Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
Browse
14 results
Search Results
Item Exploring college student development in connection to informal international interactions: a grounded theory study(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Kain, Marie Blanche Solange; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bryce HughesEducating global citizens is a prevalent goal of higher education institutions. Intercultural goals are usually achieved through study-abroad programs, an option limited to mostly privileged students. A more common situation for students to experience internationalization is by interacting with international students on their own campus in the USA. This grounded theory study explored how American domestic students made meaning of their informal interactions with their international roommates at Montana State University. It also investigated how these relationships impacted the students' self-authorship and intercultural maturity. These interactions usually provided domestic students with significant self-reflection on themselves, their own culture, and how they interact with others, seemingly impacting self-authorship. When disequilibrium was followed by communication and intentional learning, developmental growth was perceived by students in all domains. In cases where conflicts were not addressed, stereotypes were reinforced and cultures hierarchized. Additionally, these interactions were often a starting point leading to an increased interest in globalization, traveling, and studying abroad. Nevertheless, these interactions on a domestic campus were not considered as transformative or as valuable for students as immersive traveling experiences. American higher education institutions should thus thrive to improve access to international learning opportunities abroad as well as promote the value of global education opportunities on their own campuses.Item Academic and social engagement in various online-delivery formats for military veteran students(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Ridenour, Rodney Ross; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sweeney WindchiefThis qualitative study explored the social and academic engagement experiences of military veteran students in various online-delivery formats at a small, rural university. There are very few studies describing the experiences of veteran students in online formats in higher education. The researcher interviewed eight military veteran students from different military branches. The participants had a range of prior educational backgrounds. The students had taken several types of online-delivery classes in their coursework and had completed their requirements for bachelor's degrees using online education. Several themes emerged from the engagement in different online formats. The study found student-veterans enjoyed the flexibility to study around their work schedules and being in online classes, which have more nontraditional students. The learning management system provided easy interaction with other students and opportunities to meet with faculty during virtual office hours. Learning and adapting to newer technologies was a negative part of some online formats. Some online formats stressed more written engagement while hybrid formats provided live engagement with other students and instructors. Veteran students liked more interaction from instructors in technical classes, but too much engagement added little value to many classes. The findings of the study indicate veteran students enjoyed engagement with other nontraditional students and instructors who participate in discussions. Negative themes that emerged were online classes with lack of student or instructor involvement and certain online-delivery formats being poor choices for certain subjects and learning styles. Limitations of this study are that it is a small, qualitative study with participants who all successfully fulfilled the requirements for their degrees. This study provides insights on positive and negative engagement experiences of veteran students in different online-delivery formats.Item Investigating the relationship of an early semester intervention program and first year college student sense of belonging(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2020) Wilson, Chelsey Jo; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tricia SeifertApproximately seventy five percent of first year college students are retained their second year (NSC Research Center, 2020). Students leave college for a variety of reasons: they may experience financial difficulties, have family obligations, trouble seeking a support community in school, experience academic adjustment issues, lack of student involvement, and poor institutional fit (Tinto, 2001). Students stay in college when they find a sense of place or community. Researchers (Astin, 1984; Beil, Reisen, Zea, & Caplan, 1999; Cadet, 2008; Milem & Berger, 1997; Strayhorn, 2012) have presented evidence that student involvement in campus activities, both social and academic, are strongly related to student sense of belonging and retention. Strayhorn (2012) states that educators must create conditions that foster belonging among students. This quantitative study examined an early semester intervention program designed to welcome first year students to their college community through involvement and connection. A self-report online survey was utilized to assess level of participation in the week of welcome program and feelings of belongingness. The respondent pool consisted of 625 first-time, full-time students at one large, public institution in the northwest. Correlation Analysis, Linear Regression, Independent Sample T-Tests, One-Way Analysis of Variance, Ordinarily Least Square Regressions, and Paired Sample T-Tests were used to examine and determine the relationships between independent and dependent variables. Level of participation in a week of welcome program has a statistically significant positive relationship with first year college student sense of belonging. Living status was the only student background characteristic that had a relationship with level of participation in the week of welcome program. Students who lived on campus participated in welcome week activities at a higher rate than students who lived off campus. Both planned and actual level of participation in a week of welcome program had a statistically significant positive relationship with student sense of belonging, even when accounting for student background characteristics and desired sense of belonging. Last, desired sense of belonging and actual sense of belonging had a positive relationship, even when controlling for student background characteristics. Based on the findings, recommendations for higher education administrators, practitioners, and institutions are discussed.Item Socialization experiences of STEM international graduate students at American public research universities: a multivariate analysis(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2019) Johnson, Catherine Mary; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersSTEM international graduate students encounter unique challenges at American public research universities. One of these challenges relates to the cultural isolation international graduate students face as they traverse American higher education (Lee & Rice, 2007). Factors found influential to international students' persistence include the faculty advisor and advisee relationship (Rice et al., 2009), peer interactions (Rose- Redwood & Rose-Redwood, 2013), and identity formation (Gomes & Tran, 2017; Phelps, 2016). As a multiple regression study, the research questions were designed to determine the extent international graduate students' faculty mentor and peer relationships, cultural congruity, and identity prominence influence intercultural relevancy as parts of the socialization process (Kuh & Love, 2001; Museus & Quaye, 2009). Over a thousand international graduate students from 12 research universities participated in the Graduate Student Experiences survey; an NSF funded Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate project. The final analytical sample (n = 953) was analyzed using ordinary least squares regression. The first set of results indicated that mentor's cultural support, peer interactions, social and professional identity prominence had significant positive effects on international graduate students' cultural integrity in STEM. The second set of models indicated that mentors' cultural support, peer interactions, cultural congruity, social and professional identity prominence were positively associated with levels of international graduate students' connections with cultural representatives. These findings suggest faculty mentor's cultural support, peer interactions, social and professional identity are important for developing intercultural relevancy within international graduate students at American public research universities. More importantly, students' perceptions of intercultural relevancy differ across groups. This study contributes to the research on graduate education in several ways. First this study provides a quantitative look at international graduates' experiences in the U.S. The contribution of this study is the use of data from a nationally administered graduate student experiences survey at 12 institutions that included newly developed measures of intercultural relevancy in STEM, identity prominence, and mentor interaction. Measures of intercultural effort provide another way to interpret graduate student socialization. The empirical findings add to the growing body of literature on graduate education, international students.Item The function of Woman's Week at Montana State University(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1976) Weisenborn, Donna GravesItem Complexity of art products and social interaction as variables in a comparison between two class sizes(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1976) Zalewski, Barbara Kay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Don HolzItem Self-disclosure : a literary review(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1975) Marlowe, Jayne LarkItem The effects of non-promotion on social adjustment(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1970) Andersen, Hugo AlbertiItem Interpersonal relationships of foreign students in the United States(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1972) Johnson, Dorothy JaneItem A comparison of academic achievement and social participation of the art student and the non-art student in Bozeman Senior High School(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1964) Benson, Allan Wayne