Theoretical Framework. In the field of public health, the use of theory is central to developing effective behavioral interventions (Green, 2000). Theory provides a roadmap of what factors to consider when designing, implementing and evaluating a health promotion program. It is vital to have a theoretical understanding of why people behave the way they do if public health programs are aiming to improve health status. Furthermore, theories provide clues as to why people and communities make health-related choices and offer a systematic way of understanding these situations, relationships and potential outcomes. Ultimately, theory makes complex interrelationships among multiple variables in different contexts easier to understand (Xxxx, 1999). Over the last several decades, it has become abundantly clear that prevention of HIV/AIDS is not simply about using condoms, medication adherence or testing. HIV risk involves a complex web of behaviors influenced by multiple factors. An individual’s knowledge, attitude, emotions, power dynamics between partners, accessibility of services, socioeconomic inequalities and stigma are a tangled fabric where one dimensional determinants of health are near impossible to tease out. Sexual behavior and risk taking often operate in the context of these factors (King, 1999). Historically, theoretical frameworks for HIV prevention have had a heavy focus on individual- level perspectives and have played prominent roles in guiding behavioral change interventions (CDC, 2011). These frameworks are often based on the assumption that motivation and self- efficacy are enough for successful behavioral change and that individuals change behavior based on past success or failure in that activity (Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2007; XxXxxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, 2000). These frameworks were created to predict health behaviors at particular points in time to pinpoint specific variables that affect specific behaviors (Xxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2007). Research connecting behaviors with specific variables helps public health officials consider how certain actors must be addressed to bring about the desired behavior change in the most effective way. This study used the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM), an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to identify the barriers and facilitators of behavior change (Xxxxx, Xxxxx & Xxxxxxxxx, 2008). Originally developed by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx and Xxxx Xxxxx, TPB started as the TRA to predict an individuals’ intentio...
Theoretical Framework. When discussing agenda-setting and decision-making processes, the seminal work of Xxxxxxx (1984) regarding the Multiple-Streams Framework (MSF) is vital in understanding how policy changes can occur. Xxxxxxx’x MSF analyses agenda-setting in the US political system, making it an adequate analytical tool for the subject of this paper. Whilst this framework was initially developed for the US health and transport sector, its application has been widened to other sectors in the US (Rawat & Xxxxxx, 2016). MSF is now considered to be an adequate analytical tool that explains agenda-setting, decision-making and policy changes in public policy (Xxxxxxx, XxXxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, 2015). It is not only applicable in the US but has crossed borders to other political systems (Cairney & Xxxxx, 2016). 37 years after its development, the MSF has shown that it is still significant. This might be due to its universal adaptability to other policy areas or its general features. In this section, the theoretical backdrop of this study will be discussed in 2.1. In paragraph 2.2, it will discuss the MSF its utility and justify its use in this study. The subsections of paragraph 2.2 will specify the concepts of the MSF. The last paragraph will generate the theoretical expectations that stem from the theoretical framework.
Theoretical Framework. In this section, a number of key concepts important for this study will be elaborated. This will provide a frame of reference for all the chapters of this study. For that purpose, the Rechtsstaat concept is related to what the government does in terms of spatial management and protection of the public interest. Lastly, considering that this umbrella concept of Rechtsstaat also relates to the state and government reform initiated after 1999, I will also provide a brief elucidation on the concept of decentralization.
Theoretical Framework. This research is situated at the intersection of two paradigms: on the one hand the indigenous paradigm, and on the other hand, the feminist paradigm. The increased attention for indigenous peoples at an international level, and the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have led to the first tentative explorations towards an indigenous paradigm in academia. However, a complete theoretical framework on how to include an indigenous point of view in research is only starting to be developed. Xxxxx Tuhiwai Xxxxx’x Decolonizing Methodologies (1999) is one of the first reference works on this topic. Other scholars that have been working towards an indigenous paradigm are, for example, Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, and Xxxxx Wilson11. More theoretical research is necessary to have a more developed theoretical framework. Therefore, this study turns to a second paradigm which is feminism. Feminist theory has many parallels with the indigenous paradigm. Among others, it also questions the representation and participation of a subordinated group – in this case women – dominated by a group seen as the ‘norm’ within society – men. Feminist theory has been one of the first to criticize this societal ‘norm’. It has been ground breaking in this regard and has led the way for other critical approaches to academia. Feminist theory originated from the ideology of the feminist movement, which is based on the observation that in society women have been worldwide subordinated to men. Feminist theory transposed this reality to academia, stating that in research women have also been subordinated to men. Feminist theory wants to analyze gender inequalities in different fields, and therefore points to the need to include a gender perspective in all research areas. Although women have been the main focus group of feminism, it has to be noted that feminist theory is not about women alone. Feminist theory aims at studying gender relations, including both women and men, as they are both part of the social structure of society. It is believed that gender equality can only be reached if women and men are both involved as equal partners.
Theoretical Framework. This study is predicated on the theory of Finance-Growth Nexus, which was developed by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx (1911). According to this theory, financial services are crucial for moving economy forward, so far they increase productivity by fostering technical innovation, investment, and assisting entrepreneurs with the highest prospects of success in the innovation process. He maintained that economic growth might be aided by the mobilization of productive savings, efficient resource allocation, and reinvestment of mobilized financial resources into the economy. By implication, this theory posits that a developed insurance sector is capable of supporting economic growth through financial resources mobilizations in forms of savings for investment, guaranteeing success of entrepreneurs by assuming their business risks, technical innovations in terms of different insurance products capable of attracting the best of businesses into insurance sector.
Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework for this case study was inspired by the work of Xxx Xxxxxxxx (1978). Vygotsky’s theory of knowledge acquisition built on the idea that the learner interacts with new information to construct meaning (Xxxx & Xxxxxx, 1972). Individuals learn from text, educational resources and interaction with others by acquiring and constructing their knowledge. As beginning teachers complete their university program, they bring knowledge that was acquired in pre-service university courses and student teaching experiences. In an induction program, it is essential for educators to build upon the prior knowledge to benefit from the ongoing support (Xxxxxx & Xxxx, 2003). Beginning teachers can gather ideas in an induction program and are capable of enhancing their prior knowledge, which helps to develop and improve their skills through the assistance of their mentor (Xxxxxx, 2015; Xxxxxx and Xxxxxxx, 2010). Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (Figure 1) allows individuals to reach a higher level of competence by moving from skills that they do not presently have mastery on (Xxxx & Xxxxxx, 1972; Vygotsky, 1978). The zone begins with items that a learner (teacher candidate) cannot do on their own, occurring during the first two years of teaching. The zone then continues with items that the learner can do with help. This includes being paired with an experienced mentor to support the teacher’s development as they become proficient in the classroom (Xxxxxxx, 2016).
Theoretical Framework. The Principal-Agent model is used in relationships where there is asymmetric information and the relationship between the economic agents is characterized by a Principal inducing (through a contract) an agent to perform certain actions. The Principal sets in the contract a "pay-off" to encourage the agent to act in the best possible way (MAS-COLELL, 1995). The Principal chooses a function y (.) that maximize their utility, subject to the restrictions imposed by the optimizing behavior of the agent, which are basically two: i) participation restriction (PR), and ii) Incentive Compatibility (RCI) (Sampaio, 2007). The general formulation of the Principal-Agent problem, based on Laffont (2002), for two players, consider A = set of actions the agent, S = set of possible outcomes. The agent takes actions belonging to the set, A = {a1, a2, ..., an} that produce a result "s" of the set S = {s1, s2, ..., sm} and occur with certain probability: =1 x0, x0, ..., nm, such that ∑ = 1. Thus, for each action "a" belongs to the set A, there is a probability distribution in S (ΠA). If W is the amount paid for the service, it is assumed that the contract offered is a function W: S → R. That is, if "s" is observed, the principal pays W (s) to the agent, ie. the agent's remuneration is determined by the result of their actions. For the principal, a couple of "a" and "s" results in income B (a, s) and hence the profits of the principal are given by: B (a, s) - W (s). Thus, the expected profits of the principal can be written as: =1 = ∑ ((, ) − ())
Theoretical Framework. The current research is conceptualized by social constructivism and supplemented by the theory that describes how teachers’ self-efficacy affects their constructed perception. Social constructivism Social constructivism theory is defined by the assumption that individuals actively construct their knowledge within interpersonal as well as social interactions (Xxxxxxxx, 1986). This theory was chosen because it focuses on the impact of individual, social, cultural and historical backgrounds on teaching and learning (Xxxxxxx, 1963; Xxxxxx, 1986; Driver et al., 1994; Xxxxx, 1955; Xxxxxxx, 1994 as cited in Appalsamy 2015). This means that individuals tend to learn when they have gained experience from what they learn. In other words, social constructivism posits that an individual constructs their knowledge or worldview by comparing what they experience in their society with their own existing knowledge, as well as the ways they perceive various phenomena. According to the Vygotsky (1986), social constructivism mostly emphasizes the social aspect of learning and the way in which people construct and accumulate knowledge. Also, he stresses the significance of language as the premise of cognitive construction. He confirmed that the intellect of individuals is influenced by social as well as cultural environments; thereby knowledge is socially constructed and mediated. The theory of social constructivism is applicable for the current research since it has investigated teachers' perceptions that are shaped by the conservative cultural aspects of teaching sex-related topics in the social settings in which they live. Besides, sexual health education has a social nature, and social constructivism underlines the different factors which influence the construction of knowledge. For instance, for some teachers, early sexual behavior outside of marriage is taboo in accordance with their cultural background. In this regard, scholars have claimed that individuals construct their knowledge through the social interaction which is shaped within different social contexts as well as those of time (Driver et. al (1994). In order to identify the norms and reasoning that have been formed by the social forces it is necessary to look at different cultures and beliefs. Various characteristics of different cultures help to identify what is problematic or positive for a particular society. This study provides an opportunity to investigate how teachers construct their knowledge about teach...
Theoretical Framework. Evaluating public health activities designed to decrease the occurrence of infectious disease and incorporating the knowledge gained through these efforts is a key strategy to ensuring successful population health outcomes and wise use of limited resources. In 1999, CDC recommended that public health programs “conduct routine, practical evaluations that provide information for management and improve program effectiveness.”18 Utilization focused evaluation emphasizes the use of evaluation findings by potential stakeholders.19 The stakeholders in this study are immigrants seeking permanent U.S. residence, local and state TB control programs, the CDC DGMQ and the CDC Division of TB Elimination (DTBE). The framework for this study is also built on the premise of evidence-based clinical practice or medicine (EBM). The two fundamental principles of EBM are that “evidence alone is never sufficient to make clinical decisions” and that a “hierarchy of evidence should guide clinical decision making.”20 The outcome of interest in this study is the impact of providing a written referral and verbal instruction on the completion of U.S. TB evaluations. Figure 1 shows the conceptual diagram for the relationship between recently arrived immigrants, the receipt of the referral used at Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and completion of U.S.-based TB evaluations. An individual’s decision and/or ability to complete their U.S. TB evaluation may be affected by several covariates; type of TB classification, sex, age, marital status, arrival with a household member that also has a TB classification, current treatment for TB or a history of TB treatment. Potential confounders include varying local and state health department policies and/or resources devoted to immigrant TB evaluations, distance of an immigrant’s residence from the clinic, clinic hours and available transportation, loss of data at a number of steps in the information transfer process, data entry errors or the provision of inaccurate immigrant locating information to local and/or state health departments. Immigrant arrives at DTW Covariates: TB Classification Sex Predictor Variable: Intervention (Written referral) Age Marital status Arrival with household member Current TB treatment History of TB treatment Completion of US physical exam? Yes or No Potential Confounders Health Department policies and/or resources Available transportation Clinic hours Data loss Data entry errors Inaccurate U.S. locating information
Theoretical Framework. Motivation is a core factor that has a direct impact on students’ academic success (Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx, & Xxxxxx, 2014), and it is found to be essential for gifted students' achievement as well (Xxxxxx and XxXxxxx, 2005). Along with these, student motivation is distinguished between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation where the former is believed to have more positive outcomes as it is driven by students’ interest or joy to accomplish the task, while the latter is driven by external factors as to get better marks or rewards (Xxxx & Xxxx, 2008; Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxxx, XxXxxxx & Xxxxxxxx, 2016). Motivational goals also consist of mastery goals focused on developing skills, and performance-avoidance goals focusing on demonstrating the skills. Furthermore, according to Xxxx and Xxxx (2008), there are two more important types of motivation. The first one is autonomous, where a student is given trust and choice, while the second one is controlled and a student experiences pressure to achieve specific learning outcomes. Autonomous motivation is believd to enhance students’ conceptual perception, improve creative thinking, increase commitment and perserverence as well as increase students’ interest in other activities (Xxxx & Xxxx, 2008). Based on the above-mentioned characteristics of motivation, it is essential for teachers to promote students’ intrinsic and autonomous motivation. Students’ learning motivation is usually rendered by someone who models and communicates competence as well as social skills (Koca, 2018). In addition, the motivational belief of a student indicates to what extent teaching and learning are effective (Koca, 2018). Recent studies in gifted education conducted on the theory of motivation were based on the AOM (Achievement Orientation Model) theory introduced by Xxxxxx and XxXxxxx (2003a). The AOM theory is based on Xxxxxxx'x self-efficacy theory, Xxxxxx’x attribution theory, Xxxxxx’ expectancy-value theory, person-environment fit theory, and Xxxxxx’x locus of control theory (Xxxxxx, XxXxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 2017). According to AOM theory, students’ motivation in a combination of all three areas: student’s self-efficacy, goal – valuation, and environmental perception will positively result in student’s task engagement and academic achievement. Xxxxxx et al., (2017) stressed that these three areas can be developed in different levels, but should not be missing at all since it negatively impacts on self-regulation as well as achievement...
