled distal motives for effective and unconflicted action would clarify why attitude-behaviour inconsistencies are uncomfortable and explain how people compensate for them. I carried out 3 sets of studies to test the proposed hierarchical action-based model of inconsistency compensation in the environmental domain (HABICE). The objective of the first set of 3 studies was to test hypotheses about the role of individual differences in global and contextual motivation on dissonance arousal, in response to native attitude-behaviour inconsistencies encountered across and within important life domains. The second set of 3 studies tested hypotheses about the role of individual differences in contextual motivation toward the environment on the use and choice of strategies to compensate for a recent native inconsistency in the environmental domain. Finally, the goal of the final study was to test hypotheses about the moderating effect of social factors that direct attention to public (ego-invested) versus private (authentic) aspects of the self during the perception of inconsistencies on motivation and intentions to revise pro-global warming mitigation attitudes. The results of the 7 studies (total N = 2,209) supported the main predictions of the HABICE. The cumulative evidence supported the existence of two motivational orientations operating during inconsistency compensation processes. The autonomous motivational orientation, which embodies action tendencies to facilitate organismic integration via authentic regulation, motivated people to compensate for attitude-behaviour inconsistencies to restore the integrity of authentic self-structures. As a result, autonomous motivation toward the environment led people to reduce dissonance and to compensate for perceived inconsistencies by bringing their behaviour in line with self-relevant attitudes. The controlled motivational orientation, which embodies action tendencies to facilitate instrumental outcomes via contingent regulation, motivated people to compensate for attitude-behaviour inconsistencies to protect ego-invested self-structures by avoiding the aversive consequences of their counter-environmental actions. When inconsistencies aroused dissonance, controlled motivation predicted the use of overt behavioural strategies, for example enacting a compensatory pro-environmental action, to reduce dissonance. However, when inconsistencies did not arouse dissonance or there were barriers to behaviour change, controlled motivation predicted the use of cognitive strategies, for example revising or distorting pro-environmental attitudes, to minimize the inconsistency. Consequently, autonomous compensation processes predicted relatively infrequent attitude-behaviour inconsistencies in the environmental domain while controlled compensation processes predicted relatively frequent inconsistencies. The results imply that controlled motivation toward the environment may be driving the environmental belief-action gap, but that finding ways to promote autonomous motivation toward the environment in the general population has the potential to alleviate the gap.

The overall purpose of this Master’s thesis was to gain an in-depth understanding of university student-athletes’ contributions. The first manuscript included in this thesis assesses the suitability of the Positive Youth Development Very Short Form (PYD-VSF) for use with an emerging adult athlete population, using data from 74 university student-athletes who completed an online questionnaire. The findings suggest that the PYD-VSF is not an appropriate measure for this population. The second and third manuscript used data from 10 interviews. The second manuscript examined university student-athletes’ motivations to contribute and found participants reported that contributing served as a way to satisfy the basic psychological needs and possessed multiple motives simultaneously. The third manuscript explored the facilitators and barriers relating to university student-athletes’ contributions and found that academic and athletic time constraints were significant barriers to contribution and teammates, coaches, and staff members of the athletics department facilitated contributions.

Environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are worldwide problems caused by human activities, which can often be classified as a resource dilemma. This thesis examines one of the more studied interventions in social dilemmas for increasing cooperative behaviour, namely sanctioning systems, in conjunction with one of the least studied factors in this area, i.e., intraindividual motivation and goals. Across three studies, and using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a framework, this thesis examines the relationships between motivation, goals, sanctioning systems and proenvironmental behaviour (PEB) in a resource dilemma (RD). The resource dilemma used in this thesis was a virtual, iterated, 2-person partnered design where each participant was required to make decisions about recreational fishing harvests in a small, private lake with an inferred partner. The ‘partner’ was not real, but was simulated by the program in order to maximize experimental control. Study 1 used mediational analysis to demonstrate that quality of motivation will affect goal content, and goal content will predict proenvironmental behaviour in an RD. Study 2 introduced a centralized sanctioning system to the RD, and found that this type of sanctioning system increased PEB in the RD when added, and decreased PEB when removed, concomitantly affecting the quality of participant motivation. Study 3 introduced a decentralized sanction system to the RD concomitant with pre-written communication for/against the inferred partner. Results demonstrated that self-determined motivation positively predicted the use of positive feedback messages, and negatively predicted the use of monetary sanctions. The results of this thesis expand upon SDT, and point to the potential importance of thorough examinations into the relationship between motivation and cooperation in RDs, and the importance of intraindividual factors in RD research. Moreover, it highlights the potential benefits and drawbacks of relying on sanctioning systems to increase PEBs in RDs.

Despite evidence to support physically active and passive leisure as significant contributors to well-being, for working mothers, fitting leisure into an already busy schedule can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of perceived time constraints and self-determination for physically active and passive leisure on conflict between these two leisure domains and the influence of this conflict on well-being among physically active working mothers. A total of 66 women who were physically active, worked at least 30 hours per week outside the home and had at least one child living in the home, participated in the study. At baseline, the participants completed a basic intake assessment in addition to validated questionnaires to measure time constraints and motivation for physically active and passive leisure. A two-week period of electronic experience sampling followed to evaluate leisure engagement. A final set of measures to evaluate conflict between physically active and passive leisure over the two weeks, and general well-being were completed at the end of the experience sampling period. Results indicated that despite relatively high levels of satisfaction with time available for both physically active and passive leisure, perceived time constraints were associated with increased goal conflict as are non-self-determined motivation for physically active leisure and self-determined motivation for passive leisure. Controlling for engagement in physically active and passive leisure, well-being is negatively influenced by goal conflict. Recommendations are provided regarding areas for additional research to further our understanding of the impact of opposing motivational orientations on goal conflict including the incorporation of Vallerand’s Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al., 2003). From a practical standpoint, the implications of the study results for interventions designed to address general well-being in middle class working mothers through targeting factors related to time constraints and goal conflict are discussed.

The ethnographic study utilized the research techniques of observations, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews with tween participants (i.e., 9 through 13 year-old youth) during an 8-week literary blog project. Twenty-six participants created individual blog pages within a member-only classroom blog site that allowed for online communication between members. the blog project incorporated social networking applications with which youth frequently engage. the research questions ensured data regarding what facets participants found appealing and motivating during the project was collected. the questions allowed for determining if participants utilized peer blogs for reading material selection or repurposed the blogs to discuss other topics. Components of self-determination theory and engagement theory underlay the project design and aided in identifying motivational aspects of the data. Frequency tables outlined the identified patterns and structures of participants’ online activity. Participants found the ability to change the colors of their blog backgrounds and to design their individual blogs and the giving and receiving of feedback to be the two most appealing features of the project. Participants chose books from peer suggestions in the online world but also selected materials from recommendations they received in face-to-face interactions with their peers, their teacher, and the school librarian. Little evidence of repurposing the blog for social topics was observed. Participants engaged in discussions predominantly based around the books they were currently reading or had read. Implications for incorporating social networking applications within the classroom environment are discussed.

Based within the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the overall objective of this thesis was to examine how motivational processes involved in the regulation of eating give rise to different self-regulation strategies in terms of eating quality and quantity, and how the adoption of these strategies influence women’s eating behaviors and life satisfaction over time. This objective was achieved through a series of eight studies, divided into four manuscripts. First, a measure that would allow us to assess healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors based on recent recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide was developed and validated. In Manuscript #1, we validated the Healthy and Unhealthy Eating Behavior Scale (HUEBS) by examining the structure of the scale (Study 1 N = 360; Study 2 N = 711) and by establishing convergent validity through the examination of the relationships between motivational concepts, healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors as measured by the HUEBS, and waist circumference (Study 2 N = 711; Study 3 N = 264). Results supported the factor structure of the scale. It was also demonstrated that as women moved along stages of change for eating regulation, they reported higher levels of self-determined (versus non-self-determined) motivation and a higher consumption of healthy (versus unhealthy) foods. Furthermore, findings showed that healthy eating fully mediated the relationship between self-determined motivation and waist-circumference, and that the relationship between self-determined motivation and healthy eating was moderated by stages of change. Since there was also a need to develop a scale that would allow us to measure planning and self-monitoring strategies in terms of eating quality (i.e., nutrient intake) and quantity (i.e., calories and portion sizes), Manuscript #2 validated the Planning and Self-Monitoring the Quality and Quantity Scale (PMQQS; Study 1 N = 355; Study 2 N = 318). Results supported the 6-factor structure of the scale and demonstrated that strategies related to the quality of eating were more strongly and positively associated with healthy eating and more strongly and negatively associated with unhealthy eating, whereas strategies related to the quantity of eating were more strongly and positively associated with bulimic symptoms and Body Mass Index (BMI). Manuscript #3 then examined if the strategies assessed by the PMQQS provided additional variance to eating behaviors over and above the effects of motivation (Study 1 N = 456) and if the strategies mediated the relationships between motivation and eating, while controlling for BMI (Study 1 N = 456; Study 2 N = 979). Overall, it was found that strategies played a significant role in explaining eating behaviors and that planning and self-monitoring the quality of eating mediated the relationships between autonomous motivation and healthy and unhealthy eating, whereas planning and self-monitoring the quantity of eating mediated the relationship between controlled motivation and bulimic symptoms. Finally, in Manuscript #4, we tested a longitudinal model (N = 230) examining the roles of goals and motivation in the prediction of the strategies and various types of eating and the effects of adopting these behaviors on life satisfaction over a 3-month period. Results revealed that intrinsic goals were positively associated with autonomous motivation whereas extrinsic goals were positively associated with controlled motivation for eating regulation at Time 1 (the baseline), and that autonomous motivation positively predicted quality strategies whereas controlled motivation positively predicted quantity strategies at Time 2 (1 month). Planning and self-monitoring quality then predicted healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors, whereas planning and self-monitoring quantity predicted bulimic symptoms at Time 3 (3 months). Finally, healthy eating was positively associated with life satisfaction, whereas bulimic symptoms was negatively associated with life satisfaction at Time 3. Overall, this thesis increases knowledge on why some women succeed, whereas others fail, to regulate their eating behaviors over time.

Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / Over the last ten years, research has shown that adolescent activity has decreased in both developed and developing countries. One way of meeting desirable physical activity levels for adolescents in schools is through physical education. Structured physical education is the ideal form of what physical education should entail, however unstructured physical education can also be incorporated as a method to increase physical activity. Because little is known about the benefits of both these types of physical education, this study aimed to investigate the perceived benefits of structured and unstructured physical education lessons as perceived by Grade Eight and Grade Nine learners and physical education and/or life orientation educators in Cape Town high schools.