Digital Commons Network^™

Iluqata: All Of Us, Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The field of technical and professional communication (TPC) is solidly within the social justice turn that encourages TPC practitioners and scholars to consider how their work, if left unchecked, could perpetuate oppressive societal norms, such as racism. Increasing awareness of how technical communicators can combat oppression through coalitional action and through centering multiply marginalized and underrepresented (MMU) voices and experiences through inclusive research methodologies are important components towards equity in TPC. This dissertation presents five accepted publications that demonstrate how narrative methodologies and coalitional work function to enhance scholarly activism and work towards equity. These five publications are thoroughly introduced …

Saudadades Da Minha Terra Amada: Brazilian Immigrants In Utah, Corinne Clarkson-Heaps

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

“We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is,” author Madeleine L’engle once wrote (L’engle 1993). The Portuguese language has a word for this feeling - saudade. Saudade is hard to describe in English, but it is often described as a feeling of longing, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Brazilian temperament. Brazilian immigrants are familiar with this feeling. Though generally grateful for new opportunities, they often describe the saudades that they have for their terra amada, or “beloved homeland,” after coming to America. Saudades …

A Research Project To Investigate The Instructional Preferences Of Alternatively Certified Career And Technical Education Teachers, Jessica Deceuster

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

Industry career workers that have transitioned to teaching within the education sector have the knowledge base to develop “what” needs to be taught in Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum; however, they do not have adequate knowledge about instructional strategies or “how” the curriculum content should be taught. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to document the instructional strategies, techniques, and coursework that were taught through the Utah State University Career and Technical Education Academy, to Career and Technical Education teachers that have transitioned from industry to education, and to assess how well the instructional strategies, techniques, and coursework …

Post-Experience Survey Of Backcountry Anglers And Hikers In Rocky Mountain National Park, Robin Graham, Anna Miller, Christopher Monz

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

In Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO), visitation has increased by over 1 million visitors per year over the last 5 years (NPS Stats, 2021). Park managers are especially concerned about the impacts of crowded conditions in the Bear Lake region of the park where hiking and fishing are common activities and those participants may perceive crowding differently (Kainzinger et al., 2015). Therefore, this study focuses on describing the perceptions of crowding and potential displacement of hikers and anglers. Additionally, to aid in park-visitor communication, specifically for hikers and anglers, this study also addresses how visitors are getting information …

Spatial Behavior Of Backcountry Anglers And Hikers In Rocky Mountain National Park, Robin Graham, Noah Creany, Christopher Monz

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

In Rocky Mountain National Park, managers are concerned about informal trails resulting from off-trail travel in popular backcountry areas. The distribution of informal trails near water bodies raised questions for park managers about the potential impacts of different visitor activities, specifically hiking and angling use. This report examined the spatial behavior of hikers and anglers using GPS tracking and explored hiker experience preferences in relation to their spatial behavior. Anglers on average traveled farther and spent more time during their trip than hikers. Across all study locations, there was no difference in the amount of off-trail travel between hikers and …

Understanding Climate Change Impacts And Adaptation Potentials At Utah Ski Resorts, Rachel Hager

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

Increasing temperature and shifting precipitation regimes due to climate change are a significant threat to winter recreation. Some businesses such as high-elevation ski resorts are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. However, ski resorts may be able mitigate the impacts of climate change by proactively implementing adaptation strategies. The overall goal of this study was to investigate the impact of climate change on Utah ski resorts, and to understand adaptation perception, barriers, and strategies for different resorts across the state.

To meet that goal, we used a mixed-methods approach including examining temperature shifts at all Utah ski resorts …

Covid-19 Outcomes And The Incidence Of Slavery, Amanda Ortega

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

Environmental factors have been shown to correlate with COVID-19 outcomes. This study advances the literature on health economics by examining the importance of socioeconomic factors. In addition to standard economic factors, I consider the relationship between the past incidence of slavery and COVID-19 outcomes. I analyze county-level U.S. Census data and Georgia Department of Public Health county-level COVID-19 data using regression analysis. I find that the Covid-19 county vaccination rate in Georgia is related to 1860 slave concentration. No statistically significant relationship is found between 1860 slave concentration and COVID-19 death rate, case rate, or vaccination rate when health, socioeconomic, …

It Isn't Easy Speaking Green: The Influence Of Moral Factors On The (Non-) Adoption Of Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Deferral, And Back Again, Alexi Elizabeth Lamm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate change is one of the major issues humans face in the 21^st century. This decade is critical in shaping the future of Earth and the way humans live on it (IPCC, 2018). Changes in human behavior are necessary to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This series of studies explored factors important in communicating and implementing environmental behavior. The first study tested the effects of an online, interactive carbon calculator with moral interventions on three self-reported measures and one objective measure of behavior over a period of weeks. The interventions resulted in small changes in self-reported behavior and …

Accessing Healthcare In The Intermountain West During The Age Of Precarious Labor, Jordan Hammon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research aims to improve our understanding about the association between precarious employment and healthcare access. Using the framework of neoliberalism and the history of welfare reform in the United States, this thesis investigates the relationship between precarious labor and two outcomes associated with health insurance access, namely Medicaid utilization, and being uninsured. I also examine one potential consequence of Medicaid utilization and lack of insurance, having a usual place of health care in the context of the Intermountain West region of the United States.

Using new survey data and quantitative methodologies, this research shows how economic changes, particularly related …

Cultural Memory And Media: Spanish Republicans And The Spanish Civil War, Stuart Cameron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project examines the interplay between memory, history, and politics relating to Spanish Republican memories of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the following authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975). In my analysis of this relationship, I focus on the years around the passage of the Law of Historical Memory in 2007; I explore how Spaniards used several forms of media, namely books, graphic narratives, and interviews, to relay their messages regarding the recovery, preservation, and passage of the memories of the defeated Republicans. The authors in each medium, despite telling different stories, both real and fictional, portrayed the act …

Community And Cultural Reentry: Exploring Reverse Culture Shock Among Returning Missionaries Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Sydney Pond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Considerable research asserts that individuals who have immersive experiences in foreign cultures may experience mental and emotional challenges upon returning home, a phenomenon known as reverse culture shock. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints annually sends tens of thousands of proselytizing missionaries to various locations around the globe, and the nature of their missionary service places them at risk of experiencing problems during reentry. Despite this risk, reverse culture shock among returning Latter-day Saint missionaries remains relatively unexplored. The aim of this study was to examine how former Latter-day Saint missionaries made sense of their experiences returning to …

Blessed Are The Poor (In Spirit): Wealth And Poverty In The Writings Of The Greek Christian Fathers Of The Second Century, Jacob D. Hayden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper examines how Greek Christian authors engaged with the topics of poverty and wealth during the second and third centuries CE - a period of major transition for the Christian Church. Beginning with the latest documents in the Greek New Testament (c. 90 - 120), this study traces these themes through the works of the Apostolic Fathers, including Clement of Rome (c. 35 - 99), Ignatius of Antioch (c. 34 - 108), and Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69 - 155). It then addresses to the apologetic authors Justin Martyr (c. 100 - 165) and Irenaeus (c. 130 - 202). …

Alienation, Modernization, And Animal Welfare: Human-Animal Relationships At The Farm, State, And Country Levels, Michael D. Briscoe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our relationships with animals are important for us as humans, for the environment, and for the animals themselves. In this dissertation I look at the relationships between humans and animals at three scales: farm, U.S. state, and country. Specifically, I address how factors like economic growth, technological innovation, and globalization affect human relationships with animals. Understanding how these factors influence human-animal relationships is important for improving these relationships and deciding which directions will most contribute to sustainable outcomes. I address the social factors that influence human-animal relationships in three studies.

In the first study I surveyed and interviewed dairy farmers …

Assessing The Contribution Of Different Causes Of Death To Life Expectancy Disparities In The United States, Max Tyler Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Life expectancy is not the same for all people in the United States. While some enjoy life expectancies of more than 80 years, others are at risk of dying much sooner. The following studies investigate how different causes of death such as homicide, diabetes, heart disease, and drug poisoning contribute across the life span to: 1) life expectancy gaps across different sex, racial, ethnic, and education groups, and 2) life expectancy change over time for different sex, racial, ethnic, and education groups. Each study focuses on a different area of the U.S., with Chapter 2 focusing on the national-level, Chapter …

Deaths Of Despair In The United States, Amin Etemadifar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Life expectancy is one of the most important indicators of public health and is an indication of overall health status in a population. Thanks to public health and medical advancements over recent decades, the life expectancy of all nations has significantly increased, and that is more true for developed nations like the United States. However, the most recent data shows the longevity of Americans has become stagnant since 2010. So the first question that comes to mind is why that is happening, and the main goal of this dissertation is to answer that question.

In order to address that question, …

Professional Education To Reduce Provider Stigma Toward Harm Reduction And Pharmacotherapy, Sandra H. Sulzer, Suzanne Prevedel, Tyson Barrett, Maren Wright Voss, Cassandra Manning, Erin Fanning Madden

Extension Research

Aims: A novel professional training was developed to reduce stigma toward harm reduction and pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders.

Methods: The training was delivered over three sessions to n = 147 health professionals in Utah between 2019 and 2020, including n = 40 substance use disorder treatment professionals. Pre and post-training survey measures provided evaluation information on knowledge, attitudes, and planned action regarding harm reduction and pharmacotherapy. Items were grouped into a stigma score, and multilevel modeling, regression analyses, and McNemar tests were used to quantify changes in overall stigma toward harm reduction interventions both before and after the training. …

Chapter 6- Resilient And Flexible Teaching (Raft): Integrating A Whole-Person Experience Into Online Teaching, Christina Fabrey, Heather Keith

Resilient Pedagogy

When venturing into wild or unknown territory such as a swiftly moving and ever-changing mountain river, a raft may be a necessary tool for basic survival. But what if during the careful navigation of rapid currents around rocks and other obstacles, you discover that your buoyant and flexible tool helps you to float through the fast and turbulent waters in a way that is meaningful, awe-inspiring, and exciting? As COVID-19 first hit our campuses, many of us switched to emergency remote education as a survival raft, just trying to stay afloat long enough to get to the other side of …

Chapter 7- Innovative Pedagogies For Promoting University Global Engagement In Times Of Crisis, Steven R. Hawks

Resilient Pedagogy

Even as universities, institutes, and professional associations are renewing their commitment to global engagement and the internationalization of higher-education campuses, there are significant geopolitical and social challenges that are pushing back (van der Wende, 2017). The immediate crisis posed by the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has further hampered progress by bringing a number of critical global engagement activities to a sudden halt (Brimmer, 2020). In the midst of these challenges there is an opportunity to consider theory-driven pedagogical innovations that can move the global engagement agenda forward even in times of complexity and crisis.

Chapter 11- Team-Based Learning Brings Academic Rigor, Collaboration, And Community To Online Learning, Elizabeth Winter, Michele C. Clark, Christopher Burns

Resilient Pedagogy

In early 2020, instructors were faced with a critical and immediate need to move education online in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to discontinue face-to-face classes as a protection from the COVID-19 virus presented several questions and challenges, including the need to quickly develop online classes without adequate time to consider the effectiveness of different strategies. While online learning provides accessible and safe educational opportunities for students sheltering in place as a protection against the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty may question if online education provides the academic rigor, needed competencies, and student learning outcomes they hoped for in …

Digital Scripture: An Investigation Of The Design And Use Of A Mobile Application For Reading Sacred Text, Neil Carpenter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Digital sacred text reading is rapidly growing as digital devices such as mobile smartphones are becoming more common across the globe. Although sacred text can have strong influence on identify and behavior, the effects of a digital revolution on scripture reading practices are not well understood. In particular, current research literature indicates that more information is needed about the design and use of digital sacred text applications (apps) such as mobile Bibles across different religious groups or cultures. Therefore, this study builds upon and extends previous work to analyze a religious text app, Gospel Library, which is designed and largely …

Pastoralism, Loss, And Nostalgia: Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending As An Elegy For Environmental Disruption, Kirsten Barker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The idea that music embodies meaning is largely accepted and uncontroversial. However, the way in which this relationship is articulated is complicated and contributes to music’s ability to project different meanings, especially according to time and place. Such is the case with the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams’s romance for violin and orchestra, The Lark Ascending (1920). This work contains both musical and extra musical traits that can be interpreted as pastoral and nostalgic. Understanding how these meanings interact through time provides the opportunity for reinterpretation of the work in the present through an environmentally-oriented framework. Previous research regarding The …

Environmental Racism In A Growing City: Investigating Demographic Shifts In Salt Lake City's Polluted Neighborhoods, Emma Nathel Jones

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Studies investigating the spatial distribution of environmental hazards have repeatedly demonstrated the existence of environmental racism -- the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on communities of color. We aim to contribute to research on environmental racism by asking how relationships between race and hazard exposure change over time. Our study area, Salt Lake City (SLC), UT, USA is one of the largest cities in the intermountain west and is expected to see continued population growth. SLC was 99% white from 1860-1950. 2019 census estimates indicate that SLC is becoming more racially diverse with 35.6% of the population identifying as racial …

An Analysis Of Obsidian Artifacts From The Black Mountain Redoubt (48fr6463): A Late Archaic To Late Prehistoric Shoshone Campsite In Northwestern Wyoming, Mary Margaret Hagen Erlick

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

The Black Mountain Redoubt is a small Late Archaic through Late Prehistoric campsite in northwestern Wyoming associated with a series of communal bighorn sheep hunting traps. A diverse tools assemblage along with several house features indicates a wide range of activities specifically associated with bighorn sheep hunting. We use a 100 percent analysis of the obsidian formal tool and debitage assemblage as a test of obsidian conveyance in western Wyoming. Obsidian artifacts come from the five major regional sources but are dominated by Obsidian Cliff materials in keeping with the Yellowstone Plateau conveyance zone. In contrast, obsidian from Malad, Idaho …

Allyship Training Programs In Higher Education: Creating A Critical Curriculum Of Change, Macy Marin Keith

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

Allies Training Programs (also known as Safe Space/Zone training) are found in many institutions of higher education. Usually provided by an LGBTQA+ or Gender and Sexuality Center staff, the goal is to prepare participants for an allyship role in hopes of promoting safe spaces on campus and decrease instances of queerphobia. This thesis examined current allies training programs to determine what content is being presented and compare to the latest critiques and definitions. After analysis it is determined that current allyship trainings are inadequately preparing higher education staff and faculty for an ally role. Using the results of this study …

Data-Driven Recommendation Of Academic Options Based On Personality Traits, Aashish Ghimire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The choice of academic major and, subsequently, an academic institution has a massive effect on a person’s career. It not only determines their career path but their earning potential, professional happiness, etc. [1] About 40% of people who are admitted to a college do not graduate within six years. Yet, very limited resources are available for students to help make those decisions, and each guidance counselor is responsible for roughly 400 to 900 students across the United States. A tool to help these decisions would benefit students, parents, and guidance counselors.

Various research studies have shown that personality traits affect …

Substance Misuse Transitions Between Adolescence And Young Adulthood: Impacts On Young Adult Self-Sufficiency, Amanda M. Hagman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Substance misuse during the transition to adulthood can be problematic, but it is also socially celebrated. There can be negative short-term impacts associated with intoxication, but are there negative long-term impacts of substance misuse on the transition into adulthood?

Let us pause for a moment. Many individuals may have just glazed over thinking, “Adulthood? I’m not doing that any time soon.” But when you consider what qualifies individuals as adults, this research may seem more pertinent. Adults make their own choices. Adults take responsibility for those choices. Adults are financially independent. So, while the notion of adulthood may conjure images …

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

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

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

Space-Time Dynamics Of The Uinta Fremont Agricultural Transition In Eastern Utah And Northwestern Colorado, Trista N. Schiele

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent work in Utah’s northern Uinta Basin documents associations between variability in precipitation and fluctuating populations during the Fremont period, AD 300-1350. In this study, I evaluate the role that precipitation variability had on observed regional population density and settlement patterns. I test a model of village formation in Cub Creek, Utah across the larger Uinta Basin and its periphery by creating two predictive statistical models using archaeological data anchored in space and time. I conclude that while precipitation variability plays a role in the initial adoption of farming practices which itself leads to higher population densities, changes in patterns …

Visitor Perceptions And Resource Conditions Of Campsites In Two Coastal Alaskan National Parks, Shannon T. Wesstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing visitation in parks and protected areas presents managers with the challenge of providing quality visitor experiences while mitigating ecological impacts from recreation. Successful management strategies often suggest determining desired conditions for visitor experiences and ecological conditions to establish thresholds. These thresholds can then be compared to existing conditions in order to determine if changes in management strategies should be made. By integrating visitor survey results with ecological assessments, this research is a unique coastal Alaskan regional analysis of the three components of a management framework: 1. Establishes visitor determined thresholds of acceptability for crowding and coastal resource conditions in …

An Analysis Of Racial Disparities Affecting College Of Business Degree Completion At A University's Satellite Campuses, John S. Jaggi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research study provides campus-type specific insight into the graduation rates of students of color at a departmental (i.e., School of Business) level. With underrepresented student populations comprising up to a third of business school enrollment, there is institutional and departmental value in understanding how, and at what levels, undergraduate business students of color persist and graduate at satellite campuses.

Findings from this study could be used to inform institutional and departmental administrators and program managers on different strategies to foster not only a more diverse matriculation, but also to improve graduation outcomes for underrepresented student populations. Study results could …