Education Commons^™

Student Perceptions Of Male And Female Instructors In A Post-Secondary Welding Course, S. Kjersti R. Decker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Agricultural mechanics and welding have traditionally been perceived to be careers reserved for males, yet more females have entered professions using welding such as agricultural education. This research was developed because of the lack of gender research in welding. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ perceptions of learning from a male instructor versus a female instructor in a post-secondary welding course. We examined associations and differences between students’ preference of a male and a female welding instructor as well as individual self-efficacy and perceptions towards using welding technology. The population for this study was undergraduate students and …

Socioscientific Issues In School-Based Agricultural Education: Describing And Exploring Factors Of Integration, Michelle S. Burrows

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are complex issues which are scientific in nature and have societal impacts. Many SSI have connections to agriculture and as such should be included in agricultural education curriculum. A clear understanding of what school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers know about SSI is needed. The purpose of this research was to explore the knowledge and integration of SSI among SBAE teachers by describing and explaining the factors that influence integration. This quantitative survey research was guided by the SSI-based instruction framework and the three-component model of agricultural education. The population for this study was all SBAE teachers in …

Increasing Student Engagement And Knowledge Retention In An Entry-Level General Nutrition Course With Technology And Innovative Use Of A Graduate-Level Teaching Assistant, Minhee Kang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Blended-design courses integrate both face-to-face and online learning. This thesis discusses the use of three teaching innovations and their effect on student engagement and course satisfaction in a blended-design nutrition course. The three teaching innovations include 1) a web-based learning platform, called Connect (published by McGraw-Hill Education) 2) other easily accessible technological tools (such as Google+), and 3) higher-level use of a graduate-level teaching assistant.

Another form of web-based learning platform, Mastering, published by Pearson Education, was use previously in the course. However, students, especially those earning the highest grades in the course, did not see value in completing these …

Intentional Mentoring Through 4-H: The Role Of 4-H In A Successful Mentoring Program Between Youth And Adults, Emily Ann Shepperd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

4-H Youth and Families with Promise (4-H YFP) is a one to one youth mentoring program that aims to help youth obtain skills that will help them to be successful. The purpose of this research was to determine if any positive outcomes were shown of youth participating in 4-H YFP. Positive outcomes were identified as peer social competence, greater ability to make positive choices, the development of effective communication skills, building connections, and contributing to the community. Results show that these outcomes positively increased among youth participants in the 4-H YFP program- but the changes were too small to be …

Regularity Of Performance On A Computer Tracking Task Is Different Between Concussed And Non-Concussed Individuals, Kedric James Glenn

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Concussion in athletics has raised public interest as more is learned about the damage done to the athlete. Some of the current field methods of assessing concussion do not look at neuro-cognitive recover, which can remain impaired long after the symptoms of concussion have passed. Other direct methods of assessing concussion are extremely expensive and are not easily portable.

We created a new assessment for concussion that is relatively inexpensive and portable using non-linear time series analysis of performance on a visual-motor tracking task. Approximate entropy (ApEn) is a tool that enables us to calculate the structure of variability form …

Factors That Influence Secondary Students To Join The Collegiate Ffa, Sara Vanderbos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Student involvement on college campuses is important for the professional growth, leadership development and learning of today's college student. This research sought to determine the factors that influence former high school FFA members' reasons for joining and participating in the Collegiate FFA.

The study showed that students who are involved in the National FFA at the secondary level are more likely to join Collegiate FFA while attending a university that offers the Collegiate FFA option. These students were actively engaged on campus and were interested in helping others. Collegiate FFA programs, the National FFA, and universities across the country should …

Assessing The Importance Of Sequencing Laboratory Welding Practicums, Malcolm Riley Rose

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if having fewer operator-controlled variables during welding will improve secondary students' ability to meet weld quality standards for an AWS 1F test. Two different welding processes, Gas Metal Arc Welding and Shielded Metal Arc welding, were used in the research. The population of this study (N = 71), participants were randomly assigned into one of four treatment groups. The study was conducted over six class periods. Participants completed a welding pretest, taught safety procedures followed by welding instruction of both GMAW and SMAW process. Practice sessions were given for each welding …

Effects Of Integrating Mathematical Concepts Into An Animal Science Curriculum, Andrea Rae Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nationwide, mathematical scores have been a topic of concern among elementary and secondary educators for many years. Teaching contextualized math has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles outside of their application.

A study was conducted measuring the effects of integrating mathematical skills in an animal science curriculum. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill …

Preschool Nutrition Education And Influences On Food Neophobia, Kelsey Eller

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Food neophobia, the fear of new foods, has been identified as a significant barrier to the intake of healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables in young children. Food neophobia can hinder dietary quality as well as dietary variety by limiting the development of food preferences. It has also been suggested that neophobia is linked to the development of childhood obesity, and due to the escalating epidemic of childhood obesity that is known to be associated with serious health complications, interventions that target food neophobia in preschool aged children may be successful in improving healthy eating habits and potentially reversing the …

Parent Nutrition Education And The Influence On Family Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Kelsey Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah State University in the collaboration with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) proposes to develop and implement a program to help families develop healthy eating habits and lifestyle behaviors. Recently, childhood overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The diseases associated with adult obesity are now being seen in the pediatric population; therefore, there is a call for preventative efforts. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in combination with an active lifestyle discourages the presence of obesity. Currently, most childhood obesity prevention efforts have taken place in the school setting and have only had short term …

The Usu Tree Inventory Website: A Case Study Of An Interactive Online Woody Plant Education Resource, Benjamin W. Harris

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The USU tree inventory website is an interactive, online tree education resource that I developed to allow students and community members to locate, identify and learn about trees on the USU campus. Students in two USU courses that teach woody plant material used the website during one semester and were surveyed about their experience. Less than half of the students accessed the website, but those that did found it useful as a supplement to traditional instruction. Most students were likely to recommend the website to another person and to use the website in the future.

Evaluation Of An Interactive Health Communication Trans Fat Website, Tara Banks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to evaluate the short-term educational and behavioral impact of the American Heart Association's "Face the Fats" web application had upon college students, a study involving 116 Utah State University undergraduate students was conducted. A one-group pre-posttest design was utilized to answer eight research questions focusing on: health risks associated with trans fat, general trans fat knowledge, ability to identify foods containing trans and saturated fats, food label information, healthy alternatives to trans fat, and readiness to change trans fat intake. Participants completed an online pretest survey and then viewed the "Face the Fats" website at their own pace. …

The Effect Of Parent Involvement In A Nutrition Education Program For Primary Grade Pupils, Barbara A. Kirks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three schools were matched for socioeconomic data, location, and quality. Students in kindergarten through grade three in two schools received nutrition education; the third school was the control. Of the two treatment schools, one was randomly assigned to receive parent as well as student education in nutrition. Three-hundred and seventy cognitive scores, 168 affective scores, and 100 plate-waste analyses were collected in both pretest and posttest phases. At the end of the four-month treatment period, 24-hour food frequency recalls were collected for 151 children.

Students at the school where both parents and their children were involved had higher dietary quality …

Competencies Needed For Careers In Ornamental Horticulture In Utah, Dennis George Bahen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to present descriptive data bout the industry, determine the importance of the competencies needed for job entry, and assess the manpower needs of the ornamental horticulture industry in Utah.

The identified population of 576 ornamental horticulture enterprises was categorized into seven areas of specialization: Arborists (4.5%), Maintenance of Landscapes (10.8%), Landscape Construction (18.6%), Golf Courses (13.5%), Greenhouse Production (5.4%), Florist-Plant Shops (30.9%) and Garden Center-Nurseries (16.3%).

The data were collected by a survey-questionnaire. One hundred and sixteen ornamental horticulture enterprises responded to the survey. This amounted to 38% of the industry sampled and 20% …

Development Of Environmental Education Field Trip Guides For Elementary School Teachers In Cache Valley, Utah, Sandra T. Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first was the development of environmental education field trip guides to areas in Cache Valley for teachers in grades three through six that would provide learning activities that cannot be structured in the classroom. Six field trip guides to areas of Cache Valley with accompanying activities and discussion questions were constructed. The guides were tested in the field by three groups of teachers and students and teachers not participating in the field test evaluated the guides for difficulties they would encounter in using the guides.

The second study purpose was to determine …