Examining big brother's purpose for using electronic performance monitoring

We examined whether the reason offered for electronic performance monitoring (EPM) influenced participants' performance, stress, motivation, and satisfaction. Participants performed a data‐entry task in one of five experimental conditions. In one condition, participants were not electronically monitored. In the remaining conditions, participants were electronically monitored but the explanation varied. One group was told that they would be electronically monitored but were given no explanation. Another group was told that EPM would be used to research factors associated with performance. In the developmental condition, participants were told that EPM would be used to provide them with feedback to improve performance, and in the administrative condition, participants were informed that EPM would be used to distribute rewards and punishments. Administrative condition participants had higher motivation and performance yet relatively low stress and dissatisfaction levels. Thus, EPM may enhance performance on simple, repetitive tasks without necessarily producing negative outcomes.     

谈判中动机性信息加工理论述评

以往谈判研究多从认知或动机的单一视角切入,动机性信息加工（MIP）理论首次结合了认知视角和动机视角,探讨谈判的过程和机制。MIP理论由社会动机和求知动机两方面构成。社会动机指对谈判结果在自己与对方之间的特定分配的偏好,影响信息加工的选择和内容,求知动机指发展和保持对周围世界的精确和全面理解的意愿,影响信息加工的深度。MIP理论的谈判研究也取得了丰富的成果,如谈判策略的选择、信息选择的偏好等。同时,对未来的研究进行了展望。     

Is effort praise motivational? The role of beliefs in the effort–ability relationship

In two studies, we investigated how beliefs in the effort–ability relationship moderated the effects of effort praise on student motivation. Study 1 showed that the more the participants believed that effort and ability were related positively (the positive rule) versus related negatively (the inverse rule), the more they would have positive self-evaluation and intrinsic motivation after effort praise. Study 2, with participants’ beliefs manipulated by a priming procedure, showed that the participants in the positive rule condition had better self-evaluation and more intrinsic motivation after effort praise than their counterparts did in the inverse rule condition. The results of the two studies converged to indicate that the motivational effects of effort praise depend on beliefs in the effort–ability relationship.     

高校志愿者参与大型节事的动机研究——以2009世界集邮展览为例

高校志愿者参与大型节事的动机主要有理想奉献动机、自我提高动机、归属动机、走出常规动机、回报社会动机、社会责任动机、功利利益动机、消磨时光动机。其中,志愿者所处的年级及是否隶属于某个志愿者组织对志愿者参与动机没有影响,专业差别会导致志愿者在理想奉献动机上有显著差异,性别差异导致志愿者在理想奉献动机和自我提高动机上有显著差异,志愿者是否参与过其他志愿活动或是否有过志愿服务经历会导致志愿者在理想奉献动机、自我提高动机、走出常规动机、归属动机、回报社会动机、消磨时间动机上存在显著性差异。     

Ethnic Senior Schools,Religion, and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Korean Immigrants in the United States: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative case study examined the influence of the social support provided by attendance at ethnic senior schools on the psychological well-being of older Korean immigrants with limited skills in English, driving, and the use of public transportation. This study also sought to understand how older Korean immigrants' religion helped them to deal with the psychological stress resulting from living in the United States. Ten older Korean immigrants attending the same ethnic senior school were chosen for the study. Ethnic senior schools provide participants with opportunities to leave the house, to meet friends who can provide emotional support, and to have self-enhancement experiences. The participants' religion enabled them to appreciate their current situations, to feel protected and guided, and to serve others voluntarily. The results highlight the importance of older immigrants' attending senior schools as well as the importance of their religion in dealing with the psychological distress associated with immigration.     

自我增强取向下的亲社会行为:基于能动性和社交性的行为路径

人的自我增强需求既要提升自身积极品质和个人价值感,又要通过关注他人的利益来实现自我和社会之间的整合与适应,从而提升社会价值感。这种自我增强需求在特定情境下通过能动性和社交性两条路径促进亲社会行为。在能动性方面,助人效能感和自主性助人动机是两个重要因素。助人效能感促进亲社会行为,而作为内部稳定特质的自主性助人动机则制约环境因素对亲社会行为的影响。在社交性方面,个体对行为的社会价值和社会公开性的知觉,以及对"施助者-受助者"双方的关系表征,或者对亲社会行为意图均有着重要的影响。     

Classrooms without “Teachers”

Abstract

This article reports findings of two studies exploring instructor feedback orientations. Study one examined relationships between Big Five personality traits and student feedback orientations. Study two examined relationships between academic traits and feedback orientations. Canonical correlations identified two significant functions for each study. Study one found that agreeable, conscientious, and open individuals were more likely and neurotic individuals less likely to view instructor feedback as useful and likely to be retained while being less sensitive to it. Study one also found conscientious and neurotic individuals more likely and extraverted individuals less likely to desire confidential feedback. Study two found entitled and grade-oriented individuals to be more sensitive to feedback and view feedback as less likely to be retained. Study two also found learning-oriented individuals less likely to desire confidential feedback and grade-oriented individuals more likely to do so.     

USING AN INTERNET ACTIVITY TO ENHANCE STUDENTS' AWARENESS OF AGE BIAS IN SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS

Seeking to extend curricula in a Psychology of Aging course, an online Internet test that assesses user's implicit attitudes was used as part of a learning activity to enhance students' awareness of age-bias in social perceptions. A pretest-posttest methodology examined the efficacy of this learning activity in three separate investigations. Overall, results suggest the learning activity increases students' awareness of cognitive biases in their perceptions of others. Further, self-enhancement motivation and alliance with a group that has suffered prejudice or discrimination were found to mediate bias ratings. The need to recognize age as a diversity issue and promote positive representations of older adults is discussed.     

Facilitators and barriers to African American high school students' self-determination skill expression

We conducted four focus group interviews with 24 high school youth to examine facilitators and barriers to African American high school students' expression of various self-determination skills (e.g., choice/decision making, self-advocacy, goal setting, and attainment etc.). The majority of our research participants were African American, with one student identifying as multiracial (African American and White). Key findings revealed that personal (e.g., desire to graduate from school) and contextual factors (e.g., school counselor and teacher support) influenced the participants' expression of multiple self-determination skills. We also found that some of the participants' motives for utilizing or not utilizing specific skills were influenced by what they perceived as racist, punitive, and restrictive school practices (e.g., teachers holding negative perceptions about African American students and school counselors restricting their access to advanced courses). Findings from this study support ongoing calls for educators to consider students' cultural backgrounds and lived experiences when promoting their expression of self-determination skills.     

Exploring student teachers' motivation change in initial teacher education: A Chinese perspective

Informed by a multiple, integrated perspective on teacher motivations, this study explores ten student teachers' motivation change throughout a pre-service language teacher education program in China. Drawing on data from the participants' personal reflections, focus group interviews, and individual interviews, this study reveals how the participants' motivations were shaped and reshaped through their professional practice and social interactions in relation to their self-efficacy, outcome expectations, professional autonomy, and social support in their learning context. This study concludes with some implications for policy makers and teacher educators on how to cultivate and promote pre-service teachers' motivations and commitments towards teaching as a life-long career.     

Adventure education and resilience: The double-edged sword

Abstract

Adventure education philosophers have argued that controlled exposure to challenge can enhance participants' psychological resilience. This study supports this claim, demonstrating significantly greater gains in psychological resilience for 41 young adults participating in 22-day Outward Bound programs than in a control group. All Outward Bound participants reported positive changes in their resilience and their overall change effect size was large. Perceived levels of social support predicted 24% of the variance in resilience gain scores, with participants' ratings of the least supportive group member being the best predictor. The findings for enhanced resilience and the important role of social support warrant wider investigation. In promoting psychological resilience adventure educators are alerted to the importance of facilitating positive interpersonal relations and minimising the detrimental impact of the diverse needs of group members.     

Transferable skills within research degrees: a collaborative genre‐based approach to developing publication skills and its implications for research education

Recognition is increasing that Ph.D. graduates require transferable skills for employment within or outside academia, and professional written communication skills form an important subset which contributes to many other skill categories. Writing journal articles for publication is a key task within candidatures and research workplaces, so intrinsic motivation for developing the required skills is high in both contexts. This paper describes a publication skills workshop approach based on research findings from genre analysis and methodologies current within the English for Specific Purposes area of Applied Linguistics. Quantitative evaluation of workshops presented in research workplaces in China and Australia, and in university departments, highlights participants' positive responses to the approach. Qualitative data analysis indicates that the workshop features participants valued most highly related to its genre‐based, collaborative and hands‐on nature. Implications are drawn for the effective development of desirable graduate attributes within research education programmes.     

浅析激发学生学习动机的方法

激发学生学习动机,培养积极的学习兴趣和求知欲是教学的根本。具体做法有:加强学习目的教育,启发学习自觉性;创设问题情境,激发学生求知欲;指导学习方法,持续强化学习动机;反馈学习成果,激发学习积极性;采用激励机制,增强学习自信心;引进竞争机制,激发学习进取心。     

A New Autonomy-Supportive Way of Teaching That Increases Conceptual Learning: Teaching in Students' Preferred Ways

We tested the educational utility of “teaching in students' preferred ways” as a new autonomy-supportive way of teaching to enhance students' autonomy and conceptual learning. A pilot test first differentiated preferred versus nonpreferred ways of teaching. In the main study, a hired teacher who was blind to the purpose of the study taught 63 college-age participants in small groups the same 48-minute lesson in one of these two different ways, and we assessed participants' perceived autonomy support, autonomy-need satisfaction, engagement (self-report and rater scored), and conceptual learning (self-report and rater scored). Multilevel analyses showed that participants randomly assigned to receive a preferred way of teaching perceived the teacher as more autonomy supportive and showed significantly greater autonomy-need satisfaction, engagement, and conceptual learning. Mediation analyses using multilevel modeling for clustered data showed that this way of teaching enhanced conceptual learning because it first increased students' autonomy. We conclude that “teaching in students' preferred ways” represents a way of teaching that increases students' autonomy, engagement, and conceptual learning.     

Motivation,Empowerment, and Innovation: Teachers' Beliefs About How Participating in the Edmodo Math Subject Community Shapes Teaching and Learning

Educators around the world participate in virtual communities, social media sites, and online networks in order to gain support and ideas for improving their practice. Many researchers have explored how and why teachers participate in these online spaces; however, there is limited research on how participation might impact teaching and learning. This study was designed to examine how K–12 teachers' participation in the Edmodo math subject community, an informal online space for educators, shaped their learning and practice. Data were collected through an online survey of 150 participants and in-depth, follow-up interviews with 10 participants. Three themes emerged from the participants' responses: motivation, empowerment, and innovation. The participants were motivated to spend time learning how to improve their practice, they felt empowered to make changes to their practice, and they believed they were able to adopt innovative, student-centered practices. Implications and ideas for further research are discussed.     

Motivational Factors and Predictors for Attending a Continuing Education Program for Older Adults

The objectives were to describe the stated motives of participants who enrolled in a program at the Open University for the Elderly (UnATI, in Portuguese), identify correlations between the stated motives and sociodemographic data, and find a set of predictors related to the listed motives. A total of 306 middle-aged and elderly adults aged 50 or older were surveyed through a sociodemographic questionnaire and a five-item scale to check their motives to enroll in the program. The following motivational factors were identified, in order of importance: enhancing general knowledge, investing in personal development, increasing social interaction, learning more in order to help others, and employing one's free time profitably. Age and years of schooling combined were strong predictors of participants seeking new knowledge. Being single and not retired was correlated with the motive Investing in Personal Development. Having attended elementary school only and being married was closely correlated to the motive Increasing Social Interaction. Employing One's Free Time Profitably was associated with single or widowed individuals with family income between 3.1 and 4.0 times the minimum wage. As for Learning More in Order to Help Others, no predictors were found for this motive. It was found that participants seek to satisfy a desire to learn/ know more, to be up-to-date, to exercise their rights as citizens, and to play an active role in society. Our data suggest that these are the assumptions that drive middle-aged and elderly adults to look for various types of educational programs.     

The role of basic need fulfillment in academic dishonesty: A self-determination theory perspective

The sharp rise in academic dishonesty is prompting increased concern in educational institutions. Based on the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we posited that frustration of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy (endorsing one's actions at the highest level of reflection), competence (feeling capable in one's pursuits), and relatedness (feelings of belonging and connection with others) underpins the likelihood of academic deception. We tested this hypothesis in two studies. Study 1 (n = 121) utilized an experimental design in which need fulfillment was manipulated by providing different instructions about accomplishing a task to a sample of undergraduate students. Results showed that participants in the need-frustration condition were more likely to cheat, whereas those in the need-satisfaction condition were least likely to cheat. Those in the neutral condition scored in between the other two groups. In Study 2, we investigated whether autonomous motivation mediated the effect of need fulfillment on academic dishonesty in a sample of junior high school students (n = 115). A mediation analysis showed that perceived need fulfillment in learning activities was positively associated with autonomous motivation, which, in turn, was inversely related to self-reported academic dishonesty. Implications for promoting needs-supportive educational strategies are discussed.     

Plants have a chance: outdoor educational programmes alter students' knowledge and attitudes towards plants

Outdoor educational programmes are generally believed to be a suitable alternative to conventional biology settings that improve participants' environmental attitudes and knowledge. Here we examine whether outdoor educational programmes focused solely on practical work with plants influence participants' knowledge of and attitudes towards plants. It was found that mean scores of participants' attitudes towards and knowledge of plants significantly increased after the outdoor programme. These effects remained significant even after three months' post‐testing. No similar patterns were found in the control group. Interestingly, the proportion of participants who liked biology as a school subject also significantly increased after the outdoor programme in the experimental group. Females showed better knowledge of plants than males, but attitudes towards plants were similar between genders. Having a garden at home was not associated with better knowledge or attitudes towards plants. Our results reveal that outdoor programmes significantly relieve ‘plant blindness’ and make biology more attractive to pupils.     

The Relationships Between Perceived Teaching Behaviors and Motivation in Physical Education: A One-Year Longitudinal Study

This study aimed to examine the direction of relationships between specific dimensions of perceived teaching behaviors and motivation in physical education over time among 330 secondary school students. Cross-lagged path-analytic models revealed that autonomous motivation was reciprocally related over time with perceived decision-making style, and positive feedback and that prior situation consideration, social support, and teaching behavior were related to a higher level of subsequent autonomous motivation and a lower level of controlled motivation; however, prior autonomous motivation was related to a higher level of subsequent positive nonverbal feedback. Results suggest that differences in the direction of relationships between various dimensions of perceived teaching behaviors and students' motivation in physical education are due to differences in the nature of the teacher-student interaction behind each teaching behavior.     

Attracting mature students into higher education: The impact of approaches to learning and social identity

This paper reports on data collected during an evaluation of two higher education courses designed to attract mature entrants aged between 21 and 60 to undergraduate degree programmes. Employing an evaluation design informed by a critical realist approach, the study utilised a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the outcomes of the two courses through the participants' constructed experiences. Two factors were inferred as being important in determining whether participants on these courses proceeded to higher education: whether participants adopted a deep or surface approach to learning, and the extent to which the experience of being on the courses had generated a shared social identity. Our analysis draws attention to interactions between (psychological) explanations of variation in learning and (social) explanations of participation.