This study utilized the theories of David C. McClelland and associates regarding affective arousal, concept of cues arousing motives, and neutral testing procedures. The problem was to study the influence of color and/ or movement, as cues added to the McClelland four-picture Thematic Apperception Test, to evoke need achievement responses to determine whether or not the added stimuli of color and/or movement might evoke increased need achievement responses. Four treatment variations of the test were made: Treatment A, consisted of the standard McClelland test, in black and white pictures. This treatment served as the control. Treatment B used the black and white pictures, but with movement added to the standard test. Treatment C added color to the pictures, but no movement. Treatment D added both color and movement to the test. A special effects apparatus was used to create the color and/or movement added to the pictures. The treatment variations of the four pictures were recorded on motion picture film in order to standardize the experimental procedures of the study. A sample of 120 male college students was tested, and subdivided into groups of 30 subjects each. Each group of 30 students saw only one of the four treatment variations. The testing was accomplished by projecting the filmed, four-picture McClelland test, with each of the four pictures being shown for 20 seconds. After each picture was shown, five minutes were allowed for the subjects to write a story about the picture. The stories were scored for need achievement by the McClelland and associates (1953) scoring system C. Statistical comparisons were made among the three experimental groups (Treatment B, C, D), as compared with the control group (Treatment A) in terms of the subject's mean scores in need achievement. No significant differences were found in any of the statistical comparisons. It was, therefore, concluded that the study subjects did not respond to the addition of color and/or movement as significant cues related to achievement motivation.

For today’s digital native students, digital translation tools appear to be the most favoured help tools in language classes. The day of the paper dictionary has gone and this is being followed closely by online dictionaries and thesauruses. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the knowledge concerning the role digital translation tools have in the teaching and learning of English at secondary school level. Specifically, it looks at the use of digital translation tools, the possibilities and challenges they present both in and outside of the classroom, and what way teachers perceive their impact to be on English language learning outcomes. Perceptions were gathered from eight English teachers during recorded, semi-structured interviews, both group and individual. These were transcribed then analysed using a thematic analysis. The analysis and results highlight a growing concern that students are using digital translation tools in the lower grades and many appear to lack confidence in their language abilities. Furthermore, it is clear that teachers see the use of digital translation tools as one means of help, not the only means, and that it is important to test students’ knowledge by regulating the use of these tools from time to time. Teachers have mixed opinions concerning the general standard of English being affected by the use of digital translation tools. This study has also raised the question of the possibility of a growing dependency on digital translation tools among students in lower grades, an area needing more research.

Middle school students work with many types of maps in school, however most maps they use are qualitative thematic maps that only show differences in kind as compared to quantitative thematic maps that show differences in amounts. This thesis investigates sixth-grade students' abilities to analyze three types of thematic maps: dot maps, choropleth maps, and graduated circle maps. Two hundred and two Oregon sixth-graders were tested on their abilities to interpret map symbology, make inferences from the data, categorize values into regions, and ask geographic questions concerning data distributions. The results indicate that students can understand these three quantitative thematic maps for these purposes. These results also raise the question, "Why aren't there more quantitative thematic maps presented to students in middle school curriculum?"

Access to the to the Internet and to a variety of interactive mapping tools has increased interest among middle school teachers to use interactive maps in conjunction with learning activities. There is very little research in the area of interactive mapping in educational situations, specifically with regards to layer maps that combine multiple thematic layers on a single map. This study evaluates the relationship between the number of layers present on a web-based map and middle-school students' accuracy and timeliness using the map to answer geographic questions. Additionally, this study examines the specific effect of a hill shade on student response time and accuracy when answering questions do not require any terrain information. Tests were conducted in five Portland, Oregon area middle school classrooms using Blackboard CE8 to present maps and collect responses. The results of this research indicate no significant relationship between the number of layers present on a web map and middle school students' accuracy or response times while using the map to answer questions. The presence of a hillshade layers does not significantly impact the students' response times or accuracy while answering questions while using the map either.

Depression is a serious mental health condition which affects millions of people around the world. The biomedical model of illness categorises depression as a clinical disorder and primarily physiological in origin. However, conceptions of mental health such as depression may vary contextually because they are shaped by cultural understandings of illness. Research is encouraged to further investigate the context and culture of those affected, in an effort to better respond to local realities and psychologies. A qualitative research approach was utilised in this study, with social constructionism as its paradigmatic point of departure. One in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with five South African Indian Muslim women from the greater Johannesburg area. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Four main themes surfaced; what depression is and is not, causes of depression, treatment and stigma. Each main theme included various sub-themes. In addition, culture and gender arose from the analysis, as influential constructs across these themes. These themes highlighted the complexity and importance of culture and gender on the constructions of depression, for these women. These findings encourage the inclusion for cultural sensitivity in treating Indian Muslim women, and responding to the broader community’s needs. This can assist mental healthcare professionals to integrate culture and gender, as constructs, in offering more effective and appropriate treatment for lay understandings of depression, to respond to local realities. Furthermore, these findings add to a growing body of research which attempts to broaden and deepen understandings of mental health and culture, to better respond to patient’s needs. / Mini dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Psychology / MA (Clinical Psychology) / Unrestricted

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Symptom management is the main focus of care for patients living with advanced pancreatic cancer (APC). However, evidence shows that symptom management is far from satisfactory for this population. Poorly managed symptoms have had a profound negative impact on APC patients’ and caregivers’ life. While communicating symptoms with healthcare providers is the first step to achieve effective symptom management, some studies have revealed the poor quality of symptom discussions among cancer patients, their caregivers, and healthcare providers. The purpose of this dissertation was to advance the sciences of nursing, symptom management, and patient/caregiver and provider communication in patients with APC. Chapter two, three, and four represented three sub-studies which addressed three specific aims: (1) synthesizing the current evidence regarding the symptom experience of patients with APC, (2) examining recorded healthcare encounters between patients with APC, their caregivers, and healthcare providers to better understand the symptom experiences of patients with APC as told to their healthcare providers, and (3) developing a typology describing patterns and essential elements of real discussions between APC patients/ caregivers and healthcare providers in regards to symptoms. Specifically, chapter two was an integrative review which synthesized sixteen quantitative studies (n=1630 pancreatic cancer patients) and found that pain, fatigue, and appetite loss were primary and intense symptoms experienced by patients with APC. Chapter three was a qualitative descriptive study which used content analysis to examine 37 transcripts of APC patient/caregiver-provider health encounters originally collected for a larger communication study. This study identified ten major symptom groups often described as intense, distressing, and negatively impacting their quality of life. For chapter four, thematic analysis was used to examine 37 transcripts of APC/giver and provider interactions to develop a typology to describe patterns of interactions in regards to symptoms and symptom management. Eight common patient/caregiver-provider interaction patterns regarding symptoms and symptom management were identified. These typologies can be used to enhance patient/caregiver and provider communication programs to promote patient-centered care and improve symptom management in patients with APC. Findings overall will contribute to effective symptom management as it will deepen our understanding of symptom experience and communication processes. / 2 years

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis explores the developmental pathway of thematic coherence among one Saudi female student in a foundational second language (L2) writing composition course, contributing to the field of L2 academic writing by offering a rich description of writing development. Despite a rapid increase in enrollment in the past 10 years, students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) remain an understudied L2 learner population. In addition, although a number of studies have explored coherence among L2 learners of English, such research focuses either on the linguistic features utilized by learners to ensure cohesion or on the contrast between L2 learners’ cohesive devices and that of professional standards. To date, no studies offer insight into learners’ developmental trajectory toward greater competency in producing coherent academic paragraphs. The present study proposes an alternative approach by analyzing academic paragraphs in light of the definition of thematic coherence as a general-to-particular structure of ideas, i.e., a flow of information to form a superordinate-subordinate structure in which subordinate ideas support the abstract, overarching assertion. Further, the study uses the methodology of a microgenetic analysis to facilitate the tracing of the history of mediation and micro-changes in the focal learner’s written production over time as it relates to the proposed definition of thematic coherence. Each of the written drafts of paragraphs produced by the focal student is analyzed in sequence. An analysis of qualitative data is presented to contextualize and describe the focal learner’s experience in the instructional context and how this is interconnected to the development of her written paragraphs. The results showed an increase in the student’s ability to produce academic paragraphs with a general-to-particular structure, particularly during mediation that was rich with metalinguistic terminology that also created opportunities to collaboratively construct meanings of such terms. A main contribution to L2 academic writing this study offers is a rich description of a student’s developing skills in producing academic paragraphs. An implication is that to nurture academic writing skills, such as thematic coherence among students from KSA, instruction must be attentive to the developmental stages this student population progresses through.

New generations of youth are coming of age at a time when digital technology is omnipresent, where devices are our constant companions, extensions of ourselves. It is not yet fully known what effect this mass consumption of digital technology will have on current and future generations. Although not entirely negative, dramatic shifts in human interaction and well-being have already presented themselves, begging understanding. Among these shifts are rising rates of youth struggling with mental health – especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Various international and domestic governing bodies highlight the importance of this burgeoning field of research, turning in part to our technology-loaded ecosystems for answers. Early research has established associations between increased digital screen usage and youth mental ill-health. Questions remain, however and there exist large gaps in counselling psychology research as to how we can best support youth in the digital age. Situated within this debate, the current study establishes a theoretical basis as to the role digital technology plays in youth mental health. The study employs a qualitative methodology, including semi-structured interviewing and thematic analysis. Eight youth were interviewed and asked to share their experiences of the relationship between their devices and their well-being. Thematic findings highlight a conflictual relationship between digital technology use and youth mental health, affecting their relationships with others, themselves, and the world around them. Because digital technology consumption on this scale is so new, this is one of the first available cohorts of youth to actively participate in the exploration of this topic, offering their unique voices in ways that will benefit broader societal understandings of technology and mental health. / Graduate

No description available.

This thesis was motivated by the widespread use of social media by children, and the lack of research on perceptions of their own use. It expands on previous research which, while sometimes including children’s voices, largely focuses on the negative impact that social media has on well-being. Instead, this thesis seeks insight into children’s views on their and their peers use of social media, what motivates their particular use, and how they describe the positive and negative experiences of it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with children between 12 and 15 years old and thematic analysis was used to consider the data, along with an interpretivist and contextualist epistemological approach. The themes included, firstly; social media as a place for children to connect and to spend time, secondly; positive experiences that included, learning and inspiration, fun and happiness, and perspective taking, thirdly; negative experiences relating to privacy and anonymity, bullying and bad feelings, and a lack of social clues, and lastly; a particular peer culture which included gender differences as part of their experience of using social media. The study concludes that, though research on social media and children has been largely looked at in terms of risk, children see it as a normalized aspect of childhood where they socialize with friends, spend time playing and learning about different things, and hang out with their peers. Social media is described as a neutral tool by the children. With this notion of neutrality, by further understanding children’s experiences and perspectives, there could be more support in ensuring that this tool is shaped and used in a way that works more in their best interest. Social media is inevitably a big part of children’s leisure time today, and ‘moral panic’, being a persistent rhetoric around childhood, may not be helpful for children.