Digital Commons Network^™

Empowering Imagined Communities: Social Network Sites In A Chinese English As A Foreign Language Classroom, James Andrew Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little work has yet to explore the potential for the use of social network sites (SNSs) in the English as a Second Language/English as a Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) classroom, but recent trends in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) research suggest that SNSs may be a powerful context for language learning: offering students access to online communities of practice and /or imagined communities (as interpreted by Norton et al.); increased control of co-constructed/negotiated identities; and opportunities for empowering positions in authentic intercultural exchanges. This dissertation reports on a largely exploratory, empirical study of how the use of an …

Adult Education: Motivation And Recruitment Of Working Adults In The Pursuit Of Higher Education, Deborah R. Barnett

Theses

Adult learners, particularly working adults pursuing higher education, face barriers which may be different from their traditional counterparts. In addition to issues of time and money which many students find challenging, working adults also balance job responsibilities and may have to juggle family responsibilities. These barriers, combined with the fact that some higher education institutions are still not fully recognizing this growing student population in regards to scheduling and services, leave working adults with limited access to higher education opportunities. This study was conducted in a rural Midwestern area which, like much of the United States, had experienced an economic …

Need-Based Moderators Of Relational And Resource Concerns And Their Relationship To Procedural Justice, Jonas Johnson

All Dissertations

The current study assesses how needs influence the relationship between resource and relational concerns and procedural justice. Previous research has examined antecedents of procedural justice but often omits a consideration of individual needs in this analysis. Tyler (1994) found that the variables trust, neutrality, and status recognition were related to procedural justice because they contained variance related to relational concerns. Further research by Heuer, Penrod, Lafer, & Cohn (2002) also found that trust, neutrality, and status recognition were related to procedural justice based on resource concerns as well as relational concerns. However, no studies have examined the extent to which …

Identifying Motivations To Encourage Women To Adopt Positive Financial Behaviors, Megan E. Rowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seventeen women between the ages of 25 and 54 who self-identified as having made a positive financial change within the past two years were interviewed in four focus groups. Participants were asked to identify their motivations for financial behavior change.

The analysis of this research data indicated the participants in this study progressed through the stages of change in Prochaska's Transtheoretical Model while making personal financial changes. Factors such as emotion, family influence, and life transition helped many women move from earlier stages (Precontemplation, Contemplation) to later stages (Preparation, Action) of change. Although participants utilized a wide variety of first …

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy And Motivation Characteristics On The Academic Achievement Of Upward Bound Participants, Brenda Leigh Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-efficacy and motivation characteristics on the achievement of at-risk students. Seventy-nine Upward Bound program participants completed self-efficacy, motivation, and demographic questionnaires. The relationship between GPA and self-efficacy was significant, negative, and low in strength. High GPA was associated with high self-efficacy (as shown by lower numbers on the survey). Gender, length of time in the Upward Bound (UB) program, length of participation in the UB summer program, college sponsor (community or four-year college), self-efficacy characteristics, and motivation characteristics significantly predicted academic achievement as measured by GPA. The relationship between …

Overcoming The Survivor's Syndrome: Current Theories And Practices, Amy J. Kupec

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Due to the current economical times [e.g. the economic depression and millions of jobs cut from the American workforce], the current literature review had two main goals. First, the current literature aimed to not only define the term the survivor's syndrome and the term's history, but also to provide a comprehensive review of the literature surrounding the survivor's syndrome. The survivor's syndrome as defined within the literature is described as the set of emotional and attitudinal characteristics shared by those who have survived a reduction. After reviewing over 60 articles, about 20 articles are presented revealing three main consequences [feelings …

Applied Cognition In Reading: An Analysis Of Reading Comprehension In Secondary School Students, Joshua A. Cuevas

Communication Sciences and Disorders Dissertations

This research sought to add to a body of knowledge that is severely underrepresented in the scientific literature, reading comprehension in secondary students. Chapter 1 examines the current state of literacy in the nation’s public schools and the consequences that arise if students leave high school with inadequate reading skills. It discusses the neurological processes involved with reading and posits that independent silent reading (ISR) combined with scaffolding techniques may prove to be an effective method for addressing reading comprehension. The review also analyzes the components believed to be essential to reading, including vocabulary development, prior knowledge and background information, …

Expectancy Theory As A Predictor Of Faculty Motivation To Use A Course Management System, Marian Turcan

All Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between the elements of the Expectancy theory and faculty motivation to use a course management system. Specifically it analyzed if the elements of the Expectancy theory (Valence, Instrumentality and Expectancy) were useful in predicting faculty motivation when using Blackboard tools in teaching their courses.
A self-administered survey questionnaire was developed and used as the research instrument for this study. Four hundred and forty eight faculty members were randomly selected from eleven schools from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the data for the …

The Personal And Social Benefits Of Airplane Piloting As A Serious Leisure Activity For Women., Frances Louise Shupe 1956-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Serious leisure theory (Stebbins, 1992) is used to frame this examination of women's long-term involvement in airplane piloting. Through in-depth, semi-structured telephone and e-mail interviews with women having over 15 years experience as private pilots, this study examines their leading motivations and their personal and social benefits realized through airplane piloting as a leisure activity. Women's participation in amateur airplane piloting displays the six characteristics of serious leisure. In addition to the durable benefits ascribed to serious leisure, the respondents demonstrated several other personal and social benefits. The interview data revealed that women pursue airplane piloting as independent, interdependent, or …

The Interaction Of Motivational Climate And Self-Determination In Examining Commitment Level In Female Youth Sport, Kyle Player

All Theses

Research has shown that many benefits can be derived from youth sports. Practitioners need to be equipped with the skills to provide the best youth sport experience and retain participants. This is of particular importance for females because of their tendency to dropout at higher rates than males. The purpose of this research is to describe the effect that coach-created motivational climate has on female youth athletes' self-determination and goal orientation and how these variables affect their commitment level pre to post season. Research has shown that a coach initiated mastery climate will have a positive effect on girls' self …

The Power Within: The Influence Of Spirituality On African American Female Adult Learners, Nakeisha Latoy Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This interpretive, qualitative study investigated the influence of spirituality in the lives six African American female adult learners. The following questions guided the research study:1) What role has spirituality played in the pursuit of educational goals of African American female adult learners? and 2)What influence has spirituality had on the development of these adult learners?An examination of the influence of spirituality in the areas of motivation, barriers, and adult development among college students framed the scholarly review of existing literature. The data collection methods included interviews, timeline and song lyric elicitations, and field notes.The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed.An …

Prioritizing Those Who Follow: Servant Leadership, Needs Satisfaction, And Positive Employee Outcomes, Kristin N. Saboe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Servant leaders seek to fulfill the needs of followers and promote their success and well-being through a follower-centric, generative approach to leadership. This study proposes a model to describe the mediating mechanism of follower needs satisfaction, as proposed by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), for the relationship between servant leadership (SL) behaviors and employee outcomes (e.g., job performance, job attitudes, well-being, community prosocial behavior). Supervisor-subordinate dyads (N = 147 pairs) from four diverse organizations completed surveys about the supervisors' leadership behaviors and the subordinates' job experiences. Structural equation modeling and regression analyses were conducted to determine the nature of relationships between SL, …

Factors That Influence Cal Poly Students' Decision To Attend Sporting Events And Theatrical Performances, Meghan Hudson

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Research shows the main factors that influence student attendance to performances are social status, motivation, and perception of time, whereas the main factors for attending sport games are team identification and social networking. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence Cal Poly students’ decision in attending sporting games versus attending performances at the Performing Arts Center. The researcher collected data from 250 students in nine classrooms during Cal Poly’s Spring Quarter. This study found that students claim to more frequently attend games and have a higher interest in attending games than performances. Social networking was …

Central Coast Wrestling Clinics, Chase Pami

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Pre-Game Rhetoric: Pure Motivation Or Simply Show?, Sam Alan Hettinger

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

The Fantasy Sport Experience: Motivations, Satisfaction, And Future Intentions., Brody James James Ruihley

Doctoral Dissertations

Fantasy sport participation is an online activity consuming the time, energy, and devotion of many sport followers. This activity provides participants a unique way to experience sport aside from simply viewing, listening, or following a sporting contest. Fantasy sport users present marketers and advertisers with a distinct type of sport fan, segmentation strategy, and target market. These users experience sport beyond wins, losses, and championships. They view statistics as fantasy points, individual players as products, and injury reports as team-altering news. These users see sport through a different lens.

The purpose of this research is to gain familiarity with the …

Neuropsychological Performance In Cannabis Users And Non-Users Following Motivation Manipulation, Michelle Stiles

Psychology

Background: Previous research has yielded conflicting results regarding the long term consequences of cannabis use on cognitive functioning. Although in the cannabis literature, there is a commonly held belief associated with cannabis use called, “amotivational syndrome” the authors were unable to find any studies of neuropsychological performance that attempted to manipulate motivation. Methods: Fifty-five undergraduates (34 cannabis users and 21 non-users) participated in an extensive neuropsychological battery. The experimenter read a statement at the beginning of the battery designed to induce motivation. Group differences on test performance were calculated with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for tests that did …

Gamete Donation Understanding Prospective Donors’ Motivations, Alexa Grafmuller

Anthropology

The technological imperative that exists within the framework of society in the United States has facilitated the unprecedented emergence of new reproductive technologies, including the use of donated gametes. The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth informs us that 7.4% of married women aged 15-44 are unable to get pregnant for at least 12 consecutive months, labeled infertility, and that 11.8% of women aged 15-44 have an impaired ability to have children, labeled impaired fecundity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2005). This, paired with the social conventions of child rearing, is one prime indication that gamete donation is an …

Revitalization, Reinvigoration And Motivation Of Survivors In Changed, Restructured And Downsized Organizations: A Study Of Leadership Challenges In Local Government, Ronald L. Baza Edd

Dissertations

Over the past two-plus decades, corporate mergers, government consolidations, workforce downsizings and plant closures have increased dramatically; as a consequence, millions of workers around the nation have lost their jobs. Not surprisingly, researchers have begun to focus considerable attention on downsizing, restructuring and revitalization efforts as a means for understanding organizations undergoing major transformation. Although the studies that have been conducted have dealt with a wide range of issues associated with organizational downsizing and restructuring, there is an absence of research examining mid and upper level managers' perceptions of the efficacy of their efforts to revitalize their downsized organizations and, …

The Effects Of Interaction On Adolescent Reading Motivation, Greg A. Hoetker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study had two main purposes: One, to discover the nature of interactions that motivate adolescent students to read; and two, to follow how adolescents’ views of interaction and reading motivation evolve over time. The study’s research question was: What do student artifacts and interviews within both middle and high school contexts reveal about adolescents' perceptions of interactions with peers, teachers, and family and their motivation to read? The concept of interaction used within this study was based on a collaborative group-process learning context (Webb & Palincsar, 1996) and a social constructivist conceptualization of intrinsic motivation for literacy learning …

Voices Of Summer: Interviews With Middle School Students Repeating Academic Courses In Summer School, James Frye

Theses and Dissertations

As the needs of society changed, states faced increasing pressure from the federal government to raise educational standards. States adopted rigorous standards, however many students failed to meet defined proficiency levels, necessitating summer school attendance or grade retention. Factors associated with academic failure have been extensively documented in the academic literature. The factors identified in the research can be organized into six categories, including motivation, age and ability, withdrawal from school, parents and guardians, school practices, and teacher practices. The purpose of the current study was to explore middle school students’ perceptions of factors which contributed to the academic outcomes …

An Exploration Of The Influence Of Instructional Technologies On Faculty Motivation And Teaching Innovation On A Research Campus, Sandeford Julius Schaeffer Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

AbstractSchaeffer, Sandeford Julius. Ed.D.. The University of Memphis. May/2010. An exploration of the influence of instructional technologies on faculty motivation and teaching innovation on a research campus. Major Professor: Patricia Murrell, Ed.D.The purpose of this study was to explore how the introduction of instructional technologies has influenced the motivational attitudes of higher education faculty at research-oriented institutions with respect to their teaching responsibilities. This was a qualitative study using case-study methodology and involved multiple (4) purposefully-selected faculty members who were studied at an in-depth level within the teaching context of their institution. Research questions that were addressed included:(1) What are …

Empowered For Practice: The Relationship Among Perceived Autonomy Support, Competence, And Task Persistence Of Undergraduate Applied Music Students, Julie F. Troum

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among undergraduate applied music students' perceptions of autonomy support, competence, and task persistence. One assumption of self-determination theory was that competence would increase when social environment supported self-organization. A motivational-cognitive framework designed to promote sustained motivation in undergraduate applied music students was proposed.

Three self-report scales administered in the form of a web survey were completed by undergraduate applied music students (N = 366) at six Florida universities. The scales were designed to measure perceived autonomy support, perceived competence, and perceived persistence in practice in the applied music studio setting. …

A Conceptual Model Of Career Development To Enhance Academic Motivation, Nancy Creighton Collins

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop, refine, and validate a conceptual model of career development to enhance the academic motivation of community college students. To achieve this end, a straw model was built from the theoretical and empirical research literature. The model was then refined and validated through three rounds of a Delphi study. The Delphi study solicited the opinions of students who had successfully completed community college programs.

Three research goals guided this study: (1) identify the components of modern motivation theory that apply to the academic motivation of community college students, (2) identify key components of …

Turning Points: Stories Of How Students Get Beyond Antipathy Toward An Academic Course, Cheryl Lynn Morse

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the narratives of 10 students who began an academic course with strong negative attitudes but finished the course with strong positive attitudes. In the beginning of the course, each student exhibited one of these three tendencies: apathetic, compliant, or disillusioned; however, by the end of the course, they exhibited a transformed disposition. This study attempts to answer the question of what the turning points were for their transformation and how they made the change. The findings of this study were that regardless of individual tendencies, the ability to exercise agency was …

Contextualized Motivation Theory (Cmt): Intellectual Passion, Mathematical Need, Social Responsibility, And Personal Agency In Learning Mathematics, Janelle Marie Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Student motivation has long been a concern of mathematics educators. Here, I characterize motivation, defined as an individual's desire to act in particular ways, through analysis of students' extended, collaborative problem solving efforts. Grounded in a longitudinal research project in calculus learning and teaching, Contextualized Motivation Theory (CMT) offers a means for understanding the complexities of student motivations in mathematics learning. Students in this study chose to act upon various intellectual-mathematical motivations and social-personal motivations, existing simultaneously, within a supporting "web" of motivations. Students exhibited intellectual passion in persisting beyond obtaining correct answers to build understandings of mathematical ideas. CMT …

Motivations For Camp Staff To Work At Camp, Jessica M. Cresci

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Camp staff are the heart of summer camps and can affect how the summer runs. The purpose of this study was to identify the motivations for staff to work at residential summer camps with special regard to any differences in motivations between staff who attended camp as a camper and staff who never attended camp as well as between international and national staff. This study used cluster sampling measuring 21 possible motivations. A link to an online survey was sent to eight camps as identified on the American Camp Association website. The top six motivations for staff to work at …

Trust On The Web: The Impact Of Social Consensus On Information Credibility, Katherine Del Guidice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Models of the need-driven information search and the information appraisal process were formed from a comprehensive literature review of factors affecting perceived credibility and trust in online information. The social component of online credibility has not, to date, been thoroughly researched. This component's impact on the development of the perceived credibility of online information was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, the impact of positive, mixed, and negative social feedback on the development of the perceived credibility of a web page was evaluated. In the second experiment, the effect of social feedback on credibility was examined under two …

The Impact Of Motivation On Pre-College Level Students Enrolled In A Learning Community At An Historically Black College/Univers, Jontoinette White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is believed that purposefully constructed learning communities can have academic, social, and motivational advantages for its participants. In an effort to improve graduation and retention of students, some HBCUs have sought new ways to construct learning environments that are conducive to the learning styles of students of color. This study sought to investigate the impact of a learning community on pre-college level students standardized test scores and final grades. The Repeated Measures One-Way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference in COMPASS score change between groups with the comparison group demonstrating a greater change than did the learning community group. …

Comparison Of Learning Experiences And Outcomes Between A Serious Game-Based And Non-Game-Based Online American History Course, Taryn Hess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of online courses continues to increase despite the small amount of research that exists on the effectiveness of online educational environments. The little research that has been conducted has focused on evaluating factors taken into consideration during the adoption of online learning environments. One notable benefit often cited is the ability to incorporate multimedia such as video games. Although game researchers and developers are pushing for the use of video games for educational purposes, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of serious video games. When paring the increasing use of online educational environments, the push …