Digital Commons Network^™

An Interdisciplinary Unit For Today's Learners: Integrating Science, English, And Art To Teach Climate Change, Sydney M. Ruby-Pasternak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As today’s global challenges grow increasingly complex, interdisciplinary thinking is essential for students to make meaningful connections in their learning. Despite this need, high school students continue to have educational experiences in one-subject classrooms, often preventing them from engaging in integrated learning models. This professional project addresses the gap by developing a five-week interdisciplinary unit titled Brushstrokes of Change, which combines climate science with English language arts and visual arts to amplify student understanding of climate change concepts. This unit was designed for grades 9-12 and prioritizes 21^st-Century skills in critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration through …

The Relationship Between Student Engagement And Academic Performance, Ying Guo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

China’s higher education system has undergone rapid expansion since the implementation of the 1999 enrollment policy, transitioning through stages of scale expansion, quality improvement, and program development. While increasing access to higher education, this expansion has also led to challenges such as low student engagement, high dropout rates, and employment difficulties.

This study examined the relationship between student engagement and academic performance, particularly in China's higher education system. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between student engagement and academic performance, in this study there was a focus on how five specific domains of engagement, Level of …

Eros And The Sublime: Tools For Reaching Toward An Altered Ecological Consciousness, Aineka Carlson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores connections between the Kantian sublime and Anne Carson’s ideas regarding “eros.” Since Kant’s Critique of Judgement was published in 1790, the Kantian sublime has grown in popularity and been utilized by theorists and creative writers alike. While the Kantian sublime is often associated with nature in popular culture, there are certain egocentric and phallocentric elements of this mode of thinking that might inhibit a biocentric mindset. Through a character study of Oryx from Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, this thesis draws relations between the subjugation of women, nature, and the ways in which the popularized …

An Exploration Of Resilience In Native American Older Adults, Georgie Victoria Ferguson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Native American older adults remain underrepresented in psychological research. The unique cohort of participants in this study (born 1924 - 1957) possesses experience and knowledge that can greatly enhance the knowledge base and contribute to the overall understanding of culturally embedded resilience. Participants contributed to the identification of Spirituality and Humor as positive, culturally embedded coping factors through a set of qualitative interviews, and the present study further investigates those specifically identified coping processes using quantitative measures. This research explores how these constructs (measured by the Spiritual Well-Being and Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scales) might counteract (main effect) or buffer …

Exploring The Potential For Cynophagy, Working Dogs, And Village Dogs At Housepit 54, Daniel O. Nohren

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Several field seasons at the Bridge River Archaeological Site have recovered a vast faunal assemblage subject of numerous archaeological and genetic investigations, several of which have focused on potential roles of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). In order to examine the highly fractured nature of the Housepit 54 canid assemblage, the calculation of a fracture freshness index was performed which created quantitative units of measure useful in the comparison of bone fracture taphonomy over time and across taxonomic groups. This method has been employed specifically to investigate the potential for exploitation of within-bone nutrients among both a sample of …

Understanding The Factors That Influence University Environment: Gender Differences In Perceptions Of Female And Male Stem Graduate Students., Rachel Robinson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite increasing female representation in higher education, women remain underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. This thesis investigates gendered perceptions of university environment among STEM graduate students, focusing on the role of faculty-student interaction as a form of social capital. The survey was developed and administered with Qualtrics Online Survey Software by members of the Social Science Research Group of the Pacific Northwest Circles of Success: Mentoring Opportunities in STEM. All graduate students in the participating universities pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in a National Science Foundation STEM recognized program were eligible to complete the survey. Using …

The Power Of The Visual Arts To Explore Who We Are And Where We Come From: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Jemina Watstein

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Globalization has changed education, how external influences in our world make us who we are, and how we identify ourselves. Changes caused by globalization have had psychological consequences that have made formulating one’s identity more challenging than ever before, especially for a third culture kid (TCK) who lives a multicultural lifestyle and may attend a different school every year.

One developmentally appropriate way of reducing the adverse outcomes for TCKs is through visual art education. Engagement in genuine inquiry and creation through the process of making, perceiving, and reflecting provides students an opportunity to investigate their multicultural, mobile, and fluid …

The Glass Ceiling In Chinese Higher Education: The Experience Of Female Deans, Mingyu Zhao

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study was designed to explore the phenomenon of the glass ceiling encountered by Chinese female deans in higher education, using a systematic qualitative research approach to uncover the phenomenon's nature and influencing factors. Adhering strictly to Giorgi's (2009) phenomenological methodology, the study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 female deans from various regions and institutional types across China, collecting rich data on their career trajectories, multi-level challenges, and coping strategies.

Through data analysis, eight themes and three key structures were identified, revealing that the glass ceiling is a product of the complex interplay between institutional constraints, personal challenges, and …

Jurisprudence Of Problem-Solving Courts: A Study Of Structure, Success, And Sociological Theory, Lauren M. Boos

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In response to the failures of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, Problem-Solving Courts (PSCs) have emerged as alternatives to traditional prosecution. These courts employ therapeutic-informed and rehabilitative practices aimed at addressing the root causes of criminal behavior. While widely regarded as more effective than traditional courts, PSCs have developed largely without a formal theoretical foundation. This is notable given their alignment with Sociological Jurisprudence (SJ) and Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ), which view the legal system as a vehicle for promoting individual and community well-being.

Despite being celebrated as therapeutic innovations, PSCs often embody these principles unevenly. Using …

The Relationship Between Principals’ Transformational Leadership And Teachers’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior Within Public Primary And Middle Schools In Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, Chuxuan Yin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This non-experimental causal-comparative study was designed to explore the relationship between principals’ transformational leadership and teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior within public primary and middle schools in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China, as well as the differences in principals’ transformational leadership and teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior based on demographic characteristics. A sample of 142 principals and 675 teachers was recruited. Data collection utilized two validated instruments: the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire for evaluating principals’ transformational leadership level, and the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale for Primary and Middle School Teachers for measuring teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior level. Both descriptive statistics (frequency distribution, mean, standard …

Acl Prevention Programming For Female Athletes, Julia Korklewski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Visual Semiotics In Parks: Assessing Pictorial Symbol Effectiveness In Outdoor Recreation Settings, Miranda Jane Foster

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As interest in outdoor recreation grows, so does the need for effective communication in parks and protected areas. With a larger, more diverse visiting population, managers face new challenges, including intensified recreational use, staffing demands, and barriers to communication presented by cultural and linguistic diversity (Manning et al., 2017; Perry et al., 2021). Effective, indirect communication tools, such as pictorial symbol signage, are essential for addressing these challenges. Pictorial symbol signs are widely used in recreational signage and serve as vital indirect management strategies for communicating to diverse visitors as a universal visual language (Davies et al., 1998). However, research …

"A Changed Understanding Of Our Present": Moby-Dick As Prophetic Ecological Activism, Katie Ann Schini

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Moby-Dick: Or, The Whale is a classic of American literature, spanning multiple genres and remaining culturally relevant nearly 175 years after its original publication. Though on the surface Moby-Dick reads as an adventure story of a man who experiences the whaling industry firsthand, Herman Melville’s text continues to invite new generations of readership through the framework of the twenty-first century climate crisis.

In this thesis, I position Moby-Dick as a text that can be used to understand our modern society’s current dispositions of ecological grief. My thesis operates at the intersection of three main literary critical theories: ecocriticism, affect, and …

Tenaciously Curious, Joe Mark Taylor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this thesis paper, I will outline the journey I’ve taken throughout my graduate studies at the University of Montana and how it has culminated in my thesis exhibition, Tenaciously Curious. I’ll begin with an Introduction that speaks to the importance of finding ways to connect to nature, and the benefits we gain by recognizing our bodies as extensions of the organic world.

In the following section, Influences, Theory and Lineage, I’ll explore the themes that drive my research, highlight artists who have influenced my work, and discuss why this inquiry feels vital within our contemporary moment.

In the section …

Examining Rural Second-Graders' Literate Identities In Relationship To Reading Proficiency: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Ashley R. S. Olsen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although the act of reading is inherently multi-faceted, encompassing an array of interrelated cognitive, social, and cultural processes, the bodies of reading research typically align to either qualitative or quantitative methodologies. This routinely bifurcated approach to reading research reflects the ongoing disagreement surrounding best practices for literacy instruction. Numerous quantitative findings have supported the use of systematic and explicit foundational skill instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency. On the other hand, previous qualitative studies have emphasized the existing identities that children bring to any learning community and the benefit of nurturing literate identity formation in the classroom. Intersecting a modified …

Increasing Nature Connection And Decreasing Climate Change Distress In An Indigenous Population: The Development Of A Traditional Ecological Knowledge Intervention Framework, Olathe Antonio

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Research suggests that nature connection is positively correlated with pro-environmental behaviors, concern for the climate, general wellbeing, and subjective levels of climate change distress. Few research studies have examined how to increase nature connectedness without increasing psychological distress. Such research is especially important for those who are disproportionately affected by climate change such as Indigenous Peoples. To address this discrepancy, we developed a culturally-grounded psychological intervention framework based in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for Indigenous populations and offered an adapted example for a Navajo population. The intervention was created in collaboration with TEK experts to conceptualize key psychologically-relevant TEK principles, …

Community Resilience Factors For Gsm Individuals: Considering The Roles Of Transgender Identity And Age, Benny Ilac

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Gender and sexual minority (GSM) individuals face a variety of health disparities, including increased rates of depression, anxiety, and substance use. One explanation for the presence of these health disparities is the minority stress model, which suggests that proximal (internal) and distal (external) experiences of minority stressors contribute to poorer health outcomes in GSM populations. An important yet understudied component of this model is resilience, which acts as buffer against the negative impacts of minority stressors. Focus on community resilience factors, as opposed to individual resilience factors, may be particularly important in GSM populations in reducing the onus placed on …

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) …

The Effects Of Stigma On Mental Health Treatment Engagement, Kali Diane Strickland

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Stigma is often cited as a significant barrier to mental health care (e.g., Andrade et al., 2014), but less is known about the impact of stigma on treatment engagement over time. The literature often calls for prospective studies (e.g., Clement et al., 2015). Additionally, little is known about label avoidance and its relationship to the other components of stigma, public and self-stigma. This study examined stigma’s association with mental health treatment engagement over time and the relationship between public stigma, self-stigma, and label avoidance. Specifically, the study assessed participants’ responses to stigma and related covariate measures. Approximately 5 weeks later, …

Theory Of Planned Behavior And Suicide Screening In Family Medicine, Jennifer Villa

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

General medical healthcare settings, particularly primary care and family medicine practices, serve as critical access points for addressing mental health concerns. This is especially true in rural communities, where specialized behavioral health services are often limited or unavailable. Given the elevated suicide risk in these settings and the shortage of mental health professionals, primary care providers are well-positioned to identify patients at risk through suicide screening. However, research shows that many established providers do not routinely screen for suicide, representing a missed opportunity for prevention, and little is known about resident attitudes towards suicide screening and prevention. Guided by the …

When Does Might Make Right? The Role Of Race/Ethnicity And Implicit Bias On Teacher Reactions To Peer Aggression, Charlotte Jane Moss

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Educators must evaluate social interactions between children on a daily basis. Social evaluations are thought to be impacted by cognitive (e.g., perceived controllability) and emotional (e.g., anger, sympathy) processes, and the ways in which teachers respond to bullying incidents may be influenced by their own implicit racial biases. There is inadequate research examining how these variables influence teacher reactions to bullying scenarios. Additionally, within the bullying literature, many studies focus on the bully and/or the victim, with less emphasis on other roles, such as a student defending the victim. Moreover, researchers typically define defenders as a student who gets help …

Investigating The Impact Of Creativity In Specialized Learning Environments, Samantha Jo Stewart

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Stewart, Samantha, M.A., Summer 2025 Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Chairperson: Dr. Jeb Puryear

This study investigates the impact of creative instructional strategies on student engagement and learning in a K–5 Structured Learning Program (SLP) serving students with behavioral challenges, trauma histories, autism, and twice-exceptionality (2e). A mixed-methods approach was used to compare two instructional periods: September to December, during which traditional teaching methods were used, and January to June, when flexible, creativity-based practices were introduced. Instructional shifts included increased student choice, multimodal tasks, and scaffolded opportunities for divergent thinking. Data sources included daily staff reflections, classroom observations, and student work …

Predicting Language And Literacy Success In Children With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Melissa Catherine Phelan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness in predicting language and literacy success for children with developmental language disorder (DLD), DLD with dyslexia, and typically developing (TD) children. DLD, a prevalent yet underdiagnosed condition, is associated with significant psychosocial and academic challenges, including a roughly 50% likelihood of developing dyslexia. Current identification systems rely on inconsistent parent/teacher referrals, which miss approximately 60% of children with DLD and over 33% with dyslexia, limiting access to effective interventions. This study longitudinally examines whether kindergarten screenings of three metalinguistic skills—phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness—predict …

Occupational Therapy Assistant Education: Exploring The Relationship Between Student Factors And Nbcot Examination Pass Rates, Micahela Parker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this retrospective quantitative study was to examine the predictive ability of gender, age, GPA, attendance and both Level II fieldwork scores (Fieldwork One and Fieldwork Two) on first attempt NBCOT exam success. To practice as an occupational therapy assistant, an individual must complete an accredited occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program and pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. The NBCOT exam was developed to ensure entry-level occupational therapy assistants have the necessary knowledge to make safe and competent decisions.

The overarching research focus was to understand the extent of one or more of …

Hormonal Decay After Death: Evaluating Dhea-S As A Potential Molecular Marker For Postmortem Estimation, Marisa Lydia Novak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation is a central component of forensic anthropological investigation, but traditional methods for estimating time since death lose accuracy after ~72 hours. Recent research indicates that some steroid hormones may undergo predictable degradation patterns after death, offering potential use as biochemical clocks for PMI estimation beyond this threshold. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and its sulfate form (DHEA-S) are of particular interest due to their metabolic stability, systemic influence, and association with trauma. This study investigates whether DHEA-S hormonal degradation patterns correlate with time elapsed since death and body temperature, evaluating their potential as biochemical PMI markers. 160 mL of …

Echoes Of Heritage: Understanding The Impact Of Subtractive Bilingualism On Emotional Well-Being And Bicultural Identity In First- And Second-Generation Immigrants, Anna Reszewicz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The effects of emotional well-being and cultural identity have been widely examined, yet little research has examined these outcomes among subtractive bilinguals. This study aimed to fill the gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between emotional well-being and bicultural identity among first- and second-generation immigrants in the United States who were identified as subtractive bilinguals and non-subtractive bilinguals. Subtractive bilinguals are defined as individuals who learn a second language (L2) while experiencing a decline in proficiency or usage of their heritage language (L1). Using self-report measures, 170 participants were recruited and completed an eligibility survey that included the …

Counselor Educators’ Understanding Of Ableism: A Mixed Methods Study, Cynthia Renee Boyle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ableism, defined as beliefs and practices that prioritize able-bodiedness and lead to disability discrimination, is a prevalent but often overlooked form of oppression rooted in the historical American legacy of other forms of prejudice, discrimination, and is foundationally rooted in higher education through eugenics. Despite the counseling profession's mandate for multicultural competence, disability issues and ableism are often excluded from mainstream curriculum, contributing to a knowledge gap among counselor educators. This convergent mixed methods study explored and analyzed counselor educators’ understanding of ableism using a cross-sectional questionnaire administered to 48 participants. Quantitative results indicated a positive correlation between more formal …

Enhancing School Counselor Preparedness: The Effect Of Emotional Regulation Training On Outcomes Of Emotional Regulation, Self-Efficacy, And Wellness Measures, Allison Lynn Bristow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School Counselors in Training (SCITs) face distinctive challenges while developing their clinical skills and managing the complexities of school counseling. These challenges can lead to emotional strain and burnout, making it essential for SCITs to cultivate strong emotional regulation skills. Counseling and education researchers have discussed various strategies to assist counselors in enhancing emotional regulation skills. However, limited research has assessed the effectiveness of specific trainings on emotion regulation, especially for SCITs. This quantitative study investigates the effectiveness of an emotional regulation (ER) training program offered to SCITs during their field placements in schools. The central research question is whether …

Data-Driven Layout Design For Smart Remanufacturing: A Flexible Optimization Model And A Case Study, J. A. Afari, A. Gosavi, J. Hu, R. J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Abstract: In remanufacturing, a vital segment of the sustainable, low-carbon circular economy, existing versions of the traditional unequal-areas facility layout problem (UA-FLP) model face significant limitations in designing layouts. To be specific, in the process of minimizing the material-handling cost (MHC), these models also alter departmental dimensions, often diverging from construction specifications. This poses a difficulty, as critical equipment required for remanufacturing, e.g., sorting and cleaning machines, have unalterable dimensions, which implies that departmental dimensions cannot be changed from specifications provided. To address this, a novel Flexible Envelope UA-FLP (FE-UA-FLP) model is proposed in this work for designing layouts wherein …

Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (Tsfam): Model For Capturing Surgeon Perspective, Rachel Dzieran, Cihan H. Dagli, Robert J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

AI-driven healthcare decision-making is multi-faceted, requiring complex logic to adapt to evolving policies and societal demands. Effective change implementation by healthcare providers and multidisciplinary organ transplant teams depends on adaptive decision-making. The proposed Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (TSFAM) model introduces a novel approach to Human-AI Teaming, keeping human expertise central while dynamically adjusting to changing requirements. TSFAM employs fuzzy logic to manage imperfect data and human ambiguity, integrating the transplant surgeon perspective with the AI deep learning decision-making tool, creating a resilient solution in this critical domain. By embedding adaptive capabilities into the architecture, TSFAM exemplifies the adaptability of …