Motivation, self-assessment and tacit knowledge in e-learning context selection

Formal consideration of the links between students' Motivation, Self-Assessment abilities and Tacit Knowledge is shown in this paper to provide a useful model (MSATK) for planning postgraduate, Web-based education. The design of effective e-Learning courses requires a Learning Framework that emphasizes contextanalysis within knowledge-mediated processes. Contextual analysis ensures that self-assessment will be effective in complex domains that rely on Web sources of experiential knowledge, usually accessible as Professional practice models that employ diagnostic tools for scenario simulation processes. Demographic trends now facing Japan and Western countries, and the knowledge management support requirements of global e-Learning initiatives are challenging the value of current selfassessment processes. Building a Culture of Critique is highly desirable, but the lack of an Learning Framework that reflects student ownership of their learning process has obscured the need for tools to correctly interpret domain contexts, or for student freedom to drive the need for modified scenarios. The value of a Learning Framework that links motivation, tacit knowledge, selfassessment practice and contextual analysis is examined in this paper with consequential implications for Web support.

Greater cognitive effort for better learning : tailoring an instructional design for learners with different levels of knowledge and motivation

The capacity limitation of working memory is a widely recognised determinant of human learning. A cognitive load exceeding the capacity hampers learning. Cognitive load can be controlled by tailoring an instructional design to levels of learner prior knowledge. However, such as design does not necessarily motivate to use the available capacity for better learning. The present review examines literatures on the effects of instructional design, motivation, emotional state, and expertise level on cognitive load and cognitive effort, which ultimately affect working memory performance and learning. This examination suggests further studies on the effects of motivation and negative emotional states on the use of working memory. Prospective findings would help better explain and predict individual differences in the use of working memory for cognitive learning and task performance.

Exploring motivation and confidence in taking prescribed medicines in coexisting diseases: a qualitative study

Aims and objectives: To explore the motivation and confidence of people with coexisting diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypertension to take their medicines as prescribed. Background: These comorbidities are major contributors to disease burden globally. Self-management of individuals with these coexisting diseases is much more complicated than that of those with single diseases and is critical for improved health outcomes. Design: Motivational interviewing telephone calls were made with participants with coexisting diabetes, CKD and hypertension. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with diabetes, CKD and systolic hypertension were recruited from outpatient clinics of an Australian metropolitan hospital between 2008-2009. An average of four motivational interviewing telephone calls was made with participants (n = 39) in the intervention arm of a randomised controlled trial. Data were thematically analysed using the modified Health Belief Model as a framework. Results: Participants' motivation and confidence in taking prescribed medicines was thwarted by complex medicine regimens and medical conditions. Participants wanted control over their health and developed various strategies to confront threats to health. The perceived barriers of taking recommended health action outweighed the benefits of taking medicines as prescribed and were primarily related to copious amounts of medicines. Conclusion: Taking multiple prescribed medicines in coexisting diabetes, CKD and hypertension is a perpetual vocation with major psychosocial effects. Participants were overwhelmed by the number of medicines that they were required to take. The quest for personal control of health, fear of the future and the role of stress and gender in chronic disease management have been highlighted. Participants require supportive emotional interventions to self-manage their multiple medicines on a daily basis. Relevance to clinical practice: Reducing the complexity of medicine regimens in coexisting diseases is paramount. Individualised psychosocial approaches that address the emotional needs of patients with regular follow-up and feedback are necessary for optimal chronic disease self-management. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding culture, motivation, and ethnic consumer behavior

Understanding ethnic consumer behaviors through a case study of good practice and their innovative marketing strategies to ethnic consumers is important. Surprisingly, little has been done to discuss which practices and strategies may work best when marketing to ethnic consumers. This chapter presents a case study of the Immigration Museum (Melbourne, Australia) and how the organization uses strategies to promote their products and programs to ethnic consumers. The case study and in-depth interviewsare the methods used. In this chapter, the authors argue that a combination of Alferder’s and Schwartz’s theoretical frameworks help museum marketers understand behaviors of ethnic groups, thereby using appropriate marketing strategies in encouraging their consumption. This chapter extends current marketing literature on consumers’ motivation, drive, and needs, and non-profit marketing, and validates selected motivational theories. It also provides practical implications for marketers of non-profit organizations.

Motivation and cognitive load in the flipped classroom : definition, rationale and a call for research

Flipped classroom approaches remove the traditional transmissive lecture and replace it with active in-class tasks and pre-/post-class work. Despite the popularity of these approaches in the media, Google search, and casual hallway chats, there is very little evidence of effectiveness or consistency in understanding what a flipped classroom actually is. Although the flipped terminology is new, some of the approaches being labelled ‘flipped’ are actually much older. In this paper, we provide a catch-all definition for the flipped classroom, and attempt to retrofit it with a pedagogical rationale, which we articulate through six testable propositions. These propositions provide a potential agenda for research about flipped approaches and form the structure of our investigation. We construct a theoretical argument that flipped approaches might improve student motivation and help manage cognitive load. We conclude with a call for more specific types of research into the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach.

Dual-axis hormonal covariation in adolescence and the moderating influence of prior trauma and aversive maternal parenting

Adversity early in life can disrupt the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes and increase risk for negative health outcomes. The interplay between these axes and the environment is complex, and understanding needs to be advanced by the investigation of the multiple hormonal relationships underlying these processes. The current study examined basal hormonal associations between morning levels of cortisol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone in a cohort of adolescents (mean age 15.56 years). The moderating influence of childhood adversity was also examined, as indexed by self-reported trauma (at mean age 14.91), and observed maternal aggressive parenting (at mean age 12.41). Between-person regressions revealed significant associations between hormones that were moderated by both measures of adversity. In females, all hormones positively covaried, but also interacted with adversity, such that positive covariation was typically only present when levels of trauma and/or aggressive parenting were low. In males, hormonal associations and interactions were less evident; however, interactions were detected for cortisol-testosterone - positively covarying at high levels of aggressive parenting but negatively covarying at low levels - and DHEA-cortisol - similarly positively covarying at high levels of parental aggression. These results demonstrate associations between adrenal and gonadal hormones and the moderating role of adversity, which is likely driven by feedback mechanisms, or cross-talk, between the axes. These findings suggest that hormonal changes may be the pathway through which early life adversity alters physiology and increases health risks, but does so differentially in the sexes; however further study is necessary to establish causation.

The sexual motivation of boars housed adjacent to ovariectomised gilts did not affect the efficiency of detecting hormonally induced oestrus using the back pressure test

This study tested the hypothesis that the efficiency of detecting oestrus in gilts, using the back pressure test (BPT), will be reduced when gilts are housed adjacent to a boar of high sexual motivation compared to when gilts are housed adjacent to a boar of low sexual motivation. The experiment was a 2 x 2 Latin square design with three replicates. Boars of high and low sexual motivation were selected on the basis of the total number of copulations and the mean reaction time to first mount during three mating tests. Twelve boars were observed in mating tests and the three highest and lowest ranking boars were assigned to three palm, each pair containing a boar of high and a boar of low sexual motivation. One pair was used in each replicate. In each replicate, two groups of six ovariectomised gilts were housed for 14 days, commencing 7 days prior to hormonally induced destrus, adjacent to a boar of either high or low sexual motivation. All gilts were checked twice daily for oestrus using the BPT. In the first replicate, the level of proceptive behaviour of the gilts was quantified immediately after checking for oestrus in a 3-rain test in which the amount of time that the gilts spent within 0.5 m of a pen containing a sexually mature boar was recorded. There were no effects of housing gilts adjacent to boars of high or low sexual motivation on the percentage of gilts detected in oestrus, the percentage of gilts detected in oestrus for more than I day, the duration of oestrus or the level of proceptive behaviour of gilts. These data suggest that the level of sexual motivation of boars does not influence the efficiency of detecting hormonally induced oestrus, using the BPT, in ovariectomised gilts housed adjacent to boars.

Motivation and barriers for leisure-time physical activity in socioeconomically disadvantaged women

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between motivation and barriers for physical activity, and physical activity behavior in women living in socioeconomic disadvantage. This study also examined whether weight control intentions moderate those associations.

METHODS: Data from 1664 women aged 18-46 years was collected at baseline and three-year follow-up as part of the Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality study. In mail-based surveys, women reported sociodemographic and neighborhood environmental characteristics, intrinsic motivation, goals and perceived family barriers to be active, weight control intentions and leisure-time physical activity (assessed through the IPAQ-L). Linear regression models assessed the association of intrinsic motivation, goals and barriers with physical activity at baseline and follow-up, adjusting for environmental characteristics and also physical activity at baseline (for longitudinal analyses), and the moderating effects of weight control intentions were examined.

RESULTS: Intrinsic motivation and, to a lesser extent, appearance and relaxation goals for being physically active were consistently associated with leisure-time physical activity at baseline and follow-up. Perceived family barriers, health, fitness, weight and stress relief goals were associated with leisure-time physical activity only at baseline. Moderated regression analyses revealed that weight control intentions significantly moderated the association between weight goals and leisure-time physical activity at baseline (β = 0.538, 99% CI = 0.057, 0.990) and between intrinsic motivation and leisure-time physical activity at follow-up (β = 0.666, 99% CI = 0.188, 1.145). For women actively trying to control their weight, intrinsic motivation was significantly associated with leisure-time physical activity at follow-up (β = 0.184, 99% CI = 0.097, 0.313).

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that, especially in women trying to control their weight, intrinsic motivation plays an important role in sustaining physical activity participation over time. Also, weight goals for being physically active seem to play a role regarding short-term physical activity participation in this particular population. Addressing these motivational features may be important when promoting physical activity participation in women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Feasibility, design and conduct of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to reduce overweight and obesity in children: the electronic games to aid motivation to exercise (eGAME) study

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in developed countries. Sedentary screen-based activities such as video gaming are thought to displace active behaviors and are independently associated with obesity. Active video games, where players physically interact with images onscreen, may have utility as a novel intervention to increase physical activity and improve body composition in children. The aim of the Electronic Games to Aid Motivation to Exercise (eGAME) study is to determine the effects of an active video game intervention over 6 months on: body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, waist circumference, cardio-respiratory fitness, and physical activity levels in overweight children.

METHODS/DESIGN: Three hundred and thirty participants aged 10-14 years will be randomized to receive either an active video game upgrade package or to a control group (no intervention).

DISCUSSION: An overview of the eGAME study is presented, providing an example of a large, pragmatic randomized controlled trial in a community setting. Reflection is offered on key issues encountered during the course of the study. In particular, investigation into the feasibility of the proposed intervention, as well as robust testing of proposed study procedures is a critical step prior to implementation of a large-scale trial.

An internet-supported physical activity intervention delivered in secondary schools located in low socio-economic status communities : study protocol for the activity and motivation in physical education (AMPED) cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: School-based physical education is an important public health initiative as it has the potential to provide students with regular opportunities to participate in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Unfortunately, in many physical education lessons students do not engage in sufficient MVPA to achieve health benefits. In this trial we will test the efficacy of a teacher professional development intervention, delivered partially via the Internet, on secondary school students' MVPA during physical education lessons. Teaching strategies covered in this training are designed to (i) maximize opportunities for students to be physically active during lessons and (ii) enhance students' autonomous motivation towards physical activity. METHOD: A two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial with allocation at the school level (intervention vs. usual care control). Teachers and Year 8 students in government-funded secondary schools in low socio-economic areas of the Western Sydney region of Australia will be eligible to participate. During the main portion of the intervention (6 months), teachers will participate in two workshops and complete two implementation tasks at their school. Implementation tasks will involve video-based self-reflection via the project's Web 2.0 platform and an individualized feedback meeting with a project mentor. Each intervention school will also complete two group peer-mentoring sessions at their school (one per term) in which they will discuss implementation with members of their school physical education staff. In the booster period (3 months), teachers will complete a half-day workshop at their school, plus one online implementation task, and a group mentoring session at their school. Throughout the entire intervention period (main intervention plus booster period), teachers will have access to online resources. Data collection will include baseline, post-intervention (7-8 months after baseline) and maintenance phase (14-15 months after baseline) assessments. Research assistants blinded to group allocation will collect all data. The primary outcome will be the proportion of physical education lesson time that students spend in MVPA. Secondary outcomes will include leisure-time physical activity, subjective well-being, and motivation towards physical activity.
DISCUSSION: The provision of an online training platform for teachers could help facilitate more widespread dissemination of evidence-based interventions compared with programs that rely exclusively on face-to-face training.

Intrinsic motivation in two exercise interventions: Associations with fitness and body composition

OBJECTIVE: To examine the motivational process through which increases in aerobic capacity and decreases in total body fat are achieved during high-intensity intermittent training (HIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) interventions. METHOD: Eighty-seven physically inactive adults (65% women, age = 42 ± 12, BMI = 27.67 ± 4.99 kg/m²) took part in a 10-week randomized intervention testing group-based HIT, operationalized as repeated sprints of 15-60 s interspersed with periods of recovery cycling ≤ 25 min/session, 3 sessions/wk⁻¹, or MICT, operationalized as cycling at constant workload of ∼65% maximum aerobic capacity (VO₂max, 30-45 min/session⁻¹, 5 sessions/wk⁻¹. Assessments of VO₂max and total body fat were made pre- and postintervention. Motivation variables were assessed midintervention and class attendance was monitored throughout. Path analysis was employed, controlling for treatment arm and baseline values of VO₂max and total body fat. RESULTS: The 2 groups differed in adherence only, favoring HIT. Baseline VO₂max predicted intrinsic motivation midintervention. Intrinsic motivation predicted program adherence, which in turn predicted increases in VO2max and decreases in total body fat by the end of the study. CONCLUSION: Intrinsic motivation in HIT and MICT is positively linked to adherence to these programs, which can facilitate improvements in fitness and body composition.