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.

This research intends to investigate the scope and applicability of the concept of ‘self-determination’ outside the context of decolonisation using South Sudan as a case study. Demands for the exercise of the right to self-determination are widespread. These are vehemently resisted by states who view the concept of ‘self-determination’ as a potential source of territorial disintegration. International instruments which provide for the right to self-determination also discourage the impairment of the territorial integrity of states in the name of self-determination. The problem faced in international law is therefore how to balance the right to self-determination with the principle of territorial integrity. The study reveals that the general understanding is that outside the context of decolonisation the right to self-determination may be exercised within the territorial boundaries of a state without compromising the territorial integrity of a state. The internal exercise of the right to self-determination entails human rights protection, participation in the political affairs of the state and autonomy arrangements. This general understanding is however problematic where a state systemically violates the rights of its people and denies them political participation in the affairs of the state. The people of South Sudan found themselves in such a situation from the time when Sudan gained independence from British colonial rule. Despite a number of negotiations with the government of Sudan, the people of South Sudan continued to be marginalised and their rights violated with impunity. They then demanded to exercise their right to self-determination externally and eventually they seceded from Sudan through the framework created by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005. In the light of the secession of South Sudan from Sudan this study proposes a remedial self-determination approach to the understanding of post-colonial self-determination. In terms of this approach when people are denied the right to exercise their right to self-determination internally, or their rights are deliberately and systemically violated, they may exercise their right to self-determination externally and secede.

Master of Public Health / Public Health Interdepartmental Program / Emily Mailey / BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of physical inactivity in America is associated with the development of multiple chronic health conditions and a growing burden on the healthcare system, causing a public health crisis. An ineffective communication strategy regarding how and why people can be physically active may be partially to blame for this crisis. Messages coming from various sources, including physicians, the federal government, professional organizations, and the media, promote physical activity in a way that does not support the three key psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness described by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). To address these deficiencies, the present study sought to compare the impact of brief online modules utilizing SDT-supportive strategies to promote autonomy and competence to information-based modules on participant levels of autonomous motivation, attitude, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and physical activity behavior. METHOD: Four online modules were developed for inactive adults ages 22-45 and were delivered over the course of four weeks via Qualtrics. Participants were randomized into the intervention (n=66) or control (n=66) condition, with the intervention modules including more autonomy-supportive content and recommendations to re-frame physical activity as a more feasible activity that one can benefit from immediately. Both groups completed modules relating to similar topics, including the benefits of physical activity, physical activity recommendations, barriers, and external influences. Repeated measures ANOVAs were utilized to examine changes in autonomous motivation, attitude, PBC, and physical activity behavior from pre-post intervention between groups. RESULTS: Participants from both groups reported an increase in autonomous motivation [F(1,66)=16.207, p=<.001], overall attitude towards physical activity [F(1,65)=4.726, p=.033], and PBC [F(1,66)=9.191, p=.002]. There was no significant change in physical activity behavior [F(1,68)=.122, p=.728] during the four-week pre-post assessment, and there were no significant differences detected between groups. CONCLUSION: A four-week online intervention positively impacted autonomous motivation, attitude, and perceived behavioral control regarding individual physical activity behavior. These findings suggest that implementing recommendations to re-frame physical activity through brief interactive and information-based modules could be an effective strategy to increase the psychological precursors of physical activity behavior. However, additional strategies may be necessary to translate psychological changes to physical activity behavior. Future interventions could benefit from identifying ways to increase the reach of the program and incorporating a longer follow-up to assess if the psychological changes are translated to behavior.

abstract: A sequential mixed-methods action research study was undertaken with a group of 10th-grade students enrolled in a required English course at an independent secondary school. The purpose of the study was to investigate students' negotiation of agentic writer identity in a course that featured a three-strand intervention: (a) a high degree of student choice; (b) ongoing written self-reflection; and (c) ongoing instruction in mindset. The researcher drew on self-determination theory and identity theory to operationalize agentic writer identity around three constructs—behaviors, identity, and belief. A questionnaire was used to identify an array of cases that would illustrate a range of experiences around agentic writer identity. Questionnaire data were analyzed to identify a sample from which to collect qualitative data and to identify prominent central relations among the three constructs, which were further explored in the second stage through the qualitative data. Qualitative data were gathered from a primary group of six students in the form of student journals and interviews around the central constructs of writing belief, writing behavior, and writer identity. Using a snowballing sampling method, four students were added to the sample group to form a second tier of data. The corpus of qualitative data from all 10 students was coded and analyzed using the technique of re-storying to produce a narrative interpretation, in the style of the Norse saga, of students' engagement in agentic writing behaviors, espousal of agentic writing beliefs, and construction of agentic writer identities. A defense of the chosen narrative approach and genre was provided. Interpretation of the re-storied data was provided, including discussion of interaction among themes that emerged from the data and the re-storying process. Emergent themes and phenomena from the re-storied data were realigned with the quantitative data as well as with the constructs that informed the survey design and sampling. Implications for classroom teachers, as well as suggestions for further research, were suggested. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2017

abstract: This study explored the influence of how the development of self-determination skills affected college students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Five college students who qualified for a university-based disabilities resource program under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participated in a five session mentoring program over the course of the first 12 weeks of the fall semester. The mentoring program was designed to develop specific self-determination skills, including, self-awareness, self-advocacy, and confidence. Participants engaged in an interactive dialogue, discussing specific skills and experiences, relative to the development of self-determination skills. Pre- and post-surveys, and a post intervention interview indicated that the students reported positive results in describing that mentoring experience, and found the protocol useful in their development of self-determination skills. Implications identified for further application into practice, include (a) a deeper appreciation and review of the participants’ background and experience, (b) the development and implementation of peer-to-peer mentoring, (c) the need for more intentional collaboration with high school partners, (d) the need to expand the skills being developed, and (e), the need to expand the number of services and resources discussed. This study will be used in the exploration of a broader collegiate mentoring program geared towards students with ASD with the purpose of increasing self-determination skills. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2017

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.

Savouring is the capacity to focus on pleasant experiences in order to intensify and prolong the experience of positive affect. Although the mechanisms and processes of savouring have been studied, the components of its very nature have been largely neglected. The primary objective of this project was thus to develop and validate a taxonomy of savouring comprising seven dimensions: hedonic savouring, and eudaimonic savouring of meaning of life, spirituality, inspiration, self-reflection, appreciation, and gratitude. To achieve this objective, a new measure was developed: the Savouring Configuration Inventory (SCI). In Study 1, 190 participants completed the initial extended version of the SCI, which was reduced and revised on the basis of the results of an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2 (N=350), the factorial structure of the final version of the SCI, comprising 28 items (4 items/subscales), was successfully tested using a confirmatory factor analysis, and its complementary metric properties (internal consistency, construct, concurrent, and discriminant validity) were documented. The second goal of this project was to examine the associations among motivation, hedonic and eudaimonic savouring, and well-being. Study 3 (N=283) was designed to evaluate the network of relationships between these variables using a structural equation model. Results revealed that intrinsic motivation was associated with hedonic and eudaimonic savouring, while self-determined extrinsic motivation was associated solely with eudaimonic savouring. Eudaimonic savouring was the highest predictor of well-being, although intrinsic motivation was also moderately associated to this outcome. Contrary to hypotheses, self-determined extrinsic motivation and hedonic savouring did not display unique associations with well-being. Although significant correlations were obtained between these constructs, when both forms of motivation and savouring were concurrently tested as predictors of well-being, eudaimonic savouring and intrinsic motivation predominated. The overall fit of the final structural model was satisfactory. Findings from this project hold important fundamental implications, as they contribute original information on the nature and configuration of the dimensions of savouring experiences, and on their associations with motivational antecedents and well-being consequences.

ABSTRACT Title: What can business leaders learn from sport management? Authors: Domagoj Dragicevic and Simon Lindqvist Supervisor: Monika Wallmon and Maria Fregidou-Malama Date: 2018 – January   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding for business leaders about how they can use servant leadership to motivate employees seen from a sport management perspective.   Method: This is a qualitative study based on 11 semi-structured interviews used to collect data. The theoretical framework under which the empirical data was analysed in consists of the Self-Determination theory.   Results and conclusions: The results indicate that the athletes feel that relatedness is the most prominent of the three basic needs according to SDT to create motivation followed by competence and autonomy. Autonomy did not show to be an important basic need to create motivation compared to relatedness and competence.   Suggestions for future research: A similar study to the one we have conducted with a larger number of respondents and from a larger group we believe could have affected the result. A larger group could complicate leadership as well as the relatedness within the group, which makes us think this would be an interesting topic to investigate further.   Contribution of the thesis: Business leaders can utilize this study as it highlights the apparent connection between individuals need of relatedness and competence to their experienced motivation. Motivated employees have shown to be more creative and show a greater tendency to remain within the company.   Key words: Servant leadership, Self-Determination theory, SDT, motivation

The Kichwa Añangu Community lives in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park. As a community, they have chosen to dedicate their livelihood to community-owned tourism, or what is commonly called turismo comunitario in Ecuador. Tourism brings multiple, ongoing challenges to the Añangu Community. Shifting market demands, growing regional and transnational competition, and large-scale climate events each present ongoing vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the Añangu do not own rights to the petroleum reserves quietly resting under their land. Nonetheless, they persist in their tourism project and have become recognized as a model for community-owned tourism in Ecuador. In part, this thesis seeks to explore why the Añangu Community has chosen to not only pursue, but expand their involvement in community-owned tourism. This research will demonstrate that tourism is locally embraced as a vehicle for livelihood wellbeing, environmental stewardship, and cultural reclamation. The key question then becomes, why is the Añangu Community’s tourism project successful? Here, I argue that through community agency and governance, the Añangu Community is able to practice economic, environmental, and cultural self-determination via their local control of the tourism project.

Students with emotional disturbance experience many problems that affect their academic and social success in the school environment, including academic performance, relationships with teachers and peers, and a lack of engagement in the school community (Anderson, Kutash, & Duchnowski, 2001; Villarreal, 2015). Currently, a handful of interventions exist to assist students with behavioral challenges. Many of these interventions aim to increase academic achievement, or to curb disruptive behavior in students with ED so that they can achieve improved school success (Algozzine, Wang, & Violette, 2011). Research with students with emotional disabilities also suggests that improving their self-determination skills and providing opportunities for self-determination are also effective in improving school success (Green, Mays, & Jolivette, 2011; Sebag, 2010; Skerbetz & Kostewicz, 2013). While some research has been conducted with middle and high school students with ED, fewer research studies exist on strategies that promote self-determination in elementary students. This purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a choice-making intervention on the academic engagement and disruptive behaviors of elementary students with ED. Findings revealed a functional relationship between the offering of choice and the students' disruptive behaviors and academic engagement. Students also increased in their work completion and social interactions with one another and with the adults. Social validity data indicated that the teacher viewed the intervention as being feasible and valuable in his classroom.