Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Effectiveness plans and practices in programmatic accreditation: differences in evaluative culture in nursing and engineering(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Swift, Paul Richard; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersOne of the main methods of public accountability in higher education is the use of accreditation to measure quality and ensure continuous improvement. In recent decades, accrediting bodies have moved away from inputs-driven requirements to requirements that focus on outcomes. One of the major shifts has been towards requiring institutions and programs to report on their effectiveness. However, despite the significant commitment of resources towards accreditation, there is little research around the practices within accredited programs. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to better understand the practices of practitioners of program effectiveness in accredited programs of engineering and nursing at two separate institutions of higher education. The study found significant differences in the scope of effectiveness practice between the two disciplines, with engineering practitioners focusing primarily on the assessment of student outcomes while nursing practitioners focused on systems that comprehensively evaluated many different aspects of their program. The study further found that most of the practitioners had come to their positions as novices; this presented an opportunity to learn from these seasoned professionals and theorize best practices for the field that may contribute to improved effectiveness practices for programs that are programmatically accredited. Suggestions are also provided for the field of accreditation more broadly to help clarify terminology and expectations.Item Two-year community college students' understanding of rational expressions(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Kong, Chor Wan Amy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jennifer Luebeck; Megan Wickstrom (co-chair)This research study investigated the gaps in knowledge held by two-year community college students in simplifying and operating with rational expressions and how these gaps affect their learning. The study employed multiple methods, including completion of a Diagnostic Problem Set, participating in collaborative and exploratory activities, and attending task-based interviews, to elicit and assess students' understanding of rational expressions. The study analyzed and categorized participants' responses based on the participants' different perspectives and learning processes. The research also explored how collaborative and exploratory learning, as well as the use of Knowledge-Eliciting Tasks, can help identify and address students' misconceptions. Qualitative analysis of the findings identified potential causes of the learning gaps and generated recommendations for instructional strategies that can bridge these gaps and improve students' understanding of rational expressions, which is crucial to student success in algebraic subjects and college academic achievement.Item Misalignment with values and practices: a content analysis on how one school district is implementing the science of reading(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Fassbender, Christina Jordan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Allison Wynhoff OlsenThe term "Science of Reading" (SOR) has gained increased awareness over the past couple of years and has garnered the attention of researchers, teachers, and other educational stakeholders. As a result, the definition and implementation of the Science of Reading has led to misunderstandings between research and practice. This project uses content analysis to examine how one school district defines and implements SOR using a scripted curriculum and other outsourced curricular materials despite the research behind SOR. Relying on curriculum theory as an analytic lens, this paper also examines the impacts of SOR within the studied school district to analyze whose interests are being served and silenced. By presenting first a historical account of the past reading wars, I focus on the arguments for and against SOR. Next, artifacts in the form of district and teacher communications, teacher worksheets, websites, and responses from teacher interviews are used to identify mis/alignment with the pedagogical foundations purported by leading SOR scholars. Finally, a discussion and implications are offered to detail the impact that conflicting curricular values may have on young readers as well as current and future teaching practice of reading teachers in the focal district.Item Fostering nursing student resilience(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2023) Marquardt, Gina Nicole; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sandra KuntzThe purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify components of resiliency and create a solution to develop senior-level nursing student resilience. Assessment of Location X nursing school highlighted the need to identify components, tools, and measures of seniorlevel nursing student resiliency. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) cites the importance of the development of nursing student wellbeing and resilience in the 2021 Essentials Domain 10 titled Personal, Professional and Leadership Development. The AACN further advocated for resiliency development during a 2020 Call to Action of United States nursing programs to promote and create a culture of wellness and resiliency among nursing students. The "Thriving in Nursing School" workshop was developed as a solution to equip students with the necessary tools, practices, and skills to develop resilience. The workshop consists of five evidence-based components: relaxation strategies, coping techniques, communication skills for problem solving, community and university resources available, and faculty mentorship. Formal focus and education about resilience has the potential to increase resiliency skills and was measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). It was hypothesized that resiliency-development quality improvement implementation will contribute to further development of nursing students' resiliency skills to meet the demands of the nursing profession. Through a focus on student wellbeing and resiliency, this project has the potential to increase student success and improve skills to thrive in a rigorous education program. This quality improvement project was implemented to gather data and analyze workshop efficacy.Item The impact of IB internal assessments on science practices and science identity in a high school science class(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Housenga, Michelle Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg Francisprocess of completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Internal Assessment for an IB science class pushes students to hone their mastery of the science practices. The science practices included in the Next Generation Science Standards provide skills that assist students in understanding the processes of scientific discovery and knowledge. This study examines the impact of completing the IB Internal Assessment on students' mastery of the science practices, their confidence in the science practices and their science identity. The data used in this study was collected from pre-assessments and post-assessments of the science practices, pre-survey and post-survey of student confidence in the science practices, pre-survey and post- survey of student science identity, student feedback, and anecdotal observations made by the teacher. The results of the study indicate that student mastery increases in two of the science practices and student science identity increases in a couple of areas.Item The impact of integrating Next Generation Science Standards and environmental literacy curriculum(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Hill, Joyce Margaret; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisNext Generation Science Standards provide a framework to develop students' understandings of science ideas, using scientific practices to make sense of natural phenomena. The environment offers a meaningful context to develop these important ideas. However, there are few resources that effectively integrate both the science and environmental standards. This study was part of an ongoing initiative to develop lesson sequences that could be used K-12, created by teacher leaders and informal science educators. The research question focused on the impact of integrating curriculum on students' science understandings and attitudes about nature and environmental stewardship. During Spring 2021 the lessons were taught as part of a pilot. For this study, students participated in a pre and post survey. A sample of student work as well as student interviews were part of the data collected. Results indicated that the lessons supported students' science understandings and affected their attitude towards caring for the environment. Local environments can provide meaningful contexts for important science ideas and bring science alive for students. Increasingly, the environment and human activity will be an important issue to understand better.Item Designing, teaching, and assessing an innovative online science curriculum for effective student learning(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Sussberg, David Alexander; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisMany educational institutions have transitioned to online learning, opening opportunities and demand for creative, innovative, effective, and engaging online environmental science curricula. Therefore, I designed and taught an online Brightspace (D2L) science course. Student and staff study population were affiliated with Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. A mixed methods research design assessed the curriculum's effectiveness for student learning; results indicated that students were positively impacted, gaining a greater understanding of scientific theory and praxis. This study significantly empowered me as an educator and can serve as a resource to construct online science curricula.Item A study on shifting science curriculum toward inquiry based practices(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Agee, Chelsea Mahota; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThe goal of this study was to develop an effective method by which to transform cookbook style labs to include varying levels of inquiry. The study focused on the transformation process as well as on the personal impact of modifying curriculum. A peer-reviewed Inquiry Analysis checklist served as a template for incorporating core aspects of Science and Engineering Practices. Afterwards, three teachers used the checklist for each modified lab to determine the level of inquiry. Students were surveyed to determine their perceptions of learning through inquiry. The results showed that the checklist is an evidence-based aid for teachers to use when seeking to analyze an activity and is a useful guide to increase levels of inquiry. It is applicable to any topic and the process of modification is easily repeatable. Student preferences were mixed, showing most prefer some structure and guidance in labs (guided inquiry), while only a small number prefer cookbook style activities. All surveyed students prefer a science class with hands-on activities.Item Implementation of new literacy practices based on the science of reading: a relational leadership approach(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Sullivan, Nichole Daines; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tena VerslandThe purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how literacy leaders describe their roles and responsibilities in relationship with each other as they lead the implementation of a new literacy curriculum based on the science of reading through the lens of relational leadership. Further, the study sought to understand how literacy leaders include multiple perspectives and empower others in a purposeful, ethical way through the process of the science of reading curriculum implementation. Specifically, this paper examined how literacy leaders led change in literacy instruction in response to student achievement data that did not exemplify the excellence and potential they believed their students could achieve. A single case study design was chosen for this study, so that the focus of the study would be on the process and relationships of literacy program interactions. The results of this study found that the antecedents for relational leadership and the development of relational leadership during the implementation of a literacy curriculum based on the science of reading are multidimensional and comprised of five themes: (1) trust and mutual positive regard as antecedents for relational leadership, (2) intentionally developed vision building takes time, (3) knowing people and teams through regular interaction, (4) consistent messaging of fidelity to the implementation of literacy curriculum, and (5) intentional support and effort of teachers and administrators. These factors connect to what relational leaders know, their state of being, and their actions, and these factors work together to create a context where a deep change in the teaching of literacy can take place within a school system.Item Supporting data-intensive environmental science research: data science skills for scientific practitioners of statistics(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Theobold, Allison Shay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Stacey Hancock; Stacey Hancock was a co-author of the article, 'How environmental science graduate students acquire statistical computing skills' in the journal 'Statistics education research journal' which is contained within this dissertation.; Stacey Hancock and Sara Mannheimer were co-authors of the article, 'Designing data science workshops for data-intensive environmental science research' submitted to the journal 'Journal of statistics education ' which is contained within this dissertation.; Stacey Hancock was a co-author of the article, 'Data science skills in data-intensive environmental science research: the case of Alicia and Ellie' submitted to the journal 'Harvard data science review' which is contained within this dissertation.The importance of data science skills for modern environmental science research cannot be understated, but graduate students in these fields typically lack these integral skills. Yet, over the last 20 years statistics preparation in these fields has grown to be considered vital, and statistics coursework has been readily incorporated into graduate programs. As 'data science' is the study of extracting value from data, the field shares a great deal of conceptual overlap with the field of Statistics. Thus, many environmental science degree programs expect students to acquire these data science skills in an applied statistics course. A gap exists, however, between the data science skills required for students' participation in the entire data analysis cycle as applied to independent research, and those taught in statistics service courses. Over the last ten years, environmental science and statistics educators have outlined the shape of the data science skills specific to research in their respective disciplines. Disappointingly, however, both sides of these conversations have ignored the area at the intersection of these fields, specifically the data science skills necessary for environmental science practitioners of statistics. This research focuses on describing the nature of environmental science graduate students' need for data science skills when engaging in the data analysis cycle, through the voice of the students. In this work, we present three qualitative studies, each investigating a different aspect of this need. First, we present a study describing environmental science students' experiences acquiring the computing skills necessary to implement statistics in their research. In-depth interviews revealed three themes in these students' paths toward computational knowledge acquisition: use of peer support, seeking out a 'singular consultant,' and learning through independent research. Motivated by the need for extracurricular opportunities for acquiring data science skills, next we describe research investigating the design and implementation of a suite of data science workshops for environmental science graduate students. These workshops fill a critical hole in the environmental science and statistics curricula, providing students with the skills necessary to retrieve, view, wrangle, visualize, and analyze their data. Finally, we conclude with research that works toward identifying key data science skills necessary for environmental science graduate students as they engage in the data analysis cycle.