There is not a strong academic foundation in the literature on relationships between knowledge-seeking behavior, and grit, and ambition, in high school seniors and college students. This quantitative correlational study utilized ex post facto data to explore the relationship between two independent variables, grit and ambition, and a dependent…

This qualitative study was designed to add to educators' understanding of veteran student success and offer ways to reframe how they measure veteran student success. Currently, university leaders tend to measure veteran student success using traditional metrics such as retention and graduation rates. This study involved examining whether there are…

This dissertation investigates an overarching research question: how can recognition-type incentives, such as gamification and peer gifting, motivate users' knowledge seeking and contributions in e-learning and online Q&A (question and answer) communities? To address this question, I conducted three studies. In Chapter 2, I examine how social…

It's well-known that motivation is essential for learning and how well students do in school. Research also suggests that a student's motivation is likely connected to their behavior in the classroom. This study was particularly interested in understanding how different types of student motivation (e.g., wanting to learn vs. wanting to look good)…

This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore how community college students describe their motivations and reasoning when learning about controversial science topics at a southwestern community college. Anti-science attitudes have been increasing globally, but is not fully understood. Two research questions were developed using the theory…

Creativity is an important problem-solving tool in the design context. People who are in design education treat creativity as an important component of their self-identity. Thus, it is imperative to develop and be mindful of creativity in design education. Most traditional design fields focus on creative outcomes that impact revenue, trends, and…

This dissertation describes a program of research encompassing three studies that focused on examining the effects of enhanced expectancies and perceptions of success on motor learning. OPTIMAL theory (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) proposes that practice manipulations that enhance a learner's expectations for future successful outcomes lead to…

The purpose of this explorative qualitative methods study was to examine students' motivations and proficiency of a foreign language in a top tier higher education environment. The study investigated the factors and motivations that affect students' proficiency in a foreign language. The qualitative methods included open-ended questionnaires,…

Serving in the military today is a very specialized and intense experience, with the use of technology requiring dedicated training and education. The military provides much of this specialized training, but also recognizes the value of higher education for its personnel. Our military personnel are supporting our country daily and their increased…

In social cognitive theory, the development of self-perceptions is a complex process involving personality and environment. While educators may have little influence on students' personality traits, they can attend to environmental components that support the development of positive self-perceptions. Developing positive self-perceptions has been…

Universities are challenged with finding ways to motivate the increasing number of diverse students so that the largest number of students can be expected to succeed. University success is measured by retention and graduation rates, which affect profit. A lack of academic motivation among increasingly diverse students influences student retention,…

Elementary grade students in a mid-Atlantic state school district have not been meeting academic standards on state assessments. Research indicates that academic achievement is connected to self-directed readiness to learn; however, often the instruction in strategies for student self-directed readiness to learn remains teacher-centered. The…

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of time-related academic behavior (i.e., procrastination and timely engagement) in the academic context. Specifically, this study aimed to build a new model for understanding these behaviors in a motivational framework by using motivational orientation to frame these…

Much of the research literature on learning technologies and distance education has concentrated on achievement, with little to no emphasis on factors pertaining to motivation. This lack of research is a concern given the high enrollment and low retention rates in distance education programs. The focus of this comparative study was to investigate…

To succeed in today's information-rich society, students must utilize technology effectively. Online tools present unique opportunities to create and share knowledge. It was unclear if the use of these tools impacted student motivation, since many teachers were not incorporating technology of interest into lessons. Another concern was the…