Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff In Northwest Montana, Adam Michael Clark

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Glacier National Park, located in northwest Montana contains the second largest concentration of glaciers in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. However, total glacier-covered area has shrunk by almost 30% over the past 50 years. This has important implications for local glacier-fed streams, especially during the typically hot and dry summer month of August. This study is the first attempt to quantify the volume of glacier meltwater entering local streams. We simulate glacier-melt generation during the summers of 2009 and 2010 using a modified temperature-index model that includes solar radiation as input. The model was calibrated with data from weather stations installed …

The Influence Of Dad: An Investigation Of Adolescent Females' Perceived Closeness With Fathers And Risky Behaviors, Whitney Rostad

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Substance use and sexual behaviors are prominent college campus activities, often co-occurring. An evolutionary perspective illuminates the unique impact of father-daughter relationships on substance use and sexual risk-taking. Female adolescents who experience early physical separation from their fathers or lack relational closeness with him exhibit higher rates of substance use and accelerated reproductive development. This study examines whether female adolescents’ models of father psychological presence (a component of the attachment working model) also predict risky college behavior. Eighteen to 22 year old college females were administered several scales assessing father psychological presence, sexual risk taking, substance use, impulsivity, and depression. …

The Effects Of Modeled Writing On Early Literacy Development In Preschool Children, Bethany M. Froehlich Collins

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the impacts on early literacy development in preschool children by engaging them in writing activities that were intentionally modeled within their typical classroom setting. Twenty-five typically developing children 3 to 5 years of age participated in the study. The "Picture Story/Word Story,” a preschool writing strategy described by Paulson, et al. (2001), was used to model the developmental levels of writing for the subjects two times a week for 10 weeks. The experimental group engaged in writing activities, which included intentional modeling of the stages of writing development that were just above …

Relationship Of Self-Concept, Depression, Academic Estimation, And Online Social Networking In Adolescents, Jaime Rebekah Long

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study investigated the relationship between academic self-concept, academic outcome confidence, and academic estimation in depressed and non-depressed adolescents, with a focus on gender differences. The study also included exploratory questions on online social networking (OSN) usage. Participants (N = 66) were 9th and 10th grade students from one high school, with 40 females and 26 males. Academic self-confidence and outcome confidence were measured with the Student Self-Concept Scale (SSCS) and depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies’ Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Standardized test scores and grade point average (GPA) for each student were collected …

Theater As A Medium Of Healing: A Critical Analysis Of Copper Thunderbird By Marie Clements, Anna Dulba-Barnett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The idea of the healing power of theater reaches back to Aristotle and his concept of catharsis. Greek philosopher states that tragedy “with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its katharsis of such emotions.” The process of catharsis is interpreted as purification or purging of the audience members’ strong emotions as a response to the dramatic action taking place on stage. Today very few western theater practitioners mention that particular aspect of theater in their artistic manifestoes. Yet in Native American theater narratives of illness and healing are ever present. The need for change, and faith in the …

Off Risking: Offender Risk Assessment And The Correctional Assessment And Intervention System, Eden Heeder

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2010 the State of Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) licensed the Correctional Assessment and Intervention System (CAIS) to address the high rate of recidivism among Co-occurring and Native American offenders. Montana DOC reported a significantly lower rate of revocation among the offenders assessed by the CAIS. Quantitative and Qualitative analyses were conducted to determine what aspects of the program facilitated the lower rates of revocation. Results of this analysis determined that several factors acting in concert contributed to the lower rates of revocation with the most meaningful contribution being that of rapport built between the probation officer and offender.

An Effectiveness Evaluation Of Motivational Interviewing As An Addition To An Internet-Based Health Promotion Program For Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers, Casey Nicole Ruggiero

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

People with disabilities (PWD) frequently experience preventable and/or manageable secondary health conditions such as weight problems, depression, and chronic pain (Jones & Bell, 2003; Seekins, Clay, & Ravesloot, 1994). Importantly, high rates of secondary conditions are correlated with low employment rates in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) consumers (Ipsen, Seekins, & Ravesloot, 2010; Ipsen, Seekins, & Arnold, 2011). Thus, one pathway to improving employment outcomes in rehabilitation programs may involve enhancing health through the reduction of limiting secondary conditions (Ipsen, 2006; Ipsen et al., 2010). This pilot study tested whether the addition of telephone-based Motivational Interviewing (HPE+MI) to Health Plans for Employment …

Another Day, Another Donut: Political Economy, Agency, And Food In A Montanan Homeless Shelter, Jacqueline Devereaux Semmens

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite widespread undernutrition among the homeless, there has been little anthropological research on the experience of food insecurity in this population. Between 20 and 40 percent of the homeless population is undernourished and one third regularly miss meals (Gelberg 1995). This thesis addresses the significant problem of food insecurity in the homeless from a political economic perspective, analyzing how larger social structures influence the individual person. Fifteen residents at a shelter in Missoula, MT were interviewed about their dietary practices and experience of social service programs. The macro-social level influences the diet of the individual in two important ways: first, …

Capitalism, Contraception And Chemicals: A Medical Anthropological Analysis Of The Premature Sexual Development Epidemic In Puerto Rican Females, Holly Lynn Horan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An Investigation of Etiologies: The Biosocial Exploration of Premature Sexual Development in Puerto Rico Objective: The purpose of this study was to argue for an anthropological approach in the investigation of the world’s highest recorded prevalence of precocious puberty and premature thelarche that occurred in Puerto Rico in the late 1970s. After 30 years of biomedical research, definite etiologies of this epidemic remain unknown; prompting for a more dynamic, biosocial approach in studying this pediatric health phenomenon. Methods: This research began with a literature review of mixed-methods data. Literature sources were segmented by qualitative and quantitative methods. Each source was …

College Dating Couples' Use Of Conflict Management During A Prisoner's Dilemma Task: An Exploratory Study, Kristen E. Waldemayer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dating violence that occurs in young college-aged couples is unique when compared to other types of violence. Aggression occurring in these couples is often bidirectional, highly impacted by situational stressors, and perpetrated by both males and females at relatively equal rates. Most importantly, dating aggression occurs within a developmental context when individuals are attempting to balance autonomy and intimacy within their relationships. However, little is known about conflict management within dating couples or if conflict management processes differ substantially for aggressive and non-aggressive dating couples. Although there has been extensive research in marital processes in conflict, only recently have researchers …

Exploring Visitor Experiences Along The Going-To-The-Sun Corridor Of Glacier National Park, Elena Nikolaeva

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Visitor use on the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) corridor is one of the most critical issues that Glacier National Park faces. According to the park’s General Management Plan, it should be addressed to safeguard the quality of park resources and the visitor experiences. 80% of park visitors travel along at least some part of the road, which is the primary park experience and one of the most spectacular highlights of the park. The road was built in early 1930, and now brings almost 2 million visitors annually into the heart of Glacier NP. Increased number of cars on this narrow historic …

Forgotten Sepulchers: The Uninscribed Tombs In The Valley Of The Kings In Luxor, Egypt, Roselyn Campbell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The elaborately decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, have captured the imagination of scholars and tourists alike for thousands of years. Yet despite the attention lavished on these tombs, they are outnumbered in the Valley of the Kings uninscribed tombs that have been largely ignored. Excavations in several of the uninscribed tombs have demonstrated that although their walls may be bare, the tombs are certainly not empty, and a variety of finds ranging from scattered funerary objects and human remains to several nearly intact burials of high officials have been uncovered. This thesis will assemble …

Heat Acclimatization During Seasonal Wildfire Suppression, Brianna Lui

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine heat acclimatization across a 4-month fire season in the western United States. Methods: Wildland firefighters (WLFF) (n =12) and non-WLFFs (n =14) completed a 60-min heat stress trial (treadmill walking at 50% peak VO2) in a climate controlled chamber (43.3°C, 33% RH) prior to and following the fire season (May through September). Peak VO2, body composition, core (Tc) and skin (Tsk) temperatures, heart rate (HR), physiological strain index (PSI), plasma volume change, sweat rate and perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the heat stress trials. Results: Average peak VO2 was similar …

Improving Patient-Provider Communication In The Health Care Context, Charlotte M. Glidden

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The following study focuses on ways in which health care providers seem to competently breaking bad news to patients that are college age (18-25yrs old). Breaking bad news is an inevitable and daunting part of working in the health care profession. Delivering this type of news to college age students could occur more frequently than with other cohorts. Buckman (1992) presents methodology for teaching breaking bad news to health care providers in the form of the SPIKES model, which are similar to the identified “essential elements” of communication in medical encounters described by communication scholars (Makoul, 2001). Several interviews were …

Diagnosis Threat In A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Population, Haley Gail Trontel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study examined the effect of diagnosis threat on neuropsychological test performance. Forty-nine participants with a history of mTBI were randomly assigned to either a Diagnosis Threat group or a Control group. The Diagnosis Threat group was told that they were selected to participate based on their history of head injury and that they might expect to perform more poorly on testing. Participants in the Control group were told to perform to the best of their ability. It was hypothesized that individuals who had a history of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) made salient prior to testing (Diagnosis Threat …

Down Low Under The Big Sky, Amee Marie Schwitters

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Often synonymous with the rural environment is a sense of a heteronormativity and pervasive homophobia. Despite stories of gay men fleeing rural, conservative areas for larger, more accepting cities, not all men have chosen to leave. Some have chosen to quietly maintain their identity, modifying their sexual schemata in response to the desire to stay within the rural cultural environment. It is known that homophobia and stigmatization of same-sex sexual acts regulate a person's ability to be open about their sexual encounters, but exactly how they influence the daily lives of down low men who have sex with men (MSM) …

The Effect Of Photocycle On Self-Control In Betta Splendens, Kathryn Gwen Lamp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The present study examined the effect of varying light cycles on self-control in Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). The subjects included 16 male Betta splendens, and instrumental choice trials were run. A subject began each trial in the start box and, when a guillotine divider door was lifted, entered one side of a divided terminus. The checkerboard side of the choice door represented either the smaller, more immediate choice (SS) or the larger, more delayed choice (LL). When the subject had entered one side of the goal box, the guillotine divider door was lowered and the subject was given food …

Psychometric Evaluations Of An Acculturation Scale And An Acculturation Stress Scale With American Indian University Students, Michael Brian Trahan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Acculturation and acculturation stress are constructs studied with various minority groups. This study tests the factor loadings for both the Native American Acculturation Scale (N.A.A.S.) and the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturation Stress Scale (S.A.F.E.), as well as the reliability of these measures with American Indian undergraduate and graduate students in a university setting. The first hypothesis was that the factor loadings of the N.A.A.S. with this sample would not resemble the original factor structure found by Garrett and Pichette (2000). It was also believed that the N.A.A.S. would exhibit robust reliability with this sample, based upon a previous, …

Effects Of Stereotype Activation On Self-Concepts: Differences Between Native American & Caucasian College Students, Laura R. John

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Prior research has shown that when individuals are exposed to stereotype activation (SA) mechanisms, such as priming, their subsequent behavior often conforms to stereotypical expectations. Previous studies have focused on measuring stereotype activation primarily with manipulations of task completion after subjects are exposed to a prime. This study intended to expand the current research by exploring the effect of SA on an individual’s self-concept. Research was conducted with Native American and Caucasian college students using an ethnicity salient questionnaire as a means of SA. Participants then completed self-report measurements associated with Native American stereotypes. It was hypothesized that priming Native …

Evaluating Repeat Photography In Documenting Natural And Cultural Landscape Changes: A Changing Crown Of The Continent Ecosystem Between 1899 And 2010, Dusty Leigh Waltner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Photography can be an invaluable tool in human geographical research, for example, to better understand the importance of place to people. Increasingly, geographers are looking at how photography can play an active role in the construction of geographical knowledge, that is, how photographs are seen rather than what they show. This study examines the use of repeat photography as a research method by conducting a case study on landscape change in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. Grounded in extensive archival research on the past, present, and future uses of photography as a research method, a repeat photography survey was …

Undercurrent, Stephanie Rasmussen Johnsen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

My thesis work references dynamic river processes as a metaphor for relationships and the processes by which these relationships form us as individuals. The images stem from my experience as a professional and recreational whitewater river guide (memories that were powerful in shaping my life) and observations of others candidly interacting. I use river-like references (such as holes, deep pools, eddies, currents) with figurative images to explore the idea of surface and subsurface: the apparent and the obscure. Rivers, like people, have such a depth of current and dynamic change that gives them shape and form. Even with the most …

Analysis Of The Development And Applications Of Risk Assessment For Sex Offenders In Correctional Populations: A Comparative Review, Derek Nicholas Emerson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This review discusses the content and theory that drive the creation of risk assessment of sex offenders. While risk assessment tools are used by corrections agencies to determine the potential risk for reoffending for all types of offenders, this paper focuses on those used for sex offenders. The intent with this project is to assess various risk assessment tools and describe the implications on possible new scales, and to cover potential solutions to problems inherent to the field of risk assessment. These goals are accomplished by extensive inventory of the most widely used risk scales, followed by discussion of a …

An Examination Of Elementary Physical Education Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy Toward Teaching Children With Orthopedic Impairments In Montana: Do Teachers Feel Competent?, Patricia A. Holman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An Examination of elementary physical education teachers' perceived self-efficacy toward teaching children with orthopedic impairments in Montana: Do teachers feel competent? Chairperson: Dr. Arthur Miller The purpose of this study was to explore elementary physical educators' self-efficacy beliefs toward teaching children with orthopedic impairments in general physical education class and identify adapted physical education teacher training needs in Montana. The method for this study is based on the Physical Educators' Self-Efficacy Toward Including Students with Disabilities - Autism (PESEISD-A) (Talliaferro et al, 2010) electronic survey instrument and Bandura's (2006) guidelines. A modification of the PESEISD-A instrument was utilized to examine …

Comparison Of Distance Education Leadership Styles And Future Investment In Two-Year Colleges, Ryan R. Schrenk

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This foundational descriptive quantitative study examined leadership styles, traits of distance education leaders (e.g. VPs, Deans, Directors and Coordinators) and distance education program characteristics as well as funding priorities at the post-secondary level. Participants were subjected to Bass and Avolio's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5X), which identified leadership characteristics as transformational, transactional or passive-avoidant as manifest by nine scales as follows: Individualized Influence Attributes, Individualized Influence Behavior, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, Individualized Consideration, Contingent Reward, Active Management-by-Exception, Passive Management-by-Exception and Laissez-Faire. In addition, the questionnaire further assessed leadership outcomes scaled as Extra Effort, Effectiveness and Satisfaction.

There were 55 respondents from …

Wild Collaboration: Ecological Restoration, Religion, And The Reformation Of The Human/Nature Relationship, Adam Carl Lohrmann

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT Lohrmann, Adam, M.S., May 2011 Environmental Studies Wild Collaboration: Ecological Restoration, Religion, and the Reformation of the Human/Nature Relationship Chairperson: Dr. Daniel Spencer In recent years, the field of ecological restoration has gained momentum as an academic discipline, a scientific profession, and as a community-based form of environmental activism and land stewardship. At the same time, the number, scope, complexity, and diversity of restoration projects has expanded, and restoration is now being practiced in every corner of the globe. Witnessing this surge of activity and interest, many restorationists now believe that the practice of restoration can serve as a …

Coordinative Aerobic Exercise Does Not Enhance Attention And Concentration In College Students, Meryl Heather Epstein

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There is a historic and recently growing body of research that shows physical activity and fitness both have a positive effect on cognitive function, improved memory, and learning. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute moderate to vigorous coordinative aerobic activity carried out prior to taking the d2 Test of Attention positively affected attention and concentration measures in a sample of college students at the University of Montana. The results of this investigation found no acute physical activity effect on the test scores. The results did demonstrate that there was a significant learning effect to the d2 …

Exploring Public Participation Decision-Making At Superfund Sites: A Mental Models Approach, Walter Steven Ackerlund

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

While public policies and programs in the United States encourage public participation in agency decisions on environmental issues, how best to engage the public remains controversial. Public participation is more challenging when complex and uncertain scientific or technical issues are involved. This research applies a mental model methodology to explore what people engaged in Superfund site cleanup decisions think about when making public participation decisions. The intent is to find better ways of engaging people in constructive processes that achieve mutual understanding and lead to better decisions.

An initial expert-informed mental model of public participation decision-making is developed based on …

Feeling The Burn: A Discursive Analysis Of Organizational Burnout In Seasonal Wildland Firefighters, Whitney Eleanor Marie Maphis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This qualitative study of seasonal wildland firefighters examined stress and burnout in firefighters, the discourse that helps to systematically form firefighters’ conceptualizations of burnout, and what factors enable firefighters to manage or mitigate burnout. Traditionally, burnout is studied in long-term, year-round positions, and this study took a unique angle in considering a temporary/seasonal workforce. A discursive lens was used to investigate the enduring systems of meanings that firefighters draw upon in their everyday talk to more comprehensively understand burnout. Three main Discursive resources emerged from the data: teamwork, a "can-do" attitude, and bureaucracy. Teamwork and a can-do attitude serve as …

Incentives And Disincentives Of Adolescent Girls Participation In Outdoor Activities And Recommendations For Practitioners, Sarah Anne Megyesi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In order to increase adolescent girls’ participation in and enjoyment of outdoor activities (OAs), with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of future advocates and stewards of our natural environment, outdoor activity practitioners and other interested parties must gain an understanding of adolescent girls and their perceptions of the outdoors and outdoor activities. Every girl has unique insight and perceptions related to their own as well as other girls’ participation in outdoor activities. In order to best serve adolescent girls through outdoor activity, research must seek answers to how families, schools, mentors, and outdoor activity practitioners can best encourage …

Running Economy: Improvements In Physiological Efficiency Attained Through Changes In Muscle Structural Morphology, Joseph Kenneth Pellegrino

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Running Economy (RE) is a crucial determinant for running performance. While strategies for improving RE have been determined, the mechanisms governing this phenomenon have eluded the scientific community. My objective was to determine what adaptations, physiological, morphological, or otherwise, occur to bring about the altered RE associated with plyometric training. Specifically this project was designed to examine whether measureable transformations in muscle protein isoform makeup brought on through specific training will result in better RE in moderately trained runners. Participants (n=25) were placed into either a plyometrics-training or control group. All participants underwent similar testing before and after the 6-week …