Les passions de l'ame: On obsessive and harmonious passion.

Passion is defined as a strong inclination toward an activity that people like, that they find important, and in which they invest time and energy. Two types of passion are proposed: obsessive and harmonious. Obsessive passion (OP) refers to a controlled internalization of an activity in one's identity that creates an internal pressure to engage in the activity that the person likes. Harmonious passion (HP) refers to an autonomous internalization that leads individuals to choose to engage in the activity that they like. HP promotes healthy adaptation whereas OP thwarts it by causing negative affect and rigid persistence. Results from four studies involving more than 900 participants from different populations supported the proposed conceptualization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of itraconazole and ketoconazole in HIV-positive patients with oropharyngeal or esophageal candidiasis. Human Immunodeficiency Virus Itraconazole Ketoconazole Project Group

The efficacy of oral itraconazole and ketoconazole in the treatment of oropharyngeal and/or esophageal candidiasis, and the rate of post-treatment relapse, were compared in a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, parallel-group trial. A total of 143 adult HIV-positive patients with oropharyngeal and/or esophageal candidiasis were assigned to receive either itraconazole or ketoconazole (200 mg/day). Patients with oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis were treated for 2 and 4 weeks, respectively. Patients were evaluated clinically and mycologically after 1, 2 and 4 (for esophageal patients) weeks of therapy, and relapses were compared in a 6-week post-treatment follow-up period. Of 129 evaluable patients, 98 had oropharyngeal candidiasis and 31 esophageal infection. CDC classification, CD4+ cell counts, and number of previous episodes of oropharyngeal or esophageal candidiasis were comparable in both groups. Oropharyngeal infection was cleared clinically at 21 days in 71% of patients receiving itraconazole and 60% receiving ketoconazole, and esophageal candidiasis was cleared at 41 days in 100% of patients receiving itraconazole and 91% receiving ketoconazole. Marginally significant differences were found between itraconazole and ketoconazole in rates of clearing of infection clinically in patients with oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis (p = 0.0614 and 0.0781, respectively). Mean rates of infection relapse were not statistically different in the two treatment groups. Adverse events were generally mild and not considered drug related. Itraconazole is marginally more efficacious than ketoconazole in the treatment of oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis in HIV-positive patients and both drugs appear safe and well tolerated.     

Perceptions of Parental Involvement and Support as Predictors of College Students' Persistence in a Science Curriculum.

As technological and scientific skills are increasingly needed, finding that science students encounter significant problems in their academic program causes serious concern. The authors examined how perceived parental involvement and support predict college students' persistence in science based on J. P. Connell and J. G. Wellborn's (1991) theoretical model: Perceived parental involvement and support should foster student persistence by promoting students' competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Results suggest that perceived parental autonomy supports predicted scientific persistence partly through students' autonomy. Perceived parental involvement, although unrelated to persistence, was a significant predictor of autonomy and relatedness. Results suggest that perceived parental involvement and support have specific roles in predicting student self-processes and achievement, highlighting the importance of sustaining parents' contribution for college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family Correlates of Trajectories of Academic Motivation During a School Transition: A Semiparametric Group-Based Approach.

The present study examined whether academic motivations, conceptualized from the stance of self-determination theory, fluctuate over time in a homogeneous or heterogeneous fashion during a school transition. Three objectives were pursued: First, motivational trajectories were studied using the conventional, homogeneous approach. Second, the group-based, semiparametric approach to developmental trajectories was used to study heterogeneous motivational trajectories. Third, family factors were compared across trajectory groups for each type of motivation. Results suggested that most types of motivation tend to fluctuate differently over time for distinct groups of individuals. Furthermore, students characterized by problematic motivational trajectories perceived their parents to be less involved in their scholastic work and less autonomy supportive than those of other students. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for research and theories on motivation and parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental behaviors and adolescents' achievement goals at the beginning of middle school: Emotional problems as potential mediators.

Recent literature on the determinants of academic motivation has shown that parenting and emotions are central elements in understanding students' achievement goals. The authors of this study set out to examine the predictive relationship between parental behaviors during the last year of elementary school and adolescents' achievement goals at the end of their first year of middle school. Manifestations of anxiety and depression in Grade 6 were examined as explanatory mechanisms for this relationship. A total of 498 early adolescents participated in the study. The results of structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that parental involvement predicted mastery goals, whereas parental control predicted performance goals among these adolescents. This relationship was mediated by the adolescents' symptoms of anxiety. These results underscore the need for educators and clinicians to consider parental behaviors and emotional problems among elementary school students when seeking to understand the behaviors and learning strategies adopted by these students in middle school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment trajectories in college science programs: Perceptions of qualities of parents' and college teachers' relationships.

This longitudinal study had 2 goals. The 1st goal was to describe trajectories of academic and emotional adjustment in college science programs. The 2nd goal was to determine whether these trajectories differed as a function of students' self-reports of the quality of their relationships with parents and teachers. The sample consisted of 498 students recruited during their last year of high school. Assessment of adjustment continued until the end of the 2nd year of college. For a number of students, the authors observed a significant decline in both academic and emotional adjustment. Moreover, it was possible to identify an at-risk profile characterized by poor academic and emotional adjustment. In examining the students' perceptions of their family and school environments, the authors found that poorly and well-adjusted students differed from each other on the basis of parental but not teachers' relationship quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autonomous, controlled, and amotivated types of academic motivation: A person-oriented analysis.

The authors investigated students' profiles regarding autonomous, controlled, and amotivated regulation and tested whether profile groups differed on some academic adjustment outcomes. Studies 1 and 2 performed on high school students revealed 3 profiles: (a) students with high levels of both controlled motivation and amotivation but low levels of autonomous motivation, (b) students with high levels of both controlled and autonomous motivation but low levels of amotivation, and (c) students with moderate levels of both autonomous and controlled motivations but low levels of amotivation. These first 2 studies revealed that students in the high autonomous/high controlled group reported the highest degree of academic adjustment. Study 3 performed on college students revealed 3 profiles: (a) students with high levels of autonomous motivations but low levels of both controlled motivation and amotivation, (b) students with high levels of both autonomous and controlled motivation but low levels of amotivation, and (c) students with low to moderate levels of the various motivational components. Study 3 indicated that students in the autonomous group were more persistent than students in the other groups. Results are discussed in light of self-determination theory (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 1985). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal learning in optimal contexts: The role of self-determination in education.

This literature review provides an overview of education studies that have been guided by self-determination theory (SDT). First, the authors examine studies that have assessed motivation based on SDT. Second, the authors detail research that has focussed on the linkages between motivation types and students' behavioural, affective, and cognitive outcomes. Third, the authors present studies on how learning contexts (parents, teachers) contribute to students' motivational resources. The authors conclude that the motivation types proposed by SDT are important for understanding how students thrive and succeed at school. The authors also highlight the significant role played by teachers and parents in the development of student motivation. The authors conclude with a summary of the benefits of self-motivation for learning and offer some recommendations for the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Profils de buts d’apprentissage et caractéristiques personnelles des élèves au début du secondaire.

The present study pursued two goals. The first goal was to explore the presence of students’ learning goals profiles during the beginning of middle school, using cluster analyses procedure. The second goal was to examine whether these profiles are related to academic (motivation, feeling of competence, and achievement) and emotional (anxiety and depression) characteristics. Three hundred ten adolescents participated in this study. Results of cluster analyses showed the presence of different learning goals profiles (high mastery, mixed, mastery-avoidance, and low engaged). Furthermore, results indicated that students in high mastery and mixed profiles are better adapted than students in mastery-avoidance and low engaged profiles, particularly in regard of academic characteristics. On the whole, these findings suggest that considering heterogeneous profiles of learning goals at the beginning of middle school appears quite useful to better understanding students’ academic and emotional characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)