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Motivation, Marital Quality, Maternal Gatekeeping, Breadwinning, And Father Identity: Models Of Biological Fathers’ And Stepfathers’ Involvement In Childcare, Jessica E. Ladage

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Compared to biological fathers, there is far less knowledge about stepfathers in reference to their involvement in childcare. As stepfathers continue to increase in number in the United States, it is important to understand the factors that influence a stepfather to be more or less involved in the care of their stepchildren. Few studies have examined both biological fathers and stepfathers together on multiple sets of parenting variables. Thus, the current study aims to compare biological fathers and stepfathers on a model of paternal involvement.

Participants were 306 biological fathers and 69 stepfathers. In order to participate, fathers had to …

Motivating The Solicited And Unsolicited Sharing Of Tacit Knowledge Through The Process Of Externalization, Sheila Yvonne Sorensen

CCE Theses and Dissertations

While several U. S. firms have invested in Knowledge Management (KM) tools and software, it has become apparent that investments must be made in additional facets of KM, such as knowledge sharing (KS), thought by many researchers to be the most important component of KM. Of the two types of KS, explicit and tacit, the sharing of tacit knowledge has been shown to contribute the most to an organization’s performance. However, since tacit knowledge is difficult to both convey and acquire, this unshared tacit knowledge may ultimately harm an organization when, without the appropriate knowledge, individuals cannot effectively perform their …

Motivation, Mindfulness, And Metabolic Factors Predicting Adolescent Adherence And Attrition In A Multidisciplinary Weight Management Program, Stephen Trapp

Theses and Dissertations

Estimated rates of obesity are notably high in the United States and pose a significant public health concern. A number of deleterious physical and psychosocial conditions are associated with pediatric obesity and the cost of its treatment is considerable. Accordingly, the number of weight management treatments has increased to meet this growing public health challenge. Unfortunately, insufficient participation in weight management treatment, namely low adherence and high attrition, often impede the effectiveness of these programs. Although the barriers associated with inadequate adherence and elevated rates of attrition are documented, there is a dearth of research on the predictors of the …

Student Motivation: Teacher Perceptions, Beliefs And Practices, Teresa M. D'Elisa

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' beliefs, perceptions and practices related to student motivation. Two-hundred-and-six teachers from 13 states completed an on-line survey containing the Perception of Student Motivation questionnaire (PSM), Motivating Strategies Questionnaire (MSQ), and researcher-devised questions examining theoretical beliefs and practices. Results reveal that teachers consider motivation to be an important part of their teaching. Teachers' reporting feeling efficacious for diagnosing and intervening for student motivation and believing in the malleability of motivation was found to correlate with motivational strategy use. This finding was consistent with previous research. However, their endorsement of theoretical beliefs and …

Gender, Instructional Method, And Graduate Social Science Students' Motivation And Learning Strategies, Mae Lynn Spahr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the current study was to learn how gender and learning method affect motivation and learning strategies in psychology, counseling, and social work graduate students. The variables of gender, learning method, motivation, and learning strategies are used by the self-regulation model to learning and the theory of independent learning to measure a student's academic success. Increasing the knowledge of these variables will be of interest to academic institutions and to the field of educational psychology because little is known about their interaction. The study's design was factorial quasi-experimental; it used a cross sectional survey consisting of a 2 …

Perceptions Of Leadership: Impact Of Leadership Style And Gender On Employee Motivation, Kristin Marquette Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers suggest that individuals in Corporate America have stereotypes about the ways in which men and women lead. They also have found that a leader's style and gender can impact employees' job satisfaction, performance, and engagement. However, researchers have provided little empirical evidence about the specific relationship of leadership style and gender on employee motivation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of leadership style, as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), and a leader's gender on employee motivation, as measured by the Work Preference Inventory (WPI). Because it was assumed that small organizations would …

The Relationship Between Personality Type And Exercise Motivation, Kayla Michelle Bowman

Online Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide further understanding of the complex nature of physical activity motivation. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to analyze personality type and internal/external autonomous regulation. Method: Subjects were college students age 18 years and older who attended the Fitness Five Project. Data collected from the Ten-Item Personality Inventory and the RM 4-FM: Motivation for Physical Activity Questionnaire were analyzed using a bivariate correlation. Results: Statistical analyses revealed the personality traits extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were positively associated with intrinsic motivation. Results showed the personality trait openness to experience was …

Relationally-Autonomous Reasons As A Predictor Of Collegiate Athletic Performance, Josef Max Katzman

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current proposed study examines a concept that has been looked at before but now using a new specific population. Previous research examined shows that reasons for motivation affect goal attainment and success. The current study is looking at how relational autonomous reasons for motivation play a role in goal attainment in athletes. Eastern Kentucky University athletes were administered a short questionnaire and their previous athletic performance was used as well. The two sets of data were then used to examine the relationship between the two variables. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between Relationally-Autonomous Reasons (RAR) …

Growth Potential In Relationships: A Promotion-Focus Perspective, Amanda E. Kohler, Justin Cavallo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Relationship research has long emphasized the importance of felt security for interpersonal wellbeing, but has focused less on how opportunities for growth influence relationship well-being. The present research investigates whether people’s motivational states may influence the extent to which people value growth in their romantic relationships. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, which distinguishes between promotion (concerned with advancement) and prevention (concerned with security) self-regulatory orientations, it was hypothesized that promotion-focused individuals would be more satisfied with relationships that offered greater opportunity for growth than with those that offered greater opportunity for security. In three experimental studies, participants evaluated others’ (Study …

Defining And Supporting Organizational Readiness In The Interactive Systems Framework For Dissemination And Implementaion, Jonathan Peter Scaccia

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. In the implementation literature, organizational readiness is associated with an increased likelihood of achieving innovation outcomes. Organizational readiness consists of organizational capacity (general and innovation-specific) and organization motivation. Organizations who wish to get results from their innovations have an interest in making sure that certain factors and subcomponents are in place. However, having awareness that certain capacities and factors that influence motivation are linked to improved innovation outcomes does not necessarily help organizations to get “more ready.” There is a need for organizations to know if and how they can effectively put these factors and subcomponents into place. This …

Motivated To Adapt: Applying Goal-Setting Theory, Primed Subconscious Goal, And Implementation Intention, Graham Benjamin Wohler

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects that several motivational interventions have on transition and reacquisition adaptability. Goal-setting, whether assigned or self-set, had no effect on either form of adaptability; however, the two goal-setting conditions differed from each other once goal commitment was taken into consideration. High commitment was negatively associated to transition adaptability for assigned goals, but positively related for self-set goals; this trend was marginally significant in reacquisition adaptability as well. Primed subconscious goals were found to have no effect on either form of adaptability. An implementation intention was found to negatively relate to transition adaptability and to have no …

Youth Motivation As A Predictor Of Treatment Outcomes In A Community Mental Health System, Brett M. Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

The role of motivation in relation to youth symptoms and psychotherapy outcomes is not well understood. Some cross-sectional research suggests that motivation predicts youth treatment outcome in low-motivation populations. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of change in youth motivation over the course of treatment and to elucidate the relation between motivation, youth symptoms, and psychotherapy outcomes in a routine community mental health setting. Participants and their caregivers were from three community mental health outpatient clinics and completed youth or parent forms of the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ) and Treatment Support Measure (TSM) at frequent intervals throughout …

The Influence Of Individual Differences On Emotional Processing And Emotional Memory, Patricia Lynn Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Emotional material is better remembered than neutral material and some suggest this is reflected in different Event Related potentials (ERPs) to affective stimuli by valence. Inconsistent results may be due to individual differences, specifically the behavioral inhibition/behavioral activation (BIS/BAS) motivational system. This study sought to examine the relationship between motivational systems, emotional memory, and psychophysiological response to emotional pictures. While using EEG recording, subjects were shown 150 affective pictures and given a recall and yes/no recognition task after a 20 and 30-minute delay, respectively. Overall, differences were found by valence, but not consistently based on individual trait. Controlling for arousal …

Motivation And The 40-Hour Community Involvement Program: Their Relationship To Identity Status In First Year University Students, Michael A. Mcdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the relationship between motivation and identity status in first year university students through examining their participation in the Ontario secondary school community involvement program. This document consists of three separate, but related studies: a scoping review, a mixed-methods research study, and a document review.

Methods: The scoping review was completed using the methodology outlined by Arskey and O’Malley (2005). The Mixed-methods research was conducted using an embedded mixed methods approach. The quantitative aspect was approached from a cross-sectional, descriptive design, with the qualitative component being addressed from a phenomenological perspective. The …

Self-Regulated Learning (Srl) Microanalysis For Mathematical Problem Solving: A Comparison Of A Srl Event Measure, Questionnaires, And A Teacher Rating Scale, Gregory Lee Callan

Theses and Dissertations

The current dissertation examined the validity of a context-specific assessment tool, called Self-regulated learning (SRL) microanalysis, for measuring self-regulated learning (SRL) during mathematical problem solving. SRL microanalysis is a structured interview that entails assessing respondents' regulatory processes as they engage with a task of interest.

Participants for this dissertation consisted of 83 eighth grade students attending a large urban school district in Midwestern USA. Students were administered the SRL microanalytic interview while completing a set of mathematical word problems to provide a measure of their real-time thoughts and regulatory behaviors. The SRL microanalytic interview targeted the SRL processes of goal-setting, …

Implications Of Teacher Motivation And Renewal Indicators In Arkansas Toward Professional Growth And Achievement, Lary D. Whitten

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was designed to determine if the teaching population in the state of Arkansas had a more favorable attitude toward specific motivational theories and practices; and to determine if that attitude significantly affected the teacher retention rate and the quality of work produced. The literature reviewed included the role of the school leader, motivational theory, and other relevant studies on teacher motivation. Eight National Board Certified teachers in Arkansas were interviewed about motivation as it related to professional improvement and development. The interviews focused on characteristics that serve as intrinsic motivators toward professional improvement and development and their …

An Examination Of The Moderating Effects Of Perceived Quality Of Life On The Relationship Between Empathy, Motivation, And Specialty Choice Among Medical Students, Michael B. Klein

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The number of medical students opting to specialize in primary care has decreased in recent years. Research suggests that empathy, perceived quality of life, and motivation are significant factors in choosing a specialty. The purpose of this study was to determine whether perceived quality of life moderates the relationship between level of empathy and motivation among medical students, and how that affects their final specialty choice. Participants included 174 third- and fourth-year medical students between the ages of 22 and 36 years at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Medical students were given an online survey, which included a demographic …

A Pilot Study Examining The Impact Of A Brief Health Education Intervention On Food Choices And Exercise In A Hispanic College Student Sample, Julie Ann Blow

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It has been suggested that intervention efforts should focus on prevention of weight gain and the adoption of healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. There is a dearth of literature as to what theoretically-based interventions would be most amenable and efficacious in a Hispanic college student sample. This study assessed the impact of a pilot intervention based on components derived from Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) that focused on increasing healthy eating and physical activity in Hispanic college students. Measures in the study included demographics, theoretical constructs from SDT and the TTM, eating behavior, and a food …

Effects Of Brief Motivational Interviewing On Motivation For Weight Loss, Krystal Marie Waldo

LSU Master's Theses

Obesity rates have continued to increase over the past decade with a current estimate of 35.7% of adults who are obese in the United States. Several behavioral weight loss programs are available to individuals, which typically lead to a 10% decrease in body weight; however, most individuals begin gaining weight after six months. Long-term weight maintenance interventions may be needed to help individuals keep the weight off and more cost-effective, and tailored weight-loss treatments need to be available. Motivation may play an important role in long-term weight maintenance. Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1995) states that it is important …

An Investigation Into The Effect Of Power On Entrepreneurial Motivations, Jack Reed Durand

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The effects of power have been shown to exhibit a wide variety of effects on an individual's psychology. The present study explored power, as a form of resources control, and its effects on an individual's tendency to seek out entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial environments. According to various definitions of entrepreneurship, it can be argued that the process of entrepreneurship would represent a form of gathering power around oneself in the form of various resources. Attempts were made to determine whether a relationship existed between the experience power, and an individual's subsequent response to seeking entrepreneurial environments. The present study was able …

Challenge Accepted: Self-Enhancement Through The Pursuit Of Difficulty, Julie Anne Steinke

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Individual resilience is popular topic whereby researchers attempt to identify characteristics of individuals who react positively to stress. However, such research uses a reactionary approach, attempting to characterize successful individuals after they experience adversity and does not explain why some individuals proactively seek out challenging circumstances. Pursuing challenge is a new construct that explains why individuals proactively increase stress as a strategic mechanism for developmental purposes. I developed and validated a measurement tool for pursuing challenge in multiple studies. Additionally, I explored relationships between pursuing challenge and similar constructs (e.g., grit, proactive personality, and self-efficacy), as well as the extent …

Emotion Versus Motivation: Probing Dissociable Effects On Cognitive Control Through Task Performance, Pupillometry Methods, And Individual Differences, Kimberly Sarah Chiew

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

It is becoming increasingly appreciated that affective influences can contribute strongly to goal-oriented cognition and behaviour. However, much work is still needed to properly characterize these influences and the mechanisms by which they contribute to cognitive processing. An important question concerns the nature of emotional manipulations: i.e., direct induction of affectively valenced subjective experience) versus motivational manipulations: e.g., delivery of performance-contingent rewards and punishments) and their impact on cognitive control. Given previous empirical evidence suggesting that positive emotion may enhance cognitive flexibility and reactive control, while performance-contingent rewards may enhance goal maintenance and proactive control, we sought to directly compare …

Development And Validation Of The Abstinence Motivation Scale, Natalie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design the Abstinence Motivation Scale-Sex (AMS-Sex), a scale to assess adolescent motivations for sexual abstinence using the self-determination theory (SDT) motivation continuum as a framework. Previous sexual abstinence research, SDT measurement studies, pilot study data, and expert panel feedback were used to develop the initial 77-item AMS-Sex. The sample consisted of 695 adolescents (aged 15 to 18; M age = 16.49, SD = 1.08; 50.8% male) recruited online from the across the U.S. Participants completed an online survey. The sample was randomly split into two samples. Independent samples t-tests indicated that sample 1 …

The Impact Of Trainee Characteristics On Transfer Of Training Over Time, Kristina N. Bauer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Given that organizations invest a considerable amount of time and money into the training and development function, it is imperative that trainees transfer the learned material back to the job and continue to use the knowledge/skills. Yet, most studies have not assessed the transfer process over time (i.e., maintenance). Based on the lack of empirical investigation of maintenance, the current study had two goals: (1) to identify which factors are most important for skill maintenance (2) to identify when factors are most important to skill maintenance. To these ends, a model was developed and tested that examines the trainee characteristics …

Motivating Operations In Drug-Discrimination, Amin Duff Lotfizadeh

Dissertations

Motivating operations (MO) play an important role in learning and performance. According to the behavior analytic conceptualization, MOs alter the probability of responses that lead to relevant reinforcers and alter the reinforcing “value” of those reinforcers (e.g., Michael, 1982, 1993). Recent research suggests that one way in which MOs influence stimulus control is by influencing the control of behavior by discriminative stimuli. Interestingly, in studies with nonhumans, such an effect is commonly observed when lights and tones are used as discriminative stimuli, but not when drugs are used. Procedural differences across studies involving the species studied, the measurement system used …

Measuring Motivation For Coursework Across The Academic Career: A Longitudinal Invariance Study, Makayla Grays

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Students must be sufficiently motivated in order to achieve the intended learning outcomes of their college courses. Research in education and psychology has found motivation to be context-dependent. Therefore, students’ motivation is likely to differ from one semester to the next according to which courses students are taking. However, there are also instances in which motivation levels may not change over time. In order to determine whether motivation for coursework changes across the academic career (and, if so, what variables may be related to that change), it is imperative to use a measure of motivation that is theoretically and psychometrically …

Assessing Intervention Fidelity In A Randomized Field Experiment: Illuminating The Black Box, Jeff John Kosovich

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The inner workings of an intervention can be thought of as a black box when they are not investigated directly. Typically researchers do not fully illuminate the black box and make assumptions about the presence of underlying processes instead. The current study utilizes an adapted five-step framework for the systematic intervention fidelity assessment of a motivation-based field experiment. The five-step framework is applied to a previously implemented study of student motivation in an introductory psychology course. Data irregularities necessitated the introduction of a new method for calculating differences in achieved relative strength indices. The intervention was found to be implemented …

Influencing Factors On Creative Tourists' Revisiting Intentions: The Roles Of Motivation, Experience And Perceived Value, Lan-Lan Chang

All Dissertations

As Richards (2008) asserted, creative tourism is a new form of tourism that has the potential to change tourism development and make a significant contribution in differentiating and changing the tourism experience. Reviewing current literature, despite increased attention being given to the conception of creative tourism, there has been little empirical work focused on the tourists' consumption psychology of creative tourism. Thus, this study attempts to reveal tourists' intention to revisit creative tourism attractions by applying the theory of planned behavior, to explore the role of tourists' motivation, experience and perceived value on the influence of their intention to revisit …

The Stigma Of Mental Illness, Ambivalent Attitudes, And Motivation To Learn, Jennifer Moore

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Prior research has demonstrated that much of the stigma of mental illness falls under the category of ambivalence. In other words, individuals hold both positive and negative impressions of mentally ill individuals and their attitudes tend to not be restricted to one side. On the positive end, they may feel sympathetic toward these individuals, as they understand they are not responsible for their illnesses. On the negative side, they may also believe these individuals are more unpredictable and dangerous than their mentally healthy counterparts. These ambivalent attitudes subsequently result in a feeling of uneasiness, as people feel more comfortable when …

Recognizing The Other: Training's Ability To Improve Other Race Individuation, W. Grady Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Members of one race or ethnicity are less able to individuate members of another race compared to their own race peers. This phenomenon is known as the other race effect (ORE) or the cross race effect (CRE). Not only are individuals less able to identify members of the other race but they are also more likely to pick those individuals out of a crowd. The categorizationindividuation model predicts that this deficit arises from a lack of motivated individuation; in which members of the other race are remembered at the category level as a prototype while own race members are remembered …