Scholarly Work - Education
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/2974
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Item Montana STEM Summit 2023 Report: Growing STEM Learning Across the Big Sky(Montana State University, 2023-11) Taylor, Suzanne; Jameson, HeatherOn April 13, 2023, representatives from education, industry, non-profits and other institutions gathered in Helena, Montana to discuss how to better collaborate to advance STEM learning in the state (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This report outlines the resources, barriers and ideas that were discussed at the Summit, and includes suggested next steps for growing STEM learning across the Big Sky State. The report can be used as a snapshot of the current state of STEM learning in Montana as well as a road map for prioritizing future STEM initiatives. Previous Montana STEM Summits were held in 2022, 2019 and 2017.Item Sensing for Science: Exploring the World of Arduino and Sensors In the Classroom(Montana State University, 2023-07) Williams, KayceThis guide is for 5-12 science teachers. It introduces the use of Arduino and sensors in the classrooms. There are six levels containing steps, a list of materials, graphics, and code. The guide concludes with a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) sensor. This sensor is for testing water quality at a local pond or stream. The final project reflects the work that the NSS EPSCoR CREWS is doing in Montana.Item Mitigating Rural Adolescent Trauma: Remote Delivery of a Trauma-Informed Yoga Intervention During COVID-19(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-12) Davis, Lauren; Aylward, AlexandraGiven the prevalence of childhood trauma in rural Montana, this project is intended to help mitigate stressors that may contribute to poor behavioral and mental health in high school-aged children, which may be exacerbated by the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. The immediate goal was to measure physical and mental health outcomes in adolescents resulting from a remotely delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention designed to foster positive youth development. Our study builds on the successes from an initial feasibility pilot study one year prior in order to evaluate a more robust intervention comparing experimental and control group outcomes. Students at a small, rural high school in Montana volunteered to participate in a 6-week, twice-weekly trauma-informed yoga intervention in their physical education class. Validated survey measures, including the PHQ-A, GAD-7, and ACE-Q instruments, were utilized to measure mental health outcomes pre- vs. post-intervention. Salivary cortisol levels were also measured pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Statistically significant declines in cortisol levels and improvements in sleep duration were noted when comparing experimental vs. control groups. Noteworthy declines in depression and anxiety levels were also seen when comparing the treatment to control groups. Descriptive differences between the control and experimental groups illustrate the mental health benefits of reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in rural adolescents resulting from a remotely delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention. Our study holds the potential for a long-term public health impact in reducing adolescent rates of anxiety and depression while mitigating trauma in geographically isolated settings.Item “Following the Breath”: A Trauma-Informed Intervention for Educator Wellness in Rural Montana(MDPI AG, 2022-12) Davis, Lauren; Aylward, Alexandra; Scott, Brandon G.; Jacobs, JonathanGiven the prevalence of mental health issues for both educators and adolescents in rural Montana, this project is designed to help mitigate the impact of stressors by providing coping strategies linked to improvements in overall mental health outcomes for teachers, which may ultimately lead to improved co-regulation of students and classroom climate. The immediate goal of this pilot study was to measure physical and mental health outcomes of educators resulting from a remotely-delivered trauma-informed yoga intervention. Findings suggest improvements in participants’ depression and anxiety levels, trauma symptoms, sleep quality, and non-significant changes in heart rate variability and cortisol levels.Item Building Primary Preservice Teachers’ Identity as Engineering Educators(MDPI AG, 2022-09) Lux, Nicholas; Hammack, Rebekah; Wiehe, Blake; Gannon, PaulThe purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how two primary preservice teachers built their engineering education identities during a clinical field experience that emphasized engineering education. More specifically, we explored the development of their engineering education identities while facing unforeseen circumstances and unfamiliar engineering content. We used a nested qualitative case study approach that was bounded by a university practicum field experience that took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data sources included preservice teacher interviews and reflective field notes. We found that the preservice teachers faced a series of contextual factors in the clinical experience that both afforded and constrained professional learning opportunities that influenced their identity development. The affordances made professional learning opportunities possible, while the constraints limited professional growth. We also found that it was the negotiation of the factors, where the preservice teachers worked to mitigate the effect of the constraints while maximizing the advantages of the affordances, that had the greatest influence on their engineering pedagogical knowledge and engineering teaching self-efficacy. Findings from this study could provide teacher educators with insight into preparing primary teachers for unexpected challenges when teaching engineering, as well as how to best prepare engineering-efficacious teachers.Item Sense of Accomplishment: A Global Experience in Student Affairs and Services(Taylor & Francis, 2022-06) Seifert, Tricia A.; Perozzi, Brett; Li, WincyThis empirical article presents student affairs and services practitioners’ perceptions regarding the sense of accomplishment they feel in their job. Results show helping students, collaborating among colleagues, contributing positively to a broader community, and the autonomous and engaging nature of the work itself provided SAS staff across countries and regions with a sense of accomplishment. Authors discuss findings in terms of supporting SAS practitioners in light of changes globally in higher education’s expectations and culture.Item The Long‑Term Role of Undergraduate Experiences: Predicting Intellectual and Civic Outcomes(Springer Nature, 2022-07) Bowman, Nicholas A.; Wolniak, Gregory C.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Wise, Kathleen; Blaich, CharlesScholars and the public alike have questioned the benefits of obtaining an undergraduate education. Although research has extensively examined short-term outcomes associated with college experiences, relatively few studies have investigated non-economic outcomes beyond graduation. This paper explored the link between college experiences and post-college outcomes among 21,716 bachelor’s degree recipients from 68 private institutions. Although some variation across demographics was observed, good teaching, academic challenge, and diversity experiences were consistently—and often strongly—related to alumni’s perceptions of intellectual and civic growth.Item “Step Outside”: A portrait of an exemplary rural K‐8 science educator(Wiley, 2022-08) Hammack, Rebekah; Stanton, Christine Rogers; Boyle, JudithThis study uses portraiture methodology to co-construct and share the story of a nationally recognized rural K-8 science teacher with more than 30 years of teaching experience. Our analysis and synthesis revealed one central theme “Step Outside” and three subthemes: (1) Step Outside of the rural classroom, (2) Step Outside of the K-8 teacher's comfort zone, and (3) Step Outside of science silos, that have been central to the teacher's personal and professional journey. Examining the ways, these subthemes have intersected across the career of an exceptional rural teacher offers valuable insight to the development of teacher identity and how it shapes practice and research, especially within marginalized contexts such as K-8 science education and rural settings.Item Continuing the Debate: A Response to the Literacy Research Association’s Dyslexia Research Report(Australian International Academic Centre, 2022-08) Green, Elizabeth A.The Literacy Research Association (LRA) is known for releasing research reports on essential topics in the field of literacy. An Examination of Dyslexia Research and Instruction, with Policy Implications is a recent LRA report with far-reaching impact in education and policy. The report claimed to be a summary of dyslexia research and instruction, however, much recent research on dyslexia definitions, diagnosis, interventions, neuroscience, and law was left out. This paper is a response to the LRA report with the intent to examine elements of the report that are particularly important and well explained, as well as those that are problematic.Item Trauma-Informed Yoga: Investigating an Intervention for Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences in Rural Contexts(Informa UK Limited, 2022-07) Davis, Lauren; Aylward, Alexandra; Buchanan, RebeccaIn a state ravaged by suicide and a mental health crisis, this study sought to mitigate impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive and anxiety symptomology in high school students in a rural Montana community. Through a seven-week, twice weekly intervention of trauma-informed yoga, participants experienced statistically significant reductions in anxiety (GAD-7) and increases in Strengths and Difficulties (SDQ-11) overall scores and some subscales; noteworthy improvements were also present in depressive symptomatology (PHQ-A), salivary cortisol levels, and sleep duration. Importantly, participant qualitative feedback indicated significant benefits in focus, relaxation, and overall well-being. Further research is needed to imply generalizability and should include a larger, more diverse sample as well as utilization of control groups and an examination of academic and behavioral impacts at the school level.