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Building Intercultural Competence In The Lower Division Chinese Language Classroom: A Lesson Plan Analysis, Tzu-Hsin Lin

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

This portfolio is a compilation of what the author has learned in the field of Chinese as a second language in the Master of Second Language Teaching program at Utah State University. There are three main sections in the portfolio. The first section contains the author’s teaching philosophy statement, with a focus on intercultural competence development and teacher-student rapport. The second section consists of a reflection on a classroom observation. The main paper presents how the author designed a lesson plan and implemented it, as well as her analysis and introspection on a video recording of the lesson. The portfolio …

Integrating Content, Culture, And Language For Portuguese Dual Language Immersion Learners, Aline Reis

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

This portfolio is the result of the approaches to teaching I have learned through coursework, readings, class observations, and reflections during the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. It contains my teaching philosophy, developed from my experiences in the elementary Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program and the Utah State University (USU) MSLT program, as well as examples of work produced in the MSLT program, both theoretical and practical. First, the professional environment piece provides context and background for reflections on my teaching experience and pedagogy. Second, the teaching philosophy statement (TPS) describes the main theoretical frameworks and approaches that …

Effective Task-Based Language Teaching And Multiliteracies Approaches In Second Language Learning, Laura Medina

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

This portfolio represents a selection of the author’s graduate coursework, methodological approaches, and professional experiences in teaching Spanish as a second language. It was compiled while participating in the Utah State University Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. The portfolio includes: reflections on the author’s teaching experiences and professional environment, her teaching philosophy statement, a professional development peer observation, a paper that explores the theory and practice of task-based language teaching (TBLT) in conjunction with using authentic texts in teaching writing in novice-level Spanish, and a consideration of some of the author’s future goals. The paper provides a literature …

Differing Mastery Criteria Effects On Maintenance Of 1-Step Instruction Following In Children With Disabilities, Kyle Wagner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The majority of Early Intervention clinics throughout the United States are currently using a practice that is not considered evidence based. When teaching skills to children with developmental disabilities, clinicians assign an accuracy standard for those skills. The most common accuracy standard, called a “mastery criterion,” is 80% across three teaching sessions. There is little to no evidence to support using this specific mastery criterion. The purpose of this study was to add more research regarding this topic, and how it affects how the skills taught maintain over time when teaching has ceased for a specific skill. Two children were …

Board Certified Behavior Analysts In Public Schools: Challenges And Opportunities, Danielle Lyons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) can play an important role in schools. The purpose of this study was to survey BCBAs who self-identify as working in public schools in effort to learn more about their experiences working in this setting. This paper is meant to spark further discussion and research on how BCBAs can be more effective in schools through training and supervision, collaborating with school administrators on systems-level concerns, resolving ethical concerns, and clarifying roles and responsibilities in public schools.

Who Is Accessing Ipse Programs? Examining The Demographics Of Students Enrolled In Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, Madison Heider

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This initial survey study was designed to examine the demographics of students attending inclusive post-secondary (IPSE) programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). IPSE programs are designed to deliver a similar, if not identical, collegiate experience to students with IDD as their peers without disabilities. Previous research has investigated IPSE programs and their impact, but there is limited information regarding student makeup. The researchers looked to identify the diversity of students beyond their disability categories; research questions surrounded student diversity, barriers to accessing IPSE programs, and what, if anything, programs do to increase diversity within their programs. The …

A Classification Of Tensors In Ecsk Theory, Joshua James Leiter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

You might have heard of Einstein’s theory of General relativity (GR): it is the one where mass and energy curve the fabric of spacetime to create gravity. This is the major theory which allows communication through satellites and our GPS to work too! Wormholes have interested me, but there are some issues about forming them in GR. Interestingly enough, elementary particles are also characterized by their spin in the standard model. However, intrinsic spin is nowhere geometrically coupled to the geometry of spacetime in Einstein’s theory. Later, Élie Cartan, Dennis Sciama, and Tom Kibble all flushed out adding different aspects …

Status And Enhancement Of Trissolcus Japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) For Biological Control Of Halyomorpha Halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Northern Utah, Kate V. Richardson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is a major insect pest that invades human structures causing nuisance issues and attacks numerous fruit and vegetable crops in Northern America. As this pest threatens $23 billion worth of specialty and agricultural crops in the U.S. and is difficult to manage due to insecticide resistance, control practices such as the use of biological control through egg parasitoid wasps are critical. In its native range of Asia, BMSB populations are controlled primarily by members of the Trissolcus genus such as the samurai wasp, but U.S. native wasps have demonstrated low success of BMSB …

A Fine-Scale Understanding Of Sagebrush Islands To Improve Restoration Outcomes In The Intermountain West, Sofia Koutzoukis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the Intermountain West, rapid expansion of non-native grasses, primarily cheatgrass, has created a repeating cycle where cheatgrass easily ignites and after a fire, more cheatgrass establishes in the burned area, leading to more fire, and more cheatgrass. The primary method to prevent further fires is to plant grass and shrub seeds after a fire because they can deter cheatgrass from establishing and reduce the chance of fire. However, this approach does not always work. There is a need and interest in alternative ways to establish native grasses and forbs.

Sagebrush, the dominant shrub of lower-elevation regions of the Intermountain …

The Sexual Objectification Experiences Of Non-Binary People, Lee R. Pradell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Transgender people are a historically marginalized and disenfranchised group, leading to discriminatory interpersonal treatment such as sexual objectification experiences (SOEs), a type of objectification. Women look at themselves the way men look at them, reducing themselves to objects for someone else’s viewing. This flattening of oneself to value your bodily presentation over functioning increases dissociative states and promotes disordered eating behaviors. Non-binary people experience additive stressors within objectification experiences as people with less social power than cisgender women. This thesis is composed of three separate studies aimed at understanding the SOEs of non-binary people.

The first of three studies recruited …

Teachers' Conceptions And Enactment Of Disciplinary Literacy In Elementary Science Instruction: A Comparative Case Study, Melissa P. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This case study explores elementary teachers’ conceptions and enactment of disciplinary literacy in elementary science instruction and the interaction between the two. Specifically, the purpose of this research was to describe how four fifth-grade teachers view literacy appropriate to science. Participants for this research were invited to participate by responding to an online survey and were selected based on criteria. Data sources include interviews, teacher artifacts, and observation. Qualitative data were coded, the codes compared to ideas in the field (overall themes), and global themes were generated as sense making tools to describe trends found in each case, case comparisons, …

Dynamic Inductive Power Transfer Systems With Reflexive Tuning Networks Designed By Machine Learning, Shuntaro Inoue

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation proposes a new way to make dynamic wireless charging systems more affordable. Instead of using one inverter for each transmitter coil, as is typically done, the proposed system uses a single inverter that is connected to multiple transmitter coils. This approach is made possible by reflexive tuning, which allows for high currents to be achieved only on the transmitter coil in use. The system was tested with a 50kW prototype, designed using a combination of neural networks and genetic algorithms. The prototype was tested on both automated rail and vehicle systems. The measured dc-dc efficiency with single and …

Family Communication Patterns, Emotion Regulation, And Coping Behaviors In Young Adults, Caleb J. Price

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Family communication establishes expectations for a variety of behaviors, including emotion expression. This study explored if patterns of family communication were related to five behaviors that young adults might use to cope (drinking alcohol, watching TV, masturbating, eating, and exercising) via emotion regulation strategies. The data used for this study came from 504 young adults living across the United States who completed an online survey which asked them questions about how their family communicated when they were adolescents, their emotion regulation strategies, and how often they use the five coping behaviors listed above. The participants were between 18 and 30 …

Communication‐Less Synchronous Rectification For In Motion Wireless Charging, Joshua B. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis puts forward a control scheme to allow for synchronous rectification for dynamic wireless power transfer. The automotive industry is transitioning away from internal combustion engines (ICEs) and towards electric vehicles (EVs). This transition is spurred by the environmental and economic benefits EVs offer over ICEs. However, further improvements can still be made to how electric vehicles operate. One of these improvements is the technology of in motion wireless charging or dynamic wireless power transfer. In motion wireless charging offers the ability to remove existing range anxiety concerns for EVs. It also offers the potential for a reduction in …

Generative Neural Network Approach To Designing And Optimizing Dynamic Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Andrew Pond Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric vehicles (EVs) offer many improvements over traditional combustion engines including increasing efficiency, while decreasing cost of operation and emissions. There is a need for the development of cheap and efficient charging systems for the future success of EVs. Most EVs currently utilize static plug-in charging systems. An alternative charging method of significant interest is dynamic inductive power transfer systems (DIPT). These systems utilize two coils, one placed in the vehicle and one in the roadway to wirelessly charge the vehicle as it passes over. This method removes the current limitations on EVs where they must stop and statically charge …

Reimagining Culture With Youth: Relationship And Representation In Culturally Centered Learning Environments, Lili Yan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation intends to develop an understanding of how culturally centered learning environments impact youth’s relationship with culture. Working alongside a multicultural team of researchers, educators, and designers who came together with a shared goal of designing curricular activities to engage sixth graders with culture, I followed 12 sixth graders for a school year to understand their development of relationships with culture. I (re)conceptualize the holistic process of learning and engagement with culture as Ti-Wu and propose a cultural learning model that helps us understand how youth develop multiple relationships with culture. I further share how multimedia technology mediates youth’s …

High Efficiency Angles-Only Space-Based Approaches For Geosynchronous Orbit Catalog Maintenance With Sparse Information, Louis M. Tonc

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The thesis of this dissertation proposes a novel filter algorithm to improve tracking and catalog maintenance of uncooperative satellites and other Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO). Tracking can be supported by space-based tracking from observer satellites (OBSs). Practical limitations can lead to long time gaps between measurement updates when tracking RSOs from an OBS, which may induce a loss of fidelity or divergence of the estimation algorithm. The Extended Kalman filter (EKF) is commonly used for tracking RSOs but it diverges as a consequence of nonlinearity in the dynamics and nonlinearity in the optical measurements from …

Producing Analytical Models Of The Sport Spacecraft For Science Data Processing, Jason L. Powell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Scintillation Prediction Observation Research Task (SPORT) is a joint United States of America and Brazil 6U CubeSat mission. The SPORT mission is to understand how the Earth’s ionosphere evolves during day and night transitions. Space Weather Probes, a suite of instruments developed by Utah State University, monitors the ionosphere by observing currents and voltages around the SPORT spacecraft body. This thesis presents the data collected by Space Weather Probes and how it is used to measure the ionosphere. Modeling techniques are also presented to demonstrate how the Space Weather Probes instrument is expected to respond to the ionosphere.

Understanding Parent-Adolescent Transmission Of Values, Jesse P. Higgins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand the way that parents attempt to influence the values that may influence their adolescent children’s behavior and goals. In the first study, we use a newly created questionnaire, the Transmission of Values Scale or TVS, that measures the use of 27 parenting strategies that influence value transmission. Examples of strategies included in the TVS include being an example of good values, encouraging family discussion about values, and even using coercive strategies like guilt to encourage valued behavior. The results of this study found that these strategies work together to explain how …

How Preservice Teachers Develop Awareness And Beliefs About Design Features And Academic Language Features When Choosing And Evaluating Digital Math Games For English Language Learners, Allison L. Roxburgh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This mixed methods study examined how preservice teachers developed awareness and beliefs about design features and academic language features when choosing and evaluating digital math games for English language learners. The overarching research question for this study was, “How do preservice teachers develop awareness and beliefs about design features and academic language features when choosing and evaluating digital math games for English language learners (ELLs)?” During the study, 21 elementary preservice teachers participated in online learning modules about design features and academic language features in digital math games. During the modules, preservice teachers chose and evaluated three digital math games …

Critical Democratic Education: A Case Study On Controversy Deliberation And Its Effects Among Pre-Service Elementary Teachers, Shouqing Si

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The state of democracy facing expanding political division and pervasive racial and social inequalities. Discussing and deliberating controversial social and political issues functions help foster students' civic contribution. I conducted a qualitative case study and recruited 14 participants, with whom I conducted interviews, self-reflection, observation, and autoethnography. I targeted the primary research question: How do pre-service elementary teachers experience and get influenced by discussing social and public issues? I broke it down to six operational questions:

1. What issues are considered controversial by pre-service teachers in their future social studies classrooms?
2. What challenges do pre-service teachers perceive in controversial issues teaching? …

A Generative Neural Network For Discovering Near Optimaldynamic Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Md Shain Shahid Chowdhury Oni

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An urgent need is to electrify transportation to lower carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Wireless charging makes electrical vehicles (EVs) more convenient and cheaper because energy is transferred to the vehicle without the need to plug it in. Dynamic wireless charging is particularly interesting, where the vehicle does not need to stop to receive the energy. This technology requires the EV and the roadway to include coils of wire, where the roadway coil is energized as the vehicle passes over it to induce an electrical current in the EV coil through electromagnetic induction. However, the problem of designing the two …

An Evaluation Of U.S. Horseback Riding Instruction Certifications: Availability, Acquisition, Barriers, And Industry Need, Makenna L. Osborne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to analyze the U.S. equine industry’s availability of riding instruction certification options, describe the relationship between professional certification and the self-efficacy of horseback riding instructors in the U.S., and explore the expectations that consumers have of instructors and instructor selection criteria. Two surveys were developed and sent out to instructors and consumers aligned with the research objectives designed to collect information on instructors’ self- perception of self-efficacy after certifying their perceived barriers to receiving certification, and consumers’ selection criteria for instructors. The average certified instructor was extremely satisfied with their decision to pursue …

Fractally Sampling Diversity-Environment Relationships To Understand Plant Assemblage Health Across Spatial Scales, Elizabeth G. Simpson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Humans influence the health of ecosystems and rely on healthy ecosystems to support their livelihoods and well-being. By looking at how the parts of ecosystems interact we can understand and improve ecosystem health. Ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales or different size patches of area. For example, individual organisms interact with each other at small spatial scales, while at large spatial scales, communities of organisms interact with weather conditions. However, many research studies do not look at how ecosystem interactions change across spatial scales. To address this gap in ecological research, I use a fractal sampling design which samples at …

We Travel Together: Examining The Drivers And Functions Of Animal Movement In Biotic Seed Dispersal, Binod Borah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Plants and frugivorous animals exist in mutually beneficial relations, as these animals feed on fruits, ingest the seeds, and carry them away from the parent trees. Such dispersion of seeds over space helps them colonize new habitats, escape high mortality rates near their parent trees, and avoid competition with conspecifics. Therefore, seed dispersing animal movement can be critical for the persistence of plant populations. Yet what drives such seed disperser movement is often less understood and how it affects seed dispersal is little explored. In my dissertation, I investigate multiple drivers of seed disperser movement, link movement to potential seed …

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 …

Teachers’ Learning Of Fraction Division With Area Models, Michael Leitch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research shows that fractions concepts play an essential role in the learning of later mathematics. However, fractions are notoriously difficult to learn and difficult to teach. Division with fractions is a frequent subject in mathematics education research because division is the most conceptually difficult of the four basic arithmetic operations and rational numbers are the most conceptually difficult numbers in K-12 mathematics curricula.

In the U.S., teachers are generally proficient with mathematical procedures, but often have difficulty explaining the concepts underlying the procedures. Research indicates a positive association between student learning and teachers’ depth of conceptual understanding of mathematics. Thus, …

Evaluating Methods For Pathogen Spillover Detection And Forecasting In Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis Nelsoni), Grete E. Wilson-Henjum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Managers mitigate the effects of disease on wildlife populations by detecting outbreaks and predicting disease transmission. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations face threat from the introduced pathogen Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae). In the eastern Mojave Desert, managers detect pathogen outbreaks in desert bighorn (O. c. nelsoni) through aerial population surveys, which produce irregular and coarse population information. Furthermore, managers model the risk of M. ovipneumoniae transmission amongst desert bighorn populations, however these models assume that desert bighorn space use is unchanging across years. Here, I evaluate methods used by managers to detect disease outbreaks …

Tacitus, Barditus, And Odin's Eleventh Spell, Marie Skinner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Roman Historian Cornelius Tacitus wrote about native Europeans in 98 C.E., around a thousand years before the same peoples began recording their own history. Despite this, the work titled Germania is little-known and under-utilized. It is only by studying Germania and discussing it that the text will be seen for what it is and neither dismissed nor taken out of context. This thesis examines a few of the many passages of Germania that correspond with archaeological, literary, legal, and artistic information from later periods, demonstrating the value of Tacitus’ work to anyone studying European history.

Physical Model Of Rainwater Along Roadway Filter Strip, Ryan C. Eberhard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate infiltration rates of rainwater into a roadside filter strip. The findings of this study were intended to be used by the Utah Department of Transportation in their design of stormwater retention. A testing apparatus was designed and constructed to simulate rainfall and infiltration on an inclined slope during the 80^th percentile 24-hour rainstorm event in Utah. The model was used to test six different surface soil configurations at three slope inclinations. Each test was subjected to a simulated storm event of ½ inch of rain over a 2-hour period. The variation …