Browsing by Subject "motivation"
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Item A Case Study Exploring Motivational Determinants of Mid-Level Student Affairs Administrators(2012-02-14) Hernandez, Cynthia LeticiaMid-level administrators comprise the largest group of administrative professionals on college campuses today. These professionals affect the daily lives of students and contribute significantly to the overall coordination of institutional resources and activities. Despite the importance of their role in administering programs, services, and other functions central to the mission of the university, little research has been conducted examining the issues that impact their motivation and job performance. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to increase understanding of the factors affecting work motivation of mid-level student affairs administrators through the identification of motivational determinants and an exploration of whether these determinants differed based on the career stage of the mid-level administrator. This study used Vroom?s theory of work motivation, specifically valence, instrumentality, and expectancy, to determine the factors motivating mid-level student affairs administrators to perform in their work roles. Ten mid-level student affairs administrators at a large, public, Hispanic-serving institution were interviewed. Findings suggest that mid-level student affairs administrators are motivated by the opportunity to serve students and influence the development of their subordinate staff. Participants cited internal drives, such as work ethic and a need for achievement, and external factors, such as opportunities to engage in their own professional development, recognition, and pay, as motivators. Some participants maintained that the culture of the institution had an impact on their motivation to perform. Individually and collectively, these motivational determinants influenced the effort and performance of these mid-level administrators in their work roles. Overall, the participants reported that they enjoyed their work and felt rewarded for their efforts in their work roles. Findings suggest that important differences in motivational determinants as a function of career stage are negligible. Implications and recommendations to implement initiatives to promote and support the identified motivational factors are discussed.Item Artificial Stimulation of Cephalic Cholinergic Sensory Neurons Induces Mating-Like Motor Responses in Male Caenorhabditis elegans(2012-12-06) Midkiff, JamesAll complex organisms possess a nervous system which they use to monitor environmental and internal stimuli. In higher vertebrates, the nervous system is comprised of billions of cells which form highly plastic neural networks from their synapses. These large neural circuits modulate complex behaviors. The nematode roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans uses a small but highly-interconnected nervous system to carry out complex behaviors. The nervous system of C. elegans is a tractable model to determine the effects of changes on a nervous system at the systemic, cellular, genetic, and molecular levels. The C. elegans male?s nervous system detects environmental conditions, mating cues, attractants, repellents, and the location and composition of possible food sources and integrates these inputs to compute the decision of whether or not to mate. Mating behavior in the C. elegans male is regulated at a number of steps by cholinergic signaling from various sensory and sensory-motor neurons, but a comprehensive model of how cholinergic signaling controls this circuit has not yet been elucidated. Previous studies have thoroughly dissected the cellular structure, neural connectivity, and signaling pathways of the male?s peripheral circuits located in the genital regions of the animal?s tail. However, no studies have been conducted to determine what role the cephalic cholinergic neurons have in regulating mating behavior. I hypothesized that cephalic cholinergic neurons exert regulatory control over the male-specific mating circuit. I inserted the transmembrane light-activated ion pore Channelrhodopsin-2 fused to YFP and expressed from the Punc-17small promoter into these neurons and selectively stimulated them using high-intensity blue light. Stimulation induced mating-like behaviors in the male tail consistent with behaviors seen during copulation with a hermaphrodite. Using behavioral assays, I demonstrated that these behaviors were male-specific and only occurred after direct stimulation in the absence of a hermaphrodite. Incidence of mating-like behaviors increased significantly as the worm aged, and the mating circuit retained a memory of the stimulus, indicated by the latency between stimulation and onset of mating-like behaviors. Brief food deprivation, which normally downregulates excitability of the mating circuit via UNC-103 ERG-like K+ channels, caused an unexpected increase in the number of blue light-stimulated behaviors displayed. Pharmacological assays using acetylcholine (ACh) agonists showed that stimulation of the cephalic cholinergic neurons increased propensity for spicule protraction in the presence of an ACh agonist, and partially restored the decline in spicule protraction associated with temporary food deprivation. I sought to identify the cephalic cholinergic neuron or neurons responsible for regulating mating-like behavior in the tail circuits. I looked for a reduction in mating-like behaviors after stimulation after removal of a cephalic cholinergic neuron pair via laser micro-ablation. Two cholinergic and chemosensory neuron pairs in the inner labial sensilla (IL2L/R and IL2VL/R) appear to generate and/or relay the signal that induces mating-like behaviors in the tail. I hypothesize that these neurons sense environmental cues before the male contacts a mate, and modulate lasting motivational changes within the male mating circuit.Item Developing an alternative model for travel decision-making(2009-05-15) Hung, KamThis study proposes an alternative travel decision making model and situates its arguments in the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) theoretical construct. The MOA model suggests that motivation, opportunity, and ability are major factors influencing decision making. Applying this model in the context of tourism, the proposed model suggests that travel behaviors are determined by self-congruity, functional congruity, perceived travel constraints, constraint negotiation, and self-efficacy. The proposed model and hypotheses were tested in the context of cruise travel. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were utilized in this study. Semi-structured interviews with both cruisers and non-cruisers were first conducted to derive measurement items for the interested constructs and to understand how different factors influence travel decision making. An online panel survey was followed to collect quantitative data for testing the proposed theoretical model and hypotheses. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test both the proposed model and hypothesized relationships among the constructs. The analyses were performed with Analysis of MOment Structures (AMOS 7.0). All hypotheses except one were supported by the data. The proposed model also had an acceptable fit to the data. Based on the findings, both theoretical and practical implications of the study were recommended.Item Effects of Participation in a Summer Sports Camp on At-Risk Boys: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective(2014-08-07) Yang, Jae YoungSummer camps have received recent attention as an intervention to increase adolescents? physical activity. To date, research has rarely focused how a summer camp influences at-risk boys? motivation and physical activity through a self-determination theory. The purpose of this study was to examine changes of motivational and physical measures for at-risk boys participating in a summer sports camp. This study also investigated whether initiative games provide instructor support for autonomy, competence, and relatedness for at-risk boys. One hundred at-risk boys, aged 10-13 years, participated in a summer sports camp located in southwest U.S. for three weeks. The boys participated in scheduled camp activities on daily basis during the three-week camp period. Three motivational measure questionnaires (Psychological Needs Perception; Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire II ? BREQ II; Perceived Instructor Support) and PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) test were completed by the boys at the beginning of camp as pre-test and then, at the end of camp, the boys completed all the measures in the same manner again as post-test. In addition, fifty boys who participated in the initiative games were interviewed about perceptions of instructor support for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and observations were conducted to collect instructor?s supportive behaviors for autonomy, competence, and relatedness during initiative games. Results revealed the boys? amotivation increased and their intrinsic regulation decreased across the camp period. The boys? PACER test scores showed no significant changes across the two different time periods. Further, the boys perceived the instructor?s supportive behaviors (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness support) during the initiative games. The findings suggest programs that allow more camper-centered options and de-emphasize competition may promote increased motivation and physical activity of at-risk boys through better meeting their needs.Item Exploring interests: are there relationships among general interests, reading interests, and personality dimensions?(2009-05-15) West, Courtney AnnThis study explored the relationships among high school students? general interests, reading interests, and personality dimensions. Two hundred and fifty one 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students in a rural school district in east central Texas completed three questionnaires. General interests were determined by the Strong Interest Explorer, personality dimensions were determined by the Big Five Inventory, and book reading interests were determined by the Reading Interest Rating Scale. The reading interest scores were adjusted for reading ability based on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) English/Language Arts scale scores. A factor analysis including six general interest variables, five personality variables, and four reading interest variables was conducted. The analysis yielded five factors. Factor 1 had the highest loadings from Holland?s general interest types. Factor 2 was dominated by the book categories (Contemporary Fiction, Fact-based Literature, Poetry, and Modern Fantasy). Factors 3, 4, and 5 had the highest loadings from the personality dimensions. Factor 3 included Openness, Factor 4 included Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, and Factor 5 included Extraversion. Factor 3, which accounted for 11.67% of the variance, was the only factor where a personality variable (Openness), a general interest variable (Artistic), and a reading interest variable (Modern Fantasy) loaded moderately to highly together. In this particular case alone, teachers may help students select materials that match their personal needs and personalities (Lau & Cheung, 1988) by recommending texts in the modern fantasy genre to those who exhibit openness and value artistic expression. With the exception of Openness, none of the Big Five Personality Dimensions loaded with a book category. There was also only one strong book category and general interest loading. Reading interests appear to be exclusive of general life interests and personality dimensions. Based on the findings, it appears that text-based situational interest is evoked by topics or ideas that are universally appealing (Hidi & Anderson, 1992). Since text-based interest can be controlled by teachers to some degree (Krapp, Hidi, & Renninger, 1992; Schraw, Flowerday, & Lehman, 2001), promoting student independence and choice should broaden students? interests and help increase intrinsic motivation to read (Deci, 1992).Item Giving Back and Developing Connections: Supports for Self-Determination and Initiative In a College Leadership Group(2010-01-14) Opersteny, Martha G.The developmental period of adolescence typically refers to the years between 13 and 19, and is associated with developmental tasks that help youth become young adults. The transition to adulthood is typically recognized by common adulthood benchmarks such as leaving home, finishing school, marriage, financial independence and having children. However, many young men and women attending college remain financially and emotionally dependent on their parents, as they have not entered the professional work ranks and are faced with the challenges of college. Increasingly, colleges and universities are becoming places to help teach young people to become prepared for the professional ranks and engaged with the world that surrounds them. However, very little research in higher education is focused on the developmental benefits associated with the college experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of developmental supports for self-determination and initiative in a student leadership program. Throughout the youth development literature, self-determination and initiative are recognized as important internal capacities that aid young people as they transition to adulthood. These concepts provide the theoretical lens for a qualitative case study of a college leadership group. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews, observations, a year end focus group, and supplemented by a review of the organizational instruments and tools they develop. Findings from this study confirm past studies of youth development organizations and extend this work by applying it to the developmental period of emerging adulthood. For the leadership group under investigation, initiative and self-determination were supported primarily through the actions of peers within the group. The experience of student leaders often shaped how the group was led, and these leaders became an important source of support for the basic needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy within the group. The study covers a three-year period, and contrasts how peer leadership changed and impacted group functioning and performance over time. Practical implications of the study relate to the important role of faculty and graduate student advisors in training and monitoring student leaders before these individuals take a formal leadership role for these groups.Item Identity and motivation for engagement within a professional distributed community of practice(2009-05) Steele, Haley Kay; Liu, Min, Ed. D.Many learning organizations are using communities of practice as a strategy for knowledge sharing among members. Ensuring those members' participation in the activities of the community remains a problem for instructional designers, particularly in the case of communities that use an electronic environment as a means of communication. Wenger (1998) suggests that developing an "identity of participation" is the basis for an individual's motivation to participate in the practices of a community. In order to better understand the interplay of identity and motivation, this study supplemented Wenger's work with self-determination theory, which focuses on how motivation is produced by an individual's personality developing and functioning in a social setting. This framework was used in a mixed-methods study of a distributed community of practice for instructors from many different universities, in order to better understand the interplay between identity, motivation, and participation in such a community. The study found that age was an identity factor that made a statistically significant difference in motivation in this community, with participants over 60 years of age indicating that their basic needs for motivation were not being met as well as other age groups. It was also found that those who identified themselves as experts within the community did not feel motivated to share their knowledge, but instead saw their role as a passive receiver of information. Contrary to expected outcomes, community members did not report having technical concerns that hampered their motivation to participate, nor did they indicate having issues with the overseeing organization for this community. However, members did feel that the universities that employed them exerted undue control over their participation within this community, particularly in regards to demands on their time.Item Leader Identity Development: Understanding Adolescent Practice Experiences of Future Organizational Leaders(2013-07-30) Yeager, Katherine LChanges in the workplace and impending shortages of organizational leaders make it imperative that HRD professionals develop a better understanding of the developmental processes of emergent leaders entering the workplace. While leader development research within the field of HRD has typically focused on established workers, the research in this study assumes a lifespan approach to leader development. This study contributes to the development of the field by examining the leadership experiences of 18 to 20 year olds who were leaders of organizations in high school and how these experiences shaped the identities of these emergent leaders. Themes that emerged related to their experiences included their relationships with others, how they led by example, the development of authentic leadership qualities, and their motivation to lead in new venues. Implications for practice and future research are identified.Item Testing a Multicomponent Model of Reading Comprehension for Seventh- and Eighth-Grade Students(2013-04-27) Smith, Stacey RaffertyReading is a complex construct with multiple components that have been theorized and empirically tested. Two multicomponent reading comprehension models were tested in this study to extend understanding of the relation of components skills and to extend prior research by adding a new component of motivation. A battery of reading measures were completed by 172 seventh- and eighth-grade students that consisted of reading comprehension, vocabulary, background knowledge, inference, motivation, and sentence comprehension fluency. This study examined a full sample of students as well as a subset of students identified as struggling readers for those scoring less than the 25th percentile on comprehension. Two models were tested for best fit for the Modified DIME and the Multicomponent Model of Reading Comprehension (MMRC). The Modified DIME Model accounted for 63.1% of total variance in reading comprehension. The MMRC also accounted for 63.5% of total variance in reading comprehension after motivation was included as a component of comprehension. Consistent with prior research, findings corroborated the direct influence of multiple components on reading comprehension; most notably vocabulary and the ability to make inferences. Vocabulary provided the largest direct and overall effect in both models. In the Modified DIME Model, vocabulary made the largest direct (.428) and overall contribution (.654) to reading comprehension; vocabulary also held the largest influence for the MMRC both directly (.429) and in overall influence (.653) to reading comprehension. Inference-making was the second-largest direct and overall contributor for both the Modified DIME (.398) and the MMRC (.390). Findings were consistent for both struggling and typical readers in both models. In this study, there was no direct path from motivation to comprehension; however, when direct and indirect relationships were combined, motivation became the third largest contributor to reading comprehension (.186). Motivation was significantly and directly related to comprehension for typical readers (.171, p < .05), but not for those who struggle to read (-.043, p > .05). The findings suggest typical readers with higher motivation perform better on reading comprehension tasks, but there is no direct relationship for struggling readers. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are also discussed.Item The Effects of Behaviorist and Constructivist Instruction on Student Performance in College-level Remedial Mathematics(2011-10-21) Cox, Murray WilliamThe number of American students with insufficient post-secondary mathematical abilities is increasing and the related rate of student attrition increases alongside the upsurge in college developmental programs. As a consequence, the demand for quality remedial mathematics classes is also growing. Institutions that place learners into remedial classes must also fund these same programs and are increasingly faced with disgruntled students, the appearance of having lower standards, and a demoralized faculty. The legal implications concerning placement and access have gone as far as litigation over student rights. The threat of performance based funding means that educational institutions are in need of demonstrably effective mathematical remediation techniques. This study examines the effect of pedagogical style for college-level remedial mathematics students and the effect of the chosen assessment method in determining student success. Specifically, this study explains student achievement for college students exposed to a pedagogical style from either the constructivist or behaviorist foundation as measured with short-answer, rote-knowledge questions and with long-answer, deductive-reasoning questions. Furthermore, consideration of student self-efficacy is investigated in order to account for any variation in instructional method. Ultimately, this study describes the effects of both instruction type and assessment method on the success of college-level remedial mathematics students. The findings in this study reveal quality teaching is of paramount importance in educating the remedial college student. Students from both methods, with instruction being performed with high fidelity, demonstrated statistically significant improvement over the semester. Moreover, the findings in this study further reveal that remedial students with strong reasons to succeed (combined with the quality teaching method) find success in the developmental mathematics classroom regardless of assessment method. In fact, though students tend to score higher on short-answer questions than extended-answer questions, the amount of improvement after a semester of quality teaching is nearly equal in question types under both instructional methods.Item The Feasibility of Employee Incentive and Recognition Programs(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 1998) Oakes, RandyItem The Influence Of Special Education On Education Support Of Ethnic Students As Perceived By Administrators And Teachers In Selected Public Schools In Education Service Center, Region 20, Texas(2011-10-21) Faldik, Nancy JeanThe purpose of this study was to identify educators' beliefs indicating the most preferred support for students with disabilities in the general education classroom setting. This study examined professional educators' attitudes regarding four student supports (motivation, accommodations/modifications, academic improvements, and social issues) for students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. In addition, the goals of this study included public school educators' attitudes toward the aforementioned four areas of support, specifically within three student ethnic groups (Hispanic, African American, and Whites). The final goal of the study was to compare the attitudes of each of the organizational roles (administrators, general education teachers, special education teachers, and others) regarding motivation, accommodations/modifications, academic improvements, and social issues of students with disabilities participating in general education inclusive classrooms. The findings from this research indicate: 1. Educators perceive accommodations/modifications to be the most beneficial support to offer all students with disabilities in the general education inclusive classroom. 2. Educators perceive accommodations/modifications to be the most beneficial support to offer all students with disabilities in the general education inclusive classroom, regardless of ethnic origin. The results of this study reveal no difference in educators' attitudes within the three student ethnic groups. 3. Administrators, general education teachers, and the organizational role of other professionals in the school believe the primary focus for student support in the inclusive classroom should be on incorporating appropriate accommodations/modifications. 4. Special education teachers perceive academic improvements (differentiated instruction) as their first preference of student support for children with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. The overall findings in this study clearly reveal a pattern of educators' preferences regarding the four student supports for students in special education programs. Accommodations/modifications is the first focus of support for educators to implement, followed by academic improvements (differentiated instruction). The pattern continues with educators indicating motivation to be the third student support and social issues to be the fourth preference.Item Why abstain from sex? building and psychometric testing of the Sexual Abstinence Motivation Scale (SAMS).(2009-05-15) Dunsmore, Sarah CatherineAn understanding of both sexual activity and sexual abstinence among young people is crucial in preventing the negative consequences of early sex initiation. The study of motivation is essential for health educators to be effective in persuading individuals to adopt healthy behaviors and avoid health-compromising ones. A discussion of the multi-dimensional construct of motivation for sexual abstinence is absent from the adolescent sexual behavior literature. Within this study, in-depth brainstorming sessions among college students and the construction of concept maps were used to identify and visually represent potentially relevant dimensions of motivation for sexual abstinence. Based upon these results, the Sexual Abstinence Motivation Scale (SAMS) was developed and psychometrically tested with a pilot group, as well as a statistically representative final group from two major universities in central Texas. Based on the results from this exploratory analysis, the final version of the SAMS included eight scales and 41 items. The eight factors were: Commitment to Self-Schema, Risk of Disappointing Authority Figures, Fear/Apprehension of the Sexual Experience, Fear of Physical Consequences, Value of Virginity, Reputation Regret, No Opportunity/Not Important, and Manipulation. The analyses of the psychometric properties of the SAMS lend support to the validity and reliability of scores it generated. The examination of convergent validity of the SAMS showed significant negative correlations with the Sexual Ideology Instrument -- an indication that the instrument appeared to be measuring motivation for sexual abstinence. Adequate reliability computed through Cronbach alpha demonstrated the items in the SAMS were measuring the same construct ? motivation for sexual abstinence. Prior to this study, assumptions about factors of motivation for sexual abstinence and their possible structure were unknown. Based on results of this examination, preliminary elements now exist that can be tested for the development of these assumptions. The dimensions uncovered in this analysis contribute to the development and refinement of a theory of motivation for sexual abstinence. Further examination, specifically confirmatory factor analysis using the SAMS, is needed.