Digital Commons Network^™

A Primer In Community-Based Social Marketing, Ivy Thomson, Roslynn Brain

All Current Publications

This guide is written to help produce behavioral changes within communities. It was not produced just for people who specialize in marketing or public outreach, but for the administrative assistants in small organizations who need to draft a program to increase use of public transportation, for parents who want to improve local air quality for their children, for students who want to initiate sustainable behaviors at their schools, the frustrated commuters who would like to decrease traffic congestion.

Perceptions Of Race-Related Interactions In The Classroom, Lesther A. Papa, E. Murphy, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Digital Sampling Rhetorics With An Ethic Of Care, Jared Sterling Colton

English Faculty Publications

Rhetoric and composition studies have conceptualized and defined digital sampling as a method of composition in many ways and for various pedagogical purposes: from a means of free-play invention that is critical of more formalistic writing practices to a semiotic strategy rooted in African American rhetorical traditions designed to effect political change. The latter view is critical of the former in that the former does not account for student digital sampling projects that unquestioningly appropriate from other people and communities. This is a real pedagogical problem, but students can create unethical and hurtful digital sampling projects, no matter the assignment …

Stem School Discourse Patterns, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Carolyn M. Callahan

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

In a cross case analysis of six specialized STEM schools across the United States selected on the basis of varied geographic location and school model type, the authors explore the ways in which classroom discursvive strutures established by teachers impact students' perceptions of their own agency and authority as relates to their science learning within specialized STEM schools. As national interest in specialized STEM schools grows, a deep need to understand the instructional practices that impact students motivation and interest has arisen. By better understanding how teachers drive classroom discourse through questioning techniques, student responses and reflections can be understood …

Making Sense Of Self Harm, Sandra H. Sulzer

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

In Making Sense of Self-harm: The Cultural Meaning and Social Context of Nonsuicidal Self-injury, Dr. Peter Steggals slowly and carefully circles around self-harm as a social construct. His book gathers up the underlying meanings and contradictions inherent in the practice and inspects them in turn. He makes a case that self-harm as we see it today in the form of skin cutting, picking, and other related phenomenon is unique to our time period and is not universally present across cultures— regardless of other mutilation, cutting, or piercing practices that may exist. And importantly, he starts by addressing our aversion to …

Allen Ginsberg, Lauren Ducas

ENGL 6350 – Beat Exhibit

Poet, mystic, Buddhist, activist, psychiatric patient, professor - Allen Ginsberg contained multitudes. Before Howl, he was a private poet struggling with psychological trauma from living with his schizophrenic mother. In 1947, after taking time off from his studies at Columbia University, Ginsberg traveled to Dakar to attempt suicide due to his repressed homosexuality. In New York City, 1948, he hallucinated while reading William Blake's poetry, which solidified his decision to write poetry. In 1949, he was arrested as an accessory to theft and spent eight months in a psychiatric hospital. Ginsberg gained notoriety following the first public reading of …

Breaking Traditional Ways Of Teaching: Communicative Second Language Teaching, Nadiya M. Gifford

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

This portfolio is a collection of the author’s beliefs about second language
teaching that represent the change of the author’s views about teaching. The first sectionof this portfolio contains the author’s teaching philosophy statements, which include adescription of a communicative classroom, the role of input, and brain-based research.Three artifacts support the teaching philosophy and reflect what the author had learnedduring the MSLT program. First, the language artifact is a collection of technologicalideas that can be helpful in teaching Russian to different level students. Second, theliteracy artifact is a literature review regarding benefits of authentic materials indevelopment of language skills, cultural …

Institutional Constraints Limiting Social Services For Immigrants, Grant Alan Holyoak

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study advances the literature by identifying the factors that constrain the resource provision activities of social service agencies for immigrants. We consider whether and how coercive, mimetic and normative constraints shape organizational practices in this field. Drawing on twenty-five in-depth interviews with social service providers in Utah, we find that despite providers' commitment to serving immigrants, organizations remain significantly constrained due primarily to external coercive constraints including restrictive state laws and increasing competition over limited funding. We conclude by exploring the implications of our findings for policy and practice.

A Book Of Conversations: Trauma, Representation, And Reconstruction In Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Rachel Telfer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

For over 150 years, critics and readers have struggled to understand the meaning of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Through Alice, Carroll asserts that a focus on conversations in Wonderland will illuminate the use, or value, of his novel. The conversations between Alice and other characters reveal that Alice experiences a breakdown of her reality that mirrors the symptoms of trauma. Thus, looking through Alice's deconstructive process through the lens of trauma can provide insight into the value of Carroll's novel. Yet the novel does not describe a known source of trauma. Instead of emphasizing the traumatic event …

Second Language Teaching In The Esl Classroom: The Role Of The Teacher, Ariel Serrell Finlinson

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

This portfolio covers what the author believes to be important teaching practices for a teacher in the English as a Second Language classroom, with a specific emphasis on the role of the teacher. The first section of the portfolio contains the author’s teaching philosophy which describes the author’s beliefs of what constitutes good teaching. The beliefs include the importance of using meaning-bearing and comprehensible input in the classroom, the use of task-based activities to facilitate language learning, and understanding the role of the teacher in the classroom. Following are three artifacts that the author wrote during her time in the …

Best Practices In Second Language Teaching: A Holistic Doctrine Based On Research And Experience, Tarin Christopher Griswold

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

This portfolio is an amalgam of the author’s teaching philosophy which is deeply rooted in the theoretical foundations of second language teaching pedagogy, and further honed through firsthand teaching and observation experiences garnered during the course of his MSLT program. The target languages focused on in this portfolio are English and Japanese.

The primary components of this portfolio are: 1) the author’s teaching philosophy statement (TPS), 2) language, literacy, cultural, and research strand artifacts, 3) annotated bibliographies, and 4) target language lesson plans developed and taught by the author which bring key concepts in the TPS and artifacts to fruition …

Form-Content Discrepancies In The Narratives Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Two Elicitation Contexts, Brigid M. Crotty

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

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between form (grammar) and content (narrative structure) in stories elicited in two contexts (story generation, retell) from school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they participated in a narrative intervention program. This project extended the literature by allowing for examination of the relationship between form and content in a group of children who demonstrated adequate grammatical skills in the presence of poor narrative skills. Further, this study may shed light on potential differences that exist between two commonly used elicitation contexts, retell and generation, for obtaining narratives from children.

Conversational Alignment: A Study Of Neural Coherence And Speech Entrainment, Kristen M. Jensen, Stephanie A. Borrie, Breanna E. Studenka, Ronald B. Gillam

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

Conversational alignment refers to the tendency for communication partners to adjust their verbal and non-verbal behaviors to become more like one another during the course of human interaction. This alignment phenomenon has been observed in neural patterns, specifically in the prefrontal areas of the brain (Holper et al., 2013; Cui et al., 2012; Dommer et al., 2012; Holper et al., 2012; Funane et al., 2011; Jiang et al., 2012); verbal behaviors such acoustic speech features (e.g., Borrie & Liss, 2014; Borrie et al., 2015; Lubold & Pon-Barry, 2014), phonological features (e.g., Babel, 2012; Pardo, 2006), lexical selection (e.g., Brennan & …

Teaching Arabic As A Foreign Language: The Role Of Communicative Competence, Pragmatics, And Literacy, Yasmine Kataw

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

This portfolio is the culmination of various writings reflecting the author’s beliefs and ideas on effective second language teaching. The first section includes the author’s teaching philosophy, which emphasizes communicative learning, remaining in the target language, intercultural and pragmatic competence, and using the standards for foreign language learning. The second section includes three artifacts: the first demonstrates the application of concept-based instruction according to sociocultural theory to introduce cultural concepts to Arabic language learners. The second artifact addresses the role of teacher discourse in Dual Language Immersion programs. The third artifact is a literature review and lesson plan regarding refusals …

Language Learning For Real-World Context, Jenifer Jones Burk

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

This portfolio contains the beliefs about language learning and teaching that the author possesses. The portfolio is based on the author’s experiences as a language learner and a language teacher. The main theme of the portfolio is to enable students to use the language learned in the classroom in real-world contexts.

The first section comprises the author’s teaching philosophy, emphasizing the role of the teacher, student, and environment. Following the teaching philosophy are three artifacts that address topics on language, literacy, and culture. First, the language artifact discusses corrective feedback and the feedback the teacher gives to students. Second, the …

A Language Learning And Teaching Journey: Practicalities And Possibilities, Elizabeth Irene Abell

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

Within this portfolio, the reader will find the work that the author has completed over the last two years in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University and a demonstration of her professional growth as an instructor over this period of time. The first major part is the teaching philosophy, in which the author discusses: the experiences as a student that have shaped her as a teacher, the various teaching contexts in which she may work in the future, her personal philosophy of language teaching shaped by what she has learned in the MSLT program, …

Masculinities And Christian Metal: A Critical Analysis Of August Burns Red Lyrics, Brian W. Bowler

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

The purpose of this thesis is to examine and analyze the lyrics of a Christian metal band through the lens of men and masculinities. Heavy metal music is known for its controversial and transgressive elements in its music, lyrics, and image. Through their transgressive performances, metal musicians challenge power structures informed by hegemonic masculinity. Christian metal musicians perform what Moberg calls a "double-controversy" or a double-challenge to hegemonic masculinity, as they transgress the traditions and hegemonic masculinity of the metal scene.

While many metal bands write lyrics about social issues, it is not typical for a Christian metal band to …

Meeting Diverse Needs In The Adult Esl Classroom, Katie Reynolds Garcia

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

This portfolio was written for the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program. It reflects the author's beliefs on effective methods for teaching English as a second language (ESL) to adult learners. It includes the author's teaching philosophy, which focuses on communicative language teaching, creating an encouraging classroom environment, and providing meaningful instruction. The teaching philosophy is followed by four artifacts. First, the culture artifact is a review of complimenting behavior and how to teach pragmatics to language students. Second, the literacy artifact is a study of effective strategies for improving the writing skills of ESL learners. Third, the language …

Language Teaching In The Secondary Education Classroom: Strategies For Teaching Spanish And English, Alexandria Adair

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

This portfolio is a compilation of the author’s beliefs about effectively teaching English as a Second Language and Spanish as a Foreign Language. All of the work in the portfolio centers on the teaching philosophy statement, which contains what the author believes to be the most important aspects of second and foreign language teaching. This statement discusses the importance of communicative language teaching, with a focus on real-life interactions with others. It also advocates teaching content via the second language for more concrete understanding. Four artifacts follow the teaching philosophy statement. The first artifact examines the role of neutral Spanish …

The Intersection Of School Ethnic Composition And Structure: Predicting Social And Academic Outcomes Among Latino Students, Benjamin Pierce

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a persistent gap between the outcomes of Latino students and those of students from other ethnic groups in American schools. In part, this may be due to schooling practices in the American education system that have traditionally failed to cultivate positive contexts for ethnic diversity. Research studies involving focus groups, one-on-on interviews, and small samples of participants have suggested that sentiments of being unfairly treated by teachers and peers, of being stigmatized as low-achievers, and of cultural “incongruence” in schools are common among Latino students. However, quantitative studies involving large samples and sophisticated statistical techniques have produced few …

Socialization Of Respeto In Immigrant Mexican Families, Marsha Tafoya

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Respeto is a cultural value considered to be essential in Latina/o families. Latina/o parents endorse respeto as being an important to teaching to their children. Mental health professionals argue that it is important to understand cultural values in delivering appropriate and relevant services to ethnic and culturally diverse clients. Some experts argue that such focus on cultural context also improves the effectiveness of interventions. The current study examined the cultural value of respeto in immigrant Mexican parents with a child between 4 and 9 years of age. Two scales were developed to examine the behavioral displays of respeto in boys …

Making Statistics Matter: Using Self-Data To Improve Statistics Learning, Jeffrey L. Thayne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research has demonstrated that well into their undergraduate and even graduate education, learners often struggle to understand basic statistical concepts, fail to see their relevance in their personal and professional lives, and often treat them as little more than mere mathematics exercises. Undergraduate learners often see statistical concepts as means to passing exams, completing required courses, and moving on with their degree, and not as instruments of inquiry that can illuminate their world in new and useful ways.

This study explored ways help learners in an undergraduate learning context to treat statistical inquiry as mattering in a practical research context, …

Europa's Bane Ethnic Conflict And Economics On The Czechoslovak Path From Nationalism To Communism, 1848-1948, Mathias Fuelling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethnic conflict and its relationship with economics is a difficult subject to understand, both for moral and historical reasons. This thesis was written with a mind to the effects of these forces on the functioning of political systems. Through study of the Habsburg empire it was discovered that industrialization and competition over economic opportunities drove speakers of different languages to establish themselves as distinct ethnic communities who held conflict between each other as a virtue. This conflict and the creation of a nationalist narrative by communities of Czechs and Germans contributed to the breakup of the Habsburg empire. Conceptions of …

“Touched By Time”: Geopolitical Themes Of Estonian National Identity Through Folklore And Song Festivals, Mandy L. Hoggard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estonian national identity—how Estonians imagine their values, history, and place in the world—is defined by their centuries-long struggle for independence and autonomy. This thesis examines the struggle and resulting identity through the lens of the laulupidu, or song festival, and its employment as a vehicle of political mobilization and re-constructor of Estonian history. Regarding folklore, in this case festivals and folk songs, as containers of the soul of the nation, I show how Estonians have produced and reproduced their national identity through the practice which they hold sacred: choral singing. I implemented a critical geopolitical approach, which emphasizes the …

Refugee And Employer Perceptions Of The Effects Of Capital On Refugee Employability In Utah, Christian L. Fritz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology Department at Utah State University conducted a state-wide needs assessment of refugees in Utah for the Utah
Department of Workforce Services. Using the data collected for this project, I analyzed the interview transcripts of twenty-four participants in the study including eight employers of refugees, eight Iraqi refugees, and eight Burmese refugees. I looked at the skills, education, finances, personal connections, personal attitudes, and cultural knowledge of the refugees and compared those to the desires of the employers of
refugees.

I found that the employers favored refugee employees because they work hard and do not …

Veiled Incivilities: International Students And Campus/Classroom Climate At Predominantly White Universities, Ann E. Roemer

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

This dissertation adds to the literature on campus climate in higher education in the United States, by 1) focusing on international students, especially those from China and Saudi Arabia, and their perceptions of the classroom climate as the racialized Other, in particular, their feelings of being welcomed or not welcomed; and 2) examining their perceptions of, and reactions to, pedagogical practices and peer behaviors that marginalized and/or included them. The mixed-methods study was conducted at three predominantly White institutions in the Intermountain West, utilizing the theoretical framework of campus climate and the White racial frame. Qualitative and quantitative data found …

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, April 7, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, April 7, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Offering an English Teaching Composite Baccalaureate degree
• Offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Climate Science

Other

• Syllabus task force update
• Election of AY 2016-2017 Curriculum Chair

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, April 7, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Program Proposals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, April 7, 2016, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Semester Course Approval Reviews

Program Proposals

• Offering an English Teaching Composite Baccalaureate degree
• Offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Climate Science
• Changing the title in the current BS in Watershed and Earth Systems to BS in Management and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems

Other

• Syllabus task force update
• Election of AY 2016-2017 Curriculum Chair