There is some consensus among academics and employers that transversal competencies are one of the key aspects in training people to adapt to the demands of today's world. Universities make a great effort in the design of training programs, in preparing their teachers in training methodologies and in the evaluation systems to guarantee that their…

Purpose: In this study, we use a self-determination theory (SDT) approach to understand farmers' attitudes toward, and intentions for, participation in competence development projects (CDP). Design/methodology/approach: By applying SDT, we developed two measures. The first one assessed the degree to which the three basic human psychological needs…

Background: Critical thinking is one of the very highest orders of cognitive abilities and a key competency in higher education. Asking questions is an important component of rich learning experiences, structurally embedded in the operations of critical thinking. Our clear sense is that critical thinking and, within that, critical questioning, is…

In the present research, a 3 x 2 model of achievement goals is proposed and tested. The model is rooted in the definition and valence components of competence, and encompasses 6 goal constructs: task-approach, task-avoidance, self-approach, self-avoidance, other-approach, and other-avoidance. The results from 2 studies provided strong support for…

Purpose: Learning at work generalises through socialisation into behaviours away from the workplace. The aim of this study is to give empirical evidence of a positive relationship between job design, self-efficacy, competence efficacy and personal initiative at work, and proactive job search while under notice of redundancy and in unemployment.…

It was hypothesized that leisure behavior and perceptions of internal and external competence were positively related. Elderly subjects completed questionnaires measuring exercise activities, perceived competence, and intrinsic leisure motivation. Correlations between exercise behaviors and internal and external competence supported the validity…

We investigate the dynamics of student engagement as it is manifest in self-directed, self-motivated, relatively long-term, computer-based scientific image processing activities. The raw data for the study are video records of 19 students, grades 7 to 11, who participated in intensive 6-week, extension summer courses. From this raw data we select…

Deci and Ryan's (1975, 1980) cognitive evaluation theory viewed intrinsic motivation as a function of perceived competence and personal causation. Deci and Ryan also proposed that people tend to perceive competitive situations as controlling. Gender differences were used by Deci and Olson (1989) to explain the findings by Ryan and Deci (1986) that…

As part of a national study, measures of intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, and academic achievement were administered to 949 academically gifted second and third graders at the beginning and end of the school year. Structural equation modeling indicated that intrinsic motivation influenced perceived competence and that perceived…

Both gifted (n=69) and regular (n=66) French Canadian elementary students were compared for school intrinsic motivation and perceived competence. Results indicated that gifted students perceived themselves as being more competent and intrinsically motivated toward school activities than did regular students. No gender effects were obtained.…

High school physical education students completed questionnaires which represented four psychological variables, and one physical activity variable (exercise adherence) in classroom setting (n=132) and in summer setting (n=110). Found Perceived Romantic Appeal predictive of male exercise adherence and Perceived Athletic Competency, Perceived…

Applied Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworth's (1982) and Sanbury's (1982) propositions regarding supervision issues to 18 counseling psychology doctoral students. Rated critical incidents obtained after counselor-supervision and supervisor-supervision sessions on 10 supervisory issues. Results offered limited support for Sansbury's hierarchy of…

This study examined the effects of goals--such as denoting learning and performance outcomes--and self-evaluation on the acquisition of computer skills, efficacy in performing computer tasks, perception of competence for the use of self-regulatory strategies, and frequency of strategy use while learning computer skills. Subjects were 44 college…