Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Providing Effective Student Feedback: Effects Of Sociotropy, Student-Teacher Connectedness, And Expressed Disappointment And Praise On Students' Self-Esteem And Motivation, Emily Davied

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined how different types of teacher feedback (i.e., expressed pride, expressed disappointment, and near-neutral feedback) impact students’ motivation to learn and self-esteem. It also explored whether such effects vary depending on students' personality and how connected they feel to their teacher. Undergraduate students (N = 221) imagined receiving feedback from a teacher and completed surveys assessing their motivation, self-esteem, sociotropy, and connectedness with the teacher. The results showed that feedback expressing disappointment lowered students' self esteem compared to expressing pride and lowered students' motivation compared to near neutral feedback. Although sociotropy (i.e., dependence on others' approval) and teacher …

The Willing And The Compelled: How Power And Place Shape Human-Bison Coexistence In Poland And The United States, Patrick Orville Kelly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildlife recovery programs depend not just on animals, but on how people feel about living with them. The degree to which people accept the disruptions wildlife brings to their lives, known as social tolerance, can determine whether a recovery program succeeds or fails, yet it remains understudied and underapplied in management plans. This dissertation studies how people in Poland and the western United States feel about living with the two living species of bison, the largest land animals in Europe and North America. In Poland, we surveyed 242 residents living at different distances from European bison habitat. Surprisingly, the most …

More Than A Name: Reparative Description For Women’S Archives, Allison Mccormack, Hallie Oines

Journal of Western Archives

This article describes a reparative description initiative at an academic library aimed at improving access to women’s archival collections. By hiring a metadata specialist through grant funding, the project revised legacy MARC records to update, expand, and standardize collection descriptions. Prioritizing inclusive language and accurate subject headings, the team addressed gaps that previously hindered discovery of women’s materials. Over two years, 818 records were remediated, enhancing creator, topical, and genre/form access points. The article discusses project challenges, strategies for respectful description, and the resulting improved discoverability, offering a replicable model for reparative archival work.

Building Wellbeing Through Nature And Adventure For Justice-Involved Youth, Lewis Kogan, Meagan Ricks, Janna Coulter, Miranda Margetts, Lori Butterfield, Ben Ukoh-Eke

Outcomes and Impact Quarterly

Justice-involved youth often experience elevated levels of stress, mental health challenges, and reduced access to positive developmental opportunities. A nature- and adventure-based youth development program designed to strengthen resilience, self-efficacy, nature-connectedness, and well-being among justice-involved youth was piloted in 2025 to address these challenges. Pilot findings indicated improvements in resilience, self-efficacy, hopefulness, and connectedness to nature.

Exploring Speech-Language Pathologists’ Development Of Hearing Loss Health Literacy, Ellie Cooper, Krystal L. Werfel

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Purpose. This qualitative study examined how speech-language pathologists (SLPs) develop hearing loss health literacy through academic training and on-the-job experience. Specifically, it explored SLPs’ perspectives on how graduate coursework and clinical exposure contributed to their readiness to work with children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH).

Method. Participants included 48 SLPs with a range of specialty academic coursework and on-the-job experience working with children who are DHH. SLPs were categorized into four groups: with/without specialty academic training in aural (re)habilitation and more/fewer than three years of experience with at least ten children who are DHH. Semi-structured interviews were …

Early Childhood Access To Language Acquisition Services In Arizona, Kendra Benedict, Wendy Steuerwald, Najwa Ghattas, Cheryl Johnson

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

This investigation reviewed existing services and gaps for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) in Arizona and explored community-based approaches to improve access to language development resources. The study was conducted in two phases, each focusing on different approaches for language acquisition based on surveys of parents and providers. Phase I, completed in 2024, addressed listening and spoken language (LSL) as a methodology for language acquisition while Phase II, completed in 2025, focused on the use of American Sign Language (ASL). Findings from Phase I surveys found that 63% of parents reported using LSL as the …

Exploring Knowledge And Sources Of Information On Augmentative And Alternative Communication Among Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, Alyssa Roylance, Sophia R. D'Agostino, Avery Briggs, Naima Bhana-Lopez

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Student Research

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is often recommended to help autistic individuals develop needed skills, and as such, Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) should be prepared to assist minimally verbal individuals to learn how to communicate. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can be a helpful tool to assist communication for these individuals. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study, including a survey with Likert-type and open-answer questions and a semi-structured interview, was conducted to learn if BCBAs are receiving training on AAC systems and where they are obtaining AAC-related professional development. The survey and interview also inquired about collaboration with other professionals regarding the …

Amplifying Community Voices In Climate Policy: Attitudes On Climate Change And Decarbonization In Cache County, Cristina Chirvasa, Rivkah Haubner, Stacia Ryder

Transforming Communities

Climate change is altering global ecosystems and imperiling human health, but knowledge of these impacts does not always translate into adaptation and mitigation action. Many solutions fall under decarbonization, or the reduction and capture of atmospheric carbon. These actions are increasingly developed at more localized, sub-state levels. Thus, understanding the attitudes of Cache County, Utah, residents, including students and faculty at Utah State University, toward different decarbonization techniques will be important to building successful climate action plans and policies. Here, as part of a large-scale collaborative group of different on-campus departments and community partners, we held focus groups to examine …

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: Creating An Outreach Booth, Aurora Hughes Villa, Tyelar Haines, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle, Michelle Parslow

All Current Publications

An outreach booth is a physical presentation that allows your audience to learn more about a subject and how they can participate. It provides information on a topic (e.g., an environmental issue or a community project) through direct interaction with experts in the field. Through this approach, people become engaged, and discussions emerge that foster a sense of community around the topic. Interested in creating one for yourself? Follow the steps outlined in this fact sheet.

Park Visitor Education And Landscape Conservation: Evaluating Education-Based Strategies To Mitigate Visitor-Caused Damage In Goblin Valley State Park, Jason Beukers

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Goblin Valley State Park contains rare and highly fragile geological formations that are increasingly impacted through visitor-caused damage. While the park’s open-range management approach enhances recreational freedom and the visitor experience, it also leaves vulnerable hoodoo formations susceptible to vandalism and damage by visitor behavior and exploration. Balancing public access with landscape preservation remains a persistent challenge, particularly in large, protected areas where staffing, enforcement, and management resources are limited. This thesis reviews the effectiveness of management strategies, particularly education-based strategies such as signage and visitor messaging, in reducing depreciative visitor behaviors in national and state parks and other protected …

The Legend Of The Bear Lake Monster, Melissa Anderson Asay

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Bear Lake Monster is a legend that has persisted for centuries. This monster is rooted in Shoshone oral traditions and hold the potential to be based off of fossils found in the Shoshone territory. This living legend was later amplified by Mormon settlers. One settler in particular, Joseph C. Rich, played a significant role in shaping its narrative. Though he eventually admitted to fabricating sightings to encourage settlement, belief in the creature remains alive today. The serpent’s presence in local lore has undeniably influenced the Bear Lake region, shaping both its identity and tourism industry. This legend serves as …

Using A Social-Ecological-Technological Systems Approach For Assessing Vulnerabilities Downstream Of Dams, Michael J. Englert

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Dam failure is rare, but when it occurs the consequences can extend far beyond the structure of the dam itself. This project assessed vulnerabilities downstream of Utah’s 189 state-regulated, high-hazard dams using a Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) approach. The purpose of the project was to look beyond engineering and structural risk alone and identify the people, protected ecosystems, critical infrastructure, and land cover types located within mapped dam inundation zones.

Potential inundation zone maps were obtained from the Utah Division of Water Rights Dam Safety Section. They were processed using ArcGIS Pro and integrated with publicly available nationwide geospatial datasets to …

Tales, Traditions, And Tides: The Little Logan River And Its Role In Cache Valley's History, Culture, And Conservation, Emily A. Kovacic

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The Little Logan River (LLR) plays a vital role in the cultural, historical, and ecological landscape of Cache Valley, Utah. Amid growing concerns raised by the Logan River Watershed Project (LRWP), which threatens to alter the river’s environment, this project seeks to understand the significance of the LLR as a cultural and recreational asset through collected oral histories. Building on folkloric perspectives of place-based storytelling, this thesis introduces the idea of vivus locum, or “that place which is alive,” through the example of the LLR to the study of folkloristics. The concept of vivus locum emphasizes the importance of …

Reintegrating Contaminated Sites Into The Urban Fabric: Redevelopment In Pocatello, Idaho, Hadley Ocheltree

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Brownfield sites represent some of the most environmentally compromised landscapes in the United States and are frequently concentrated within economically disadvantaged communities, raising important environmental justice concerns. Redeveloping these sites requires integrated approaches that address contamination, urban form, ecological restoration, and long term community needs. This thesis examines the 143 acre former Union Pacific Railroad site in Pocatello, Idaho and proposes a comprehensive redevelopment framework that reconnects a historically significant industrial landscape to the surrounding city.

The project draws from an analysis of eight precedent brownfield redevelopment projects and applies key planning and landscape architecture principles, including New Urbanism, pedestrian …

"In Any Other Circumstance I Am Not In Work Mode. I Am Clocked Out": Chappell Roan And The Objectified Persona, Aubry Louise

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

It is known that celebrities have influence on their audience’s attitudes and behaviors. Within the last few decades, multiple celebrities have created distinctions between their public/stage self and their private self, however, less is known about the ways that they differentiate between the two. This paper looks at celebrity public persona’s and how these persona’s influence their audience. I use Kayleigh Amstutz, otherwise known as Chappell Roan, as my case study. This thesis offers an analysis of how Amstutz talks about Kayleigh differently than Chappell within social media posts, interviews, and commentary from media outlets. I use the concepts of …

The Augmented Matching Law, Matias A. Avellaneda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Every living organism, including humans, has a finite amount of time available: 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year, and a certain number of years in its life. At every moment, such an organism will be engaging in one of a multitude of possible activities, such as eating, sleeping, or reading this dissertation. We use the term choice to denote the way in which the organism distributes its time among all these activities, and some of these choice patterns are more beneficial to the organism than others, showcasing the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying choice. A …

The Impact Of Early Exposure To Engineering Concepts In The Form Of Family, School Classes, And Stem Extracurriculars On The Long-Term Sense Of Belonging In Undergraduate Women In Engineering, Hannah Lloyd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Engineering continues to struggle with the underrepresentation of women, and many women who begin engineering programs report feeling isolated or uncertain about whether they belong. A strong sense of belonging has been linked to greater confidence, persistence, and success in engineering. This study examined how early experiences with engineering before college may influence students' sense of belonging later in their undergraduate engineering programs.

Using survey responses from undergraduate engineering students across the United States, this study explored several types of early exposure to engineering, including family influence, school-based engineering and STEM courses, extracurricular programs such as robotics clubs and engineering …

Three Essays In Discrete Choice Analysis: Valuation, Attention Level, And Spatial Heterogeneity, Marcelo Pignatari

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding how people value food labels and environmental goods is essential for designing policies, incentives, and market mechanisms that improve the well-being of the population. In this study, we found that a local label indicating that fruit was produced in Utah makes Utahns value strawberries, gala apples, and dried tart cherries more. An organic label has a similar effect, which is especially strong for dried tart cherries. In contrast, a freshness label only increases value for fruits with a shorter shelf life, such as strawberries. We also found that people who chose to access clarifying information about what these labels …

Comparing Error Correction Strategies In Discrete Trial Training For Children With Autism, Rachael Litchford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require structured, evidence-based teaching methods to promote skill acquisition. Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is one such approach widely used in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to teach skills through repeated learning opportunities. However, limited research has compared the efficiency of specific error correction procedures within DTT. This study examined the comparative effectiveness of two error correction strategies, Active Student Response (ASR) and Model-Only, when acquiring tacting skills for children ages 2-10 with ASD. An alternating treatments design (ATD) was used to evaluate each strategy’s impact on skill acquisition, as measured by the percentage …

Pavlovian Conditioning And Self-Control: From Laboratory To Classroom Application, Saba Mahmoudi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Impulsive choice, the preference for a smaller-sooner reward (SSR) over a larger-later reward (LLR), is associated with various challenging behaviors (e.g., gambling and substance-used disorders). Many interventions can reduce impulsive choice but those that produce long-lasting effects typically require long training durations or are difficult to implement in applied settings. This dissertation evaluated a novel Pavlovian training approach designed to promote self-control. In Experiment 1, procedures from Mahmoudi and Madden (2024) were replicated in the laboratory with the addition of a truly random control group. The study also assessed whether presenting the conditioned stimulus (CS) before a choice would increase …

Social Support As A Resource In Emerging Adulthood: Examining Siblings' Unique Potential, Leslie A. Page

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation consists of three studies that examined the influence of multiple relational processes and partners across adolescence and emerging adulthood. Drawing on family systems (Bowen, 1978; Cox & Paley, 1997) and social convoy (Antonucci et al., 2013) theories, social support was conceptualized as a relational dimension that shapes how close others function as resources during key developmental transitions. With this perspective, siblings were included as important, but relatively understudied, members of the social convoy who may provide enduring and flexible support that is extremely relevant for this population. In Study 1, support was treated as an outcome of longitudinal …

Resilience, Hope, And Posttraumatic Growth Among Yazidi Refugees, Erin Elizabeth Larson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Although it has been more than a decade since the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) imposed genocide upon the Yazidi people, an ethnic minority indigenous to Kurdistan, research on the psychological health of this community is lacking. While traumatic experiences and the accumulation of stressors can overwhelm one’s capacity for resilience, making it especially difficult for refugees to adapt and recover from their experiences. Posttraumatic Growth Theory posits that individuals may overcome such challenges and even undergo positive life transformations. Data were collected from Yazidi young adults using an online survey and examined the associations between resilience, hope, …

An Examination Of Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury And Anti-Inflammatory Medication Use In The Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Mikaela A. Drewel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in individuals aged 65 years and older. There are a number of lifestyle and genetic factors that affect one’s risk for AD including traumatic brain injury (TBI), and genes such as those for Apolipoprotein E (APOE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This study examined sex differences in how TBI history influences risk for AD, exploring genetic variants suspected to play a role in TBI recovery. Additionally, in following an inflammatory mechanism in TBI, the study also determined if nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use reduced subsequent risk for AD. The study analyzed …

Effects Of Single-Session Interventions On Youth Internalizing Problems, Thomas K. Franzmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Anxiety and depression are among the most common mental health concerns young people face, and they often interfere with school, friendships, family life, and long-term well-being. Even though effective therapies exist, only about half of youth who need care ever receive it, and among those who do start treatment, the most common total number of sessions a young person attends is one. This gap between what young people need and what they actually receive raises a practical question for the field: can a single, well-designed meeting with a provider produce meaningful change for some youth and families, and what should …

Challenges To Longevity Among Native Americans In The Four Corner States, Ashley Lenarz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous research has shown that Native Americans within the Four Corners States of the United States experience poor health outcomes and premature mortality. The Four Corners States include Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Research examining COVID-19 pandemic outcomes has also suggested that Native peoples within the Four Corners States have been especially hard hit with high rates of infection and mortality. Our research seeks to (1) understand how life expectancy trends and differences changed among non-Hispanic Native Americans and Whites in the Four Corners States during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examine how much of these trends and differences …

Impact Of Chronic Stress And Nutrition On Functional Connectivity And Neural Networks In Young Kichwa Children From The Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, Matthew L. Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Early childhood is a critical period for brain development. Positive and negative experiences during this time can have lasting effects on learning, health, and well-being. However, most research on children’s brain development has been conducted in wealthy, industrialized nations, leaving important gaps in our understanding of how children develop in other cultural and environmental contexts.

This study examined brain development in Indigenous Kichwa children living in two rural communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. The goal was to better understand how chronic stress and nutrition may influence a child’s developing brain during early childhood. Children participated in noninvasive brain assessments …

Faculty Perspectives On Career And Technical Education Programming For Prison And Other At-Risk Populations: Implications Of A Human Centered Design Focus, Taija R. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental study was to examine the perceptions of career and technical education (CTE) faculty regarding their familiarity with human-centered design (HCD), perceptions of the value and worth as a framework for program and curriculum design and willingness to teach in correctional education settings. The survey was administered to postsecondary CTE employed at public community and technical colleges in Utah and Colorado (N = 37). Participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment condition, in which they viewed a six-minute-long video vignette illustrating HCD in practice, or a control condition without exposure to the …

The Influence Of Mental Illness Stigma On Support For Capital Punishment, Laura Strong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Support for capital punishment, though consistently favored by the majority of the US population, has remained highly controversial due to biases in its application. This issue is particularly pressing for Black Americans and people with mental illnesses, as both populations are over-represented on death row. While support for capital punishment is primarily driven by socio-demographic characteristics such as political affiliation and race, existing literature indicates that White Americans who exhibit heightened racial stigma towards Black Americans are more likely to support capital punishment. The mechanisms that link racial stigma to support for capital punishment may exist for mental illness stigma …

Developing A New Uas Method For Estimating Heat Exposure On Western Us Trails, Jared Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Heat exposure and the risks to human health that stem from it have been studied extensively in the context of urban and occupational settings. Less studied however, is the effect of heat exposure in a recreational setting such as on hiking trails. What makes this fact more surprising is that recreation, especially in the Western US, is extremely popular, with national parks such as Zion and Arches bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. With millions of recreationists exposed to the hazard of heat every year, it is critical that recreationists are made aware of the dangers they …

Mindful Classrooms: Teachers Co-Designing And Implementing Mindfulness Interventions, Mary L. Phan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Teachers play a critical role in supporting student learning and well-being, yet many experience high levels of stress, burnout, and increasing job demands. Stress can negatively affect teachers’ mental health, job satisfaction, and classroom environments, making it important to identify practical and sustainable ways to support teacher well being. Mindfulness practices, which encourage individuals to focus on the present moment with awareness and acceptance, have shown promise for reducing stress and improving emotional well-being. However, little is known about how mindfulness programs can be adapted to fit the realities of elementary school classrooms and whether teachers can successfully implement these …