Browsing by Subject "Achievement motivation"
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Item A study of need for achievement and test anxiety in elementary school children(Texas Tech University, 1970-12) Smith, Cynthia LynneNot availableItem Achievement motivation among interactive and coactive athletes: a personal investment perspective(Texas Tech University, 1996-08) Schilling, Tammy AnnetteNot availableItem The effects of self-efficacy, social physique anxiety, attributions, and feelings of mastery on post-exercise psychological state(2004) Miller, Bridget Marie; Bartholomew, John B.It is well known that acute bouts of exercise are sufficient to improve psychological state. However, a number of different hypotheses exist to explain these changes with little consensus regarding a single mechanism to explain the effects. The mastery hypothesis postulates that the successful completion of an effortful task, such as exercise, results in a feeling of accomplishment or mastery, and those feelings of mastery produce improved psychological states, particularly for those tasks that are considered important to the individual. Thus, the exercise-induced improvement in psychological state will be maximized in those individuals with positive assessments of performance. In addition, given the nature of the environment, dispositional traits like self-efficacy and social physique anxiety will likely impact feelings of mastery. Data was collected in two exercise environments differing in both structure and format in order to maximize differences and create a stronger test of the mastery hypothesis. Overall, social physique anxiety and self-efficacy had little effect on the relationship between mastery and the resulting post-exercise psychological state. Path analysis supported the viability of the mastery hypothesis as a mechanism to explain the differences in psychological response to exercise. In both exercise conditions, all exercisers reported significant reductions in negatively valenced states, like negative affect and psychological distress. However, high mastery individuals in both conditions experienced significantly greater increases in positively valenced states, like positive affect and positive well-being, compared to the low mastery individuals. However, differences between conditions existed for attributions suggestions that the exercise environment my influence ones belief about their exercise. Participants in the aerobics condition exhibited a larger self-serving bias, which may be due to the environment of the class being more of an achievement situation than the cardiovascular & weight training class. Even though attributional differences existed, the differences had no effect on the resulting mood.Item From expectations to success : examining the relation of educational expectations to educational attainment for African American and white adolescents(2008-12) Imes, Amy Elizabeth; Huston, Aletha C.The primary purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which educational expectations contribute to educational attainment for different subgroups of youth using a model of educational attainment that draws from two theoretical frameworks – status attainment theory and the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. This combined model of educational attainment posits that certain factors contribute to attainment, including SES, achievement, self-concept of ability, educational values, and educational expectations. A within-subject fixed-effects approach is used in all of the models tested to address issues of endogeneity. Empirical findings suggest that expectations may not influence attainment for African American youth and youth from low-SES families. In the present study, the relations of expectations for attending college to the amount of education attained are investigated for African American and White youth and for youth from high and low SES backgrounds. Although there is no evidence suggesting that expectations contribute to attainment differently for males and females, research suggests that the link between achievement and self-concept of ability may differ by gender. Overall, the data support the hypotheses that: a) educational expectations predict educational attainment for each subgroup assessed; and b) educational values and self-concept of ability are precursors of this relation. However, the association between achievement and self-concept of ability is not statistically different for males and females. The results of this study suggest that expectations are important for attainment irrespective of race, socio-economic status, and gender differences. Because such similarities have not previously been reported in the literature, this study makes a unique contribution and may serve as a guide for future investigation.Item How college students explain their grades in a foreign language course: the interrelationship of attributions, self-efficacy, language learning beliefs, and achievement(2004) Hsieh, Pei-hsuan; Schallert, Diane L.Research on self-efficacy has been extremely prolific in the past two decades with many researchers investigating the relationship between students’ self-efficacy and achievement in a wide variety of domains. Similarly, there has been a wealth of research examining the relationship between attribution and achievement. Self-efficacy are the beliefs people have about whether or not they can successfully complete a task while attributions are the beliefs people have for why they have or have not been successful at a task they have just completed. These two areas of beliefs and their effects on students’ achievement have seldom been researched together though they have each independently contributed to our understanding of how critical students’ appraisals of themselves can be for their success in school. Although studies have reported on how students make attributions in general and research has looked at students’ self-efficacy in areas such as math, science and sports, one domain has been surprisingly neglected, language learning. This study examined the general question of the relationship between foreign language learners’ attribution, self-efficacy beliefs, general language learning beliefs, and their achievement in foreign language classes. Quantitative methods were used to examine Weiner’s attribution theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory in the foreign language field. Participants were 500 undergraduates enrolled in Spanish, German, and French classes who were asked to fill out self-report questionnaires about their language learning beliefs, attitudes and motivation towards foreign language learning, and to provide attribution and self-efficacy ratings upon receiving two mid-semester exam grades. Results indicated that self-efficacy correlated positively with internal, personal, and stable attributions, and negatively with external attributions. In addition, self-efficacy correlated positively with ability and effort attributions, and negatively with luck and teacher attributions. Results also indicated that students who made internal or stable attributions for success had higher self-efficacy beliefs than students who made external or unstable attributions. Students who made unstable or internal attributions for failure also had higher self-efficacy than those who made stable or external attributions. Finally, students making internal attributions received higher grades than students making external attributions, and the same was true for students making personal as opposed to non-personal attributions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.Item Professionalism of women and men teachers and other professionals as measured by locus of control, achievement motivation, and Hall's professionalism scale(Texas Tech University, 1979-08) Bobo, Evelyn Maxine PlasterThe primary purpose of this study was to assess the present state of professionalism among public school teachers, with an emphasis on female public school teachers. A secondary purpose was to examine the state of professionalism of men and women in the classic professions, again with an emphasis on women. Differences were examined between men and women public school teachers, with the teachers being divided into two groups. The first group included men and women experienced teachers who were over 32 years of age and who had taught in public school 10 years or more. The second group included men and women beginning teachers who were between 21 and 27 and had taught between three to five years. Differences in professionalism also were examined between public school teachers, as a combined group, and the classic professionals (law, medicine, business, and university teaching). This study examined professionalism traits of women and men, based on traditionally accepted definitions of professionalism. Traits such as knowledge, autonomy, commitment, organization, and certification were examined as descriptors of professionalism. The following discussion illustrates how these traits were examined in this study.Item Psychological attributes of career and noncareer married women(Texas Tech University, 1986-05) Turner, Martha JeanWomen simultaneously involved in a marital relationship and a career attempt to blend a traditional female role with a traditional male role. Theory and research suggest that women who place themselves in this position may differ along a number of personality dimensions from women who adopt traditional social roles as homemakers and/or noncareer wage earners. For example, Burke and Weir (1976) found that women in dual career relationships expressed a lower need for intimacy and more masculine characteristics than the homemakers in their study. Hunt and Hunt (19 82) suggest that women in dual career relationships become "'sociological men'--persons who emphasize their public work lives and enjoy the resulting power and independence" (p. 50 4). Overall these suggestions and conclusions combine with others (i.e. Birnbaum, 1971; Holmstrom, 1972; Pepitone-Rockwell, 1980; Rice, 1979) to indicate that compared to their traditional counterparts, women involved in dual career relationships are lower in femininity and intimacy needs and higher in masculinity and achievement motivation.Item Self-determination in context : an examination of factors that influence school performance among African American males in high school(2008-05) Davis, Leroy, 1968-; Yates, James R.The purpose of this study was to examine self-determination and achievement motivation as predictors of successful school performance for high school African American males enrolled in an urban Texas school district. The students (N = 108) were placed into two distinct groups: higher-performing and lower-performing African American males based upon the following: (a) Numerical average in core classes taken, (b) performance on the Texas state achievement test, (c) placement in academic classes and programs, and (d) attendance and discipline records. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in which African American males responded to The Needs Satisfaction Scale (Ilardi, Leone, Kasser, & Ryan, 1993; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Gagne, 2003) and The Student Opinion Survey/Education Survey (Murdock, 1993). Tests of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used in this study to measure the mean differences between the two groups in terms of self-determination (autonomy, relatedness, and competence); and achievement motivation (personal motivation, parent encouragement, teacher support, and peer support). The study found statistically significant differences in levels of self-determination and achievement motivation between the two groups. The qualitative segment was used to explore factors that lead to successful school performance for the African American males included in this study. Four themes emerged: (a) parental encouragement and expectations, (b) involvement in extracurricular activities, (c) personal motivation to achieve, and (d) relationships with significant adults. Recommendations are made to replicate this study in school with larger African American student enrollment and in schools with high achievement and high economic levels. Also, the study may be replicated with other ethnic groups who historically have experienced poor school performance.Item The effects of sex role and fear of success on competitive behavior(Texas Tech University, 1979-08) Daniels, Howard B.In spite of the fact that we live in a culture which overtly promotes equality and in spite of the fact that we encourage our children to attend educational systems which purportedly prepare men and women for identical careers, there exist vast differences between men and women when examining ultimate achievement levels. This is especially true if standards of achievement are those such as income, power, or status. Anastasi (1953), in a survey of women throughout history, reported that less than 10% of the people who have achieved eminence have been women and that more than half of these achieved such eminence by being sovereigns by birthright. Although these statistics have undoubtedly changed, recent reports continue to emphasize differences. As late as 1970, only 5% of all lawyers and judges and 9% of all physicians in the United States were wom.en (Council of Economic Advisors, 1973).Item The interaction of attitude and self-efficacy with innovativeness and locus of control in teachers in a televised training course(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Mahan, Karl A.One-way instmctional television, as a delivery system, can present material in a manner that facilitates learning. Methods for effectively incorporating the medium into instmctional settings have been estabUshed and will continue to be explored as the technology continues to advance and become more commonplace in schools (Thompson, Simonson, & Hargrave, 1992). The purpose of this study was to determine if participant's levels of innovativeness and locus of control demonstrate a relationship and/or an interaction with attitude and self-efficacy in a staff development course in technology taught via one way television. This set of participant personal variables is compared to determine if, after the delivery of the course, any one variable is a possible predictor of student attitude and self-efficacy. When combining the inclusion of technology into the curriculum and the deliver) of that training via one-way television, variables that predict success or failure are relevant (Rossett. 1987).Item The relationship between peak performance and motivation in college and high school baseball players(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Magers, Jason GrantThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between peak performance and motivation. Subjects for this study consisted of 40 baseball players (21 high school & 19 college). Each subject completed the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS), followed by the Experience Questionnaire dhected towards an average performance, and finally, the Experience Questionnaire directed towards their best performance. Based on the difference score on the Experience Questionnaire directed towards their best performance and their average performance subjects were categorized as peak or nonpeak performers. For both high school and college basebaU players scores from the SMS, for intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and scores from the Experience Questionnaire for the best performance for peak performers and non-peak performers were correlated. This resulted in four correlations for each group; the four correlation scores were (1) peak perfomiers best performance score and intrinsic motivation, (2) peak performers best performance score and extrinsic motivation, (3) non-peak performers best performance score and mtrinsic motivation, and (4) non-peak performers best performance score and extrinsic motivation. Finally, a coefficient of determination was calculated to determine to what extent the motivation scores influence performance scores. Results suggest that controlling and informational aspects of motivation such as scholarships, and skill level may play a role m the relationship between peak performance and motivation.Item The relationship between value systems, motivation factors, and dissatisfaction factors of senior engineering technology students(Texas Tech University, 1981-12) Patterson, Joseph ANot available