Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Educational Neglect In Utah: How The State Allows Children To Fall Through The Cracks, Celeste D. Barker

Transforming Communities

Chronic absenteeism due to educational neglect is a prevalent social need in the state of Utah. Thousands of children in Utah are falling through the cracks of the system that is designed for their success and it is imperative that Utah’s State Legislature examines this dilemma more closely. It is recommended that the legislature examine real cases of educational neglect and realize how current decision making and policy framework is impacting the future success of Utah’s children. Modifications include extending the scope of intervention to secondary school-aged children, creating standardized attendance infraction letters for every school district in Utah, reevaluating …

Never Solved, Only Outgrown: The Most Important Problem(S) Facing Utah, Thomas C. Terry

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Nearly 90 percent of Utahans surveyed identified the most important problem (MIP) facing the state as either the environment (50%) or population growth and development (40%) in the inaugural Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP) conducted in March-May 2023 (see Figure 1). Eleven percent of Utahns identified air quality issues – including pollution and its negative impacts – as the single largest component within the MIP environment and climate change category. According to the results of the poll, water and air pollution, affordable housing, pressure on the environment and threats to habitat boil down to “too many . . . …

Fremont Legacy In Capitol Reef And The Waterpocket Fold: A Radiocarbon Analysis Of The Pectol Collection Coiled Basketry Using Bayesian Modeling, Chelsea Cheney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Perishable artifacts provide ample opportunity to better understand past human lives. Artifacts constructed from shorter-lived plant materials can make a significant contribution to archaeological research through radiocarbon dating. Analyzing and radiocarbon dating the basketry construction types from the Pectol Collection aids in the development of a more precise prehistoric timeline for the Capitol Reef and Waterpocket Fold (CRWF) area of southeastern Utah. Basketry technology construction is treated as a signal for growing Fremont occupancy throughout the Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Basin, and can the provide prior information used to better organize Bayesianbased age models. From AD 750–1050, a narrow …

Upep 2023 Overview, Jessica Schad, Elizabeth Brunner

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah's people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as the population continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, air quality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use. Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they are occurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, and universities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce, and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understanding residents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, inform infrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With …

Covid-19, Politics, And Science In Utah: Executive Summary Of Research Findings, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Jennifer E. Givens

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Daily life in the United States and Utah has changed considerably since the global outbreak of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. On March 6th, 2020, Gary R. Herbert, Governor of the State of Utah, declared a “State of Emergency” in response to pandemic. On March 27th the Governor then issued the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” Directive, which was much less strict than the shelter in place orders seen in other states as it simply urged residents to leave home infrequently, stay 6 feet away from others outside the home, and banned private gatherings larger than 20. At the end of April, …

Prehistoric Irrigation In Central Utah: Chronology, Agricultural Economics, And Implications, Steven R. Simms, Tammy M. Rittenour, Chimalis Kuehn, Molly Boeka Cannon

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In 1928, Noel Morss was shown “irrigation ditches” along Pleasant Creek on the Dixie National Forest near Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, by a local guide who contended they were ancient. We relocated the site and mapped the route of an unusual mountain irrigation canal. We conducted excavations and employed OSL and AMS 14C showing historic irrigation, and an earlier event between AD 1460 and 1636. Geomorphic evidence indicates that the canal existed prior to this time, but we cannot date its original construction. The canal is 7.2 km long, originating at 2,450 m asl and terminating at 2,170 m …

Residents' Opinions On Fracking In Utah, Kelsey Gale

Fall Student Research Symposium 2018

Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release gas inside.

Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.

This can be a very controversial topic, especially in the Western United States where fracking is a major part of the economic growth of the states.

The public forms opinions both negative and positive regarding fracking in the state of Utah.

Studies have been done to discover the impacts, good or …

Utah’S Watershed Restoration Initiative: Restoring Watersheds At A Landscape Scale, Alan G. Clark, Tyler W. Thompson, Jason L. Vernon, Alison Whittakker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Abstract: The Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) is a partnership-based program, administered by the Utah Department of Natural Resources, which seeks to improve the functional capacity of high priority watersheds throughout the state. Since its inception in 2006, the WRI partnership has completed nearly 1,500 projects to restore and rehabilitate over 526,091 ha in Utah watersheds. The WRI program is unique to the west, in that it transcends jurisdictional boundaries, and local, state, and federal management authority to focus finite resources on completing high priority conservation projects. We surveyed selected WRI selected participants in 2015 to determine what factors they …

Participatory Research In Sage-Grouse Local Working Groups: Case Studies From Utah, Lorien R. Belton, S. Nicole Frey, David K. Dahlgren

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Across the range of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse), collaborative groups focused on local-scale sage-grouse management, known as local working groups (LWGs), have been a core component of state-level efforts toward conservation of this species. In Utah, LWGs have been highly involved in designing and implementing the research which forms the body of knowledge upon which sage-grouse management decisions are made in the state. The LWG process encourages participatory research involving a wide array of interested stakeholders, including university scientists. Utah’s LWGs are facilitated by Utah State University Extension faculty and staff. These personnel provide support for securing …

Targeting And Local Health Promotion, Reed Geertsen

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Almost two-thirds of

our adult population is overweight, and more than one-third are obese. The

obesity rate is twice what it was in 1970. Most local health departments try to

address this problem with nutrition and weight control clinics, but these clinics are often

underutilized. This study examined the effects of nine independent variables on a person's

inclination to use a nutrition/weight control clinic at ·a local health department in one of Utah's

twelve health districts. It was undertaken to identify the types of individuals who were most

likely to use …

The Satisfaction Of Participants In Utah's Mutual Self-Help Housing Program, Lucas D. Martin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many low-income households have difficulty finding affordable housing. Some may turn to government housing programs for assistance. This study looks at the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program, an affordable homeownership program offered by the USDA Rural Development and run by local nonprofit organizations. The program organizes groups of low-income families who help one another build their own homes. The loan payments are determined by the households’ income and the cost to build the home is usually less than if the family were to buy a comparable home new, helping them have some equity in the home. A survey was sent to …

Exploring A Stable Aspen Niche Within Aspen-Conifer Forests Of Utah, Cody M. Mittanck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study addresses a critical issue faced by resource managers confronting aspen restoration projects in the Intermountain West. Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) forests have received a large amount of popular and academic attention over the last decade due to concerns over decline. As a result, both private and public forest resource managers have focused attention on actively restoring aspen communities through treatments such as prescribed burning, logging, and grazing exclosures to name a few. There is increasing evidence suggesting the existence of "stable" aspen communities. This community type undergoes processes entirely different from successional aspen communities and …

Sociodemographic Correlates Of Public Land Use And Management Preferences Among Utah Residents, Ashley R. Styczynski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to look at the preferred use and management of public lands in the state of Utah. The data used in this study was collected through a statewide, random survey measuring the respondent’s preferred use and management of public lands along with social and demographic information. Several quantitative tests were conducted on the variables used to illustrate the following: a snapshot of what the survey population looks like, how each independent variable interacts with the dependent variable, and finally, the combined interaction of all of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The primary goal …

Invisible Abuse: Utah's Response To Emotional Child Abuse, Janae Sirrine

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The very nature of emotional child abuse makes it difficult to detect and report. Nevertheless, scholars and professionals in the field of child welfare have identified emotional abuse as being equally detrimental to children as physical abuse and neglect. Many states, including Utah, have unclear definitions of emotional child abuse. The purpose of this study is to interpret how Utah has used its statute on emotional abuse in the court system and whether the current definition of emotional child abuse has given Utah’s courts enough information and direction to prosecute those who emotionally abuse children. Data was collected by researching …

Reported Mental Health Issues And Marital Quality: A Statewide Survey, Joseph Ruben Smart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study included a representative random sample of 886 married individuals in Utah. This sample was surveyed to discover the relationship between demographic variables, reported mental health issues, and marital quality. In addition, this study sought to discover models, using demographic variables and reported mental health issues, to predict for separate dimensions of marital quality. This survey was a replication of a study completed primarily in Oklahoma, with the addition of questions about the participants' mental health.

Spearman's rho, Pearson's R, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The results of the study show that: religious beliefs …

Utah Families- The Issues They Face, Ted W. Warstadt, Larry Forthun

All Archived Publications

With the wide variety of difficulties that our society faces and the limited funding available to address these concerns, it is important to identify and prioritize critical family issues. Because the family is a major contributor to individual and societal development, it is important to focus attention on issues which have a direct impact on family functioning. In identifying issues it is also helpful to understand demographic and geographic influences which may contribute to an individual's perceived urgency of a given issue. This can assist policy makers in their efforts to appropriately allocate limited funds to the best suited and …

Migrant-Nonmigrant Differentials, Housing Type, Community Satisfaction And Migration: A Study Of Nonmetropolitan Communities In Utah Within The Context Of Population Turnaround, Stephen Hua-Wah Kan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three major socio-demographic aspects of community life were examined in nonmetropolitan Utah within the context of the post 1970's population turnaround. They are: differentials by migrant status and housing type, patterns of community satisfaction, and migration expectations and migration.

Findings indicate that groups of residents with different migrant status and/or housing type have unique patterns in socio-economic status, social integration and community attachment, and potential contributions to the community. It was argued that these phenomena can be largely explained by the exchange theory.

With respect to the pattern of community satisfaction, it was found that the mobile home dwellers' level …

An Assessment Of Faculty Understanding And Attitudes Toward General Education At Utah State University, Scott H. Gittins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The data used for the following thesis were collected from tape-recorded interviews of a sample of U.S.U. faculty, and from a course evaluation list which each of these participating faculty members were asked to fill out. Thirty-six faculty members were selected for the in-depth interviews, which was slightly more than five percent of the faculty. The study was done in conjunction with the Provost's General Education Evaluation Committee, as part of a larger evaluation of general education at U.S.U. Thirty-four of the U.S.U. professors were interviewed and 28 of these completed the course evaluation lists.

This thesis evaluates faculty conceptualizations …

The Formation Of Desired And Ideal Family Size Among Utah High School Senior Females And Males, 1974, Linda Rose Hagen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to measure the direct and indirect relationships between socio-economic and demographic variables and ideal and desired family size preferences among male and female high school seniors in Utah in 1974. Furthermore, the analysis will be carried out separately for males and females in order to see if male and female ideal and desired family size preferences are influenced differently by the socio-economic and demographic variables. A model will be developed and tested of the process by which ideal and desired family size preferences are formulated.

The model used in the analysis is based upon …

Leisure Orientation And Outdoor Recreation Participation Of Selected Occupational Groups In Utah, S. Craig Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was concerned with the investigation of both the leisure orientation and the outdoor recreation participation of two samples of Utah residents. One sample consisted in part of Professional, Manager and Laborer nonfarm respondents. The other sample consisted of farm respondents, who were both full and part-time farmers. The part-time farmers also held other full-time Professional, Manager and Laborer occupations. The author had three major objectives in this study: (1) to examine the leisure orientation of the respondents from an occupational perspective; (2) to examine the participation in outdoor recreation activities from an occupational perspective; and (3) to examine …

Social, Psychological, Economic Factors, And The Migration Intentions Of Senior High School Students In Utah, Elias Toumeh Nijim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with a comparison between rural, urban, and metropolitan students as to their migration intentions and factors associated with their migration intentions. The study is based on the initial stage of a larger longitudinal panel study of 2,500 high school seniors in public high schools in the state of Utah in 1975. Survey research was the principal method of investigation. Stratified random sample was used for choosing the students and administered questionnaire was used to collect the information. Proportions and crosstabulations were the statistical techniques used in the analysis with chi square and gamma as the statistics for …

Household Projections For Utah: 1970-2000, Stephen Hauwah Kan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with Utah household projections by age and sex for five-year intervals from 1970-2000. Projections are based on the method used by the bureau of the Census with certain modifications. Two sets of the population projects prepared by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, high and low medium, are chosen as the population base. By assuming the household formation pattern in two alternate ways, constant rates and exponential growth rates, two sets of household projections are prepared for each of the two sets of population projections. This study also makes some examinations on the social and economic implications of …

The Study Of Intended Distance Based On The Migration Intention Of Utah High School Senior Students, Pyoung Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examines the relationship between the distance 1975 high school seniors intended to move, referred to as intended distance, and socioeconomic and psychological factors. The research is based on information collected from separate samples of about 900 graduating seniors from the rural, urban and metropolitan areas of Utah. Utilizing the type of boundary that would be crossed in carrying out an intended move as the proxy for distance, it was found that 14 percent of the youth intended to live most of the rest of their lives out of Utah. While rural youth were more likely to intend to …

The Cache County Snowmobiler: An Empirical Study, Michael William Dierker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Snowmobiling is one of the major outdoor winter sports in Cache County, Utah. Despite its popularity, it has run into several problems, among which the most noticeable is its conflict with other winter recreationists, namely, cross-country skiers and snowshoers. In order to resolve this conflict, one must first understand more about each group involved. As such, the purpose of this research was to obtain information on the snowmobiler in Cache County, Utah. Specifically, the objectives of the study were: (1) to identify the attitudes of the snowmobiler toward leisure and the environment; (2) to identify and compare occupations, SES, and …

Availability And Perceived Adequacy Of Health Services In Utah, Cheryl L. Thayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is the general consensus that continuous and comprehensive health care of good quality should be available to all, under conditions that are convenient, comfortable, and not detrimental to the dignity or self-respect of the individual.

This study concerns the adequacy of health services as perceived by persons living in rural, urban, and urbanizing-rural areas of Utah. It is also a study (1) to determine the degree to which various demographics found to be related to differential medical needs in metropolitan areas is related to perception of health services, and (2) to assess the congruence between empirical and perceived availability …

Projections For School Population And Teacher Demand In The State Of Utah For The Period 1970-200, Michael V. Macfarlane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to study future trends in student enrollment, according to age, sex, grades, and school levels, for different geographic areas, and teacher demand for the elementary and secondary levels of school in Utah from 1970 to the year 2000. For the secondary level information is also given for student enrollment according to different subject areas and the future demand of teachers for these subject areas. Projections were prepared for single calendar years from 1970 to the year 2000. The projections for the school children were based on total population projections for the state, prepared at …

Net Migration As A Factor Affecting Metropolitan Growth In Utah: 1950 To 1970, Kooros M. Mahmoudi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objectives of this study were to measure net in- or out-migration to or from the Standard Metropolitan Areas of Utah between 1950-60 and 1960-70, and to study selected socio-economic factors relating to migration and the growth of SMSA's. Specifically, the factors of migration and natural population increase were central in an analysis of population redistribution. Selected demographic characteristics of the migrants such as sex and age were also studied to establish their impact upon the SMSA population structure. The relationship between population change in the SMSA's and economic factors of labor force supply and employment were also reviewed.

Net …

Labor Force Projections For The State Of Utah, 1970-2000, Craig R. Lundahl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with labor force projections for the State of Utah, counties and multi-county areas, by age and sex for the years 1980, 1990, and 2000, using the technique of cohort analysis for long-range labor force projections. The study also examines some social and economic implications of labor force projections for Utah.

The labor force projections were derived from the age and sex population projections being prepared for the State of Utah and Utah counties by Yun Kim and Therel R. Black, Utah State University.

In order to project the future labor force of Utah, an analysis of historic …

A Study Of Attitudes Of L.D.S. Senior Citizens Of Logan, Utah Regarding Personal Adjustments, Antoine R. Munk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objectives of this study were first, to examine the attitudes of L.D.S. (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; also commonly known as the Mormon Church) senior citizens living within the city limits of Logan, Utah regarding certain of their personal adjustments during old age (a personal adjustment score was derived from a scale developed by Cavan, Burgess, Havighurst and Goldhammer, 1949); and second, to determine whether selected variables were related to these attitudes toward personal adjustment. The variables examined in determining this relationship were chronological age, sex, marital status, the individual's definition of present health, …

Changing Patterns Of Juvenile Justice In District One Juvenile Court, Utah, As Affected By The 1967 U.S. Supreme Court Decision On Gault, Ruth V. Mickelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A determination was made of the degree to which the four requirements of Gault were met in District I of the Utah Juvenile Court between July 1, 1967 and June 30, 1969. The requirements handed down in 1967 by the U. S. Supreme Court were as follows: (a) guarantee to the right of notice given to the juvenile himself and to his parents; (b) right to counsel, representation by counsel in juvenile delinquency proceedings; (c) right to confrontation and cross-examination by prosecuting witness; and (d) privilege against self-incrimination in juvenile delinquency proceedings.

Observable procedures indicate that sustained effort is being …