Digital Commons Network^™

How Should We Motivate Effort, Shamima Khan

Theses and Dissertations

This research uses an experimental design to study if the pattern and positioning of rewards influence the amount of effort participants put in. The three key hypotheses tested here are: 1) are people more likely to complete a task if the incentives are given in more regular intervals, 2) do uncertainty of reward timing hurt or help in maintaining motivation, 3) is intrinsic motivation more influential than the patterns in which incentives are structured? The treatments in this experiment are created by varying the reward structure of candies and pens in exchange of a simple math test completion. Among the …

Innovative Techniques For Inspiring Efl Students' Enthusiasm And Participating In English Classroom Activities, Yinghung Natalie Chiang

Master's Projects and Capstones

Since 1990, the government of Taiwan has sought to position the country as an international economic and trading center. As a result, English became a compulsory subject for Taiwanese students in 2005 (Lu, 2011). The Taiwan Ministry of Education (MOE) is promoting communicative language teaching (CLT) and encouraging learners to develop and increased desire to improve their language skills. However, many Taiwanese English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers still focus on memorization and the grammar translation method (Chung & Huang, 2009). The author discovered two major issues related to English language teaching in Taiwan. The first issue was many Taiwanese …

The Immigrants In The Central Coast Of California Need Motivation To Attend Classes And Learn English As Their Second Language, Martin Rodriguez-Juarez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project shows that the immigrant community that works in the fields from the Central Coast of California need the motivation to attend adult school to learn English as their second language. A six-week courses is included.

An Analysis Of Critical Thinking And Motivation In A Korean University Efl Classroom, Andrew Steven Parker

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine what kinds of motivation students at a Korean university had for learning English, how the students would respond to intervention lessons with strong critical thinking components, and to what extent, if any, did those students feel that critical thinking would be advantageous to the study of English. It utilized a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data was collected in the form of Likert questionnaire items and analyzed in terms of Dörnyei’s L2 Motivational Self System. Qualitative data was collected using open-ended questionnaire items. The findings were that the students’ strongest source of motivation was their Ideal …

How Can Science And Literacy Be Integrated In A Fifth Grade Cirriculum [Sic]?, Kathryn J. Hellen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this capstone was, How can science and literacy be integrated in a fifth grade curriculum? This capstone describes current research in science education, reading motivation and engagement, and the science and literacy connection. The goal of this capstone was to create a unit that would captivate students’ interests in science and use that interest as a catalyst to grow their literacy skills. This unit is designed to be used in a 5th grade Spanish immersion classroom centered on the themes of life science and non-fiction reading. The accompanying curriculum utilizes the Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) …

Mathematical Motivation Beliefs: A Study On The Influences Of The Mathematical Motivation Beliefs Of Students In A Predominantly African American Environment In Mississippi, Kendrick Laterrell Savage

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the influences certain factors have on the mathematical motivation beliefs of students in a predominantly African American setting. Mathematical motivation beliefs, for the purpose of this study, are defined as the components mathematical self-efficacy and mathematical value, both represented as dependent variables in the study. 4 independent variables were studied as potential influences regarding mathematical motivation beliefs. The variables included parental influences, teacher influences, mathematical anxiety, and the environment/setting. This research was conducted using 2 high schools in a rural area in East Mississippi. The 1st high school was predominantly African American …

Motivation In Mathematics, Andre J. Richmond

Honors Capstones

I conducted a review of existing mathematics education research on students’ motivation related to mathematics learning. My initial research questions were: “What are the constructs of student motivation as related to mathematics learning?” and “How do they these constructs inform mathematical teaching practice?” The research method that I decided to used was secondary research. I found that motivation can be understood in terms of self-efficacy, cognitive engagement, skill development, achievement motivation, self-regulation, and mindset about mathematics. Students’ unproductive beliefs can undermine their progress in mathematics learning. Motivation is what drives a person to do something. As a future teacher, I …

How The Transformational Leadership Style Of Superintendents Is Associated With Employees’ Organizational Commitment Via The Mediating Effect Of Extrinsic Motivation Within Nursing Homes For Disabled People In Taiwan, Ling Hui Yang

Theses & Dissertations

In 2013, about 4.8% of Taiwanese people qualified as having a disability; a disability is classified as having mild, moderate or severe, and in some cases, extremely severe intellectual disabilities or having multiple disabilities (Ministry of the Interior, Department of Statistics, 2013; Tseng, 2013). In 2013, there were 254 nursing homes for people with disabilities that were registered with the Social and Family Administration at the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan (Lee et al., 2013; Tseng, 2013). The current problems in Taiwan’s nursing homes for the disabled include overworked employees, employees with a poor work-life balance and excessive …

A Study Of The Relationship Of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And The Impact Of Common Core Professional Development, Emmitt Terrell Butts

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to provide access to current information for teachers and staff in middle and high schools. The current research on standards implementation and teacher efficacy were outdated, scarce, or inadequate. Electronic databases were available for online searching and information retrieval; however, teachers and district leaders did not know how professional development affected personal teaching efficacy. District leaders also did not know how to use professional development to enrich a teacher’s sense of efficacy in the classroom.

The writer administered a survey and conducted interviews with current Math 1 teachers in the district as an instructional prep. The …

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 …

Police Education And Training: A Comparative Analysis Of Law Enforcement Preparation In The United States And Canada, Citlali Alexandra Déverge

Master's Theses

Police academy training for newly hired officers varies across locations and regions in regard to both training process and training content. The needs and demands of modern-day societies have evolved, and it is very important for police training academies to keep up with the practice of the police profession. Higher education adds value to police training as it reinforces the development of critical thinking skills and the necessary values needed to face the needs and demands of society, particularly in terms of accountability, professionalism, and legitimacy. This research presents a case study of two police training academies located in a …

A School District's Change To Standards-Based Grading: A Conduit To Student Learning, Perry A. Finch

Dissertations

Nothing can be more important in a student’s learning process than feedback. This study looks at what is needed to effectively guide an elementary school district from a traditional letter grade system to a standards-based grading system. Survey data were collected from 91 teachers across the district in order to measure their understanding of standards-based grading. A standards-based grading pilot was conducted with six teachers from the elementary and middle school level. Four of these six teachers participated in a group interview to share perceptions of this pilot. Survey data were collected from the 54 students involved in the pilot. …

The Effects Of Deception And Manipulation Of Motivation To Deceive On Event Related Potentials, Ethan C. Ashworth

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Correct Response Negativity (CRN) is an event-related potential component that is affected by the act of deception. However, there have been inconsistent findings on the effect of deception on the CRN. Suchotzki, et al. (2015) suggested that the design of the paradigm used to elicit the deceptive response is what controls the size of the CRN. Specifically, motivation to deceive changes the size of deception relative to telling the truth. This study attempted to follow up on suggestions made by Suchotzki et al. (2015) to investigate if extraneous motivation to lie does indeed invert the ratio of CRN in …

I Am Here For A Reason. I Need To Focus. I Need To Learn So I Can Reach My Goal: Self-Advocacy And Motivation As Contributors To The Experiences Of College Students With Physical Disabilities, Latrecha Kasha Scott

Dissertations

Although researchers have studied “the role of self-determination in facilitating transition planning and services, very little is known about the impact of those supports and services from the students’ perspective once they are in postsecondary settings” (Getzel & Thoma, 2008). In addition, literature was limited regarding the impact of self-determination from the student perspective after enrollment into higher education (Denhart, 2008; Fuller, Bradley & Healey, 2004; Getzel & Thoma, 2008). Using a qualitative design, this study explores the contributions of self-advocacy and motivation to the experiences of higher education students with physical disabilities. The purpose of this study was to …

Gameful Design In The Development Of Asynchronous Online Discussion Activities: A Case Study, William Michael Trest

Dissertations

This study investigates Gameful Design as a method to improve the development and implementation of Asynchronous Online Discussions in online learning environments. A qualitative methodology, an instrumental case study design, was used to examine the effectiveness of this design method by exploring the experiences of the participants and the meaning they gave to those experiences. Data was collected through observation, discussion transcript analysis, and pre/post-course interviews. Validity was strengthened by triangulation of these sources.

The findings showed that gameful design was an effective method to encourage the development of a connected and engaged learning community within an online class and …

How Can Teachers Motivate Struggling Middle School Readers In An Intervention Classroom?, Heather Young

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this curriculum was: how can teachers motivate struggling middle school readers in an intervention classroom? The author focused her research in the areas of struggling readers, middle school intervention classrooms, and motivation. The research was expanded to include influences on motivation, authentic instruction, and the role of relationships. The goal was to create a curriculum that could be easily implemented and adapted to fit the needs of teachers. A curriculum was created surrounding three main subjects: student choice, building relationships and sustained student reading.

Increasing Joy And Motivation Through Experiential Art Curriculum, Rachel Mejdrich Edstrom

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This Capstone is a collection of visual art lessons for elementary students aged kindergarten through 5th grade. These lessons explore the question, In what ways can experiential learning methods increase joy and motivation in art education? This curriculum provides students the opportunity to explore the human experience through art with joy. By utilizing experiential techniques, these lessons focus on increasing motivation and joy in students. The curriculum is supported by research which draws on theories in art education, motivation, and experiential learning, along with brain­based research on the correlation between happiness and success. Additional ideas explored include the connections between …

Reading Strategies That Motivate English As A Second Language Learners: An Examination Of English As A Second Language Teacher Perceptions, Kristine N. Howell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine teachers' perceptions of motivational literacy instructional strategies for use with English as a second language learners (ESLs). Self determination theory's basic psychological needs thoery and organismic integration theory acted as the lens through which this topic was explored. A Likert-type quantitative survey was used to produce a ranked list of motivational metacognitive reading strategies using a chi-square goodness of fit test with effect sizes and descriptive statistical analysis (M and SD). Relative frequencies were calculated to compare strategies relative importance to teachers perceived frequency of use. Metacognitive reading strategy category trends …

Depression’S Connection To Self-Harming Behavior In Adolescents, Michael T. Hendrick

Education Masters

Self-harming behavior amongst adolescents has increased in prevalence throughout America. There is a direct connection between depression and self-harming behaviors in adolescent students. The most common reasons why adolescents participate in self-injury are as a coping mechanism, a means of relief, for the regulation of feelings, self-punishment, attention seeking and sensation seeking. There is often a link between depressive symptoms and negative life events or past trauma. Multiple methods of self-harm are often performed by students and may be carried out several times over the course of many months, the techniques used vary greatly. Schools are one of the most …

Creative Management: Disciplining The Neoliberal Worker, Trent Cruz

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated article dissertation examines some of the new managerial practices that have emerged to handle cognitive capitalism’s ongoing need for creative, flexible labour power. The three articles included in this dissertation offer a glimpse into the widespread processes employed by management to regulate and discipline a workforce that must also be granted a degree of relative flexibility, creativity, and autonomy in order to be effective under post-Fordist conditions of production. The first chapter looks at the emergence of corporate improvisational training at the turn of the twenty-first century as an attempt to cultivate flexible and innovative workers, a move …

Motivation, Identity And L2 Reading: Perceptions Of Chinese Esl Students In Canada, Binru Zhao

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study was conducted to explore and examine whether there are different motivational tendencies among Chinese English as a Second Language (ESL) students with different reading proficiency levels, and the identity transformations they may have experienced during the process of their ESL learning. The quantitative results demonstrate statistically significant differences between two groups of participants (high proficiency vs. low proficiency), and participants’ reading motivation levels are positively correlated with their previous reading proficiency levels. Furthermore, the qualitative semi-structured interviews indicate that participants’ self-perceived motivation toward reading in English is mainly academic, and they are experiencing a certain level of identity …

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, …

Perceived Transformational Teacher Leadership And Students’ Motivation, Academic Performance, And Intent To Persist In Stem Education At A Community College, Stacy Lynn Waters-Bailey

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The transformational teacher leadership style has been identified as having a positive impact on student motivation, academic performance, and persistence. This study served to determine if there is a relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and student motivation, academic performance, and STEM persistence intentions for students in transferable general education biological science courses offered at community colleges.

This quantitative research study was conducted in two phases at one campus of a large, multi-campus community college in a major urban area in a Mid-Atlantic state. In the initial phase, the researcher administered the survey to students who volunteered to participate in …

The Effects Of Individualized Teacher Meetings On Struggling High School Students, Travis Woulfe Macleod

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, how does having regularly scheduled one on one meetings between an academically struggling student and one of their teachers effect their success in school? It used a mixed-methods approach to gather data that included interviews, surveys, and academic data collected from students, their teachers, and their parents. The author documents the details of the meetings with the five selected students and uses related research literature to add meaning to and to validate the study. He describes both the successes and weaknesses of the meetings and the study. Conclusions include that these meetings …

A Collaborative Approach To Address Student Behavior And Academic Achievement Across Systems, Beverly Ngozi Okereke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Academic achievement and in-classroom behaviors are two significant child outcomes that affect student success in school. According to Systems Theory, in order to truly understand the factors that affect these outcomes for children, one must look to the major systems that encapsulate the child (including their school and home environments). This project is a meta-analytic review that examined the effectiveness of measures representing each system in predicting child achievement and behavior: School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) for the school as a system, level of parent involvement (high versus low) for the home system, and student motivation (intrinsic versus extrinsic) for …

Effects Of Incorporating Multiculturalism In A High School Civics Classroom For Increased Student Interest And Engagement, Alison Beatt Ellertson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this study is, what are the effects of incorporating multiculturalism in a high school civics classroom for increased student interest and engagement? This action research study was conducted in a ninth grade civics classroom over the course of three weeks and in three separate class periods. There were 85 students included in the research. Students were observed, interviewed and participated in a survey. The research compared a unit that had limited multicultural elements to a unit that fit a multicultural framework and curriculum. Findings suggest that relevancy is key to keeping students interest and introducing …

Overcoming Diminished Motivation, Jumana Morciglio

Philosophy Theses

Self-control is required when an agent encounters some opposition to acting on her better judgments. One such opposition is diminished motivation, that is, a lack of desire to act on a better judgment. Thomas Connor compares two views of successful self-control, actional (i.e. the view that self-control is produced by a motivated action) and non-actional (i.e. the view that self-control consists of having unmotivated thoughts), and argues that non-actional views are better at explaining successful self-control in cases of diminished motivation. I reject Connor’s suggestion that successful self-control is likely to be non-actional by presenting two arguments: (1) non-actional views …

The Impact Of Environmental Education On Environmental Literacy And Motivation In Urban Communities, Amber Huston

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed is does environmental education increase environmental literacy and motivation in urban communities in the United States? The motivating factor for this capstone was from evidence that environmental education can not only improve motivation and literacy, but also help improve academic achievement. This capstone details both historical and current data to support full integration of structured environmental education programs into urban academics. The author documents the results of a survey based on observations made by various academic instructors of both their personal experiences, as well as their view of their students’ experiences, both inside and outside the …

The Relationship Between Self-Efficacy And Reading Test Score Improvement In Elementary English Learners, Daniel Patrick Sefkow

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Despite funding from multiple sources, many upper elementary English Learners (ELs) in Minnesota struggle to reach grade level reading proficiency. This study examined the relationship between academic reading self-efficacy and improvement on two reading standardized tests taken annually at the school. Participants were 21 fourth and fifth grade intermediate or advanced ELs in a Midwestern town. Participants’ responses to a sixquestion Likert-style self-efficacy and reading survey were compared to two years’ worth of WIDA ACCESS and NWEA MAP reading data. Results indicated that students with lower reading proficiency had a greater standard deviation between their reading test score improvement and …

How Does Learning About Affixes (Prefixes And Suffixes) Help English Language Learners (Ells) Understand The Meaning And Use Of Affixes?, Melissa Jean Cook

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this paper is: How does learning about affixes (prefixes and suffixes) through games and songs help English Language Learners (ELLs) understand the meaning and function of affixes? It documents one teacher’s teaching of common prefixes and suffixes to 3rd grade ELLs with the use of games and songs in the classroom to increase student learning and engagement. The data includes pretests, posttests and a survey. The findings of this study include, 1) some students were secure before the lessons in their knowledge of prefixes re- and mis- and suffix -er ; 2) the data was …