Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Graduate Students’ Teaching Experiences Improve Their Methodological Research Skills, David F. Feldon, James Peugh, Briana E. Timmerman, Michelle A. Maher, Melissa Hurst, Denise Strickland, Joanna A. Gilmore, Cindy Stiegelmeyer

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate students are often encouraged to maximize their engagement with supervised research and minimize teaching obligations. However, the process of teaching students engaged in inquiry provides practice in the application of important research skills. Using a performance rubric, we compared the quality of methodological skills demonstrated in written research proposals for two groups of early career graduate students (those with both teaching and research responsibilities and those with only research responsibilities) at the beginning and end of an academic year. After statistically controlling for preexisting differences between groups, students who both taught and conducted …

Ncaa Division I Football Bowl Subdivision: The Importance Of Recruiting And Its Relationship With Team Performance, Nathan S. Lloyd

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Talent wins college football games. Wins bring in money. Colleges, fans and media hype up the recruiting season as the key to success in the college football season. Is it though? Athletic programs spend large sums of capital and resources to recruit the most talented players possible. This paper explores the relationship between recruited talent and team performance using a simultaneous equations model. Higher players’ talent leads to better team performance and a recruiting class has its biggest impact immediately following signing. A team’s performance, especially of the most recent season, impacts its ability to recruit. Talent and success experience …

Natural Resource Curse In Nepal With Emphasis On Deforestation And Violence, Abhinav Pathak

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

For many decades, economists have discussed the role of agricultural productivity and natural resources in economic development. By the late 20th century, various studies showed the poor growth experience of resource-rich countries in the post- world war-II period. Doppellhofer (2000) concluded that none of the countries with extremely abundant natural resources in 1970 grew rapidly for the next 20 years, with the exception of Malaysia, Mauritius and Iceland. Other studies that yielded similar conclusions include Auty (1990), Gelb (1988), Sachs and Warner (1995, 1999), and Gylfason et al. (1999). This phenomenon of lower economic growth among resource abundant countries is …

A Proposal To Make Grain Storage Financially Feasible, David L. Garrett

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The United States has a National Oil Reserve but not a food reserve. Just as the oil reserve is designed to buffer unforeseen disruptions in the critical supply, the nation should also have a food reserve for the same purpose.

The United States and other developed nations have little or no food reserve beyond the typical demands between growing seasons. Marvelous production achievements in agriculture beginning in the early 1960s and known as the “Green Revolution” are now leveling off. Food production, suffering from such negative side effects as reduced water tables, is being outstripped by population growth (Bourne, 2009).

War, Gender, And The Polarization Process: Gender As An Intervening Variable In Attitude Formation Toward Outgroups, Kristen Kay Dawson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

War and the consequences of war have long been a subject of study in the field of political science. In addition, much debate and disagreement has centered around which factors are most important in determining the onset of war. Based on previous literature that has established fairly consistent gender differences with respect to the gendered role of warfare (Goldstein, 2001; Marini, 1990), I speculate that gender may also influence polarization attitudes, which are thought to act as precursors to war. Whenever the attitudes of ingroups rapidly polarize and their members become extremely fearful of an outgroup, begin to dehumanize outgroup …

Is Us Military Intervention Effective In Promoting Democratic Practices In Latin American Governments?, Mindi Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The United States is an influential superpower with military, political and economic prominence throughout the world. Since the Spanish American War of 1898, the US has been the hegemonic power in the western hemisphere. Because of its strong influence, US military involvement in other countries is highly scrutinized both internationally and domestically.

Testing Mediated Effects Of A Sex Education Program On Youth Sexual Activity, Paul James Birch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Empirical investigations have identified hundreds of factors that predict whether youth engage in sexual activity (YSA). To promote optimal health and the avoidance of unhealthy or problematic outcomes that can result from YSA, sex education programs have been extensively developed and evaluated. Many evaluations have identified the effect of the program on immediate outcomes such as attitudes and intentions, others have examined subsequent behavioral and health outcomes, and some have done both. The purpose of this study was to extend the evaluation literature by testing a mediated effects model. A sex education program was found to have significant immediate effects …

"When They Called Us Jie Mei (Sister)" An Autoethnographic And Narrative Study Of Religious Development In Emerging Adulthood, Katie Nichole Ball

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The years from the late teens through the twenties increasingly have become an important area of study. The age range between 18 and 25 makes up a new, distinct developmental period that is referred to as “emerging adulthood.” Recent work has suggested that individuals engage in their most extensive identity exploration during emerging adulthood. This study uses autoethnography and narrative biographical material to study emerging adulthood in the contexts of spiritual and personal growth. The study explored adult development among young women serving abroad as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The sample consisted of …

Creating Effective Staff Development Committees: A Case Study, Erin Davis, Kacy Lundstrom

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of staff development committees (SDC) in the motivation, morale and education of library staff by relying on previous research and by using Utah State University's (USU), Merrill-Cazier Library SDC as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach – Discussion and analysis emerge from the documented formation of USU's SDC, including its membership, goals, and evaluative practices, especially as it relates to current research in this area. Informal staff comments regarding benefits and limitations of the committee are included.

Findings – Staff development has been approached from various perspectives. Most programs form …

Outcomes And Assessment In Post-Immersion Maryland, Pennsylvania, And Utah: Applying Immersion Principles To Public Libraries, Teacher Effectiveness, And The Student-Centered Classroom, Erin Davis, Tiffany Mcgregor, Julie Zamostry

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Comparative Assessment Of Water Markets: Insights From The Murray-Darling Basin Of Australia And The Western Usa, R. Quentin Grafton, Gary D. Libecap, Eric Edwards, R. J. O'Brien, Clay Landry

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

Water markets in Australia's Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) and the western USA are compared in terms of their ability to allocate scarce water resources. The study finds that the gains from trade in the MDB are worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year (note that all monetary units of dollars in this article are treated as US$ because Australian$ are converted at par). Total market turnover in water rights exceeds US$2 billion per year while the volume of trade exceeds over 20% of surface water extractions. In Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas, trades of committed water annually range between …

Testing Relevance And Efficacy In A Culturally Adapted Parenting Program, José Rubén Parra-Cardona, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Marion S. Forgatch, Cris M. Sullivan, Deborah Bybee, Brian Dates, Lisa Tams, Guillermo Bernal

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mormon History Materials: Utah State University Special Collections & Archives, Cheryl D. Walters

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

The slideshow was created for the Mormon History Conference held in St. George, Utah May 26-29, 2011 at the request of Bradford Cole, Associate Director for Special Collections and Archives. I created the slideshow; he hosted it and answered questions on site.

Transformation Process Of Criando Con Amor Promoviendo Armonía Y Superación (Capas) / Pmto Materials Into Capas Mexico, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad, S. Gaínza, F. García, M. A. Padriñán, G. Apipilhausco, D. Sánchez, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Ana A. L. Baumann

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cultural Adaptation Of Pmto For Ethnicity And Language, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, Nancy G. Amador Buenabad

Psychology Faculty Publications

Criando con Amor: Promoviendo Armonía y Superación is a culturally adapted PMTO manual. It was developed in Logan, UT and then further refined for use in Mexico City. A recent meta-analysis of culturally adapted treatments for US-based ethnic minorities showed a significant improvement in outcomes for adapted versus non-adapted interventions. The authors will present the systematic and theory-based cultural adaptation process utilized to tailor the manual for use with Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S. and in Mexico. Examples of specific cultural adaptations made will be shown. Evidence of treatment acceptability on the part of participating families at both sites will …

Community-Based Applied Research With Latino Immigrant Families: Informing Practice And Research According To Ethical And Social Justice Principles, Ana A. L. Baumann, Melanie M. Domenech-Rodriguez, José Rubén Parra-Cardona

Psychology Faculty Publications

This manuscript describes the implementation of two community-based programs of research with Latino immigrant populations exposed to intense contextual challenges. We provide background on our program of research and specific implementation of an evidence-based parenting intervention. We also describe how our research efforts were seriously affected by immigration-related events such as the ICE raids in Utah and a history of discrimination and exclusion affecting Latino immigrants in Michigan. These external political and social challenges have affected the very core principles of our efforts to implement community-based approaches. The current manuscript describes key lessons that we have learned in this process. …

Campus Copyright Education: Creating A Culture Of Compliance And Empowerment, Susanne Clement, Jennifer Duncan, Betty Rozum

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Copyright is a complex issue that many raises questions for many people on university campuses. This presentation describes the approach Utah State University took to forming a committee comprised of people from across campus and efforts to educate members of the faculty about copyright issues.

Morphological Awareness Dynamic Assessment Task In Third Grade Children: A Feasibility Study, Katherine Pike

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a) a morphological awareness dynamic assessment task is a sensitive instrument and reveals a range of performance in third grade children, and b) performance on a morphological awareness dynamic assessment task may be significantly improved with dynamic scaffolding.

Method: The participants included twenty-three typically developing third-grade children from an elementary school in the Intermountain West. The morphological awareness dynamic assessment task, adapted from Larsen and Nippold (2007), was administered to each child two times (Initial Trial 1 testing and a subsequent Trial 2 testing 3 days later). This task required …

Per Pupil Spending: How Much Difference Does A Dollar Make?, Nicole Anderson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Education. The one thing everyone needs and no one thinks is good enough. Wherever students and policy makers turn there is the desire for something more, something better, coming out of the public education system. Over the years more and more funding has been poured into the education system in attempt to increase the student success rates and intellect of American students. However, American students are still behind internationally and more and more jobs are going to students from different countries. Is there a point when the money being funneled into education doesn’t make enough difference in student achievement and …

Social Justice In Social Security, Erin N. Cottle

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

By the year 2030 there will be twice as many retirees in the United States as today but only 18 percent more workers. This aging of the population will place considerable financial strain on the United States social security system; relatively few workers will be taxes to pay the benefits of relatively many retirees. Because of this change in demographics, the Social Security Administration will not be able to pay scheduled social security benefits as outlined by current law. Therefore, it is imperative that the government act soon to address the looming fiscal imbalance of the social security program.

The …

Counterterrorism In Afghanistan: Aligning Resources And Goals, Jeremy R. Willis

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

After US Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] and Special Operations Forces [SOF] counterterrorism [CT] operations routed al Qaeda and the Taliban regime, planning for the next phase was underway. It was determined that security and stability operations or counterinsurgency [COIN] operations would be necessary to stabilize the country. Soon after transitioning from CT to COIN operations, COIN operations stalled. Several factors have played a part in the unsuccessful attempts at COIN. First, the Global War on Terror [GWOT] campaign was designed to address a narrow set of goals including destroying, dismantling, and disrupting al Qaeda and its affiliates. Second, US leaders …

Lirt Debate: Models Of Information Literacy Instruction, Kacy Lundstrom, Erin Davis

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Russia At War: Chechnya, Georgia, And Theories Of Foreign Policy, Tyler J. Pack

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The conflicts in Chechnya and Georgia are for Russia the seminal policy events of the turbulent post-­‐Soviet era. Learning about Russian conflict policy thinking with respect to these cases should help to illuminate broader Russian foreign policy objectives and tendencies. Even though the Chechen Wars were by nature domestic conflicts, I believe that trends and patterns from that case, combined with insights from the Georgian conflict, can help identify strengths and weaknesses of major Russian foreign policy theories.

Though there are many such theories, I see that most fall into one of two broad categories. While there is some overlap, …

Successfully Incorporating The Participant Perspective: Analysis Of Participatory Research In Development, Zachary T. Revene

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Literature from recent decades has highlighted the importance of incorporating the perspective of communities into development project planning and implementation. In this project, the participant perspective was documented through qualitative ethnographic techniques and illustrates the different ways in which this perspective was either included or excluded in two separate case studies along the northern coast of Peru. The case study of huachaque farmers surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chan Chan provided an example of the general failure to incorporate the participant perspective into planning of future biodiversity conservation projects. The case study of Huaca Chotuna provided an example …

Blended Libraries: Becoming One Family, Cheryl Adams, Lori Brassaw, Angela Dresselhaus, Betty Rozum

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

Maintaining and providing access to collections can be challenging. Doing this at a distance is more challenging. Doing this at a distance during a period of major transition and controlled chaos is a herculean task. In July 2010, the state-mandated merger of the College of Eastern Utah (a two-year community college) with Utah State University (200 miles distant) became official. Well before this date, staff at both libraries began to deal with the complex issues involved with maintaining stable access to the collections of the College of Eastern Utah libraries. The changing situation required implementing a wide spectrum of solutions. …

Donor-Side Determinants Of Disaggregated Foreign Assistance: A Sur Approach To Understanding U.S. Economic, Military, And Food Aid Commitments, Stephanie Hugie

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study addresses whether the absolute and relative impact of economic, political, and humanitarian variables that restrain or boost U.S. foreign assistance varies for different types of aid, from a strictly domestic decision-making framework. Using a SUR analysis for U.S. economic, military, and food aid obligations, the various aid budgets indeed behave differently with respect to the explanatory variables. GDP growth, the military budget, and Congressional orientation are more suitable predictors for economic assistance than for food or military assistance. Food aid is less likely to be correlated with the ideological orientation of the Congress and President, and is not …

White Blues: Can Eric Clapton Embody Du Bois' Double Consciousness?, Ryan Patrick Gabriel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In this article I explore if Black consciousness, as described by W.E.B. Du Bois' theory of double consciousness, can be taken on by those who are White. I analyze songs both written and covered by Eric Clapton, to examine if elements of double consciousness are in his music. Furthermore, I analyze album covers that have Clapton's image on them, looking for characteristics of physical Blackness. My findings reveal that Eric Clapton does take on aspects of double consciousness, through his music, and facets of physical Blackness. Thus, I discover it is possible for Whites to experience elements of double consciousness.

Variability Of Cranial Nerve Assignment To Speech And Swallow Muscles, Kristina Morrey

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The object of this study was to examine and document anatomical variability of cranial nerve assignment for muscles of the speech and swallow mechanism. Through means of textbook review, the study’s first purpose was to identify which cranial nerves were attributed to the innervation for muscles associated with the speech and swallow mechanism. The second purpose was to examine if cranial nerve assignment, field of study, or geographic region explained differences in cranial nerve assignment to muscles of the head and neck.

Fostering Effective French Communication In The Classroom, Lindi Brown

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of work the author completed while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. It is focused on her beliefs of how French should be taught in a university classroom. It also includes three artifacts addressing how a challenging aspect of the language should be taught, how authentic literature can be utilized in the classroom, and why the French culture should be incorporated into the curriculum. Finally, there is an annotated bibliography of books and articles which have shaped the author’s beliefs and opinions about teaching French as a foreign …

Fad Effects: Patterns In International Policy, Rebecca Funke

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This paper explores the way in which international policies move from country to country. I propose that the spread of policy adoption, internationally, mirrors how a fad in the fashion industry is diffused. The primary point of this paper is to evaluate four case studies (policies) and study how they transitioned from one country to another. Also addressed will be the question of how these policies start, whether there are particular countries prone to starting the diffusion process or if there is some other explanation for their origins. This study specifically looks at the dissemination of women’s suffrage, the adoption …