Digital Commons Network^™

Newspaper Representations Of Homelessness: A Temporal Comparative Analysis, Sarah Werman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research focuses on the ways in which homelessness is discussed in two newspapers in a major city in the intermountain United States. I analyzed newspaper articles with the goal of understanding public discourse in two ideologically distinct newspaper venues. I examined the news media portrayal of the homeless in 752 articles in these two newspapers during two distinct six­-month time periods, one during which the city was nationally recognized as a major advocate for “Housing First,” or “solving homelessness,” and a more recent period during which urban gentrification has challenged the location of homeless services. Specifically, I addressed the …

An Assessment Of Self-Determination Skills In Transition-Age Students With Disabilities Following Instruction Using The My Transition Portfolio Program, Eliza Jex

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The successful transition for students with disabilities into adult roles and activities post high-school, including employment, participation in postsecondary educational opportunities, and inclusion in social activities, continues to be a challenge for these individuals. Research has established that the development of certain skills earlier on can support students with disabilities in making a successful transition into these adult roles. The development of self-determination skills is one such practice. There is a need in the field of education to further research in programs that are available for teachers in providing instruction in self-determination skills. This study sought to establish research on …

Social Media Use During Crisis Events: A Mixed-Method Analysis Of Information Sources And Their Trustworthiness, Apoorva Chauhan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation consists of three studies that examine online communications during crisis events. The first study identified and examined the information sources that provided official information online during the 2014 Carlton Complex Wildfire. Specifically, after the wildfire, a set of webpages and social media accounts were discovered that were named after the wildfire—called Crisis Named Resources (or CNRs). CNRs shared the highest percentage of wildfire-relevant information. Because CNRs are named after a crisis event, they are easier to find and appear to be dedicated and/or official sources around an event. They can, however, be created and deleted in a short …

Subsistence Strategy Tradeoffs In Long-Term Population Stability Over The Past 6,000 Years, Darcy A. Bird

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I conduct the first comparative analysis of long term human population stability in North America. Questions regarding population stability among animals and plants are fundamental to population ecology, yet no anthropological research has addressed human population stability. This is an important knowledge gap, because a species’ population stability can have implications for its risk of extinction and for the stability of the ecological community in which it lives. I use archaeological and paleoclimatological data to compare long term population stability with subsistence strategy and climate stability over 6,000 years. I conduct my analysis on a large scale to better understand …

Women In Agriculture: Living In A "Man's World", Ennea A. Fairchild

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Despite women’s involvement in agriculture, their contributions have been overlooked in society. Women make up at least a third of those involved in agriculture as farmers, landowners, and in agricultural faculty positions. These numbers do not appear to be decreasing. Although there are several agricultural roles, this study focuses primarily on those women who own agricultural land, but do not farm the land themselves. Rather, these women rent it out to a farmer who operates the land for them (women nonoperating landowners or WNOLs, in short). Previous research suggests these women may be facing considerable barriers as an agricultural landowner …

The Impact Of Collaborative Behavioral Health On Treatment Outcomes Of Diabetes, Adam M. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A current body of research is finding significant connection between biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors in health and wellbeing. Some studies have found significant improvements in treatment outcomes for patients who received medical treatment in collaboration with psychosocial therapeutic treatment. In this study, I sought to observe the impact collaborative treatment had on patients with diabetes who were treated at a community health center. I compared the treatment outcomes of a group of patients who received a collaborative treatment, looking to see if their overall health (measured by A1c, a diabetes severity marker) and medical utilization (or their number …

Professional Transition Porfolio, Ali Gunn

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

During my career in junior high, I have been able to provide many transition assessments. This is the first introduction to transition planning for my students and their families, and I enjoy being able to discuss with them their hopes and dreams for the future, and help parents realize the strengths and skills their child has, based on these assessments, which will benefit them in their future goals. I have been able to use transition assessments not only to make appropriate transition plans, but also to set up work experiences that meet my students’ strengths and preferences.

I have provided …

Understanding Taiwan Presidential Election: A Review Paper, Shida Zhong

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

This paper seeks to find a systematic understanding of the presidential election in Taiwan. Based on the Taiwanese national identity issue as the main social cleavage, I try to review the literature about Taiwan’s presidential election and find the factors that influence the result of presidential election. I try to sort the factors into three dimensions: issue voting, valence voting and social context. Meanwhile, this paper also contains a brief introduction of democratization in Taiwan as a history background and a short review on the past Taiwan presidential election. The purpose of paper is to shine a light on the …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 3, Issue 1, Kim Hales

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full Spring 2019 issue (Volume 3, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Spring 2019

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Science, July 17 , 2019 - Climate Adaptation Science, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to restructure Climate Adaptation Science (CAS) effective Fall 2019.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The Emergence Of Partitioned Land Use Among Human Foragers, Jacob Freeman, John M. Anderies, Raymond P. Mauldin, Robert J. Hard

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Taking inspiration from the archaeology of the Texas Coastal Plain (TCP), we develop an ecological theory of population distribution among mobile hunter-gatherers. This theory proposes that, due to the heterogeneity of resources in space and time, foragers create networks of habitats that they access through residential cycling and shared knowledge. The degree of cycling that individuals exhibit in creating networks of habitats, encoded through social relationships, depends on the relative scarcity of resources and fluctuations in those resources. Using a dynamic model of hunter-gatherer population distribution, we illustrate that increases in population density, coupled with shocks to a biophysical or …

Contributors To Wisconsin’S Persistent Black-White Gap In Life Expectancy, Max T. Roberts, Eric N. Reither, Sojung Lim

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background

Although the black-white gap in life expectancy has narrowed in the U.S., there is considerable variability across states. In Wisconsin, the black-white gap exceeds 6 years, well above the national average. Reducing this disparity is an urgent public health priority, but there is limited understanding of what contributes to Wisconsin’s racial gap in longevity. Our investigation identifies causes of death that contribute most to Wisconsin’s black-white gap in life expectancy among males and females, and highlights specific ages where each cause of death contributes most to the gap.

Methods

Our study employs 1999–2016 restricted-use mortality data provided by the …

“You Shouldn’T Worry Walking A Block And A Half To Your Car”: Perceptions Of Crime And Community Norms In The Bakken Oil Play, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Michael Fedder, Julie Yingling

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The Bakken oil play experienced substantial population growth from oil and gas development over the last decade, resulting in disruption to social norms at the community level. We surveyed residents in a county in Montana and a county in North Dakota about their perceptions of crime resulting from the most recent boom, finding that residents perceived high levels of various types of crimes resulting from the boom and that many also changed their daily behavior out of fear of such crime. In addition, we asked about current perceptions of community norms and find evidence that perceived levels of helping and …

College Choice Factors And Organizational Effectiveness In Intercollegiate Athletics, James T. Morton

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to find out if winning could be predicted by spending on facilities and coaches’ salaries by NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic departments. Using the goals attainment model (Price, 1972) approach, winning, as measured by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Cup Points, was used as the measure of organizational effectiveness for intercollegiate athletic departments. The results of a hierarchical multiple linear regression suggest that a significant proportion of the total variation in Directors’ Cup points was predicted by the combination of total annual debt service, total outstanding debt, average men’s head …

Boundaries Of The Construct Of Unemployment In The Pre-Retirement Years: Exploring An Expanded Measurement Of Lost-Work Opportunity, Maren Wright Voss, Soham Al Snih, Wei Li, Man Hung, Lorie Gage Richards

Extension Research

There is uncertainty related to whether retirement negatively affects health—possibly due to complexity around retirement decisions. Lost-work opportunity through unemployment or forced retirement has been shown to negatively affect health. Lost-work opportunity can be captured in two measurement fields, either a reported experience of being forced into retirement or reported unemployment. However, 17% of individuals retiring due to the loss of work opportunity identified in qualitative interviewing (i.e., unemployment, temporary lay-offs, company buy-outs, forced relocations, etc.) do not report this unemployment or involuntary retirement in quantitative survey responses. We propose broadening the conceptualization of late-career unemployment to incorporate other lost …

Public Engagement On Climate And Health In Museums And Participatory Dialogues May Foster Behavior Change, Kathryn A. Stofer, Lisa Lundgren, Betty A. Dunckel, Vaughan James, Makenna Lange, Janice Krieger

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

As scientific knowledge grows and the planet’s human population makes unprecedented changes, decision-making places more and more demands on the everyday democratic participant. Yet efforts to help the public acquire and make use of evidence-based information fall short. We present preliminary comparisons of three participatory design models of public engagement with science designed to encourage community action rather than just raise awareness in participants on local public health issues impacted by climate change. We collected survey data at two in-person community-based participatory dialogues and a museum exhibit and presented but received no surveys from televised versions of the participatory dialogues. …

Listen To Us: Dad-Endorsed Strategies For Ehdi Professionals, Holly F. Pedersen Dr., Jerusha Olthoff

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

While fathers play an increasingly important role in today’s families, there is an imbalance of research regarding fathers of children with disabilities compared to mothers. Modest research with mothers of children who are deaf/hard of hearing exists; however, very limited research is available specific to fathers of that population. With the advent of newborn hearing screening, the number of children who have hearing loss being identified within the first six months of life has significantly increased. Thus, the number of fathers participating in EHDI services has also increased. Seeking to answer the question, What do fathers’ experiences in the early …

21st Century Teenagers And Young Adults Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing: Outcomes And Possibilities, Jean S. Moog, Amanda M. Rudge 3730756

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this study was to document demographics, characteristics, and long-term outcomes of teenagers and young adults who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) and who all attended the Moog Center for Deaf Education for preschool and/or a portion of elementary school. Data were obtained via an online survey that was designed to assess educational, personal, and professional outcomes of individuals who were currently in high school and beyond. Survey questions were about the lives of these individuals after leaving the Moog Center. Participants included 108 individuals who were DHH, ranging from 15 to 32 years of age. …

Attendance Trends Threaten Future Operations Of America’S State Park Systems, Jordan Smith, Emily J. Wilkins, Yu-Fai Leung

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This research examines how the operating expenditures of America’s state park systems will be affected by a continued growth in attendance consistent with observed trends as well as potential climate futures. We construct a longitudinal panel dataset (1984–2017) describing the operations and characteristics of all 50 state park systems. These data are analyzed with a time-varying stochastic frontier model. Estimates from the model are used to forecast operating expenditures to midcentury under four different scenarios. The first scenario assumes annual attendance within each state park system will continue to grow (or decline) at the same average annual rate that it …

Associations Between Masculine Norms And Health-Care Utilization In Highly Religious, Heterosexual Men, Josh R. Novak, Terry Peak, Julie A. Gast, Melinda Arnell

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to use focus groups to explore married men’s avoidance of health-care utilization. Five focus groups of 8 to 10 married, heterosexual, male participants (N = 44) were conducted and analyzed using grounded theory methods. Several important themes emerged connected to how masculine norms were associated with health-care utilization at several domains including at the organizational level (perceptions of doctors), interpersonal level (past family context and current family context), and individual level (illness severity, money concerns). These themes were all connected with the societal theme of masculine norms …

Outreach In Archaeology With Agent-Based Modeling: Part 3 Of 3, Stefani Crabtree, Kathryn Harris, Benjamin Davies, Iza Romanowska

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

A major challenge facing archaeologists is communicating our research to the public. Thankfully, new computational tools have enabled the testing and visualization of complex ideas in an easily packageable format. In this article we illustrate not only how agent-based modeling provides a platform for communicating complex ideas, but also how these game-like computer models can be explored and manipulated by members of the public therefore increasing their engagement in archaeological explanations. We suggest that these new digital tools serve as an excellent aid for education on the importance of archaeological sites and artifacts. To illustrate the above we walk the …

Multilevel Analysis Of Socio-Demographic Disparities In Adulthood Obesity Across The United States Geographic Regions, Baksun Sung, Amin Etemadifar

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Student Research

Objectives

The objective of this study was to examine the socio-demographic disparities in obesity among US adults across 130 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

Methods

This study used data from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trend of 159,827 US adults aged 18 years and older. Data were analyzed using the multilevel linear regression models.

Results

According to individual level analyses, socio-demographic disparities in obesity exist in the United States. Individuals with low socioeconomic status were associated with a higher body mass index. The participants from the Midwest United States tend to have higher …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Agriculture And Applied Sciences, May 17, 2019, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to establish the Career and Technical Education Division within in the School of Applied Science, Technology, and Education effective 07/01/2019.

Cultural Models Of Raça: The Calculus Of Brazilian Racial Identity Revisited, Henri J. François Dengah Ii, Jason A. Gilmore, Marcus Brasileiro, Anna S. Cohen, Elizabeth Bingham Thomas, Jenni Budge Blackburn, Mckayle Law, Jae Swainston, Richard Thomas

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Nearly 50 years ago, Marvin Harris published a seminal paper that examined how Brazilians create taxonomic categories of racial identity. In the intervening decades, new cognitive theories and analytical approaches have enabled researchers to investigate cultural domains with increased sophistication and nuance. In this paper, we revisit, replicate, and extend Harris’s research by utilizing modern cognitive anthropological approaches such as multidimensional scaling and cultural consensus analysis. Utilizing the same facial portraits as in the original study, we ask a contemporary sample of 34 Brazilians to identify and sort these images by racial identity. We then compare Harris’s original data, reanalyzed …

The Medicalization Of Sleeplessness: Results Of U.S. Office Visit Outcomes, 2008–2015, Mairead Eastin Moloney, Gabriele Circiurkaite, Robyn Lewis Brown

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Previous analysis of U.S. physician office visits (1993–2007) indicated that the medicalization of sleeplessness was on the rise and had potentially negative implications for population health. Our study asks if the medicalization of sleeplessness at the level of patient-physician interaction has persisted over time. Using the most recent years available (2008–2015) of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey we calculated nationally representative estimates for four sleeplessness-related outcomes of physician office visits: sleeplessness complaint, insomnia diagnosis, and prescription of benzodiazepine and non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics (NBSH). To test for the significance of the linear trajectory, we ran a series of bivariate linear models. …

Bringing Forecasting Into The Future: Using Google To Predict Visitation In U.S. National Parks, Matt Clark, Emily J. Wilkins, Dani T. Dagan, Robert Powell, Ryan L. Sharp, Vicken Hillis

Environment and Society Student Research

In recent years, visitation to U.S. National Parks has been increasing, with the majority of this increase occurring in a subset of parks. As a result, managers in these parks must respond quickly to increasing visitor-related challenges. Improved visitation forecasting would allow managers to more proactively plan for such increases. In this study, we leverage internet search data that is freely available through Google Trends to create a forecasting model. We compare this Google Trends model to a traditional autoregressive forecasting model. Overall, our Google Trends model accurately predicted 97% of the total visitation variation to all parks one year …

Altruism Or Self-Interest? Exploring The Motivations Of Open Access Authors, Robert Heaton, Dylan Burns, Becky Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

More than 250 authors at Utah State University published an Open Access (OA) article in 2016. Analysis of survey results and publication data from Scopus suggests that the following factors led authors to choose OA venues: ability to pay publishing charges, disciplinary colleagues’ positive attitudes toward OA, and personal feelings such as altruism and desire to reach a wide audience. Tenure status was not an apparent factor. This article adds to the body of literature on author motivations and can inform library outreach and marketing efforts, the creation of new publishing models, and the conversation about the larger scholarly publishing …

Utah State University Commencement, 2019 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

132nd Annual Commencement of Utah State University.

Between Commercial And Nonprofit: Communicating Social Business, Cassidy Gummersall Hansen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Hybrid social businesses address social problems in a new way, distinct from nonprofit organizations and government agencies. Social businesses are broadly defined as organizations that seek to realize a social mission through business means, and they have the potential to change the landscape of social impact and social services. This study examines such businesses using the lens of the narratives their founders and other leaders tell about how their organizations formed. The current study includes interviews with founders and leaders of social businesses in Utah. Analysis of the data demonstrates similarities and differences between the stories and motivation of individuals …

"I Don't Want To Have A Weird Relationship With You, So I'M Trying": Relational Turning Points And Trajectories Of Ex-Lds Children And Their Active Lds Parents, Jared Worwood

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Ex-LDS individuals face a unique and often turbulent time in their relationship with their parent if the individual decides to leave the LDS Church. To explore this phenomena, we investigated the turning points and relational trajectories of ex-LDS children and their interactions with their active LDS parent. Thirty emerging adult children were interviewed using the retrospective interviewing technique (RIT). Through turning point analysis, we identified 14 turning points: (1) Discussions of values and beliefs, (2) decrease in church participation, (3) moving out, (4) physical proximity, (5) critical family events, (6) parent realizations, (7) sibling events, (8) romantic life events, (9) …