Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item STEM major choice: high school and collegiate factors(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Tran, Que Nguyet; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tricia SeifertA huge present and future workforce demand exists in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Bolstered by a number of US policies and research that associates STEM majors with pursuing STEM careers, higher education institutions have aimed to support students to major in STEM fields in an effort to meet the needs of the STEM workforce. Despite these postsecondary efforts, the challenge begins in earlier levels of schooling with a shortage of licensed and highly qualified science and math teachers nationwide. Although many studies have examined math and science expectancy values and self-efficacy among high school students to predict their intention to major in STEM major choice, few have investigated both high school and college level variables to understand student STEM major choice declared in their third college year. Thus, this study fills the gap using the most recent STEM-focused national representative survey data -- High School Longitudinal Study 2009 (HSLS:09). Three research questions are: (i) To what extent do high school math and science motivation and self-efficacy, collegiate factors, and personal circumstances promote or hinder students' STEM major choice, controlling for student background characteristics? ; (ii) To what extent do collegiate factors and personal circumstances predict the probability of STEM major choice, controlling for student background characteristics? (iii) What factors predict college STEM GPA? This study employs theories of Situative expectancy value theory and Social cognitive career theory to develop a conceptual framework. Logistic regression was used to analyze the first two questions, and linear regression used for the third question. The first research question found gender, math attainment value, science attainment value, college STEM credits earned, and STEM GPA are predictive of the probability of STEM major choice. In the second research question, among college-period variables, gender, college STEM credits earned, and STEM GPA are predictors of STEM major choice. The third research question found race, social economic status, faculty research participation, career services on campus used, work schedule and academic performance interference, and disability are predictors of the average STEM GPA. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.Item The relationship of formal reasoning, motivation, and conceptual change: a quantitative study of introductory biology students across the United States(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2018) Bernard, Romola Alaica; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. Myers; Steven Kalinowski (co-chair)There is a noticeable disconnect between conceptual change research carried out in different domains of knowledge. This is starkly apparent in the divide between theoretical models of conceptual change stemming from cognitive and educational psychology, and empirical studies on conceptual change rooted in science education. This study operationalized models of conceptual change that accounted for the rational aspect of conceptual change that dominates in the natural sciences, and the extrarational aspects of conceptual change that are focal in the social sciences. Mixed effects models of conceptual change were investigated. In addition to prior knowledge, formal reasoning ability was incorporated as a critical rational aspect of conceptual change. Academic motivation, plus the teaching and learning environment students experience were included as essential extrarational aspects of conceptual change. The final operational model of conceptual change has post-instruction score as the response variable, and pre-instruction score, formal reasoning ability, intrinsic motivation, representation of racial group in science, teacher experience, and teaching practice as the most important predictors of conceptual change. Prior knowledge and formal reasoning ability are by far the strongest predictors of improving post-instruction conceptual understanding of evolution by natural selection for introductory biology students. There are two noteworthy findings. One, a crucial student characteristic, formal reasoning ability, has been ignored in conceptual change research. When formal reasoning ability is included as a predictor, self-efficacy is not at all important in predicting conceptual change. Two, another student characteristic, race, plays an important role in predicting conceptual change.Item Motivation and pedagogical ecology of school-based outdoor science teaching: a multiple case study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2019) Vallor, Rosanna Rohrs; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ann EwbankThis study examines why and how teachers incorporate school-based outdoor teaching in their pedagogies. Research demonstrates that students gain in a range of areas when learning outdoors, but teachers can face multiple barriers when considering outdoor teaching, and many choose not to teach outdoors. There is limited research about why and how successful teachers choose to plan and manage outdoor teaching. Using a multiple case study of three public-school teachers, in grades 4, 7, and high school, who have consistently taught outdoors for over 15 years each, the study addressed why exemplary teachers choose to teach outdoors and how exemplary teachers accomplish outdoor teaching. Each teacher constituted an individual case. Semi-structured interview responses, questionnaires, field observation notes, and video-recall interviews were coded and analyzed using NVivo software. Analytic narratives based on themes within the coded data were then developed for individual cases, followed by cross-case analysis of the three cases. The findings indicated that the teachers were motivated to teach outdoors by perceived positive student impacts, by outstanding available outdoor spaces, and by their personal connections to the natural world. Teachers plan and manage outdoor teaching, with administration and community cooperation, to take advantage of opportunities for students to engage in their local environment. These findings were synthesized into the Pedagogical Ecology of Outdoor Teaching (PEOT) model. The PEOT model includes teachers' motivations, contextual factors, and teacher-operational factors in sequential, iterative relationship, and illustrates the complexity and uniqueness of teachers' situations when considering outdoor teaching. Future research incorporating the PEOT model could analyze teachers' contexts and environmental connections to determine assets and needs in their situations. Action plans to address those needs could then be developed to assist teachers and districts to develop outdoor teaching opportunities.Item Measuring cognitive engagement and motivation in informal contexts(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2018) Obery, Amanda Christine; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michael BrodyMiddle school (G5-8) students' cognitive engagement, motivation, and future aspirations in science were quantified within informal contexts (week-long summer camps) with self-reported measures of cognitive strategies, self-regulation, value, self-efficacy, and future aspirations over the course of two phases (N = 152, N =140). The participating middle school students engaged in one of two informal science summer camp opportunities. Informal science experiences may be places which participants can gain science-related capital in equitable ways. This study set out to test the growth in cognitive engagement, motivation, and future aspirations in science differed from students of varying genders, races, and socioeconomic statuses. Survey results over the course of two phases were analyzed via partial-least squares structural equation modeling to explore whether cognitive engagement and motivation predicted future aspirations in science, such as taking high school courses or pursuing a career in the sciences. As operationalized, cognitive engagement (cognitive strategies and self-regulation) and motivational (value and self-efficacy) constructs significantly predicted future aspirations in science (R 2 = 0.29, p < 0.05). Growth in cognitive engagement and motivation were also investigated to understand if students of different genders, races, and socioeconomic statuses have different experiences, with only small differences being uncovered. Results support the claim about the key role that cognitive engagement, motivation, and informal learning experiences may play to encourage future aspirations in science and show the ability of these experiences to foster the development of these skills in equitable ways. Better understanding cognitive engagement and motivation and how these are influenced by informal science experiences could improve the effectiveness of these interventions to foster students' future aspirations in science, a continuing societal priority, in ways that do not fall into the same patterns of inequality that seem to persist in formal education.Item College choice and competency-based education learner motivations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2018) Morrison, Cali Marie Koerner; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersRecently there has been a resurgence of interest in competency-based education, a learning modality which is mastery-based, self-paced and focused on demonstrations of knowledge and skill rather than where or how they were attained (C-BEN, 2016; Cuckler, 2016; Tate & Klein-Collins, 2015; U.S. Department of Education, 2002). The face of higher education is changing, according to NCES (2015), 75% of students enrolled in college have one or more nontraditional characteristics. Recent studies suggest that competency-based education enrollees may fall under the larger non-traditional student population; (Kelchen, 2015; Kelchen, 2016; Kelly & Columbus, 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate the learners' characteristics, college choice process, and learners' satisfaction with their decision to enroll in competency-based education. This multi-institutional study employed descriptive statistics, correlational research design utilizing ordinary least squares regression analyses, and quantitative content analysis. This study found the typical competency-based education learner is a nearly 39-year-old, married (66.2%), white (84.4%), Non-Hispanic (89.6%) female (70.2%) who has been out of high school for just over 20 years. She lives in a different location than her current institution (68.5%) and has studied at a prior college (95.7%), including study in her current discipline (61%). She is slightly less likely to be a first-generation student (51.2%) than she is to be the first in her family to go to college. She is also more likely to be eligible for a Pell Grant (48.8%) than not. She is employed full time (71.4%), works an average of 38 hours a week and has worked for nearly 10 years (M=9.63, SD=9.28) in her field of study. 88.1% of these learners were very or extremely satisfied with their decision to enroll in competency-based education. The modality, learning goals, and social goals enrollment motivators significantly, positively influenced learners' satisfaction with their decision to enroll. Common themes emerged in the choice process including affordability, career advancement, learning goals, and learning modality. I conclude that each learners' path to CBE is their own and higher education institutions need to place greater emphasis on this learning pathway's knowledge building capabilities rather than solely it's perceived vocational focus.Item The influence of home environmental factors, socio-emotional factors and academic resilience on reading achievement(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2017) Hill, Coulter; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Arthur W. BangertResearch shows that the influences of home environment, as well as social and emotional behaviors, have a significant relationship to academic achievement. Emerging research, as well as this study, shows that positive learning behaviors such as persistence, attention to task and adaption to change in routines can mediate negative influences of poor social-emotional behaviors and at-risk home environments (McTigue, Washburn & Liew, 2009). These positive learning behaviors are referred to as academic resilience, traits that are gaining increasing awareness as important to academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among social and emotional factors, home environment, academic resilience and reading achievement for third-grade students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2004). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Stata 14.0 (Stata Corp., 2105) was used to analyze the relationships and to answer the research questions for this study. Additionally, SEM analysis was conducted based on the third-grade model was conducted by gender, socioeconomic status, and racial groups. Social and emotional behaviors were found to have a significantly negative relationship with academic resilience and reading achievement. Home Environment was not found to be significantly related to either academic resilience or reading achievement. Academic resilience was found to mediate 33% of the total effects of negative social and emotional behaviors on reading achievement. Similar results were found for the subgroup analyses. This study highlights the importance of academic resilience behaviors for mediating the negative social and emotional factors many students struggle with every day. Results from this study suggest the inclusion of social and emotional learning in the K-12 curriculum beginning in the primary years. Such instruction can bolster behavior related to academic resilience and thus promote increased academic achievement. School administrators will need to select a curriculum that is complementary to community programs that seek to provide the same type of instruction and to meet the needs of school and community stakeholders in general. Teachers will need to reconsider instructional responsibilities to include the integration social and emotion learning into classroom instruction.Item Future directions in grading(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Dolente, Marie ElizabethItem Motivation in the classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1956) Fowler, Clark WilliamItem Motivation techniques currently being used to develop a general interest in reading at the junior high school level(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1971) Larson, LaVille HenjumItem A comparison of school self-concept and academic motivation of learning-disabled children in grades 1-3 with learning-disabled children in grades 4-6(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1977) Criswell, Kathleen Hauf