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Wearable Activity Trackers For Women: Motivating Factors For Increasing Physical Activity, Danielle A. Bate Aug 2022

Wearable Activity Trackers For Women: Motivating Factors For Increasing Physical Activity, Danielle A. Bate

Theses and Dissertations

Half of American women do not sustain recommended levels of physical activity (PA). Wearable activity trackers (WATs) may increase both awareness of, and PA if worn daily. Thus, WATs should include features and designs that encourage daily use. This study aimed to determine WAT features and designs most appealing to women and the motivational effects of various WATs. For this mixed-method pilot study, 15 women each trialed three WATs; documented daily PA levels; and rated their satisfaction with each device's comfort, features, and motivational effect. Additionally, participants shared experiences and feedback in focus groups. Features that promote adoption of WATs …


Motivation Across Platforms, Mariia Shishmareva Jun 2022

Motivation Across Platforms, Mariia Shishmareva

Theses and Dissertations

Motivation in language learning has been studied for quite a long time. However, the main focus has been on motivation in face-to-face learning environments. Motivation in online learning can be different due to many factors. This study compared how a language instructor used motivational strategies in face to-face vs. Zoom classes; and how students reacted to these motivational strategies. For these purposes the Motivational Orientation of Language Teaching (MOLT) was used for observations. Results showed that while the teacher used many of the same motivational strategies in both sections, some categories like Social Chat, Referential Questions and Volunteering had significantly …


The Effects Of Relatedness Support On Motivational Profiles In Rural Vs. Urban Physical Education Students, Corbin D. Stringam Jun 2022

The Effects Of Relatedness Support On Motivational Profiles In Rural Vs. Urban Physical Education Students, Corbin D. Stringam

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which relatedness support affects motivational profiles in rural vs. urban physical education (PE) students. Participants included rural (n=177) and urban (n=431) junior high/high school students (grades 5-12) from Alberta, a western province in Canada (n=508), and Utah, a state in the intermountain west of the USA (n=100). This cross-sectional study measured and assessed students’ basic psychological needs of student-to-student relatedness, student-to-teacher relatedness, competence, and autonomy using a revised version of the Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BPNS-R). Situational motivation was measured and assessed using the Situational Intrinsic Motivation Scale – …


Reading Fluency Development And Science In A Fourth Grade Dual Language Immersion Classroom, Talia A. Casares Apr 2022

Reading Fluency Development And Science In A Fourth Grade Dual Language Immersion Classroom, Talia A. Casares

Theses and Dissertations

Students from dual language immersion (DLI) classrooms are required to learn the language through content. However, some students have not yet developed these abilities by the time they start fourth grade. Thus, to fully comprehend content such as science, students need stronger reading and writing abilities in the second language (L2). To help stakeholders have a better understanding on how to effectively help students throughout this process, this action research studied the effectiveness of integrating literacy with science and mobile assisted language learning (MALL). Findings showed that the integrations of literacy, science and MALL were effective with statistically significant results …


Motivational Strategies And Student Engagement In A Blended German Course, Elizabeth Moye-Weaver Aug 2021

Motivational Strategies And Student Engagement In A Blended German Course, Elizabeth Moye-Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Blended and online courses can require more student self-regulation than traditional in-person courses. Instructors and course designers can support student motivation and self-regulation in a variety of ways, such as by including motivational strategies in the course materials. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the following three factors: the motivational strategies employed in the online course materials of a blended German language course, student engagement in the course, and student usage of the course materials. Selected course activities were analyzed using a checklist based on Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model for motivational design …


Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions As Applied To Motivation In L2 Vocabulary Acquisition, Lindsay Michelle Stephenson Aug 2021

Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions As Applied To Motivation In L2 Vocabulary Acquisition, Lindsay Michelle Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII) is a self-regulation method shown to increase goal achievement through a combination of positive visualization and planning to overcome anticipated obstacles, specifically in time management, physical fitness, smoking cessation, dieting, social interaction, and classroom performance (Duckworth et al. 2013; Oettingen & Reininger 2016) Because second language (L2) acquisition is highly influenced by learner motivation, this study investigated whether MCII could be applied to motivation to acquire L2 vocabulary in beginning Arabic classes. A control group was compared to two treatment groups, one receiving vision-oriented MCII training that asked them to recall what first motivated …


An Examination Of Motivation Types And Their Influence On English Proficiency For Current High School Students In South Korean, Euiyong Jung Dec 2020

An Examination Of Motivation Types And Their Influence On English Proficiency For Current High School Students In South Korean, Euiyong Jung

Theses and Dissertations

Despite huge investments in national English language policies, few South Koreans develop communicable English proficiency. Yet, English language proficiency for all secondary and college students continues to be the goal of these policies (Moodie & Nam, 2015; Ahn, 2015). One of the fundamental reasons for the lack of communicable English proficiency was based on the social phenomenon, called 'hakbuljueui', or academic elitism, in Korea (Kim. T.-Y., 2006) whereby students seem to be instrumentally motivated to learn English only to pass the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and gain admission to elite Universities (Kim, T.-Y., 2006; Kim, K., 2016). The current …


The Effect Of Language Learning Experience On Motivation And Anxiety Of Foreign Language Learning Students, Josie Eileen Thacker Dec 2020

The Effect Of Language Learning Experience On Motivation And Anxiety Of Foreign Language Learning Students, Josie Eileen Thacker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how motivation and anxiety within learners studying a foreign language are affected by a participant's language requirement (whether a participant has a language requirement as part of their education), language class level, and language learning environment (those with traditional classroom verses significant in- country experience). The current study surveyed and analyzed the responses of 124 students currently enrolled in a language class at Brigham Young University. Self- reported survey results demonstrate the relationship between motivation and anxiety with relation to language class level, language learning experience, and language requirement fulfillment. Further analyses …


Physical Activity Motivational Factors Of Activity Trackers For Young Adults, Amy L. Dalton Jun 2020

Physical Activity Motivational Factors Of Activity Trackers For Young Adults, Amy L. Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Physical activity for the majority of individuals is below recommended levels despite strong evidence of its significant health benefits. Activity tracker devices present as a promising and affordable tool to help promote physical activity and active choices. Additionally, young adults present as an ideal age group to implement behavior change interventions. OBJECTIVE: To determine what features of activity tracker hardware and software are helpful in motivating active choices. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 149 participants ranging in age from 18-29 years old who wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for one week. They then continued to wear the accelerometer in …


The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Motivation To Bephysically Active In Schools In Hawai’I, Nathan A. K. Kahaiali'i Jun 2020

The Effect Of Ethnic Identity On Motivation To Bephysically Active In Schools In Hawai’I, Nathan A. K. Kahaiali'i

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study examines if there is a relationship between student ethnic identity and their motivation towards physical activity (PA), with a particular interest with students who self-identify as Hawaiian. Results indicate that there is a small but positive correlation between motivational indices and measures of ethnic identity. This study surveyed 301 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from one of the Hawaiian Islands. The survey consisted of the Situational Intrinsic Motivation Scale (SIMS) instrument (Guay, Vallerand, & Blanchard, 2000) to measure motivation of PA and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIM-R) instrument (Phinney & Ong, 2007) to measure ethnic …


Considerations Of Implementing Student-Directed Teacher-Supported Strategies In A Public Middle School Setting, Kaleb Joseph Ostraff Jun 2020

Considerations Of Implementing Student-Directed Teacher-Supported Strategies In A Public Middle School Setting, Kaleb Joseph Ostraff

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to help middle school art students to be more engaged and have more ownership over their learning experience, the researcher, who is also the classroom teacher, created and implemented student-directed and teacher-supported strategies. Using a design-based research methodology, the author conducted a qualitative study over a twelve-week period investigating the affordances or limitations of implementing more student-directed strategies. The results showed three categories of student responses. The students that were ready and capable to direct their own learning excelled, guiding their own learning, and were able to generate personally relevant and disciplinary connected art. The second category …


Effects Of Peer-Tutoring On Language Attitudes, Maintenance, And Motivation Among 31 Native And Heritage Spanish-Speaking Adolescents At A Utah Valley High School, Rachel Marie Eaton Jun 2019

Effects Of Peer-Tutoring On Language Attitudes, Maintenance, And Motivation Among 31 Native And Heritage Spanish-Speaking Adolescents At A Utah Valley High School, Rachel Marie Eaton

Theses and Dissertations

This 16-week long, observational study examined the effects of Spanish peer-tutoring on first language attitudes, maintenance, and motivation among native and heritage Spanish-speaking adolescents. In this study, 31 high school students from two ‘Spanish for Native and Heritage Speakers" classes peer-tutored second-year Spanish learners for an average of fifty minutes per week. The native/heritage Spanish-speaking students took a pre and post language attitudes, maintenance, and motivation survey and they completed two reflections during the course of the study. The native/heritage Spanish-speaking participants demonstrated a significant positive increase in language attitudes towards their native language, they also reported increased motivation to …


Promoting Pleasure In Reading Through Sustained Silent Reading: A Self-Study Of Teacher Practices, Kimberly Turley Mckell Aug 2018

Promoting Pleasure In Reading Through Sustained Silent Reading: A Self-Study Of Teacher Practices, Kimberly Turley Mckell

Theses and Dissertations

According to a survey, the majority of fourth grade students in 2005 did not choose reading as a preferred activity for entertainment (Guthrie, McRae, & Klauda, 2007). Adolescents are increasingly resistant to reading and seldom list it as a pleasurable activity. Interestingly, research shows that students who enjoy reading more do better academically (Gambrell, 2011). Accordingly, as a teacher I seek to increase students' reading for pleasure. To give space in my curriculum for students to do this and for me to support them, I used Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), a practice where students are given time to read a …


The Effects Of Metacognitive Listening Strategy Instruction On Esl Learners' Listening Motivation, Corbin Kalanikiakahi Rivera Jun 2018

The Effects Of Metacognitive Listening Strategy Instruction On Esl Learners' Listening Motivation, Corbin Kalanikiakahi Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies looking at the effects of listening strategy instruction on motivation have shown there to be a positive correlation between the two. However, the participants of these studies all shared a first language (L1) and were not enrolled in an intensive English program (IEP). This study aims to investigate the correlation between listening strategy instruction and listening motivation in an IEP classroom for students from different L1s. Listening motivation was recorded utilizing the English Listening Comprehension Motivation Scale (ELCMS) and strategy use was tracked with the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire (MALQ). Pre- and post-test scores of 56 participants (control …


Spanish Language Learning And Supporting Strategies In Mixed Classrooms At The Secondary Level, Jorge Vasquez Jun 2018

Spanish Language Learning And Supporting Strategies In Mixed Classrooms At The Secondary Level, Jorge Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

Students in the United States take language courses for various reasons. Many Spanish heritage language learners (HLLs) and the majority of second language learners (L2Ls) enroll in Spanish classes in the United States. Based on state demographics, sometimes immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries join HLLs and L2Ls in mixed-classrooms. Many times, these groups take classes together, even though their language abilities, motivations, and linguistic needs differ significantly. Such a learning setting presents challenges for them as well as for instructors. This study builds upon and reinforces findings from previous studies regarding teaching mixed-classes. Data were gathered from 41 students taking AP …


Livestrong Or Lie Hard: A Pentadic Analysis Of Deception And Reputation Management In 'The Armstrong Lie', Harper D. Anderson Mar 2017

Livestrong Or Lie Hard: A Pentadic Analysis Of Deception And Reputation Management In 'The Armstrong Lie', Harper D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Kenneth Burke's pentadic analysis has been a staple within the context of rhetorical criticism since the early days of critical communication studies. Throughout the years it has evolved from a heavy text criticism to application to film and documentary. The Armstrong Lie is another documentary that highlights the controversial actions of former seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong. This film provides an opportunity in which the pentadic analysis can be applied in order to really dissect the message that is being told. Through application of the pentadic analysis to The Armstrong Lie it is possible to identify the true …


Examining Intrinsic Motivation And Holistic Functioning: The Role Of Therapeutic Recreation In Residential Substance Use Treatment, Damien Christopher Cavanaugh Dec 2016

Examining Intrinsic Motivation And Holistic Functioning: The Role Of Therapeutic Recreation In Residential Substance Use Treatment, Damien Christopher Cavanaugh

Theses and Dissertations

This evaluative study examined the impact of recreational therapy interventions on intrinsic motivation and holistic functioning among adults at a substance use treatment facility. West (2001) identified motivation as a key variable in treating substance use disorders, and self-determination theory, specifically intrinsic motivation, provided a useful framework for this study. Intrinsic motivation is grounded in self-determination theory and defines various motivation types and how to increase participants' engagement. Holistic functioning is another tool in assessing a participant's recovery. For this evaluation, four domains were specifically assessed: (a) physical, (b) leisure, (c) social, and (d) daily living functioning. These quality of …


Fitplay Games: Increasing Exercise Motivation Through Asynchronous Social Gaming, Dario Carlos Gonzalez Oct 2016

Fitplay Games: Increasing Exercise Motivation Through Asynchronous Social Gaming, Dario Carlos Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Many factors contribute to people's physical inactivity, but among the leading factors is a lack of motivation. Fitness trackers have been shown to encourage an increase in exercise, but they are frequently abandoned within a few short months. For this thesis I developed and asynchronous-play social gaming platform, FitPlay Games, to fill the gap in motivation left by current fitness trackers. By providing users with a variety of asynchronous cooperative and competitive gaming styles, this platform enable them to find a motivation technique that works best for their lifestyle and fitness prowess. The platform encourages prolonged use of fitness trackers, …


Program And Classroom Factors Affecting Attendance Patterns For Hispanic Participants In Adult Esl Education, Steven J. Carter Jun 2016

Program And Classroom Factors Affecting Attendance Patterns For Hispanic Participants In Adult Esl Education, Steven J. Carter

Theses and Dissertations

This report explores factors contributing to absenteeism and attrition in government-funded adult ESL programs. Because adult learners enrolled in inexpensive programs typically juggle numerous priorities and responsibilities beyond their schooling, their motivation must be maintained in order for them to continue to attend their language classes. As consumers, they "directly or indirectly assess the cost-benefit ratio of their program participation every time they attend or do not attend classes/tutoring sessions" (Tracy-Mumford & Baker, 1994, p. 8). Tendencies toward absenteeism can ultimately lead to attrition, which poses serious challenges for programs as it inhibits their success rates, their funding, and ultimately …


The Effect Of Monetary Reward And Food Type On Motivation Of Untrained Sensory Panelists In Triangle Tests, Jessilee Noel Loucks Mar 2016

The Effect Of Monetary Reward And Food Type On Motivation Of Untrained Sensory Panelists In Triangle Tests, Jessilee Noel Loucks

Theses and Dissertations

Although human panelists provide unparalleled data, they are prone to bias, which is a primary concern of sensory scientists. Motivational bias is of concern because it determines how much effort a panelist will exert to be consistent, find a difference, or use appropriate descriptors when taking a test. For central location tests, money has become a common motivational device to compensate panelists for their time and effort. Studies have documented that money can change results in sensory testing but have not measured the impact on motivation. Additionally, little research has been conducted on the effect of the test food itself …


Perspectives Of Foreign Language Teachers On Influences, Challenges, And Practices Affecting Language Choice, Brant M. Lloyd Mar 2016

Perspectives Of Foreign Language Teachers On Influences, Challenges, And Practices Affecting Language Choice, Brant M. Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

In light of the 2010 recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages that teachers use the target language (TL) "as exclusively as possible," teachers face the necessity of promoting target language use and assessing how their language choices influence their students. The purpose of this study was to analyze teachers' perspectives and practices of whether to use students' first language or the target language. Data from over 100 foreign language teachers, predominantly those in the K-12 sector, were collected through a survey in order to measure how teachers manage the phenomenon of language choice. The findings …


Teacher Participation And Motivation Inprofessional Development, Krystal A. Hill Dec 2015

Teacher Participation And Motivation Inprofessional Development, Krystal A. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Although professional development is accepted as important for making educational improvements, some have been unsuccessful due to how the teachers choose to participate, and the lack of motivation in teachers to attend or implement the suggested changes. A case study of secondary mathematics teachers in a required professional development is used to look at teachers' motivation and participation during the professional development. This study compared mathematics teachers' motivation to attend with ways of participating in order to determine how these influence a teacher's intent to change. It was found that certain aspects of motivation and participation does influence a teacher's …


Teaching Practice And Motivation Among Albanian And Japanese Missionaries, Rebekah Susan Hoopes Jun 2015

Teaching Practice And Motivation Among Albanian And Japanese Missionaries, Rebekah Susan Hoopes

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between the use of motivational strategies by Albanian and Japanese teachers and the observed and reported motivation of missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah. The aim of this study was to collect baseline data about the motivational strategies already employed by teachers in the Albanian and Japanese areas of the MTC and to explore the relationship that the teachers' use of these strategies has with the motivation of the respective missionaries. The data for this study was collected from seven teachers and …


A Motivational, Online Guide To Help English Language Learners With The Development,Implementation, And Evaluation Of Their Individual Pronunciation Improvement Plans, Sofia Laura Carreno Galdame Mar 2015

A Motivational, Online Guide To Help English Language Learners With The Development,Implementation, And Evaluation Of Their Individual Pronunciation Improvement Plans, Sofia Laura Carreno Galdame

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligibility is one of the major concerns among ESL learners due to its impact on their ability to communicate with native speakers of English (Derwing & Munro, 2005). Even though pronunciation is often addressed in classrooms, it is difficult to tackle all intelligibility issues relevant for each student. Therefore, it is crucial for ESL learners to spend some extra time outside of class improving their pronunciation. Faced with a daunting task of regulating and taking charge of their own learning, they often have questions with respect to what exactly they need to work on, what activities will help them achieve …


An Investigation Into The Motivational Practice Of Teachers Of Albanian And Japanese, Ana-Lisa Clark Mullen Mar 2015

An Investigation Into The Motivational Practice Of Teachers Of Albanian And Japanese, Ana-Lisa Clark Mullen

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the use and effectiveness of motivational strategies with teachers and learners of Albanian and Japanese at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, UT. Each teacher was observed three times using a modified version of the Motivation Orientation of Language Teaching (MOLT) observation scheme that was first used by Guilloteaux & Dornyei (2008). Learners were surveyed using an instrument from that same study. Teachers were surveyed using a modified version of the instrument created by Cheng & Dornyei (2007). Data collected from these three instruments provide insight into (a) the relationship between teacher motivational practice and learner …


Examining Academic Performance Of Polynesian Student-Athletes Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Sierra Terina Keung Jul 2014

Examining Academic Performance Of Polynesian Student-Athletes Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Sierra Terina Keung

Theses and Dissertations

This study used Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to explore Polynesian student-athletes' motivation to improve academic performance (AP), while participating in Division I (D1) college football. Specifically, this study examined how attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control influence motivation to achieve a higher GPA. Furthermore, ethnic identity, family obligation and cultural values were examined as potential contributors to subjective norms. The sample consisted of 70 Polynesian football student-athletes at 10 U.S. D1 universities. A modified TPB questionnaire was used to assess the TPB variables (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) as contributors to Polynesian football student-athletes …


Becoming An Altruistic Learner, Aaron W. Snyder Jul 2014

Becoming An Altruistic Learner, Aaron W. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

This master’s thesis is a qualitative research project that explored the transformation of multiple individuals who initially learned for self-interested purposes, but later had a shift in their desire to learn so as to benefit others. The author collected rich narratives that described this phenomenon and provided insight into the following question: what is the experience of a learner who transitions from learning out of self-interest to learning out of altruistic purposes? The author found the following five major themes across six participants as they transitioned to more altruistic learning: humility, self-efficacy, resources, success and agency. These themes give insight …


Youth Motivation As A Predictor Of Treatment Outcomes In A Community Mental Health System, Brett M. Merrill Jun 2014

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 …


Student Perceptions Of Strategies Used For Reading Hispanic Literature: A Case Study, Rebecca Leigh Brazzale Jun 2014

Student Perceptions Of Strategies Used For Reading Hispanic Literature: A Case Study, Rebecca Leigh Brazzale

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of students during their reading tasks for their university Spanish courses during the Fall 2013 semester at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The purpose of this research was to explore what types of reading strategies university Spanish students use during literary readings tasks and their perceptions of the reading strategies they use. This case study employed stimulated recall protocol interviews, student reading logs and student notes in texts. Interviews were conducted within 24 hours of the reading, while reading logs and notes were completed during the reading. The data collected were analyzed for …


Development And Validation Of The Abstinence Motivation Scale, Natalie Johnson Jul 2013

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 …