Digital Commons Network^™

Empirical Evaluation Of Route-Based Landscape Experiences, Garet Openshaw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis explores a method of visual analysis that aims to create a more in-depth understanding of how individuals see and visually perceive their environment. Here we explore a geospatial tool, called Visual Magnitude, to assess road-based experiences. We aimed to provide evidence of a relationship between the tool and scenic rating preferences from a survey. The content of this thesis is split between two articles. The first article, contained in Chapter 2, focuses on optimizing the selection of viewpoints along route-based envrionments. In this study we ask the question is there an optimal sampling rate of viewpoints along a …

A Moderated Mediation Model Of Gender, Posttraumatic Cognitions, And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms After Military Sexual Assault, Hallie S. Tannahill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Military sexual assault (MSA) is associated with the greatest risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD severity beyond other trauma types. Sexual revictimization further increases this risk and severity. However, not all who experience MSA revictimization develop PTSD. This suggests there may be a key mechanism that explains the association between MSA and PTSD. Posttraumatic cognitions (PTC), which include an overall domain and subdomains of self, world, and self-blame, may be one such mechanism between MSA and PTSD, although this link has not yet been examined in the context of MSA revictimization. Further, literature suggests that men and women …

Siblings Influence On Young Adults' Development: A Three-Study Dissertation, Jenna C. Dayley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As the longest lasting close relationship, often extending from birth until death, sibling relationships play an important role throughout the life course. To date, however, only limited work has examined the process by which siblings influence each other during young adulthood. Given that developmental differences between older and younger siblings diminish in young adulthood, it is possible that bidirectional (older-to-younger as well as younger-to-older) are more likely as compared to adolescence (in which top-down or older-to-younger influence has primarily been explored). It is further possible that processes of observational learning, including modeling, and sibling differentiation continue into young adulthood, shaping …

Predictors Of Special Education Inequity In Rural Rocky Mountain West Schools, Jac'lyn Bera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current research focusing on disproportionality and equity in schools focuses on the urban environment, resulting in a significant gap in our understanding of the challenges of rural schools. For rural, racially and ethnically minoritized (R/EM) students who have disabilities, this research is largely unavailable or minimal, and negatively affects our understanding of rural needs, barriers, and successes for this historically underserved population. There is even less research focused specifically on rural students in the Rocky Mountain West (RMW) region of the United States. Understanding these factors serves as a critical area of research, and is the focus of this study. …

Sustain Water Conservation Behaviors Using Nonparametric Ranking And Social Marketing, Mahmudur Rahman Aveek

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Circulation of water use feedback and conservation messaging are strategies implemented to reduce water demand on a short-term (seasonal) basis. Often considered a less impactful strategy than other tactics such as price increments and usage restrictions, authorities mostly use feedback in informational campaigns with a focus to apprise users about their water use. Such conservation programs have had limited success that has been attributed to the fact that the information provided with the feedback campaigns was generic and did not motivate users enough to sustain their water-saving behaviors. However, the advent of disaggregation technologies that can provide appliance-wise water use …

Reconstructing The Practical Theory Of Communication In Dating Matters: Examining Teen Dating Violence Prevention From A Communicative Approach, Diana Costanzo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teen Dating Violence (TDV) has lasting impacts on teens’ health and well-being. Dating Matters: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (DM), a curriculum published by the CDC in 2019, seeks to mitigate the consequences of TDV and promote healthy relationships. Using Grounded Practical Theory (Craig & Tracy, 1995, 2014), this paper analyzes how DM conceptualizes communication. Specifically, I explore and critique how DM discusses topics related to communication and conflict. The findings of the analysis show that DM focuses on sending the right message in communication. In DM, parents and teens are encouraged to “talk it out” or “speak up” …

Defining Areas Of Interest Using Voronoi And Modified Voronoi Tesselations To Analyze Eye-Tracking Data, Joanna D. Coltrin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eye tracking is a technology used to track where someone is looking. Eye-tracking technology is often used to study what people focus on when looking at a photo of another person. The eye-tracking technology records points on a photo that a person is looking at. When the photo being looked at shows a person, the points can be categorized by body part such as head, right hand, left hand, and torso. This thesis presents the use of partially circular areas to define the body parts of the person in the photo and therefore categorize the points collected by the eye-tracker. …

Institutional Betrayal Related To Sexual Trauma In Military Service Members And Veterans: An Examination Of Posttraumatic Sequelae, Felicia Andresen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Military sexual harassment and/or assault (MSH/A) is pervasive and destructive. MSH/A survivors who believe the institution played a role in the traumatic experience by failing to respond in a supportive manner or for failing to keep them safe may feel betrayed by the military itself, a concept referred to as institutional betrayal. Previous research suggests it is more harmful to be abused by trusted others or institutions due to the violation of trust. This two-study dissertation explored experiences of MSH/A-related institutional betrayal to identify survivors at-risk for worse posttraumatic outcomes.

Study #1 evaluated whether PTSD explained the relationship between …

Vietnam Continued: The Battle For American Public Memory In Public School History Textbooks, Donnie Owens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The question of “how do we actively remember the past?” can perhaps best describe the purpose of public memory studies. Acknowledging this question, I analyze popular public-school textbooks to assess the way in which educational literature constructs the public memory of the Vietnam War. In total, the narratives of the texts construct a public memory of Vietnam as a controversial conflict contained within a decade of American uncertainty. However, these narratives also take care to minimize or leave aside the details of Vietnam’s lasting impact and in favor of reaffirming American exceptionalism. Ultimately, this thesis finds that students who read …

Teacher Home Visits: Changes In Perceptions Of Key Stakeholders, Kevin R. Thomas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher home visits have been shown to improve student attendance, academics and to reduce behavior issues. Three groups are involved: the student, the teacher, and the family (or parent). This research focused on determining if and how the teacher home visit changes the perspectives, expectations, and relationships of these three groups. A survey followed by interviews of some of the students, parents, and teachers was used. The surveys and the interviews were evaluated. Results indicated that perceptions and relationships between stakeholders were improved. Due to low participation rates, results must be interpreted with caution. With these considerations in mind, I …

Parent Work-Family Balance And Adolescent Psychosocial Well-Being During The Covid-19 Shutdown, Shailey Woodward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents who work have many responsibilities to fulfill. They may encounter frustration and exhaustion, which can impact how well they parent. Experiences such as financial strain and the COVID-19 shutdown may further impact parenting. At the same time, adolescents are establishing identities and need attentive parents to help them develop healthy psychosocial well-being. Using Erikson’s (1968) psychosocial theory of development as a backdrop, the purpose of this study was to observe the relationships between parent work-family balance, parenting satisfaction, and adolescent psychosocial well-being within the context of financial stress and the COVID-19 shutdown. I found that parent and adolescent perceptions …

Emotional Support Animal Partnerships: A Multimethod Investigation, Jillian Ferrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are increasing in prevalence and awareness, though not all the publicity and attention have been positive. Many people, including housing officials, persons with disabilities, health professionals, and the general public are confused about the roles and rights of ESAs. Misunderstandings, lack of awareness, and fraud have led to dangerous and inappropriate situations for humans and animals alike despite overwhelming evidence of powerful therapeutic benefits of the human animal bond.

Three studies provide insight into various perspectives involved in ESA partnership experiences and development. Each study provides a theoretical, quantitative, and qualitative approach, respectively, to explore the …

Psychosocial Development In Adolescents With Disabilities: Modification And Evaluation Of Measures, Myles Maxey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often overlooked in research, including psychosocial development (self-esteem, autonomy, attachment, and identity formation). Reliable and consistent survey tools are essential to understanding developmental trends. This study focused on creating surveys that could be comprehended by all adolescents, no matter if they experience IDD or not. Findings from this study suggested that there are more similarities than difference across areas of psychosocial development among adolescents with IDD as well as with their typically developing peers. These findings can help researchers more accurately assess psychosocial development for more adolescents, including those experiencing IDD.

Initial Development And Validation Of A New Measure Of Students' Social-Emotial Competencies, Stephanie A. Vinal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In order to support student success, schools and researchers are targeting non-academic skills, termed social-emotional learning. Social-emotional learning (SEL) represents the process by which students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, establish healthy and positive relationships, and identify as well as regulate emotions. Research shows SEL interventions are effective in decreasing student problems (e.g., anxiety, depression, low motivation; Barry et al., 2015; Corcoran, et al., 2018; Durlak et al., 2011; Weare & Nind, 2011) and increasing positive student outcomes (e.g., academic success, personal growth; Merrell, 2010; Zins et al., 2007). Although SEL is gaining popularity among practitioners and researchers, there …

A Single-Case Experimental Investigation Of Sketch And Speak Expository Intervention For Adolescents With Language-Related Learning Disabilities Via Telepractice, Amy K. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effects of Sketch and Speak expository language intervention for adolescent students with language-related learning disabilities (LLD). Students with LLD have trouble understanding and using academic language for reading and writing and often benefit from explicit instruction in these areas. Sketch and Speak is an expository language intervention that teaches students to take notes in two forms and to systematically use oral practice to facilitate understanding and memory of notes. First, students learn to take notes using simple sketch writing, or pictography, which allows them to focus on the ideas of the text rather than the spelling, …

Stewards And Conservationists: Merging Moral Norms And The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Altruistic Conservation Behavior Among Hunters In Southwestern Utah, Jacob C. Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The leading cause of mortality in California Condors (condors) is lead poisoning, which occurs when condors ingest lead-based ammunition left in carcasses. As a critically endangered species with approximately 115 individuals remaining in the American southwest, increasing the adoption of non-lead ammunition is essential to the recovery of the species. In Utah, the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) uses communication with hunters as the primary tool for increasing the adoption of non-lead ammunition in southwestern Utah. In this research, we use social science theory and data collected from a survey of hunters throughout the region to develop a strategic communication …

Programming Process, Patterns And Behaviors: Insights From Keystroke Analysis Of Cs1 Students, Raj Shrestha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With all the experiences and knowledge, I take programming as granted. But learning to program is still difficult for a lot of introductory programming students. This is also one of the major reasons for a high attrition rate in CS1 courses. If instructors were able to identify struggling students then effective interventions can be taken to help them. This thesis is a research done on programming process data that can be collected non-intrusively from CS1 students when they are programming. The data and their findings can be leveraged in understanding students’ thought process, detecting patterns and identifying behaviors that could …

Developing Cultural Competence Among Sixth-Grade Students Through Indigenous Knowledge And Place-Based Education, Tyus Roanhorse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a need to develop cultural competence in educational settings. While there is a focus on training K-12 educators to be culturally competent, there is little focus on developing and examining the impact of student cultural competence training. Integrating Indigenous knowledge in an education setting is a unique way to start developing cultural competency by recognizing cross-cultural worldviews and perspectives. This can be done while using place-based education, which links the classroom to the cultural environment that has significant meaning to Indigenous peoples while enriching the learning experience for all students. The current study examines and measures the development …

Masculinity, Affirmations, Belongingness, And Resiliency In Male Adolescents: Effects On School Engagement, Kelsey Burt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused on male adolescent students within 7^th and 8^th grade and how endorsement of masculine stereotypes impacts their school engagement and feelings of belonging. The study also examines how peers maintain masculine conformity and how individual resiliency change outcomes. This research is based on two main theories, inclusive masculinity and social learning theory. These theories describe how behaviors are largely learned from the social environment and maintained due to reinforcement or punishment. There were 127 adolescent males who participated in this study and were recruited through an online survey system. Results of the study show that …

Changes In Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Behaviors Of Adult Participants In Create Better Health's Education (Snap-Ed) Program, Kami Bullock

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of delivery method on the nutrition, food resource management (FRM), and physical activity behavior of participants enrolled in either Create Better Health’s in-person or online courses. The pre-survey and post-survey included data on nutrition, FRM, and physical activity behaviors. The researcher analyzed preexisting data from 138 SNAP-eligible adults who participated in Create Better Health’s online and in-person courses.

Results showed similar improvements in most of the nutrition and physical activity behaviors among those who took the CBH courses online or in-person. The online course showed statistically higher scores for four …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Task Analysis Data Sheet Protocol In Training Educators To Use The You/Me Game During Direct Instruction Reading Groups, Mckenzie Niebergall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teachers often struggle with classroom management during academic lessons. Self-adapted efforts to improve classroom management are often not founded on researched behavioral principles. These struggles and efforts impact student behavioral and academic outcomes. The You/Me game is a game included in many Direct Instruction curricula, specially sequenced curricula that encourage positive classroom management and the gaining of academic skills, as a means to reward students for correct academic performance. This study examined the effectiveness of providing a sheet of specific written instructions and allowing for clarifying questions in training four general educators to implement the You/Me Game for classroom management …

An Exploration Of System Level Dimensions Of Nutrition In Relation To Health: Interprofessional Teams And Food Insecurity, Mckenna Christy Voorhees

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many factors influence health; two such factors that warrant additional research include interdisciplinary healthcare teams and food insecurity. These factors may be particularly important among vulnerable populations such as individuals with special healthcare needs, lower income populations, and individuals with disabilities.

Interdisciplinary teamwork promotes improved, and more efficient patient care through the collaboration of healthcare providers in various professional disciplines. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are experts in the science and application of nutrition, which plays an important role in various disease states. Despite the established need for RDNs on interdisciplinary teams, there is limited research in the interdisciplinary scholarship targeting …

Conservation Genetics Of A Declining Bumble Bee In Western North America; The Influence Of Geography, Dispersal Limitation, And Anthopogenic Activity, Ashley T. Rohde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Conservation biology addresses the problem of species loss by identifying species in need of protection. Conservation biology has subfields to address different aspects of biodiversity loss, including genetics and sociology. I used genetic approaches to assess the conservation status of western bumble bees, a bumble bee species of conservation concern.

The western bumble bee is a bumble bee species that ranges from Alaska to New Mexico and as far east as Wyoming and Colorado. This species is disappearing in some places. It may soon be listed as endangered in the United States and is already listed as endangered in parts …

Power And Communication: A Literature Review And Course Proposal, Cody Clayton

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

This paper overviews my final master’s degree project. In this project, I researched the intersection of power and communication. Using academic articles, I reviewed best practices regarding power in the classroom. In addition, I found articles that discussed power and communication within organizations. Using these two bodies of research, I wrote a literature review focused on power bases and power distances. These two specific forms of power were chosen because they each have a different focus, but they can both be applied to teaching practices and organizations. I was then able to design a course to teach these concepts by …

Medicaid Expansion: Changes In Individual Health Outcomes, Julie Norman

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

The Affordable Care Act is one of the biggest changes in the American healthcare system in the 21st century. One element of the ACA is medicaid expansion, which opened up federal funding for states to cover any individual earning below 138% of the federal poverty line. 21 states expanded medicaid in 2014 while 12 haven’t expanded. This paper utilizes the disparity for a natural experiment to determine the efficacy of the program. Outcome variables of interest include measurements of individual health, health access and utilization, and premature death rates. The results indicate positive, but small improvements due to the policy, …

The Status Of Women Leaders In Utah Public Education (K–12): A 2022 Update, Hannah Payne, Kim Buesser, Susan R. Madsen

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

In 2014, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) released a research and policy brief titled “The Status of Women Leaders in Utah Education,”¹ and an updated version was published in 2017.² The reports focused on the status of women’s leadership in all Utah education sectors. In 2021, UWLP updated the postsecondary education portion of the brief,³ and this report provides an update of the K–12 portion. The purpose of this brief is to determine what, if any, progress has been made in women’s leadership within Utah’s K–12 education sector, including public and charter schools. This brief …

Managing Stress For Agricultural Producers: Learning To "Unhook", Jacob Gossner, Beth Fauth, Tasha Howard

All Current Publications

All of us experience stress, and with it, unpleasant, uncomfortable, or distressing thoughts. Agriculture can be an especially stressful profession. Much of the time, people are able to manage the stress—we refocus on our lives and move on. At other times, however, stressful thoughts impact moods negatively. These thoughts seem to consume all attention, pulling people away from others and things they care about in a process called “getting hooked” (Harris, 2019). Unhelpful thoughts may make people act in ways they don’t feel good about. The good news is that people can learn skills to “unhook” from unhelpful thoughts and …

Does Internalized Stigma Change The Way That Religiousness Relates To Depression For People With Minoritized Sexualities?, G. Tyler Lefevor, Chana Etengoff, Samuel J. Skidmore

Psychology Faculty Publications

Drawing on minority stress and intersectionality theories, we examine whether the relationship between religiousness and depression among people with marginalized sexualities changes as a function of their experience of internalized stigma. Analyses of a sample of 260 people with marginalized sexualities suggested that the relationship between religiousness and depression was moderated by internalized homonegativity. Simple slopes analyses revealed that when people with marginalized sexualities reported higher degrees of internalized homonegativity, the relationship between religiousness and depression was positive. Conversely, when people with marginalized sexualities reported lower degrees of internalized homonegativity, religiousness was negatively related to depression. Dismantling analyses using subscales …

Leveraging Personal Values In An Endocrine Therapy Adherence-Promoting Trial For Breast Cancer Survivors: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Joanna J. Arch, Elizabeth Slivjak, Emma E. Bright, Catherine M. Crespi, Michael E. Levin, Sarah R. Genung, Madeline Nealis, Karen Albright, Jill L. Mitchell, Ami D. Sheth, Jessica F. Magidson, Annette L. Stanton

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Improving medication adherence represents one of the greatest behavioral challenges in medicine. Personal values are an under-examined source of motivation for adhering to medication. This secondary analysis leverages a mixed-method approach to understanding a novel, online, values-based intervention (‘REACH’) for promoting endocrine therapy (ET) adherence among breast cancer survivors, using data from a randomized trial.

Methods: Breast cancer survivors with challenges taking ET (n=88) were randomized 1:1 to ET Education + Values (REACH) or Education-only online interventions. This report focuses on the three values strategies used in REACH to promote ET adherence: affirming health-related values, using values-based …

The Utah Statesman, July 5, 2022, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.