Digital Commons Network^™

Emerging Models In Environmental Volunteerism: The Domestic Volunteer Vacation, John Andrew Stegmaier

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

For well over two decades, land management agencies in the U.S. have experienced trends of flat if not otherwise declining budgets with which to fulfill their respective missions. Consequently, public land management agencies at various levels have sought creative strategies such as using volunteers to extend quality services without incurring added expense. An increasingly popular form of multi-day volunteer engagements, often referred to as a ‘volunteer vacation,’ is nearly absent from the literature when it comes to domestic project settings as opposed to international and often exotic locales.

A qualitative research study was conducted in the summer of 2013 on …

Cueing Complex Thought, Shannon Houck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Does exposure to a complex description subsequently cue a person to be more complex? To test this question, participants read a paragraph about a specific topic. Paragraphs varied in their level of Integrative Complexity. Participants then wrote about either (1) their opinion about the topic that they read about, or (2) their opinion about a topic that is unrelated to the one that they read about. Participant responses were scored for Integrative Complexity. Contrary to expectations, reading complex paragraphs did not cue people to write more complexly, regardless of whether they were assigned to write about a topic related or …

Putting Scientific Information Into The Service Of Environmental Justice For Residents Facing Groundwater Contamination, Yvonne Emily Sorovacu

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Opportunity, Montana is a small town within the 300 square mile Anaconda Smelter Superfund site in Western Montana. Waste from 100 years of ore processing has impacted the area. Arsenic exceeds Montana drinking water standards within the aquifer system feeding residential wells of Opportunity, causing resident concern about current and future safety of drinking water. The project described in this paper engages with this context from an environmental justice (EJ) perspective that views meaningful participation of affected communities as integral for sound and democratic decisions about environmental risks. Because Opportunity residents are left out of important decision making processes regarding …

A Culture Specific Grief Intervention And Its Affects Upon Coping Behavior And Perceived Social Support Among American Indians: A Treatment Development Study, William Henry Shunkamolah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Numerous theorists have linked centuries of historical trauma to continued unresolved grief, a high level of distress (e.g., depression), and high rates of social problems (e.g., substance use/abuse) in American Indian communities, but interventions aimed at addressing the losses experienced by this population are virtually non-existent. Members of a tribe in Montana identified historical unresolved grief and personal grief, as the most salient underlying factors related to health disparities in their community. Collaboration between the tribal community, the tribal Community College, The University of Montana, and Montana State University led to the development of a culturally anchored grief intervention for …

The Effectiveness Of The Missoula Active 6 Afterschool Program On Participation And Health Outcomes, Carly Michelle Holman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The afterschool environment has arisen as one of the main settings for physical activity programs that aim to prevent childhood obesity and increase physical activity (Beets et al., 2009). The YMCA Active 6 program in was created in 2010 in reaction to the obesity and physical activity trends in Montana’s youth. The program aims to increase physical activity in sixth grade participants and to educate them on different components that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. The purpose of the study was to assess the Active 6 program’s impact on sixth grade students in Missoula, MT. by increasing physical activity, decreasing …

A Spatially-Explicit Decision Support System For Invasive Weed Species Management, Pablo Aracena

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Invasive weed species are a recognized problem worldwide causing economic and environmental problems. Management of weeds is complex and challenging because of multiple decisions that need to be made when allocating limited resources to control current infestation areas including which weeds to treat, where to treat, how to treat, and when to treat. Models have been developed to simulate weed spread, however they lack the ability to simulate the short term effects of weed treatments and analyze trade-offs among control allocation options. This trade-off analysis is critical in developing cost-efficient treatment decisions especially when available budget for treatments is limited. …

The Relationship Between Montana Science Teachers Self-Efficacy And The Integration Of Web 2.0 Elements In The Classroom In Schools With A Student Population Over 900, Robert Dobell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Web 2.0 tools are part of the 21st century school, and are essential elements to teachers in the classroom as our students today are part of the digital generation (Prensky, 2001). Web 2.0 tools offer the instructor the ability to design the learning environment to focus on collaboration and a facilitation of content knowledge (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). This study investigated the use of web 2.0 tools in the largest 14 high schools in Montana with a student population of 900 or more, and identified relationships that influenced the integration of the tools into the science classroom. Montana science teachers …

Psychological Adjustment And Relational Development In Ethiopian Adoptees And Their Families, Waganesh Zeleke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The number of American families choosing to adopt a child from Ethiopia has increased exponentially since 2004. Over the past five years alone, between 2006 and 2011, 13.5% of internationally adopted children in the U.S. came from Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine psychological adjustment and relational development of Ethiopian adoptees who have been adopted during 2007 -2010 and their families who reside in Montana.

Using a convenience-sampling method, data were collected from 25 adoptive parents who adopted a total of 35 children from Ethiopia. All families live in Montana and responded to questions through an online …

Does Attainment Of Piaget's Formal Operational Level Of Cognitive Development Predict Student Understanding Of Scientific Models?, Richard Dennis Lahti

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Knowledge of scientific models and their uses is a concept that has become a key benchmark in many of the science standards of the past 30 years, including the proposed Next Generation Science Standards. Knowledge of models is linked to other important nature of science concepts such as theory change which are also rising in prominence in newer standards. Effective methods of instruction will need to be developed to enable students to achieve these standards. The literature reveals an inconsistent history of success with modeling education. These same studies point to a possible cognitive development component which might explain why …

The Shadow Of Polaris: Understanding Sound And Place, Burke Travis Jam

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Jam, Burke, M.F.A Spring 2013 The Shadow of Polaris: Understanding Sound and Place Chairperson: Associate Professor Brad Allen The Shadow of Polaris examines perception, perspective, and place. My research investigates a critical theory of sound as phenomenon and art object. The phenomenon of sound informs our perception and perspective of place. It articulates questions about how we experience and interact with the physical world. My intention is to create an experiential understanding of the physical and, more specifically, the natural world. Nature’s ephemeral cycles are symbiotic with the human experience of life. Examining this relationship illuminates how we perceive, experience, …

"Conspicuous Consumption:" Germs And Climate Cures In Denver, 1882-1915, Sydney Rene Gwinn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis argues that the health-seeker’s quest for climatic cures persisted after the germ theory of disease began to alter medical approaches to tuberculosis after its announcement in 1882. Buoyed by anti-modern sentiments and a lack of effective medicinal interventions, physicians continued to recommend that tuberculosis patients travel to Denver to seek recovery in a healthier climate. In turn, Denver’s polity and public health approaches were shaped by the influences of the migration of tuberculosis patients to the city. After 1882, new approaches focused on sanitation and isolation began to take hold among physicians and public health reformers who worked …

The Lived Experience Of American Indian Teen Parents From A Northern Plains Tribe, Ann Marie Douglas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although there is extensive research on the outcomes of teen mothers and their children, there is little research to date on how teen parents, especially American Indian teen parents, are functioning in their new role. This is alarming as the rate of births to American Indian teens is far greater than the same-aged Non-Hispanic White population. This study examined the lived experiences of teen parents currently living on a Northern Plains Indian Reservation. Seven participants were interviewed using a phenomenological method. Interviews were analyzed using NVivo and Giorgi’s method. The themes that emerged were traditional roles (child role, parent role, …

The Role Of Dispositions In Teacher Candidate Education, William Alexander Kinderwater

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (formerly NCATE) have stated that teacher preparation programs must enact formal processes for monitoring and assessing the essential knowledge, skills, and forty-three critical dispositions of teacher candidates. While the monitoring and assessment of knowledge and skills appears to be well understood and confidently applied, dispositions do not. This study evaluated the claim that the monitoring and assessment of dispositions are confounded by: (1) ambiguous language and a lack of explicit definition of `dispositions', and (2) that moral knowing cannot predict moral action. …

A Comprehensive Literature Review Of American Sexual Assault Culture And The Status Of Women's Self-Defense, Jennifer Ann Just

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

According to the National Organization for Women (NOW), 232,960 American women were raped or sexually assaulted in 2006, equating to more than 600 women daily (2012). American women furthermore experience about 4.8 million intimate partner-related physical assaults and rapes each year (NOW, 2012). Violence toward women is also evident on American college and university campuses. The U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ), for example, states that 35 of every 1,000 female students are victims of rape—either completed or attempted—in a given nine-month academic year (National Institute of Justice, 2005). With more than 600 women being raped daily, the pervasiveness of …

Assessing Changes In Connectivity And Abundance Through Time For Fisher In The Southern Sierra Nevada, Jody Marlene Tucker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Small populations are at increased risk of extinction due to their vulnerability to stochastic events. The population of fisher (Pekania pennanti, formerly Martes pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California is small and completely genetically isolated. My dissertation research investigates the timing and cause of this population's isolation, the degree of genetic subdivision within the population, the landscape features shaping gene flow, and the detection of population declines. I detected a 90% decline in effective population size and dated the time of decline to over a thousand years ago. Analyzing historical and contemporary genetic samples, I also found …

A Longitudinal Exploration Of Factors Impacting Outcomes For Native American Students Participating In Cbits: Looking Beyond Quantitative Analysis, Kathrine Irene Butler Hepler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Very few studies have addressed treatment outcomes for Native American youth, and none have qualitatively explored factors that may differentiate children in this population who benefit from intervention and children whose symptoms appear to remain unchanged or worsen. One area of particular interest is the treatment of PTSD, as epidemiological studies demonstrate a markedly elevated lifetime risk for trauma exposure and the development of PTSD in Native Americans. Interventions that utilize exposure and response prevention as a primary component have the best empirical evidence for alleviating symptoms of PTSD. One such intervention is Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools …

Tourism On A Scenic Byway: Destination Image And Economic Impacts Of The Beartooth Highway, Jacob Daniel Jorgenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many tourism destination managers know who their visitors are and how they are perceived by them. However, when new destinations begin to take shape, understanding these perceptions and meeting the expectations of visitors can be a difficult task. Destination image provides the ability to explore the perceptions of visitors at a tourism place. One such place the Beartooth Highway in south-central Montana and north-central Wyoming is a scenic byway that reaches nearly 11,000 feet in elevation. Previously, little to no research has been conducted regarding travelers that frequent this region. The purpose of this study was to understand the destination …

Surviving Probation: The Challenges Sexual Offenders Are Faced With In Mainstream Society, Krystal Stevenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

"Society sees us [sexual offenders] as terrible people. Either lock us up or kill us. They don't want us in their community." Sexual offenders are seen as some of the most repulsive criminals through society's eyes. The term "sexual offender" encompasses many different types of people with regards to their crime, but society sees all sexual offenders as child molesters. This causes an over-whelming problem for sexual offenders, specifically in terms of housing, since there are many restrictions on where they can live. Legislation is implementing housing restrictions to prevent these criminals from re-offending, but in some cases, it can …

Alliance And Outcomes In Counseling Canadian Aboriginal Peoples, Sidney Shaw

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study evaluated predictors of outcome in counseling with Canadian Aboriginal peoples. Participants in the study included 373 Canadian Aboriginal clients receiving outpatient counseling at Calgary Counselling Centre in Alberta, Canada between October 2004 and November 2011. Outcome in this study was measured using the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45) and predictor variables consisted of client demographics, counselor training level, and client ratings of the therapeutic alliance. The alliance was measured using the Session Rating Scale (SRS). Outcome variables, as measured by the OQ-45, were most often analyzed categorically and consisted of four different possible categories of change as measured from …

Teacher And Principal Assessment Literacy, Michael Lee Perry

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT Perry, Michael, Ed. D., May 2013 Educational Leadership Teacher and Principal Assessment Literacy: A look at the level of assessment literacy of high school principals and high school teachers in the state of Montana. Chair: Dr. John Matt The implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002 has increased the emphasis on standardized achievement tests. Principals are asked to lead instruction and improve student achievement through assessment. NCLB has sanctions that could include replacing a school principal. The purpose of this study was to look at the level of assessment literacy of high school principals in …

Forecasting Groundwater Responses To Dam Removal, Antony Ray Berthelote

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation contains three papers describing groundwater system responses to dam removals and presents current and new methodologies that managers can use to proactively forecast and mitigate those impacts. The three papers bring together literature, data gathering, data analysis, testing, and modeling techniques that apply groundwater science to forecasting the response of groundwater systems to dam removal actions. Conceptual and numerical models developed as part of this work provide scientists, environmental consultants, regulators and managers with tools to assess the consequences of the removal of stream reservoirs on the adjacent and underlying groundwater system The first chapter/paper, Responses of Groundwater …

"You Is The Church": Identity And Identification In Church Leadership, Megan E. Gesler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Churches provide a structured medium for human spiritual experiences (Ammerman, 2005) and as such are structured around a set of organizationally unique purposes and beliefs. This research project focuses on the leadership teams of a start-up church organization founded in Denver, CO. Guided by Structuration Theory (Giddens, 1984), Communicative Constitution of Organization through the Four Flows (McPhee & Zaug, 2000), and Organizational Identification (Scott, Corman, & Cheney, 1998), the bi-directional relationship between leaders and the organization was qualitatively examined and analyzed. Specifically, membership negotiation is seen through the constructs of formal structure and identity. The negotiation process was evident in …

Comparison Of Wild-Domestic Sheep Interaction Policies In Bighorn Disease Outbreak Locations In The Continental U.S., 1990-2010, Tristan Howard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

For over 100 years, disease has significantly limited bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the western U.S. Interaction with domestic sheep (Ovis aries) has been a primary cause of fatal bighorn disease (typically pneumonia), which has severely reduced or eliminated entire populations. Various wild-domestic sheep interaction policies exist to address the disease problem. In this analysis, six case study locations are compared and analyzed in an effort to evaluate policy efficacy. Locations examined and their bighorn die-off dates include: the Tobin Range, NV (1991); Aldrich Mountain, OR (1991); the Highland/Pioneer Mountains, MT (1994-1995); the Tarryall/Kenosha Mountains, CO (1997-2000); the Hays Canyon …

Prioritizing The Upper Clark Fork River Tributaries For Instream Flow Restoration, Catherine B. Berg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Off stream uses of water in the west have left many rivers and streams depleted, including the Upper Clark Fork River and its tributaries. As drought conditions persist or worsen, this issue will become more critical. Public-private partnerships, like the Upper Clark Fork Steering Committee, have formed to monitor the flow of our rivers. In order to assist the Steering Committee and river advocacy groups working within the Upper Clark Fork River Basin, this paper provides a comprehensive review of the studies on existing flows and target flows in the upper river, synthesizes past priorities for stream restoration, and provides …

A Qualitative Study Of Returning Study Abroad Students: The Critical Role Of Reentry Support Programs, Raquel Alexandra Arouca

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Reentry Shock had been studied through psychological symptoms and inter-relationship problems. Previous research also focused on quantitative data of post-experience questionnaires. This dissertation examines how reentry support programs help students during the reentry process and how participants integrate the study abroad experience into their academic careers. A case study methodology was employed and qualitative data was gathered from eight students who volunteered to participate in two 90 minute workshops and an individual interview. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data with NVivo. Thematic analysis revealed a reentry process where students became aware of: a) the different ways …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Community Councils On The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program And The Southwestern Crown Collaborative Forest Restoration Projects, Jimmie Mckay

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper is designed to give the reader basic in-sight to the different attitudes and perception that local residents have in regards to the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program and the Southwestern Collaborative's ability to accomplish their mission.

Community-Based Participatory Research To Partner With The Confederated Salish And Kootenai Tribes In Pharmacogenetics Research, Chelsea Theresa Morales

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pharmacogenetics research has advanced our knowledge of the genetic basis of individual drug responses. The aim of pharmacogenetics research is to provide opportunities for the development of strategies aimed at discovering clinically relevant gene-drug pairs. Further benefits stem from the translation of pharmacogenetics research into the clinic to identify patients who are at high risk of adverse drug events. However, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations have not benefited markedly from genetics-guided therapeutics. A key strategy in engaging AI/AN people in pharmacogenetics research has been the implementation of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR is a qualitative research methodology in …

Three Facets Of Pau Casals' Musical Legacy, Silvia Maria Lazo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pau Casals (1876-1973, better known to American audiences as Pablo Casals) was a notable Catalan cellist, conductor and composer, also widely known as a humanitarian. He was raised in El Vendrell, a small village in Catalonia (Spain). He went into exile in Prades, France in 1939, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, subsequently relocating to Puerto Rico in 1957. In October 1945, following the end of World War II, the lack of Allied intervention in Spain ignited Casals' international artistic boycott, wherein Casals vowed not to perform in any country recognizing General Francisco Franco's regime. To date, a …

Indoor Coarse Particulate Matter: Evaluating Exposures And Health Effects In Asthmatic Children, Marcy Lynn Mcnamara

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The primary aim of the ARTIS study (Asthma Randomized Trial of Indoor Wood Smoke) is to improve the quality of life of asthmatic children living in wood stove homes by reducing in-home fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In the original project, characterizing exposure to the coarse fraction of particulate matter (consisting of particles <10 μm and >2.5 μm; PMc) was not proposed. The coarse fraction has been shown to elicit increased pulmonary inflammation compared to PM2.5. This may be due to biogenic constituents of PMc such as endotoxin, a component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. Scientific interest in the coarse fraction is …

Opening Up The Box: Exploring The Scaling Out Of The Good Food Box Across Canada, Stephanie Lentz Laporte Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Good Food Box (GFB) program holds a great deal of promise to expand our understanding of Community Food Security (CFS). CFS represents a vision for solving hunger and other problems with the food system through an integrated approach that improves access to good and appropriate food for all while at the same time building community, strengthening local agricultural economies, and maximizing social justice. The GFB, one type of CFS program, is a community-based initiative found across Canada that provides a box of healthy food to customers at near wholesale prices; it has the potential to increase access to healthy …