Digital Commons Network^™

A Pilot Training Program For The Cultural Formulation Interview In School-Based Assessment, Jaida A. Lilly

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School psychologists are responsible for promoting and maintaining an equitable, inclusive environment for all students to learn. For those who work in school settings, assessment of a student’s academic, mental health, and behavioral difficulties are often a significant component of school psychological practices. However, for various reasons, the assessment process can be flawed, and can unintentionally perpetuate systems of oppression in school-settings; this is especially true when working with children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Within culturally responsive assessment, conducting interviews is necessary for connecting with and effectively supporting the student and family. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) …

Assessing Algebra Readiness: A Three-Year Study Of The Orleans-Hanna Prognosis Test And Middle School Math Placements, Tabitha Nicole Ringler

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigates the viability of the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis Test (Hanna and Orleans, 1982) as a modern predictor of algebra readiness among eighth grade students. At over 40 years old, the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis Test (1982) is still commonly utilized by schools as the main source of mathematical ability grouping. The guiding question for this research is whether the test is outdated and should be retired, or is it still a valid predictor of algebra readiness.

Utilizing a longitudinal study spanning three years, the research examines the performance of math students placed in an advanced class versus students who …

An Investigation Of Three Rehabilitation Models On Cognitive-Linguistic And Psychosocial Well-Being Outcomes For Stroke Survivors With Chronic Aphasia, Jenna Ray Griffin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Aphasia, a typically chronic language impairment that impacts expressive and receptive language but does not impact intelligence, occurs in approximately 30 - 40% of stroke survivors. Chronic aphasia negatively impacts functional communication, communicative participation, and psychosocial well-being in stroke survivors. Access to care during the post-acute phase of recovery is limited, requiring novel models of rehabilitation that are person-centered and holistic. The intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP) model has shown proof-of-concept, feasibility, and acceptability to improve patient cognitive-linguistic outcomes, psychosocial well-being, and communicative participation. However, outcomes from an ICAP have not been compared to usual care aphasia therapy or to …

To Revise Or Not To Revise: How Feedback Type, Interpersonal Liking, And Messenger Credibility Influence Revision, Rachel Jane Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Revisions inevitably occur during project creation and curation; many of which are influenced by received feedback. Previous research has highlighted the role goals, perceptions of self, and task complexity play in revision, but little research has examined how feedback type and an individual’s feelings toward their feedback giver influence revision. A quasi-experimental design examined how feedback type (additive, subtractive, or none), interpersonal liking for a feedback-giver, and perceived credibility of a feedback-giver affected students’ (n = 155) willingness to revise, self-reports of revision, and calculated actual revision score. Results indicated that participants in a feedback-receiving condition reported higher levels of …

Peoples Of India: The Use Of Craniometric Data To Distinguish A Separate Ancestral Group, Stephanie A. Craig

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Peoples of India come from an area with a long history of migrations into and out of the area. This area is considered the second most diverse genetically outside of Africa. Many would group these people as Asian due to the country’s location. However, when studies are done on the skeletal remains from this area, the remains tend to give results of mixed or indeterminate ancestry unless the analyst is familiar with identifying Peoples of India. This study aims to determine the Peoples of India as a separate ancestral group separated from Asians, Europeans, and Africans. To do this, …

Historical Overview Of Education For The Deaf And Finding Deafhood Within Changing Sociocultural, Political, And Educational Contexts: A Narrative Rita J. Brandborg, Rita J. Brandborg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Following The Footprints Of Iron, Marve William Nelson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With the advent of lead isotope analysis in the 1960’s, metallurgic studies within archaeology have grown from their infancy of organizing artifacts into typological categorizations into their own sub-discipline of archaeology: archaeometallurgy. Archaeometallurgic researchers conducts muti-phase, chemistry-based, studies to determine provenance of source metal ores as well as microchemical and metallographic analyses to identify smelting and forging techniques, culminating in multidisciplinary studies which detect shifting commerce pathways and correlate them to periods of significant cultural change. The results of these studies have offered evidence for both verification and refutation of various previous hypotheses of cultural evolution through cultural transmission. Archaeometallurgy …

The Role Of Compassion In The Development Of Global Citizens, Colleen E. Kane

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Institutions of higher education are operating in an increasingly globalized world and, as a result, the responsibility of developing graduates who are competent global citizens, capable of embracing diversity as well as complex global challenges, has become one of higher education’s major priorities. A review of the literature outlined common traits described as critical for effective global citizenship development and explored approaches aimed at developing these skills and behaviors with undergraduate students. Common to the qualities of effective global citizenship is a recognition of shared common humanity and the capacity of compassion for others. The literature also revealed a prominent …

The Role Of Face Threats In Understanding Target’S Interpretation Of A Tease, Shawn M. Deegan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Teasing is a common phenomenon used across the lifespan, but what teasing is and what makes it prosocial or antisocial is strongly contested. This study argues that viewing teasing as a communication strategy helps researchers focus on the content of the teasing message. Goffman’s Facework Theory was used to explore negative and positive face threats, redressive signals, and relational closeness to help explain why the tease is seen as prosocial or antisocial. In an experimental study, participants were asked to take turns engaging in a teasing game about elements of the other’s identity. The study found that negative face threat …

Tracing Socio-Ecological Resilience In The Milpa, The Monte, And The Kitchen: Milpero And Campesino Perspectives From Tiholop, Yucatan And La Union Libertad, Oaxaca, Mexico, Marisela Chavez

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Agrobiodiversity, the diversity of crops that been co-produced through humanenvironment interactions over millennia, constitutes an important part of humanity’s cultural heritage. Agrobiodiversity is as much about the local ecosystem and biotic resources, such as soil, water, pollinators, and microbes, as it is about human processes like sociocultural and linguistic practices, including farming methods, knowledge, skills, and natural resource management. At the center of these dynamics are the smallholder farmers who engage in a range of stewardship practices that contribute to the diversification and evolution of the native crops that in turn support their food security. This research focuses on understanding …

The Relationship Between Perceived Transformational Leadership Of Leaders And Job Satisfaction Among Public University Teachers In Jinzhou, Benfeng Yu

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Teachers’ job satisfaction(JS) is one of the key factors in university development and is regarded as the main variable in evaluating the effectiveness of human resources. Transformational leaders can effectively involve and motivate teachers to generate new visions and teaching practices. However, few studies have been conducted in China to examine the effects of transformational leadership on teachers’ JS. Thus, this paper showcased a quantitative study that explored the relationship between the perceived Chinese transformational leadership(CTL) of leaders and teachers’ JS. The theoretical framework was built on teachers’ JS and CTL theory in the Chinese context.

A non-experimental correlational-comparative methodology …

The Relationship Between Teacher Agency And Occupational Well-Being Among Primary School Teachers, Hongbo Yu

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Primary school teachers’ occupational well-being has been highly discussed in recent years. Improving professional ability, teaching achievement, teaching seminars, teacher-student relations, and colleague relations make teachers busy and unfulfilled. Teachers, reporting decreases in their overall well-being, are experiencing higher burnout rates, increased workloads, higher levels of negative emotions, and negative internalization symptoms.

This study addressed the relationship between agency and occupational well-being among primary school teachers in Hongshan District. Teacher agency, defined as the capacity of teachers to act purposefully and constructively to direct their professional growth and influence their work environment, is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in …

Using Ethnobotanicals For Language Preservation And Cultural Connections, Riza James Mcclurkin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The creation and implementation of interpretive ethnobotanical trails can be used to help preserve and teach about the use of native, and in some instances, non-native plants that were brought into use, both historically and in present day by Indigenous peoples. As examples, I will use my work assisting on the Reserve Street Trail in Missoula, Montana and the Pioneer Park Campground Interpretive Trail on the Colville National Forest in Washington. The Reserve Street Trail is still in its beginning phases but has the goal to cultivate plants identified as being culturally significant to Indigenous peoples and to create trail …

The Impact Of Treatment Dosage On Cognitive-Linguistic Outcomes Of Patients With Aphasia: An Investigation Of Three Service Delivery Models, Adele J. Derendinger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study addresses the gap in literature by directly comparing the effectiveness of Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Programs (ICAPs) and modified ICAPs (mICAPs) to usual care service delivery models for people with aphasia. Through a prospective study design, cognitive-linguistic function change scores across different service delivery models were examined. The findings reveal significant within-group improvements in cognitive-linguistic function for participants in ICAPs, with some improvement seen in mICAPs and usual care conditions. Intensive models demonstrated greater improvement compared to non-intensive usual care models, particularly evident in the Western Aphasia Battery – Revised and the Boston Naming Test – Second Edition. …

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies And Solutions Of International Students In Academic Environments With Consideration To Communication Accommodation Theory, Wendy K. Yeboah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT

Yeboah, Wendy, M.A., Spring 2024 Communication Studies

Exploring Cross-Cultural Communication Strategies and Solutions of International Students in Academic Environments with Consideration to Communication Accommodation

Chairperson: Dr. Greg Larson

This study, exploring the communication challenges of international students within academic spaces may be particularly helpful due to the constant interaction that happens within the academic space. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was used as a guiding framework to ask eleven international students what their communication challenges are and subsequently what are the communication strategies they use to help alleviate these challenges. Analyses were conducted thematically, and international students' responses on what …

Impact Of Forest Plantations On Energy Poverty: An Assessment Of Reforestation Efforts In Uganda, Matilda Kabutey-Ongor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study investigates the socio-economic impacts of reforestation initiatives on energy poverty in three Ugandan districts—Hoima, Dokolo, and Nakasongola. Implemented by the Ugandan National Forest Authority, these efforts aim to mitigate the adverse effects of deforestation, exacerbated by a growing population and increased demand for forest products. We hypothesize that through sustainable afforestation, access to biomass and other renewable energy sources can be improved, thereby alleviating energy poverty. The study establishes a causal relationship between reforestation and reductions in energy poverty and general poverty using advanced econometric methods, such as Ordinary Least Squares regression, Weighting, and matching techniques including Propensity …

The Influence Of Intensive Treatment In A Cohort Model On Psychosocial Well-Being Of Patients With Aphasia: An Investigation Of Patients’ Quality Of Life Across Three Service Delivery Models, Helena Riley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Aphasia, a common communication disorder following a stroke, significantly impacts psychosocial wellbeing and quality of life. Despite advancements in rehabilitation frameworks, traditional impairment-based interventions prevail, leaving gaps in addressing holistic needs. This study aims to compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAP), modified ICAPs (mICAPs) and individual usual care (UC) service delivery models for aphasia intervention. Eighteen participants with aphasia were broadly recruited for this study. Each completed a series of PROMs pre-and post-treatment examining psychosocial wellbeing, communicative participation, and health related quality of life. Results indicate that intensive programs show potential for greater gains in …

Niipáitapiiyssin: How Blackfeet Ways Of Knowing Impact Identity And Well-Being, Mikalen Running Fisher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores the vital role of history, traditional knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, artifacts, and language in shaping the identity and well-being of Indigenous communities. It emphasizes how these components are vital for the survival and growth of Indigenous cultures. Using the Blackfoot Confederacy as a case study, the research highlights the significance of these elements in maintaining cultural continuity and resilience. The analysis is grounded in literature authored from an Indigenous perspective, ensuring an authentic representation of the values and insights inherent in these communities. This work aims to bridge existing gaps in the literature by demonstrating the profound …

Defining Lgbtqia2+ Specialized Substance Use Treatment Services From A Client-Informed Approach, Chonghui (Gabriella) Ji

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: This study explored the concept of specialized substance use treatment services among a sample of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2+) individuals: their definition, perceived barriers to receiving these services, and ways of improving such services. Having direct input from past and potential treatment-seeking LGBTQIA2+ individuals could help to deepen our understanding of how to meet the unique treatment needs of these populations.

Method: Data were collected from 219 LGBTQIA2+ individuals within the United States through an online and anonymous survey. Inclusion criteria for participation were self-identifying as LGBTQIA2+, being 18 years of …

Foreign Expert: A Memoir Manuscript, Jenny L. Rowe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This is a full memoir manuscript that I wrote for my MFA thesis, which is tentatively titled Foreign Expert. In this manuscript, we follow myself as narrator as I struggle to adapt to life in Beijing (prior to the pandemic) while also recovering from a recent divorce. The man I’d been married to for five years back in Iowa had become violently mentally ill, and though I’d been fortunate enough to remove myself from him, I quickly learned that being a foreign expert in China—my residential visa title—required more work than basic survival. By the end of my two years …

Foodway Comparions And Patterns Of Consumer Behavior: The Use Of Orphan And Salvage Archaeological Collections From Historic Missoula, Montana, Emily Thea Meick

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The goal of this project is to better understand and test theories about consumer behavior and meat consumption through faunal remains using orphaned and salvaged historic archaeological collections from three sites across Missoula, Montana, from the 1860s through the 1920s. Previous research underscored the need for properly defined units of analysis that represent what was being purchased and consumed. Using a consumer behavior framework and meat quality index, as indicated by price and meat yield, foodways comparisons between a Euromerican household that maintained renters, occupants of a Chinese store, Joss House, and residential dwellings within Missoula’s Red-Light District, and enlisted …

Brat Olympics, Caroline Ganci Patterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

brat olympics is an exploration of feminine disgust, apprehension, and disorientation contextualized through interpersonal relationships and societal shapeshifting. It pays particular attention to gender performance, surburban queerness, and strangerness. The manuscript plays on the history of the bildungsroman, but instead of one consistent singular timeline, it provides three separate attempts at a characterization of a life. These disparate approaches to a singular life’s characterization stress the mundanity of documentation.

This multinarrative approach satirizes the ideal of the singular confessional, and presents a discursive approach to the way we choose to build our worlds. Building off the works of the New …

Complexities Of Companionship: Exploring The Human-Dog Relationship Through Mtdna Analysis Of Bridge River Canine Remains, Seth Warnick

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) hold an unquantifiable level of cultural influence and companionship across swathes of societies all over the globe. While dogs are genetically very distinct from Homo sapiens, throughout human history the two organisms have spread across the world together and have biologically gone through similar selective, social, and environmental constraints. Today the biological makeup of dog breeds is incredibly diverse, however, the archaeological record and genetic research has provided insight into the humble beginnings of a relationship between humans and dogs that has transcended the fabric of emerging civilization itself. Located on the Northwest interior plateau, Bridge …

Siksikaitsitapi Returning The Gaze On Human & Wildlife Interactions, Celina C. Gray

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Niitawahsii–our home territory, the ecoregion of the Siksikaitsitapi–Blackfoot Confederacy, a Traditional Ecological Knowledge Application (TEKA) for socio-ecological research was developed. Aawaaahsskataiks–elders and extant literature identified a need to develop shared understanding regarding strong connections to wildlife niksokowaiks–relatives, through Siksikaitsitapi Traditional Ecological Knowledge (S-TEK). Multistage chain referral sampling, semi-structured interviews and grounded theory coding & analysis from Western science, i.e. Napikowaiks–non-natives’ research methods, were adjusted like to align with kipaitapiwahsinnooni–the Blackfoot paradigm of traditional knowledge; and more generally, Indigenous Research Methods. The result was a rigorous qualitative human-dimension of wildlife research TEKA; for use by Siksikaitsitapi and others interested in …

Shaping Outdoor Recreation In Protected Areas: Insights From Factors Influencing Brazilian Protected Area Professionals, Renata Burlamaqui Bradford

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The growing demand for outdoor recreation (OR) in protected areas has led to positive and negative impacts on natural and social environments. As stewards of these areas, protected area professionals (PAPs) are responsible for planning and managing this complexity, and yet we know little about the factors influencing their decisions and actions. This study fills this gap by examining how psychological and organizational aspects influence PAPs’ decisions and behavioral intentions toward OR in protected areas. Insights come from the PAPs working at the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Brazilian federal agency. ICMBio’s evolving approach toward OR provides …

Cultural Matching And Identity Safety In K-12 Schools: An Indigenous Research Paradigm, Ashton T. Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) persons are resilient and have learned to overcome the intergenerational effects of colonization and find new ways to be Native American and Alaska Native in this contemporary life. Learning and well-being are integral values for Native American and Alaska Native people, but finding an appropriate way to approach education and learning can be difficult for Native American and Alaska Native people, especially when historically, the colonial-based systems have been created for them to fail. Because cultural matching and identity safety (CM/IS) for Native American and Alaska Native people in other environments (e.g., psychotherapy, child-welfare …

Ending The Doom Cycle: Redefining Historic Preservation And Reclaiming Total Heritage Through Community And Social Justice Advocacy, Nikki Marie Manning

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the wake of a global pandemic and escalating societal challenges, yet another attempt to examine familiar debates about what we preserve and why and the typical arguments for and against historic preservation, seem inconsequential and disconnected from addressing more urgent societal needs such as systemic racism, inequality, police brutality, LGBTQ+ rights, economic and healthy disparities, and environmental justice. The field of historic preservation has the potential, and even obligation, to emphasize and create meaningful impact on larger issues. It should be highlighting and celebrating the diverse stories of people and places that define our community, and the history embodied …

The Relationship Between Global Competence And National Identity Of The Isec Program Students In China, Jing Xu

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Global competence (GC) has become a crucial skill for students in higher education and has been prioritized in talent development objectives at colleges and universities in China, especially in the context of globalization. However, concerns have been voiced that the extensive exposure to global culture and values through mass media may lead to an alteration of college students’ national identity (NI) influenced by global culture and foreign values. Consequently, maintaining a delicate equilibrium between the fostering of GC and NI in college students becomes of paramount importance.

The main purpose of this quantitative non experimental causal comparative study was to …

The Analysis Of Ancient Dna: From Mitochondria To Pathogens, Tre Joseph Marcus Blohm

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ancient DNA (aDNA) is arguably one of the most difficult science fields to work in due to the constant battle against contamination and degradation; however, it is also one of the most rewarding. aDNA researchers have consistently garnered interest the world over with their findings and sparking the curiosity of many who wish to know more about who we are as Homo sapiens. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and pathogen DNA were used in this dissertation to understand more about where populations came from, how they moved, and what their environment was like through the identification of their maternally inherited mtDNA and …

Old Invisible Presence: Nonhuman Intelligence And Artificial Nature In A Coast Of Trees By A. R. Ammons And S*Perm**K*T By Harryette Mullen, Miles Jochem

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.