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Exploring Relations Between Motivation, Metacognition, And Academic Achievement Through Variable-Centered, Person-Centered And Learning Analytic Methodologies, Wonjoon Hong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The three studies that comprise this dissertation examine relations between student characteristics, motivations, metacognitive learning processes, and academic achievement. Methodologically, the dissertation demonstrated the potential of multiple types of approaches

and data resource types. By employing multiple approaches including variable-centered, person-centered, and learning analytics, researchers can understand learning processes from various angles. In addition, through this triangulation by multiple types of methodological approaches, educational theories could be more thoroughly verified and supported by various empirical findings. Multiple types of data resources are related to analytical methods.

The purpose of the first paper was to examine relations between achievement goals and …

Reluctance Toward Online Teaching, Sally Dufner

Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration

Online education has become a staple in the American higher education system. A shortage of qualified and motivated online instructors exists as online learning demand increases. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify why faculty members are not motivated to teach online courses. This study sought to answer the following three questions: (1) Why are faculty members not participating in online instruction? (2) What incentives, if any, are likely to motivate non-participating instructors to adopt online instruction? and (3) What are the differences in perceptions regarding online instruction between faculty members who had been asked or had an …

The Difference Between Teacher Candidates’ And Veteran Teachers’ Perceptions Of Motivation, Nishika Edwards

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

In this study, motivational levels and self-efficacy of educators are assessed as a case study. Twenty-two participants were divided into three subgroups engaged in the study. The subgroups included a group of teacher candidates who had recently declared their majors, a group of teacher candidates who had completed all of their coursework, and a group of veteran teachers who had completed a formal teacher education evaluation system. An academic motivational scale was administered to determine if the participants are extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to be an educator. In addition, a teacher self-efficacy scale was administered to distinguish the self-efficacy beliefs …

The Effect Of Digital Storytelling On Academic Performance, Interest And Motivation Of Police Cadets In A Law Enforcement Academy, Damon Ing

Theses and Dissertations

The Effect of Digital Storytelling on Academic Performance, Interest and Motivation of Police Cadets in a Law Enforcement Academy. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), December 2018, 93pp., 6 tables, 83 references, 5 appendices. With increasing criticism concerning police interactions with the public and the use-of-force decisions, the importance of preservice law enforcement instruction is an ongoing concern for both police practitioners and the public. Law enforcement education can benefit from the integration of new instructional strategies that can increase comprehension and long-term knowledge retention transferable into the field. Digital storytelling has been proffered as an effective cross-cultural communication tool and has …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Teacher Feedback And Its Effects On Metacognition And Motivation, Jody A. Marberry

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate middle school students’ perceptions of teacher feedback, middle school teachers’ perceptions of the same feedback, and the extent to which those perceptions matched. While research into feedback practices was rich, few studies investigated middle school students’ perceptions and experience with feedback practices. The study aimed to address possible miscommunication between teachers and students which may negatively impact middle school students’ learning trajectories. Middle school students and teachers from a Midwestern Independent school participated in the study. Student data was examined in aggregate and by race, gender, grade level, years of experience at …

Personality, Motivation, And The War Between Facebook And Twitter, Elizabeth Shallal

Master's Theses

Social networking sites (SNSs) have recently become integrated in modern lives as entertainment, communication, and even careers have become more reliant on them. The current study explored the relationship between Facebook and Twitter attachment and demographic, motivation, and personality traits. Differing psychological relationships may explain why people become more attached to specific SNSs as well as explain their continuance of use. Using online self-report measures, this study measured motivations to use Facebook and Twitter, the Big Five personality traits, and Facebook/Twitter attachment of 109 participants who have been users of both Facebook and Twitter. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions showed …

The Impact Of Social And Academic Integration In Developmental Education, L. Marie Dionisi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate academic and social integration among students in a developmental math course. A convenience sample was utilized in this study since many of the students either passed out or stopped out at the time the survey was distributed. The study used a survey consisting of the following six sections, background information/demographics, peer-group interactions, interactions with faculty, faculty concern for student development and teaching, academic and intellectual development, institutional and goal commitments.

The study found there was a positive response rate with interaction with faculty. In addition, many of the students were committed to …

The (B)Link Between Amotivation And Dopamine In Psychosis: What Phasic Eye Blink Rate Reveals, Jessica Elaina Mcgovern

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Motivation deficits (i.e., avolition or amotivation) are a cardinal feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and are linked to worse functional outcomes. Accumulating evidence implicates underactive dopamine responses in reward areas of the brain (e.g., striatum) in the etiology of amotivation. Phasic dopamine firing in the striatum purportedly has a role in increasing the perceived value of a potential reward that, in effect, helps “push” the organism toward initiating and persisting in the action to pursue rewards. Previous research has suggested that eye blink rate (EBR) may be a reliable and valid index of striatal dopamine. Amotivation (clinician-rated and self-reported) …

Pre-Service Teachers' Science And Web 2.0 Affect And Aspiration: A Survey Study, Yu Song

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teachers’ affect and aptitude towards science and technology influence their students through their teaching, other activities, and informal interactions. The study explored and understand Ontario pre-service teachers’ affects toward science and Web 2.0 by designing and validating a questionnaire that includes demographic, usage, and scale questions; and by surveying 134 B.Ed. students. The science part of the survey was validated and analyzed, the Web 2.0 scale items were excluded because of low correlation.

The results indicate that: (1) Pre-service teachers have overall high motivation, high self-efficacy, a positive attitude, and medium aspiration towards science. (2) Science motivation, self-efficacy, attitude, and …

Examining Eudaimonic Well-Being In Sport, Despina Kouali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The general purpose of this dissertation was to examine eudaimonic well-being in sport. This dissertation was divided into three studies. Study 1 was designed to develop a sport-specific eudaimonic well-being measurement tool (EWBSS; Eudaimonic Well-Being in Sport Scale) and included three phases. During Phase 1, 19 items were created by two investigators and five of these items were selected by five experts to represent eudaimonic well-being in sport. Phase 2 assessed the factorial validity and reliability of the EWBSS on a large sample (N = 400) with competitive level athletes from various individual and team sports with results demonstrating …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Implicit Motives Of Violent Extremist Groups, Rebecca Wilson

Psychology Theses

Terrorism represents a national security threat to most countries. Recent research has demonstrated the ability to determine when groups are most prone to engage in violence through textual analysis. Using the Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills (IMB) Framework and McClelland’s Three Needs Theory of human behavior, we compared implicit motivation as expressed through textual online propaganda of three jihadist groups. This model posits that all people are driven by three primary implicit motivations: affiliation, achievement, and power. This study analyzed 58 magazine issues (Inspire, Dabiq/Rumiyah, Gaidi Mtaani) from three extremist Arabic-speaking groups (Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, Islamic …

Effects Of Evaluative Praise Versus Behavior Descriptive Praise On Intrinsic Motivation And Behavior, Stacie Mccormack

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The author’s research inquiry was: what is the impact of behavior descriptive praise and evaluative praise on intrinsic student motivation and behavior? The literature states that using evaluative praise can cause a ‘fixed mindset’ where a child is fearful of trying new tasks, and confused on the desired behavior of the educator. Moreover using behavior descriptive praise allows children to view effort and working hard a positive aspect of learning, while the educator is able to easily establish clear expectations for the students. This study took place over a four month period with two different third grade art classes. Through …

Will An Environmental Focused Genius Hour Affect Students’ Attitudes Toward The Environment?, Claire Opsahl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if an environmental focused Genius Hour will affect students’ attitudes toward the environment. Over an eight week period ninth grade students in an Honors Civics class self-selected an environmental topic to research, write a research paper and present their findings. The study was completed in a suburban high school setting. The study Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using student interest surveys and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Likert Scale Survey. The participants were surveyed before completing their Genius Hour project and after completion. The results of the survey show that an …

Behavioral, Affective, And Cognitive Engagement Of High School Music Students: Relation To Academic Achievement And Ensemble Performance Ratings, Joel E. Pagán

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the relation between student engagement, academic achievement, and music ensemble performance ratings. The study was guided by two research questions: how do students’ varying degrees of student engagement relate to their academic achievement and their ensemble’s performance rating, and to what extent do behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement predict ensemble performance ratings? Participants were 259 high school band students who completed the Classroom Engagement Inventory in Music. They were also asked to report their GPA, and the researcher recorded their ensemble’s performance rating. Results suggested that higher levels of student engagement were …

Evaluating Differences In Drink Refusal Training And Posttreatment Outcomes In Women In Individual Alcohol Treatment, Rosa Munoz

Psychology ETDs

This study sought to establish the topography of drink refusal behaviors clients engage in while undergoing manual-guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Prior research has demonstrated that clients who receive specific skills training on how to assertively refuse drinks are less likely to relapse. Behavioral coding has been used previously to explore in-session behaviors by both client and therapist. Using this methodology, a coding manual (Drink Refusal and Motivation-Alcohol; DRAM-A) was developed for the present study. We sought to explore the relationship between differential types of drink refusal behaviors uttered by clients receiving treatment for AUD …

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 …

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 …

Persistence Motivation Of Foreign-Born Doctoral Recipients In The Field Of Education, Maurice Liguori Okoroji

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Although there has been growing enrollment and doctoral degree production of foreign-born doctoral students in U.S. higher education, persistence/degree completion and time-to-degree remain a continuing problem in doctoral education in general. Despite the substantial number of studies conducted on various aspects of doctoral education, there is still a scarcity of research on exploring the doctoral process of foreign-born students. When foreign-born students are included in the samples, researchers use a theoretical framework that does not give a comprehensive understanding of doctoral experiences of foreign-born students thereby ignoring the salient differences between them and their native-born counterparts, which makes it difficult …

The Effects Of Fantasy Role-Play On Bravery, Motivation, And Physiological Fear Responses While Playing Horror Video Games, Paul A. Giulietti

Undergraduate Honours Theses

A prior study found that role-playing exercises might have the capacity to reduce people’s fear (Giulietti, 2017). The present experiment was designed to replicate, improve upon, and extend the results of the prior study. Participants were randomly assigned to role-play either as a brave and powerful wizard or an ordinary accountant before playing the computer horror game, Slender: The Eight Pages. While participants played, they imagined themselves as their respective role-play character, were observed for their bravery and motivation to complete the game’s objective, and had their skin conductance measured. No significant differences were found between conditions and the prior …

Snapchat And Its Relationship To Alcohol Consumption And Associated Behaviours, Kellie S. Thomas

Undergraduate Honours Theses

The current study examined the relationship between Snapchat use, alcohol consumption and associated behaviours and motivations. The participants in the study were 200 undergraduate students enrolled at Western University. Participants in the control condition watched a video made up of 11 Snapchats where subjects were consuming water, the experimental condition was identical except subjects were consuming alcoholic beverages. Regression analyses indicated that relationship management motivation (RMM) and self-enhancement motivation (SEM) were the most significant predictors across condition and gender. Implications are discussed.

How Spatial Presence In Vr Affects Memory Retention And Motivation On Second Language Learning: A Comparison Of Desktop And Immersive Vr-Based Learning, Yeonhee Cho

Theses - ALL

Virtual Reality (VR) software and hardware are becoming increasingly stable as are the production values for VR content. This progress makes it essential to research the impacts of language learning in VR to provide directions and guidelines for the field of educational technology. This research examines the efficacy of media effects and memory retention in language learning through computer assistance with an increased focus on VR. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of using VR as a method for the second language (L2) learning. It is assumed that VR uses latent acquisition when used for learning L2, increasing memory retention by …

How Brief Motivational Interventions Impact Math Beliefs In Undergraduate University Students, Ayesha Lynn Livingston Phd

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Despite best efforts, students in U.S. schools still underperform in mathematics compared to many other developed countries, and the achievement gap persists. Teachers play a most important role in student success, yet the knowledge about adult beliefs (and how they can be changed) concerning one’s ability to learn math, the value one has for math, and one’s understanding about how math anxiety derails learning still falls short in informing efforts to best train/support pre-service or in-service teachers. A group of undergraduate university students (N=123) participated in a fully online intervention measuring each of the components in the Expectancy-Value-Cost (EVC) motivational …

Motivation: Why Are Students Taking Dual-Credit Courses, Chyenne Haden

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

With a growing number of high school students taking advantage of dual-credit courses, the need to understand what motivating factors are at play is more important than ever. This study was conducted within an 11^th grade dual-credit history class for the purpose of discovering what motivated those students to enroll in a college level course while still in high school. Participants in the study were given the opportunity to reflect on their decision to enroll in dual-credit through a focus group and individual interviews as well as a survey. The data collected through these methods was analyzed using the …

A Critical Analysis Of Mystery In Videogames, Ali Alkhafaji

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Historically, videogame research has focused on how different videogame attributes (like challenge, fantasy, control, goals, etc.) impact the player experience. This type of research is important because it can provide insight into how to design more enjoyable videogames. However, very little exists within the current literature that focuses on mystery and its impact on the player experience. This dissertation is concerned with providing the research community with a better understanding of how mystery manifests in videogames and consequently impacts the player experience, specifically curiosity and motivation. To this end, the research questions are: 1. How do players experience mystery in …

Teachers' Understandings And Attitudes About Argument And The Effects Of An Extended Professional Development, Manya L. Chappell

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, the researcher examined teachers' understandings and attitudes about the teaching of argument and how professional development (PD) affected those understandings and attitudes. The teaching of argument is important because argument promotes critical thinking skills, authentic learning opportunities, increased conceptual development, and meaningful discussions about topics that are important to students. The researcher gathered data about 14 teachers’ understandings and attitudes and looked at them as a qualitative case study bounded by their common experience in a PD opportunity during the summer with return visits to PD in the fall and the following spring. The findings include: (1) …

Competition: Motivating Or Declination Of Academic Success, Nicholas Mazza

Honors Projects

This study examines if competition in the classroom is more of a motivating or declining factor. I am examining the positive and negative effects of competitions on students. Games and individual worksheets will be employed to explore influence on academic achievement. Through my research, I did not find competition to be motivating for students. However, I did find the competition intervention to provide higher average quiz scores.

“I’M Helping To Put A Man On The Moon”: Communicating Higher Purpose In The Workplace, Kristen Michele Olson

Open Access Theses

Higher purpose in one’s work can be defined as a driving force that extends beyond oneself that fulfills some larger need, goal, or hope and perhaps benefits others. This construct may have important implications for workplace motivation and engagement. A survey by Calling Brands (2012) found that 65% of workers would put in more effort for an organization with a higher purpose. Furthermore, a joint study by Net Impact and Rutgers University found that for 24% of the workforce and 45% of college students, “a job that seeks to make a social or environmental difference in” (Zukin & Szeltner, 2012, …

Engaging The Disengaged: Using Every Trick In The Book, Brooke Prusaczyk

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Researchers have affirmed a connection between students’ engagement in reading to their academic achievement. Struggling readers in particular are generally not engaged or motivated to read. While the construct of reading engagement is difficult to measure, a student’s motivation seems to be the driving force behind reading development. Additionally, today’s students are involved in and more motivated by the many different activities outside of school, which poses challenges for both teachers and parents. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of instructional techniques on student engagement in reading. To measure the academic progress of 21 fifth grade …

Sport Motivation Of Senior Athletes, Jenna Mammenga

Honors Thesis

The population of older adults is rapidly growing in the United States, though many of these individuals do not meet the Center for Disease Control recommended activity and exercise recommendations. A select group however, senior athletes, appear to be to active and, in fact, surpass these recommendations with their activity level. The motivation of this unique population of actively aging adults has not been carefully studied. The purpose of this study was to better understand the motivating factors of older adults who participate in competitive sports and to further investigate how motivation may be impacted by age, gender, marital status, …

Gender And Subject Area Differences In Academic Metacognition And Motivation, Adelaide Jenkins

Senior Theses and Projects

This study was a continuation of the ongoing Trinity metacognition project investigating the metacognitive awareness and skills of middle school students. The present study examined whether there were gender differences in the ways metacognition is used in two different subject areas: social studies and math. It also investigated whether gender has an effect on how students use metacognition in these two school subjects. Students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade were surveyed about their metacognitive and motivational awareness in math and social studies. Results showed that female students used metacognition more than male students in both math and social …