Can institutions successfully reduce ethnic conflict? Institutions such as autonomy and federalism are often advocated as a means to prevent ethnic conflict, however empirical evidence is largely mixed with regards to their effectiveness. In a similar manner, political parties have begun to receive more scholarly attention in determining their relationship with ethnic conflict, but their evidence is also mixed. In this research I examine autonomy, federalism, and the banning of political parties within ongoing ethnic group self-determination movements. While I do not find evidence for a relationship between autonomy and conflict, I do find that federalism increases the likelihood of ethnic conflict. Additionally, the banning of ethnic political parties indicates a strong increase the likelihood of ethnic conflict, while the banning of regional political parties significantly reduces the likelihood of ethnic conflict.

La vie politique de Madagascar, durant 54 ans d’indépendance, est jalonnée de crises post-électorales et de mouvements de contestation socio-politiques multiples. De ce constat, le peuple malgache se sent en droit de disposer de ses richesses et de vivre un développement soutenu à partir d’une considération des valeurs traditionnelles. Madagascar exige une vraie mutation de la classe politique qui s’avère être inéluctable, mais le principal doute est de savoir si elle ira dans le sens escompté… Des résistances à cet élan se font sentir cardivers enjeux politiques et économiques, aussi bien internes qu'internationaux, exigent la mise aux pas du pays vers le modèle stéréotypé du développement à l’occidentale. Par conséquent, les termes « démocratie, bonne gouvernance, mondialisation » apparaissent galvaudés au point parfois de perdre la précision et la pertinence nécessaires à la compréhension des systèmes de valeurs et d'échanges politiques qu'ils sont supposés fonder et véhiculer. D’autres corollaires à ces superficiels changements imposés se font jour : prolifération d’acteurs politiques avec la multitude de groupements que cela suppose. Sachons que l’île compte actuellement 150 partis et associations politiques enregistrés auprès du ministère de l’Intérieur alors que, face à l’évolution politique,aucune « opposition » digne de ce nom ne se manifeste positivement. En fin de compte, Madagascar se trouve confrontée à des problèmes d'ordre culturel, historique, institutionnel, économique et social, face à cette inévitable mutation de sa classe politique. Après un essai de définition de la notion de pouvoir à Madagascar etun survol descriptif des acteurs politiques malgaches durant la colonisation, une étude sur le fondement de la classe politique actuelle a été menée afin de déceler les motifs réels de cette résistance à la mutation. Des difficultés socio-économiques internes viennent s'ajouter aux intérêts internationaux géopolitiques et économiques. Une observation particulière a été entreprise sur le comportement des investisseurs et décideurs français. Il s'agit, en fait, d'une illustration réelle et précise des comportements pater familias que la France adopte auprès de ses partenaires africains. / The political life of Madagascar is marked by post-election crises and sociopolitical protests, during its 54 years of independence. From this observation, Malagasy people feel entitled to enjoy their riches and live a sustained development based on consideration of traditional values. Madagascar demands a real transformation of its political class. This change seems inevitable, but the main question is whether it will go to the expected direction... Opposition to this impulse is felt, since domestic and international political and economic issues require that Madagascar conforms to the stereotypical pattern of western development. Therefore, the words “democracy, good governance, globalization” seem so overused. By this way, sometimes, they lose the necessary precision and relevance for an understanding of system of values and political exchanges they are supposed to express and establish. Other corollaries of these superficial changes that were imposed are emerging, namely the proliferation of political stakeholders that involve a multiplication of related groups. Infact, there is currently about 150 political parties and associations that are registered at the Ministry of DomesticAffairs. However, with these political developments, no real “opposition” manifest positively. Ultimately, faced with this famous and inevitable change of its political class, Madagascar is encountering cultural, historical, institutional, economic and social problems. To uncover the real motives of this resistance to change, first, atentative definition of the concept of power in Madagascar and a descriptive overview of the Malagasy politicians during the colonial period is conducted. Afterwards, a study on the basis of the current Malagasy political class is performed. In addition to domestic social and economic difficulties, there are international geopolitical and economic interests. A particular observation is undertaken on the behavior of French investors and policymakers. This is actually a real and accurate illustration of pater familias behaviors that France adopts vis-à-vis its African partners

Skolans undervisning i naturkunskap är av lågt intresse för eleverna. Motivationen tryter, vilket kan bero på läraren enligt källor. Lärarens sätt att agera och undervisa i klassrummet påverkar elevernas upplevelse av autonomi. Syftet med denna studie är att ge insikt i hur autonomistödjande beteenden utifrån self-determination theory används av lärare i ämnet naturkunskap. Jag vill undersöka hur naturkunskapslärare använder sig utav dessa beteenden. För att uppfylla syftet genomförs observationer i fyra naturkunskapslärares klassrum. Det visade sig att autonomistödjande beteenden var vanligare än icke autonomistödjande beteenden av de observerade naturkunskapslärarna men att det finns vissa felkällor som kan ha påverkat resultatet. Dessutom kom det fram att de situationer som autonomistödjande beteenden observerades flest gånger var i samband med att frågor ställdes, vilket kan bidra till att motivera eleverna i ämnet naturkunskap.

A motivação está fortemente ligada à qualidade do envolvimento do aluno com os estudos. Por esse motivo, ela vem sendo estudada nos vários níveis educacionais, desde o ensino infantil até o ensino superior. Uma das teorias que fundamenta os estudos em motivação é a Teoria da Autodeterminação, que define que o indivíduo pode transitar pela chamada linha do continuum, que é dividida em motivação intrínseca, motivação extrínseca e desmotivação. O presente trabalho buscou retratar o perfil motivacional de alunos dos cursos de graduação de Física e realizar uma análise segmentada por curso, ano de ingresso e sexo, assim como investigar a existência de alguma relação destes perfis com as variáveis desempenho acadêmico e perfil socioeconômico. A pesquisa foi realizada com 373 alunos regularmente matriculados nos cursos do Instituto de Física de São Carlos da Universidade de São Paulo. Os dados foram obtidos utilizando a Escala de Motivação Acadêmica (EMA). Além disso, os participantes também responderam a um questionário socioeconômico, e o desempenho acadêmico foi determinado pela média ponderada dos participantes no semestre de participação no estudo. A análise dos dados incluiu uma avaliação das propriedades psicométricas da EMA, a determinação dos perfis motivacionais e socioeconômico dos participantes e análises de correlação entre as variáveis de interesse. O perfil motivacional dos alunos avaliados se revelou predominantemente autônomo, sendo baixo o nível de desmotivação. Ao segmentarmos a análise, o perfil dos diferentes cursos similar, com predominância da motivação intrínseca por conhecimento, com pequena ressalva para o curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Exatas, que apresentou um perfil menos autônomo, com predominância da motivação extrínseca por identificação. Além disso, o sexo masculino apresentou um perfil ligeiramente mais autônomo quando comparado ao sexo feminino, similar ao apresentado pelos alunos ingressantes, quando comparados aos veteranos. Não foi encontrada correlação significativa entre o perfil motivacional e as variáveis de desempenho acadêmico e perfil socioeconômico. Em ambos os casos, nossa amostra apresenta nuances que demandam uma interpretação cuidadosa com relação a esses resultados. Dessa maneira, nossos dados contribuem não apenas para uma melhor caracterização do perfil motivacional no ensino superior em geral, mas particularmente na área de exatas, onde os dados ainda são escassos e onde se enfrenta uma série de problemas que podem estar associados à motivação dos alunos, como a alta evasão, por exemplo. / Motivation is strongly linked to the quality of the student´s involvement with the studies. For this reason, it has been studied at various levels of education, from kindergarten to higher education. One of the theories underlying motivational studies is the Self-Determination Theory, which defines that the individual can transit through the continuum line, which is divided into intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. The present work aimed to determine the motivational profile of undergraduate physics students and to perform a segmented analysis by course, year of admission and sex, as well as to investigate the existence of correlation between these profiles and academic performance or socioeconomic profile. The research was carried out with 373 students regularly enrolled in the courses offered by São Carlos Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo. Data were obtained using the Academic Motivation Scale (EMA). In addition, participants also responded to a socioeconomic questionnaire, and academic performance was determined by the weighted average of the participants in the semester participating in the study. Data analysis included an evaluation of the psychometric properties of the EMA, the determination of the participants´ motivational and socioeconomic profiles, and correlation analyzes between the variables of interest. The motivational profile of the students was predominantly autonomous, and the level of motivation was low. When segmenting the analysis, the profile of the different courses was similar, with predominance of the intrinsic motivation for knowledge, except for the course of Licenciatura in Ciências Exatas, that presented a less autonomous profile, with predominance of the extrinsic motivation by identification. In addition, males presented a slightly more autonomous profile when compared to females, like that presented by university juniors when compared to seniors. There was no significant correlation between the motivational profile academic performance or socioeconomic profile. In both cases, our sample presents nuances that demand a careful interpretation of these results. Thus, our data contribute not only to a better characterization of the motivational profile in higher education in general, but particularly in science courses, where data is still scarce and a series of problems that may be associated to students´ motivation, such as high evasion, for instance, is present.

A obesidade, atualmente, é um dos problemas mais importantes de Saúde Pública no Brasil e em outros países do mundo. A Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) considera que, atualmente ela seja o principal problema de saúde. O sucesso do tratamento das doenças crônicas, como é o caso da obesidade, depende, fortemente, da participação e do envolvimento do indivíduo, enquanto sujeito ativo de seu tratamento. O apoio por meio de ações educacionais, mediante evidências clínicas e/ou sensoriais, levou um maior comprometimento do indivíduo. Com o mesmo intuito, a Teoria da Autodeterminação vem embasar esta Tese. Existem seis tipos de motivação, os quais variam, qualitativamente, conforme a internalização das regulações externas para o comportamento, chamada de “contínuo de autodeterminação”. A tendência crescente da obesidade exige programas para perda de peso inovadores, com grande nível de personificação e interatividade. Embora os programas comportamentais com base no face a face provaram ser os mais eficazes, são caros, muitas vezes inacessíveis. O uso de metaverso (um tipo de mundo virtual) tem surgido como alternativa para realização de vários tipos de experiências, porque oferece ao usuário a sensação de realidade, permitindo, inclusive, a interação com objetos 3D. O Sistema de validação desta Tese agregou à tal ferramenta a sensação de interação humana, apoio social e engajamento com a utilização de agente conversacionais e pedômetro. Dessa forma adicionou a possibilidade de trabalhar tecnologias da Web, de metaverso e utilização de sensores que interagiram a fim de promover motivações, apoiando, diretamente, o envolvimento e aprendizagem, como subsídio de mudança de comportamento e ganhos em qualidade de vida, durante a pesquisa. Conclui-se que novas tecnologias de metaverso e agentes conversacionais, associados a um pedômetro, podem ensejar a motivação de sujeitos obesos para o autocuidado e a perda de peso - vislumbra-se uma nova e provocante maneira de ofertar motivação para mudança de comportamento. / Obesity is currently one of the most important public health problems in Brazil and in other countries of the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that it is currently the main health problem. The success of treating chronic diseases, such as obesity, depends heavily on the participation and involvement of the individual as an active subject of treatment. Support through educational actions, through clinical and / or sensorial evidence, led to a greater commitment of the individual. With the same intention, the Theory of Self-determination supports this thesis. There are six types of motivation, which vary, qualitatively, according to the internalization of external regulations for behavior, called the "self-determination continuum". The growing trend of obesity requires innovative weight loss programs with a high level of personification and interactivity. Although face-to-face behavioral programs have proven to be the most effective, they are expensive, often inaccessible. The use of metaverse (a virtual world type) has emerged as an alternative to perform various types of experiments, because it offers the user a sense of reality, allowing interaction with 3D objects. The validation system of this thesis has added to the tool the sensation of human interaction, social support and engagement with the use of conversational agents and pedometers. In this way, he added the possibility of working with Web technologies, metaverse and the use of sensors that interacted in order to promote motivations, directly supporting the involvement and learning, as a subsidy of behavior change and gains in quality of life during the research. It is concluded that new metaverse technologies and conversational agents, associated with a pedometer, can lead to the motivation of obese subjects for self-care and weight loss - a new and provocative way of offering motivation to change behavior is envisaged.

Setting and monitoring progress on personal goals has potential advantages for helping people achieve their goals. However, it may also have disadvantages for both goal progress and personal well-being if people start to focus on progress and external outcomes (e.g. academic grades) more than internal processes (e.g. interest in the subject). Self-compassion has been suggested as a trait that may help people cope with set-backs, maintain intrinsic motivation and achieve their goals. It may therefore be particularly helpful in overcoming some of the disadvantages of setting and monitoring personal goals. Self-compassion has previously been theoretically differentiated from self-esteem, with self-esteem seen as more contingent on positive self-judgements and success, suggesting that self-compassion may have additional benefits for maintaining individuals’ intrinsic motivation. The aim of this study was therefore to test whether self-compassion exercises are more helpful than self-esteem exercises in the context of setting and monitoring goals. This was tested using a between group experimental design with two conditions: self-compassion and self-esteem. Ninety-four university students were randomly assigned to one of the conditions and followed a four-week goal setting and monitoring programme in relation to both an academic and social goal. The data showed that both inductions resulted in an increase in state self-compassion and self-esteem. There was no difference between the conditions in achievement of either goal over the four weeks. There was also no difference between conditions in the weekly association between poor progress and negative affect or change in goal commitment and autonomous motivation over the four weeks. However, the self-compassion condition was rated as more pleasant than the self-esteem condition. The results suggest that the self-compassion exercises used may be more acceptable than the self-esteem exercises used but they are not better than the self-esteem exercises for enhancing goal pursuit. The study suggests that further research is needed to distinguish the motivational effects of self-compassion and self-esteem.

Difficulty getting ready for bed and settling at bedtime, commonly referred to as bedtime resistance, are prevalent problems in early childhood (Goodlin-Jones, Tang, Liu, & Anders, 2009; Johnson, 1991). Despite an abundance of previous research, few studies have considered the role of emergent developmental process in the context of bedtime resistance. The current study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between parenting practices and bedtime resistance in early childhood from a developmental perspective. Specifically, need-supportive bedtime parenting practices (i.e., autonomy-support, structure and involvement) were examined from a self-determination theory perspective (Deci & Ryan, 2000) and children’s bedtime behaviours were conceptualized within a differentiated model of compliance and noncompliance. Two instruments were developed to capture these constructs and their psychometric properties were examined. One hundred thirty-one caregivers completed a series of online questionnaires about their parenting practices and children’s behaviours. Findings provided preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of the two newly constructed measures. Analyses revealed that child age was associated with how children respond to caregivers at bedtime. Although parenting practices were associated with less sophisticated forms of bedtime noncompliance, child age did not significantly moderate these relationships. Findings highlight the importance of examining bedtime resistance from a developmental perspective and the need for future research in this area. / Graduate

Sjukfrånvaro till följd av sociala och organisatoriska orsaker ökar, varje år kostar den arbetsrelaterade ohälsan Sverige 70 miljarder kronor i form av förlorade arbetsinsatser och utgifter för vård och omsorg. Trots att ledarskap antas spela en central roll i anställdas sjukfrånvaromönster är tidigare forskning på området begränsad. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka det longitudinella sambandet mellan behovsfrämjande ledarskap och sjukfrånvaro, samt om tillfredsställelse av de grundläggande psykologiska behoven av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet medierar relationen mellan ledarskap och sjukfrånvaro. Enkätdata insamlades med självskattningsformulären Need Support at Work scale och Need Satisfaction at Work scale från anställda inom en kommun i norra Sverige (N = 589, 58% kvinnor, åldersspann = 19-66 år) och relaterades till sjukfrånvaro. Resultaten visar att ett behovsfrämjande ledarskap har en indirekt effekt på anställdas sjukfrånvaro genom behovstillfredsställelse samt en direkt effekt på anställda som är sjukskrivna längre än 40 dagar. Dessa resultat bidrar med en teoretisk förståelse för hur chefer påverkar anställdas sjukfrånvaromönster och kan ligga till grund för organisatoriska interventioner. / Sickness absenteeism due to social and organisational reasons is increasing and the total cost of work-related illnesses in Sweden amounts to 70 billion krona each year in form of loss of production and health care expenses. Though leadership is assumed to play a central role in follower’s absenteeism-patterns, research exploring this relationship is scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore the longitudinal relationship between need-supportive leadership and sick leave, and to explore whether satisfaction of the basic psychological needs is related to and mediate the association between leadership and sickness absenteeism. Self-assessment data was collected with Need Support at Work scale and Need Satisfaction at Work scale from municipal employees (N = 589, 58% women, age span = 19-66 years) in a town in northern Sweden and was related to records of absence. The results show that need-supportive leadership is indirectly related to absenteeism through the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs. They also indicate a direct negative effect of need-supportive leadership on absence-spells over 40 days. These findings contribute with a theoretical understanding on how leaders affect follower’s absenteeism-patterns and can be used to guide organisational interventions.

A motivação está fortemente ligada à qualidade do envolvimento do aluno com os estudos. Por esse motivo, ela vem sendo estudada nos vários níveis educacionais, desde o ensino infantil até o ensino superior. Uma das teorias que fundamenta os estudos em motivação é a Teoria da Autodeterminação, que define que o indivíduo pode transitar pela chamada linha do continuum, que é dividida em motivação intrínseca, motivação extrínseca e desmotivação. O presente trabalho buscou retratar o perfil motivacional de alunos dos cursos de graduação de Física e realizar uma análise segmentada por curso, ano de ingresso e sexo, assim como investigar a existência de alguma relação destes perfis com as variáveis desempenho acadêmico e perfil socioeconômico. A pesquisa foi realizada com 373 alunos regularmente matriculados nos cursos do Instituto de Física de São Carlos da Universidade de São Paulo. Os dados foram obtidos utilizando a Escala de Motivação Acadêmica (EMA). Além disso, os participantes também responderam a um questionário socioeconômico, e o desempenho acadêmico foi determinado pela média ponderada dos participantes no semestre de participação no estudo. A análise dos dados incluiu uma avaliação das propriedades psicométricas da EMA, a determinação dos perfis motivacionais e socioeconômico dos participantes e análises de correlação entre as variáveis de interesse. O perfil motivacional dos alunos avaliados se revelou predominantemente autônomo, sendo baixo o nível de desmotivação. Ao segmentarmos a análise, o perfil dos diferentes cursos similar, com predominância da motivação intrínseca por conhecimento, com pequena ressalva para o curso de Licenciatura em Ciências Exatas, que apresentou um perfil menos autônomo, com predominância da motivação extrínseca por identificação. Além disso, o sexo masculino apresentou um perfil ligeiramente mais autônomo quando comparado ao sexo feminino, similar ao apresentado pelos alunos ingressantes, quando comparados aos veteranos. Não foi encontrada correlação significativa entre o perfil motivacional e as variáveis de desempenho acadêmico e perfil socioeconômico. Em ambos os casos, nossa amostra apresenta nuances que demandam uma interpretação cuidadosa com relação a esses resultados. Dessa maneira, nossos dados contribuem não apenas para uma melhor caracterização do perfil motivacional no ensino superior em geral, mas particularmente na área de exatas, onde os dados ainda são escassos e onde se enfrenta uma série de problemas que podem estar associados à motivação dos alunos, como a alta evasão, por exemplo. / Motivation is strongly linked to the quality of the student´s involvement with the studies. For this reason, it has been studied at various levels of education, from kindergarten to higher education. One of the theories underlying motivational studies is the Self-Determination Theory, which defines that the individual can transit through the continuum line, which is divided into intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation. The present work aimed to determine the motivational profile of undergraduate physics students and to perform a segmented analysis by course, year of admission and sex, as well as to investigate the existence of correlation between these profiles and academic performance or socioeconomic profile. The research was carried out with 373 students regularly enrolled in the courses offered by São Carlos Institute of Physics of the University of São Paulo. Data were obtained using the Academic Motivation Scale (EMA). In addition, participants also responded to a socioeconomic questionnaire, and academic performance was determined by the weighted average of the participants in the semester participating in the study. Data analysis included an evaluation of the psychometric properties of the EMA, the determination of the participants´ motivational and socioeconomic profiles, and correlation analyzes between the variables of interest. The motivational profile of the students was predominantly autonomous, and the level of motivation was low. When segmenting the analysis, the profile of the different courses was similar, with predominance of the intrinsic motivation for knowledge, except for the course of Licenciatura in Ciências Exatas, that presented a less autonomous profile, with predominance of the extrinsic motivation by identification. In addition, males presented a slightly more autonomous profile when compared to females, like that presented by university juniors when compared to seniors. There was no significant correlation between the motivational profile academic performance or socioeconomic profile. In both cases, our sample presents nuances that demand a careful interpretation of these results. Thus, our data contribute not only to a better characterization of the motivational profile in higher education in general, but particularly in science courses, where data is still scarce and a series of problems that may be associated to students´ motivation, such as high evasion, for instance, is present.

This ethnographic dissertation examines contemporary perceptions of higher education within the context of a Tribal government. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how Tribal community members perceive higher education as related to Tribal self-determination. This project was partially modeled around two specific research questions relating to Brayboy’s (2012) model of self-determination. Specific research questions for this dissertation included: (1) What are the perceptions of education in a Tribal community as they relate to sovereignty, nation building, and self-determination? (2) Are there differences among perceptions of education between groups (e.g., traditionalists v. credentialists)? In addition to addressing the specific research questions, this project also included a modified grounded theory to foster emergent theme development. Emergent theme development was intended to account for narratives beyond specific research questions. Participants were presented the following questions in one-on-one, open-ended interviews organized around the following questions: (1) How is formal education important for Tribal members? (2) How is formal education important to Tribal community development? (3) What formal educational credentials are most important to the operations of the Tribe? (4) What do you think formal educational credentials represent? (5) What tensions exist between a formal education v. cultural knowledge? (6) What do you think should be the ideal process of Tribal higher education? (7) How well do you think the current educational policies and practices of the Tribe complement self-determination? (8) What are the goals of a self-determination education? Results for this project were mixed. Narratives indicated a relative absence of conceptual constructs associated with Brayboy’s model of self-determination. Additionally, narratives also did not indicate a robust example of group dynamic. Results appeared to indicate an underlying presence of epistemological standpoints to frame Tribal higher education in terms of: (1) Formal Credentials; (2) Practical Experience; and (3) Cultural Experience. Finally, emergent theme development established how educational credentials are promoted, valued, and employed within the Tribal government setting. Narratives produced an extremely nuanced and dynamic landscape of perceptions, groups, utilities, tensions, obstacles, and reforms within Tribes. Narratives also indicated the presence of educational credentialism affecting self-determination in Tribal communities.