Digital Commons Network^™

Coping Mechanisms And Level Of Occupational Stress Among Agriculture Teachers And Other Teaching Populations, Kasee L. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher stress has been a concern in educational research for several decades. This research sought to identify the specific coping methods which Utah agriculture and non-agriculture teachers utilize to manage potentially stressful events, and to determine if differences exist in the coping mechanisms used between agriculture teacher and non-agriculture teacher groups.

Results showed that agriculture teachers showed a greater level of occupational stress than non-agriculture teachers. It was also concluded that occupational stress for the two teaching groups came from different sources. In regard to the agriculture teacher group, certain demographic characteristics that led to a higher frequency of use …

A Coupled Human And Natural Systems Approach To Understanding An Invasive Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, In Hawaii, Emily A. Kalnicky

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Human activities worldwide have altered nature in ways that create new combinations of species and environmental processes. To understand so-called "novel ecosystems" it is important to consider both the natural and the societal factors that shape them, and how those factors are interconnected or "coupled." We used such an approach to explore options for managing a non-native invasive frog, the coqui, which has become established on the island of Hawaii and threatens to spread to other parts of the state.

The nighttime calls of the coqui create a nuisance for property owners when populations become dense enough, as often occurs …

Civic Engagement And Internet Use In Cache Valley, Dave Wind

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

Internet technology has provided tools for communication only dreamed of decades ago. This technology, coupled with civic engagement, has the power to influence local legislation in powerful ways. In this project, I conducted interviews and focus groups to find out how citizens of Cache County, Utah, are using the Internet to engage in civic affairs affecting local legislation. Interviewees were also asked what aspects of a community website would likely enhance their civic activity. It was found that people primarily use the Internet to access information and send email. Suggestions for enhancing engagement included more creative, and interactive ways of …

This Was The Place: Apostasy From The Lds Church, Traci K. Burnett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As with every religion, the LDS (Mormon) Church suffers from attrition of membership. This study looks at the experiences of 21 individuals who have left the LDS church, asking about the reasons for leaving the church and about the consequences of making such a decision.

Unlike many other studies concerning religious apostasy, this research takes a strictly qualitative approach to examining the causes and consequences for leaving the LDS Church. Instead of focusing on demographic characteristics such as race, class, or gender as indicators for apostasy, this research asks a small group of individuals in-depth questions to gain a deeper …

Raising Teacher Awareness In Language Acquisition: From Instruction To Facilitator, Marie C. Lund

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

This portfolio is comprised of a collection of the author's beliefs and ideas about teaching second and foreign languages. This portfolio contains a teaching philosophy, which illustrates the author's beliefs about teacher and student roles in the communicative classroom. There are four artifacts in this portfolio which provide further details on the author’s beliefs of teacher-talk in the classroom, meaningful classroom communication, teaching pragmatics in closing conversations, and Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. These artifacts offer ideas for potential research as well as practical application of these topics in second and foreign language teaching.

Recource Limited Testing Center Scheduling For A Web-Based Testing Application, Adam J. Graham

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

Testing centers are a useful tool to help instructors deliver computer-based tests, but computers resources are expensive and therefore limited. This paper describes a method by which testing center(s) may use iNetTest, a web-based computer aided testing system, to house and administer exams. The algorithm discussed in this paper makes it possible for instructors to schedule tests for a given time frame while ensuring that enough computer resources will be available to all of the students. The algorithm prevents the testing center from getting overwhelmed with students while attempting to maximize the usage of the valuable computer resources.

Parent Evaluation Of A Parent Training Program Of Positive Behavior Interventions, Jeana Washburn

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

Parent training programs have been shown to be helpful to parents in regards to implementing behavior intervention strategies with their children. Parent satisfaction with a parent-training program is an important variable in that, if parents like a program, it is more likely to be successful. The purpose of this project was to provide a brief parent training program using Dr. Glenn I. Latham’s website, Parenting Prescriptions, and examine parent evaluations of the program. The participants were four mothers of preschool age children. Each child had an educational classification of speech and language impairment. The project evaluated the parent training program …

Saucers And The Sacred: The Folklore Of Ufo Narratives, Preston C. Copeland

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

In 1973, nineteen year old Calvin Parker and forty two year old Charles Hickson, both of Gauter, Mississippi were fishing in the Pascagoula river when they heard a buzzing noise behind them. Both turned and were terrified to see a ten-foot wide, eight-foot- high, glowing egg-shaped object with blue lights at its front hovering just above the ground about forty feet from the riverbank. As the men, frozen with fright, watched, a door appeared in the object, and three strange Beings floated just above the river toward them. The beings had legs but did not use them. They were about …

The Effectiveness Of An Adapted Snap-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education) Curriculum For Adults With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities, Amanda Panting

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

Rates of overweight and obese adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities in the United States are high and associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. Many of these adults are trying to become more independent in the community and live in group homes where care is managed by a paid employee. Group home managers assist clients with daily living such as shopping and meal preparation and play an important role in their care. Nutrition and healthy behavior choices are important to help keep this population independent and decrease risks of excess weight and related diseases. Many group home managers and …

Is Analyst Over Optimism Creating Price Inefficiency In The Stock Market?, Juan Mauricio Guiliani

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

This study aims to uncover the relationship between market frictions, measured by price delay, and consensus analyst recommendations on stocks. Analyst recommendations are publicly available to investors, and under the framework of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, should contribute to the efficiency of a stock’s pricing mechanism by providing information to the market that would otherwise not be available. We find evidence that the more favorable recommended stocks in our sample command a higher price delay than less favorably recommended stocks. In other words, the most optimistically recommended stocks are priced less efficiently than other less favorably recommended stocks. We also …

The Capability Of The Functional Movement Screen To Predict Injury In Division I Male And Female Track And Field Athletes, Brent Matthew Appel

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

Track and field, formally know as athletics, formed part of the first Olympics in 776 BC and was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 (Quercetany, 2000). Ever since the creation of this sport, sport related injury has followed. The inevitability of musculoskeletal injury associated with sports in general is well known amongst its participants, and the people who research it. According to the NCAA Injury Surveillance System, a sixteen year sampling period (1988 through 2004), recorded 182,000 injuries (Hootman, Dick, & Agel, 2007). Despite the risk for injury, people continue to participate in track and field. During …

A Synthesis Of Math Interventions For Elementary Students, Stephanie Toone

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

One major concern when developing a Response to Intervention (RTI) multi-tier program is the procedural elements required to ensure effective instruction. Ten studies were reviewed to gain an understanding of the components that result in positive RTI outcomes in mathematics. Elements analyzed included RTI program procedures , tier administration and tier outcomes . Results suggest that several empirically-based math interventions are being used in RTI programs in the literature and the researchers are implementing options as part of the Classwide , Tier 2 and Tier 3 instructional programs. Intervention progress is monitored primarily using Curriculum Based Measurement procedures to evaluate …

Communicative Language Teaching: The Cornerstone Of Second Language Acquisition, Sierra Fischback

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

This portfolio is comprised of a compilation of papers written by the author while completing the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. The focus of the portfolio is a teaching philosophy outlining the author’s beliefs on how to foster effective language teaching in the university foreign language classroom. Included as well are artifacts addressing coping with culture shock, effective forms of language learning, and reading in foreign language literature courses. These artifacts were chosen to reflect important areas of language teaching that have affected the author’s teaching philosophy. Finally, the author has incorporated an annotated …

A Multiple Streams Approach To Bioterrorism Policy, Craig Reeder

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

Bioterrorism is not a new phenomenon and the issues that surround bioterrorism are complex. This paper focuses on the history of bioterrorism, its current threat in public view, and then applying a theory in which explains how those problems became issues in government. The paper starts by examining a historical account of bioterrorism. The history serves a purpose to discuss the ongoing developments and struggles of drafting legislation for an ongoing problem.

After a discussion of bioterrorism from a historical perspective, the paper examines the current threat or state of bioterrorism. This will lead into a discussion about John Kingdon’s …

Finding The Soul In The Soil: How Welfare Farms Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Create Spiritual Communities, Matthew L. Maughan

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

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith in 1830, but its connection with agrarian themes is found in all of LDS canonized scripture, implying a sense of antiquity from the time of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Scriptural examples and teachings of LDS leaders build the foundation of the Latter-day Saint agrarian theology. Valuing this connection to the land remained constant during the Church’s early development, but diminished in theological focus years before the Great Depression. During the Depression, the Church proactively created a Church Security Plan (later renamed the Church Welfare Plan) …

Determining The Effect Of One-On-One Education In Addition To Written Material On Breastfeeding Initiation Rates In The Hospital Setting, Carly Elizabeth Grace

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

The objective of this research was to determine the breastfeeding initiation rate among healthy, term infants at a select hospital, the effect of one-on-one breastfeeding education, in addition to written material on breastfeeding initiation rates in the hospital setting, and if other factors from available data are associated with differences in breastfeeding initiation. This was a quasi-experimental convenience sample study with subjects assigned to a control group (written education) or intervention group (written and one-on-one education). The setting was the obstetrics unit at Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital (Benton County, Arkansas). Subjects were women delivering infants without complication between March and …

Young Children‘S Mathematics References During Free Play In Family Child Care Settings, Shawnee M. Hendershot

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was undertaken to determine how children use math in their everyday activities, which includes caregiving environments outside of their home. Audio recordings were taken of children while they played. The researcher typed transcripts of the audio recordings in order to search for references to math. The different types of math that the children used were: (a) classification, (b) magnitude, (c) enumeration, (d) patterns and shapes, (e) spatial reasons, and (f) part/whole. An example of classification would be a child sorting blocks into groups based on shape. Magnitude is used when a child uses phrases to compare two or …

Undergraduate Information Systems (Is) Curriculum And Career Track Development In United States Colleges And Universities: Assessment Of Adherence To Is 2010 Curriculum Guidelines, Corbin Christopher Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to survey IS curriculum in AACSB-accredited Information Systems programs across the United States, to evaluate current adherence to the IS 2010 Curriculum Guidelines, and to assess the number and type of career track developments initiated as a result of less stringent requirements in the new curriculum guidelines. In addition, an analysis was conducted to see if curriculum in AACSB-accredited Information Systems programs across the United States changed significantly since other similar evaluations reported in 1996, and 2006, and whether it is closer in adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines.

The findings of this …

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: Demonstration Of The Immediacy Effects Of An Innovative Conduct Problem Prevention Program In Young At-Risk Children, Alexis Bolton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers propose to administer preventative behavioral parent training (PBPT) to young children who are displaying developmentally typical conduct problems (i.e., noncompliance and tantrums), with the intent of contributing valuable knowledge for preventing the development of chronic conduct problems in children.

Preventative behavioral parent training is an innovative model designed for conduct problems prevention. The scope of this study will be limited to demonstrating the immediate effects of PBPT. Given the nature and origins of PBPT, immediacy effects are expected and should be relevant to the maintenance of effects over time.

It is predicted that participation in PBPT would yield positive …

Father-Child Interactions At 24 And 36 Months And Developmental Outcomes At Prekindergarten, Shareesa L. Mcmurdie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study looked at father teaching interactions and singing in toddlerhood as predictors of child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten in a low-income, ethnically diverse sample. Results found that, overall, father teaching interactions in toddlerhood predicted child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten and father singing in toddlerhood predicted language outcomes. Fathers provided slightly more teaching interactions at child age 24 months than at 36 months, and sang more frequently at 36 months.

Within ethnic groups, father teaching interactions were statistically significant in predicting cognitive and language development outcomes for children of African American (approached significance for language outcomes) …

Effects Of Sustained Teacher Professional Development On The Classroom Science Instruction Of Elementary School Teachers, Nancy Hauck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained teacher professional development in science education affects the classroom instruction of
elementary school teachers in third through sixth grade over a 3-year period. The teachers in the study were all elementary endorsed and prepared to be generalists in the content areas.

Science reform has led to more content-specific science standards that are difficult for most elementary teachers to address without professional development. Recent studies on improving elementary science instruction suggest the need for professional development to be long term, embedded in teaching practice in the classroom, and …

Evaluating Complementary And Alternative Medicine (Cam) Utilization In A College Sample: A Multisite Application Of The Sociobehavioral Model Of Healthcare Utilization, Kimberly M. Pratt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among U.S. college students and the general public is substantial and growing; however, research on the characteristics of college students who use CAM and the factors that influence their decision to use CAM is scarce. Even fewer studies have explored such factors within the framework of an empirically supported theory. The college years are seen as an important time for developing long-lasting health behaviors and in many ways college students play an important role in setting the foundation for future healthcare. Thus, it is important for healthcare practitioners to have a clear …

“It’S Wraylynn – With A W”: Distinctive Mormon Naming Practices, Jennifer R. Mansfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary objective of this study was to investigate ways in which names among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are distinctive and the reasons behind those distinctive names. While many before me have noted that Mormons often possess distinctive names, there are few studies that attempt to determine the reasons why. Existing research has neglected to include perspectives from members of the LDS Church who practice distinctive naming. Through interviews with LDS Church members, I analyzed what they hoped to accomplish through naming and the larger cultural themes visible in distinctive LDS names. I also …

The Development And Exploratory Validation Of The Awareness Of Social Justice For Individuals With Disabilities Scale, Daniel J. Kelsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with disabilities (IWDs) continue to experience stigma, prejudice, and discrimination that result in social injustice. Counselors of all specialties and theoretic orientations provide services to IWDs. However, there is little discussion about disability-related social justice in the counseling and psychology literature. Counselors, psychology professionals, rehabilitation counselors, and society as a whole, must first be aware of the social injustices that IWDs experience and the role that society has in maintaining them; otherwise, counselors risk perpetuating these social injustices. However, there are no instruments that measure the awareness of social justice issues as they relate to IWDs. By creating and …

Dystopian Literature And The Novella Form As Illustrated Through Side Effects, An Original Novella, Bryan W. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This master’s degree thesis exists in two parts: a critical introduction and an original novella entitled Side Effects. The critical introduction introduces and explains the theories on, literature surrounding, and literary uses of dystopian fiction, the novella format, and drug-based psychotherapy. Current opinion on dystopian fiction sees it characterized by a seemingly perfect societal setting that ultimately contains hidden or suppressed moral flaws. The ultimate purpose of dystopian fiction is commentary on contemporary society through a defamiliarized setting. The novella format is shown to exist in a middle-ground state between the short story and the novel, yet the format …

An Exploration Of Aggregated Patterns Of Student Curriculum-Based-Measurement Outcome Data Within A Response To Intervention Program, Elizabeth Findlay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Identifying and determining what a student needs in order to progress and succeed in school is an important aspect of education. One proposed model for doing so is called response to intervention (RTI). This model states that the degree to which a student does or does not respond to high-quality interventions can help predict future performance and provide needed insight into what skills a student does and does not have. A student receives more or less services based on his or her level of responding interventions provided. The standard RTI model indicates that 80% of a student population should respond …

Problem Solving Communication And Interpersonal Power Among Latino Adolescent Couples, Annel Cordero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Few studies exist that examine Latino romantic relationships; even fewer assess interpersonal power among romantically involved Latino adolescent couples. This observational study investigated interaction, negotiation of power, and communication styles of Latino adolescents in current romantic relationships. Twenty-nine participating couples (ages 14-21) were recruited from a small Rocky Mountain community; all identified as being of Latino decent. Couples were digitally videotaped during problem solving conversations and completed a video recall procedure administered directly following the recording. The Quality of Relationship Inventory (QRI) was completed by all couple members as a measure of their overall relationship quality. In addition to this, …

The Effects Of Video Modeling On Staff Implementation Of The Picture Exchange Communication System In A Group Home For People With Intellectual Disabilities, Shawnee Dee Collins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As more individuals with intellectual disabilities live in integrated, community group home settings, it is increasingly important that direct support staff are well trained to implement behavioral interventions. However, there are often barriers to providing staff members with sufficient training. For example, there is typically a low supervisor-staff ratio. These studies evaluated the effects of watching a video model and completing a brief quiz on staff’s ability to implement Phases I (study 1) and II (study 2) of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in group homes for adults with intellectual disabilities. Moreover, the effects of this staff training on …

Latent Classes Of Self-Reported Adolescent Depression In A Clinical In-Patient Population, Jonathan F. Doti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The depressive disorders are among the most common mental health problems with substantial financial and quality-of-life costs. Depression has generated considerable debate as to the underlying structure/taxonomy and continues to be frequently debated. Adolescents who meet diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder often experience anxiety (and vice versa). Therefore, understanding the underlying structure of depression as well as the co-occurrence of anxiety in a population of adolescents adds to our conceptual understanding of these disorders and facilitates treatment clarity.

This investigation sought to investigate the following research questions for adolescents’ self-reported symptoms of depression, and self-reported symptoms of depression and …

Self-Directed Learning In Problem-Based Learning Versus Traditional Lecture-Based Learning: A Meta-Analysis, Heather M. Leary

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problem-based learning is an approach to education and learning that focuses on students investigating problems, rather than being directly instructed by teachers. Reviews, also called meta-analyses, comparing traditional lecture-based learning to problem-based learning report modest positive learning gains in student cognitive outcomes. Many meta-analyses have been conducted to analyze the effectiveness of problem-based learning, but none examine the extent of self-directed learning in problem-based learning. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis across all disciplines (medicine, education, business, history, etc.) while examining self-directed learning in problem-based learning.

This study used a random effects model meta-analysis using 75 …