Motivational trajectories for early language learning across the primary-secondary school transition

The transition from primary to secondary school is an area of concern across a range of curriculum subjects, and this is no less so for foreign language learning. Indeed problems with transition have been identified in England as an important barrier to the introduction of language learning to the primary school curriculum, with implications for learners’ longer-term motivation for the subject. This longitudinal study investigated, through a questionnaire, the development of 233 learners’ motivation for learning French in England, during the transition from primary to secondary schooling. It also explored whether levels and patterns of motivation differed according to the type of language teaching experienced, comparing a largely oracy-focused approach with one with greater emphasis on literacy activities. Learners showed high and increasing levels of motivation across transition, placing particular value on learning French for travel. Being taught through an oracy or a literacy-focused approach had less impact on learners’ motivation than broader classroom experiences, with the development of a sense of progress and feeling that instruction met their learning needs being especially important. A growing disjuncture emerged between valuing the learning of French for travel/communication and learners’ low levels of self-efficacy for communication with native speakers, together with a desire for more communication-based activities. By the end of the first year of secondary school less positive attitudes towards learning French and less optimism about the possibility of future progress were beginning to emerge. The paper concludes by outlining the implications of the study for classroom practice in language learning.

Personlighet, datorerfarenhet och upplevelseav datorfrustration

I och med informationsteknologins snabba framväxt i samhället ställs vi också inför problem som hur vi ska handskas med denna utveckling. Forskning visar att fenomenet datorrädsla kan bero på faktorer som exempelvis erfarenhet, personlighet, attityd eller kön. Syftet med denna studie är dock att undersöka eventuella samband mellan datorrädsla, personlighet samt datorerfarenhet. Nittio studenter vid Högskolan Dalarna agerade undersökningsdeltagare (UD) genom att svara på en enkät bestående av tre delar; bakgrundsfrågor, ett personlighetstest sammansatt av Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) samt åtta scenarier, där UD fick skatta sin självupplevda stressnivå i olika situationer. Studien visar att såväl neuroticism som datorerfarenhet skulle kunna predicera datorrädsla. Starkast effekt på den självskattade stressnivån hade dock variabeln kön. Man kan även dra slutsatsen att fenomenet datorrädsla inte är en specifik slags rädsla, utan till viss del hänger samman med andra fobier.

Icke-följsamhet vid diabetes mellitus : en litteraturstudie

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att beskriva vad personer med diabetes anser inverka på deras möjlighet och vilja att följa egenvårdsråd (patientperspektivet) och att beskriva omvård-nad som stöder följsamhet (sjukvårdsperspektivet). Studien har genomförts som en litteratur-studie. Det visade sig att alla krav för att hålla sjukdomen under kontroll innebär livsstilsför-ändringar, som kan vara så utmanande för patienten, att han kanske inte kan eller vill vidta dessa. Bristande kunskap om sjukdomen och om dess egenvårdskrav kan göra honom dåligt emotionellt anpassad till denna, det vill säga han har inte accepterat att han har sjukdomen och han vill inte låta dess egenvårdskrav inkräkta på det sociala livet. Detta ger honom för-sämrade möjligheter att hantera sjukdomen på ett bra sätt. Barriärer av olika slag kan uppstå mellan patient och vårdgivare. Det kan röra sig om en upplevd brist på information och stöd när diabetes diagnosticerats eller en känsla av att vara utsatt för läkarens eller sjuksköterskans stereotypa föreställningar och/eller att bli paternalistiskt behandlad. Till barriärer räknas även klinisk misskötsel, det vill säga att läkare/sjuksköterska inte följer vedertagna riktlinjer för be-handling.Vad som kan inverka positivt på följsamheten är patientens stöd av anhöriga eller andra i det sociala nätverket. Omvårdnad som stöder följsamhet visade sig varapatientundervisning, främst om den inriktades på att öka patientens självständighet genom att låta undervisningen pågå under en längre tid, så att patienten hinner integrera sin nya kunskap med det dagliga livet. Med eller utan patientundervisning tar det tid att bygga upp ett socialt stöd och ett förtroende mellan patient och vårdare.

Hur unga kvinnor med psykisk ohälsa uppfattar sina möjligheter till fast arbete eller studier : En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Att beskriva hur unga kvinnor med psykisk ohälsa som deltar i en kognitivt inriktad självstärkande intervention, resonerar avseende sina resurser och möjligheter för att skapa förutsättningar till att skaffa ett arbete/studera och komma in i en social gemenskap. Vidare är syftet att kartlägga vilka motiv och förväntningar informanterna hade för att gå utbildningen.

Vuxna individers grad av självtillit till att avstå från sockerhaltiga livsmedel i olika situationer

Syftet med studien var att testa ett nykonstruerat instrument för att beskriva grad av självtillit till att avstå från sockerhaltiga livsmedel i olika situationer. Syftet var även att beskriva vuxna individers intag av sockerhaltiga livsmedel samt att beskriva skillnaden mellan sockerintag och självtillit. Urvalet bestod av 62 patienter som kommit för undersökning eller behandling till privata och folktandvårdskliniker. Data samlades in via enkät. Resultatet visade att 16 (26,2 %) individer åt sockerhaltiga livsmedel minst en gång per dag och 45 (73,8 %) åt sockerhaltiga livsmedel mer sällan än en gång per dag. Det mest förekommande sockerhaltiga livsmedlet var bullar, sockerkaka och andra mjuka kakor, 5 (8,7 %) individer intog dessa typer av livsmedel minst en gång per dag. Det minst förekommande sockerhaltiga livsmedlet var fruktsoppa och kräm, 40 (67,8 %) individer intog aldrig detta livsmedel. Medelvärdet för graden av självtillit till att avstå från sockerhaltiga livsmedel i olika situationer var 6,4 (SD 2,2) av 10 på en 11-gradig Likertskala. En signifikant skillnad kunde ses i graden av självtillit bland de som intog sockerhaltiga livsmedel minst en gång per dag jämfört med de som mer sällan intog sockerhaltiga livsmedel (t=3.036; p=0.004). Instrumentet hade ett Cronbach´s Alpha värde på 0.94, vilket visar en god reliabilitet. Utifrån de resultat som framkommit tycks individer med lägre grad av självtillit inta sockerhaltiga livsmedel oftare än individer med högre grad av självtillit. Instrumentet visade sig användbart.

Kvinnans tillit till amning : En enkätstudie på BB och Eftervårdsmottagningen i Värmland

Amningsfrekvensen i Värmland sjunker och är låg jämfört med riket. En bidragande faktor till den sjunkande amningsfrekvensen är bristen på tillit till amning. Det är viktigt att kunna identifiera kvinnor med låg tillit till amning för att vända den sjunkande amningsfrekvensen och stärka kvinnan i rollen som moder. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka kvinnors tillit till amning på Barnbördshuset (BB) och Eftervårdsmottagningen i Värmland. Med enkäten BSES-SF identifieras kvinnor med låg tillit till amning och kvinnor som behöver ett ökat amningsstöd efter förlossning. Design/Metod: Studien utfördes med kvantitativ ansats. Data inhämtades från enkäten BSES-SF som besvarats av 70 kvinnor på BB och Eftervårdsmottagningen i Värmland. All data analyserades genom SPSS. Resultat: De flesta kvinnor ansåg att det var mycket viktigt med en fungerande amning och när kvinnorna skattade amningens betydelse framkom ett medelvärde på 8,66 där 0=inte alls viktigt och 10=mycket viktigt. Kvinnor som ammat tidigare skattade sin upplevda amningserfarenhet som mycket god. Varje enskild fråga på BSES-SF jämfördes mellan kvinnorna som vårdats på BB och Eftervårdsmottagningen. Det framkom en skillnad på åtta frågor där kvinnorna på Eftervårdsmottagningen skattade en högre tillit till amning jämfört med kvinnorna på BB. Utifrån totalsumman på BSES-SF med ett poängintervall mellan 14-70, framkom det att tilliten till amning skattades högre hos kvinnorna på Eftervårdsmottagningen (M=56,54) än på BB (M=49,88). Slutsats och klinisk tillämpbarhet: BSES-SF kan utifrån studiens resultat vara ett användbart verktyg, framförallt på BB där kvinnorna skattat en lägre tillit till amning. Förstföderskor och omföderskor som upplevt en komplicerad förlossning kan vara i behov av större insatser av amningsstöd. Studiens resultat kan medföra att barnmorskan blir extra uppmärksam på de kvinnor vars amning inte fungerar och där extra stöd behövs för att öka tilliten.

Vulnerabilidade situacional afetando a intenção comportamental: um estudo no setor de serviços automotivos

Considerando os avanços da pesquisa e teoria da psicologia do risco e, em particular, da perspectiva do risco como sentimentos, ressaltando a interação entre cognição e emoção na análise de ameaças, esta tese propõe e testa um modelo conceitual sobre o efeito da vulnerabilidade (risco como sentimento) em intenções comportamentais de serviços relacionados a automóveis. Este estudo teve como hipótese que a autoeficácia percebida pelo consumidor diminui ou elimina o efeito da vulnerabilidade nas intenções comportamentais de perpetuidade de relacionamento com a empresa de serviço. Estimularam o interesse de pesquisa tanto a carência de pesquisas sobre o papel da vulnerabilidade no consumo de serviços não relacionados à área da saúde ou ao corpo do consumidor, quanto a carência de pesquisas sobre a relação entre a vulnerabilidade e as intenções comportamentais. Testou-se em um único modelo, o impacto previsto pelos processos cognitivos e afetivos que envolvem a análise de ameaça (sentimentos de vulnerabilidade, risco e severidade das falhas) e de capacidade de enfrentamento (autoeficácia) na intenção comportamental, no contexto específico de consumo de serviços relativos a automóveis. O modelo de mensuração proposto foi avaliado quanto à dimensionalidade, validade e confiabilidade pelo uso de análise fatorial confirmatória; posteriormente, avaliou-se a relação causal proposta nas hipóteses pelo modelo completo de equações estruturais. O modelo de mensuração proposto foi avaliado quanto à dimensionalidade, validade e confiabilidade pelo uso de análise fatorial confirmatória; posteriormente, avaliou-se a relação proposta nas hipóteses pelo modelo completo de equações estruturais, usando-se o software Amos e a estimativa por máxima verossimilhança. O modelo foi estimado em uma amostra de 202 respondentes. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um levantamento eletrônico transversal e os achados da pesquisa apontam para a confirmação das hipóteses de que (1) o risco percebido cognitivamente, sentimentos de vulnerabilidade e a autoeficácia influenciam as intenções comportamentais. Não foi possível suportar a hipótese de que (2) a severidade das possíveis falhas de serviço tem relação com risco ou com sentimentos de vulnerabilidade. Esses achados ajudam a compreender a relação entre intenções comportamentais e sentimentos de vulnerabilidade. Implicações para o desenvolvimento teórico da pesquisa na área e implicações gerenciais são discutidas. Os resultados auxiliam a compreensão dos resultados de estudos realizados nos EUA nas últimas décadas. Os achados oferecem uma contribuição teórica ao entendimento do fenômeno da vulnerabilidade, a adaptação de uma escala de medida para o fenômeno no contexto brasileiro e aplicado a serviços que não sejam de saúde e cuidados com o corpo. Do ponto de vista gerencial, o estudo alerta para o fato de a vulnerabilidade exercer influência no desempenho comercial de empresas de serviços automotivos, visto que ela influência negativamente a recomendação positiva e a manutenção de relacionamentos de negócios. Os achados sugerem que os gestores de empresas de serviços devem empreender esforços para reduzir a vulnerabilidade do consumidor por meio de informações que o auxiliem na negociação e avaliação do serviço ao minimizar incertezas.

Síndrome de burnout e autoeficácia: um estudo com profissionais de enfermagem de hospitais privados de Natal/rn

This research verifies the influence of the self-efficacy level on burnout syndrome incidence in relation to nursing professionals from private hospitals located in the Municipality of Natal, State of Rio Grande do Norte. The nature of the research was descriptive, and the used data analysis method was quantitative which was developed through SPSS computational package, version 17.0. The used instrument for the investigation was Maslach-Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the General Perceived Self-efficacy Scale (GPSES) was applied to a sample formed from 230 nursing professionals. The statistic techniques to data analysis were: frequency analysis; factor analysis; Cronbach.s alpha; Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test (KMO); Bartlett efericity test; percentual analysis; Spearman rank correlation analysis; and simple regression. The achieved factors from factor analysis of MBI were the same, taking into account the dimensions which Maslach initially suggested to the instrument (emotional exhaustion, lack of personal realization, and depersonalization). However, one highlights that the low internal consistence of the depersonalization dimension can occur from people.s difficulty (caused by cultural aspects) of assuming this attitude in their work environment. Through GSE, it was achieved a factor which confirmed the unidimensionality showed by the author of the instrument. In relation to the syndrome incidence, it was verified that about 50% of the researched sample presented burnout syndrome evidence. Referring to self-efficacy level, about 65% of the researched sample presented low level of self-efficacy, what can be explained by the work characteristics of these professionals. In relation to the self-efficacy influence on the Burnout syndrome, it was verified that self-efficacy can be one of the aspects which influences occupational stress chronification (burnout), mainly to the personal realization dimension. Therefore, the researched hospital organizations need reflect about their attitudes in respect to their professionals, since the numbers showed a dangerous tendency regarding a predisposition to burnout syndrome of their staff, what implies not only a significant amount of individuals who can present high levels of emotional exhaustion, lack of personal realization, and depersonalization, but also the fact that this group presents low level of self-efficacy

Autoeficácia, características sociodemográficas e capacitação profissional: um estudo com servidores de uma Universidade Federal

Self-efficacy, the construct developed by Albert Bandura in 1977 and widely studied around the world, means the individual's belief in his own capacity to successfully perform a certain activity. This study aims to determine the degree of association between sociodemographic characteristics and professional training to the levels of Self-Efficacy at Work (SEW) of the Administrative Assistants in a federal university. This is a descriptive research submitted to and approved by the Ethics Committee of UFRN. The method of data analysis, in quantitative nature, was accomplished with the aid of the statistical programs R and Minitab. The instrument used in research was a sociodemographic data questionnaire, variables of professional training and the General Perception of Self-efficacy Scale (GPSES), applied to the sample by 289 Assistants in Administration. Statistical techniques for data analysis were descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, reliability test (Cronbach's alpha), and test of significance (Pearson). Results show a sociodemographic profile of Assistants in Administration of UFRN with well-distributed characteristics, with 48.4% men and 51.6% female; 59.9% of them were aged over 40 years, married (49.3%), color or race white (58%) and Catholics (67.8%); families are composed of up to four people (75.8%) with children (59.4%) of all age groups; the occupation of the mothers of these professionals is mostly housewives (51.6%) with high school education up to parents (72%) and mothers (75.8%). Assistants in Administration have high levels of professional training, most of them composed two groups of servers: the former, recently hired public servants (30.7%) and another with long service (59%), the majority enter young in career and it stays until retirement, 72.4% of these professionals have training above the minimum requirement for the job. The analysis of SEW levels shows medium to high levels for 72% of assistants in administration; low SEWclassified people have shown a high average of 2.7, considered close to the overall mean presented in other studies, which is 2.9. The cluster analysis has allowed us to say that the characteristics of the three groups (Low, Medium and High SEW) are similar and can be found in the three levels of SEW representatives with all the characteristics investigated. The results indicate no association between the sociodemographic variables and professional training to the levels of self-efficacy at work of Assistants in Administration of UFRN, except for the variable color or race. However, due to the small number of people who declared themselves in color or black race (4% of the sample), this result can be interpreted as mere coincidence or the black people addressed in this study have provided a sense of efficacy higher than white and brown ones. The study has corroborated other studies and highlighted the subjectivity of the self-efficacy construct. They are needed more researches, especially with public servants for the continuity and expansion of studies on the subject, making it possible to compare and confirm the results

Auto-eficácia de alunos de administração: um estudo com concluintes do curso de graduação em Administração no Estado do Pará

The current study presents the characteristics of self-efficacy of students of Administration course, who work and do not work. The study was conducted through a field research, descriptive, addressed quantitatively using statistical procedures. Was studied a population composed of 394 students distributed in three Higher Education Institutions, in the metropolitan region of Belém, in the State of Pará. The sampling was not probabilistic by accessibility, with a sample of 254 subjects. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire composed of a set of questions divided into three sections: the first related to sociodemographic data, the second section was built to identify the work situation of the respondent and the third section was built with issues related to General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale proposed by Schwarzer and Jerusalem (1999). Sociodemographic data were processed using methods of descriptive statistics. This procedure allowed characterizing the subjects of the sample. To identify the work situation, the analysis of frequency and percentage was used, which allowed to classify in percentage, the respondents who worked and those that did not work, and the data related to the scale of self-efficacy were processed quantitatively by the method of multivariate statistics using the software of program Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows - SPSS, version 17 from the process of Exploratory Factor Analysis. This procedure allowed characterizing the students who worked and the students who did not worked. The results were discussed based on Social Cognitive Theory from the construct of self-efficacy of Albert Bandura (1977). The study results showed a young sample, composed the majority of single women with work experience, and indicated that the characteristics of self-efficacy of students who work and students who do not work are different. The self-efficacy beliefs of students who do not work are based on psychological expectations, whereas the students who work demonstrated that their efficacy beliefs are sustained by previous experiences. A student who does not work proved to be reliant in their abilities to achieve a successful performance in their activities, believing it to be easy to achieve your goals and to face difficult situations at work, simply by invest a necessary effort and trust in their abilities. One who has experience working proved to be reliant in their abilities to conduct courses of action, although know that it is not easy to achieve your goals, and in unexpected situations showed its ability to solve difficult problems

Comparação e mobilidade, equilíbrio corporal e desempenho muscular segundo a auto-eficácia para quedas em idosas

The aging process modifies various systems in the body, leading to changes in mobility, balance and muscle strength. This can cause a drop in the elderly, or not changing the perceived self-efficacy in preventing falls. Objective: To compare the mobility, body balance and muscle performance according to self-efficacy for falls in community-dwelling elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study with 63 older (65-80 years) community. Were evaluated for identification data and sociodemographic, cognitive screening using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), effective for the fall of Falls Efficacy Scale International Brazil (FES-I-BRAZIL), Mobility through the Timed Up and Go Test , the balance Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Modified Clinical Test tests of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB), tandem walk (TW) and Sit to Stand (STS) of the Balance Master® System. Finally, muscle performance by using isokinetic dynamometry. Statistical analysis was performed Student t test for comparison between groups, with p value ≤ 0.05. Results: Comparing the elderly with low-efficacy for falls with high-efficacy for falls, we found significant differences only for the variable Timed Up and Go Test (p = 0.04). With regard to data on balance tests were significant differences in the speed of oscillation firm surface eyes open modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Test of Balance (p = 0.01). Variables to isokinetic dynamometry were no significant differences in movement knee extension, as regards the variables peak torque (p = 0.04) and power (p = 0.03). Conclusion: The results suggest that, compared to older community with low-and high-efficacy for falls, we observed differences in variables related to mobility, balance and muscle function

De vilarejo a cidade: identidade de lugar de moradores nativos de Tibau do Sul-RN

This study aimed to analyze some indicators of the restructuring process of place identity of natives resident in Tibau do Sul, a coastal town in the state of Rio Grande do Norte state, in relation to changes occurring in this locale in the last few decades. The concept of place identity a complex psychological structure in constant process of restructuring stresses the focus of this analysis on the aspects referring to the relationships of people with their physical and social environment throughout the transition process from the former village of fishermen and peasant farmers to the current growing town. Interviews with insider informants on local history were carried out as a preliminary step to getting in touch with the native participants. In total, 29 native local residents were interviewed, according to a wide range of personal and professional roles, focusing on their cognitions in regard to their past and present relationships with this context, as well as those related to expectancy for the future. The analysis focused both on the elements of distinctiveness, continuity, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and on how each of them have been valued (positive or negative). The participants evaluations of themselves and of the locale, as well as their distinctions in relation to others (people and places) were, in general, very positive. Many elements of group and place continuity, and the possibility of the satisfaction of their needs were highlighted positively, especially comparing to similar situations in the past. The development of the town, related to tourism as well as to other former economic activities, seemed to contribute to the restructuring process of place identity in a way of achieving desirable states for its structure. The broadening of the analysis to consider a wider spatial and temporal context, however, shows that such positive evaluation can be said to hinder some coping strategies of local residents faced with unsustainable economic activities, oftentimes handled to favor a minority of the population

Adaptação sociocultural de gestores espanhóis expatriados no Brasil

This study aims at understanding how sociocultural adjustment occurs in the case of managers, and their spouses, expatriated to Brazil by private and public Spanish organizations. To do so, it adopts as main theoretical frame the expatriate adaptation model proponed by Parker & McEvoy (1993), based on Black, Mendenhall & Oddou s model (1991), which establishes three dimensions of adaptation: adjustment to work; adjustment to general environment and adjustment to interaction with host country nationals. This work, of exploratory and descriptive nature, used field research to gather primary data subsequently analyzed with a qualitative approach. Data collection came from individual in-depth interviews with three Spanish managers expatriated in Brazil and two of their spouses. Resulting data were analyzed through one of content analysis procedures, thematic analysis. This research shows that adjustment is obstructed by cultural distance or cultural novelty rather than by work role characteristics, being more successful in expatriates that carry previous solid sociocultural knowledge about host country. It also verifies that the degree of expatriate adjustment is enhanced by the comprehension of cultural differences that originate values and behaviors different from those of the expatriate. It points out that individual factors such as perception and relation skills, flexibility, empathy and self-efficacy are positively linked to the three dimensions of adjustment: work, general adjustment and interaction adjustment. It finds expatriate adjustment to be lowered by spouse unsuccessful adjustment and shows that location in an environment perceived as short in key infrastructures is negatively linked to adjustment in expatriates coming from strongly urban environments. It concludes that expatriate adjustment occurs through progressive understanding of host country environment and through comprehension of the sociocultural context that explains differences between host country behaviors and values and those from the country of origin, a process which is favored by expatriate individual characteristics not directly linked to his/her technical qualification, such as perception and relation skills, flexibility and empathy, together with solid sociocultural knowledge about the host country. This research propones, therefore, that organizations involved in expatriation processes should include in their selection criteria the degree to which candidates possess personal characteristics and sociocultural knowledge that may facilitate adaptation

Avaliação formativa: a auto-avaliação do aluno e a autoformação de professores

Este artigo é parte de uma dissertação de mestrado na qual analisamos a reflexão sobre a prática de avaliação realizada por professores de Ciências de uma escola estadual de educação básica, durante os horários de trabalho pedagógico coletivo (HTPC). Acompanhamos, durante seis meses, a perspectiva de implementação da avaliação formativa por estes professores, o que se deu a partir do estudo de um texto básico, bem como analisamos as repercussões do estudo feito pelo grupo na autoformação dos professores e na reflexão dos pesquisadores envolvidos na investigação-ação.