Publications by Colleges and Departments (MSU - Bozeman)
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Item The Role of Teacher Education in Improving Digital Literacy: A Pre-Service Teacher Case Study(New Prairie Press, 2024-10) Taheri, Rana; Pennington, SarahTechnology is crucial for teaching and learning in the 21st century. However, many pre-service teachers (PSTs) feel unprepared to utilize digital literacy (DL) in their future classes. This study explored PST’s perceptions of their DL knowledge and the perceived impact of their teacher education programs through a qualitative bounded case study method. Participants for this study were three PSTs engaged in a technology integration course at a land grant university in the northwestern US. Participants engaged in recorded one-on-one semi-structured interviews to learn about their perceptions and readiness for DL. The findings indicate that while PSTs were aware of DL, they lacked confidence in their ability to teach it. The study identified four critical themes related to the PSTs' perspectives on DL: concerns, challenges, advantages, and future decisions. The prioritization of DL training in teacher education programs and the reconsideration of engaging technology-related courses by universities and policymakers are recommended.Item Perceptions Among Backcountry Skiers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Avalanche Safety and Backcountry Habits of New and Established Skiers(Elsevier BV, 2022-12) Valle, Esteban A.; Cobourn, Andrew P.; Trivitt, Spencer JH.; Hendrikx, Jordy; Johnson, Jerry D.; Fiore, David C.Introduction.The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the ski industry worldwide by closing or limiting access to ski resorts. Subsequently, anecdotal reports of increased backcountry use emerged in the press, with concerns of inexperienced skiers causing or having problems in the backcountry. This study attempted to quantify this and identify motivations for new backcountry skiers. Methods. Self-identified backcountry skiers and snowboarders (aged ≥18 y) in the United States and Canada completed an anonymous 29-question online survey distributed by regional avalanche centers, education providers, and skiing organizations (n=4792). Respondents were stratified by backcountry experience, defining “newcomers” who began backcountry skiing from 2019 to 2021, coincident with the COVID-19 pandemic. Percentages of ski days spent in the backcountry were compared before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using paired t-tests and across cohorts using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Avalanche education was compared using unpaired χ2 tests. Results. Of established skiers, 81% noticed more people in the backcountry and 27% reported increasing their own use. Participants reported spending 17% (95% CI, 15.8–17.9) more of their days in the backcountry during the COVID-19 pandemic, with newcomers increasing their time spent by 36% and established skiers increasing their time spent by 13% (P<0.0001). Of newcomers, 27% cited the COVID-19 pandemic as motivation to enter the backcountry and 24% lacked formal avalanche education, which is significantly higher than the 14% of established skiers (P<0.0001). Conclusions. Influenced by factors related to COVID-19, reported backcountry use increased during the pandemic. Newcomers had a lower level of avalanche education and less confidence in evaluating terrain. Because 80% of participants were recruited from avalanche safety or education websites, this likely underestimates skiers lacking avalanche awareness or education and is further limited by the nature of online surveys.Item Perceptions Among Backcountry Skiers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Avalanche Safety and Backcountry Habits of New and Established Skiers(Elsevier BV, 2022-12) Valle, Esteban A.; Cobourn, Andrew P.; Trivitt, Spencer JH.; Hendrikx, Jordy; Johnson, Jerry D.; Fiore, David C.Introduction. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the ski industry worldwide by closing or limiting access to ski resorts. Subsequently, anecdotal reports of increased backcountry use emerged in the press, with concerns of inexperienced skiers causing or having problems in the backcountry. This study attempted to quantify this and identify motivations for new backcountry skiers. Methods. Self-identified backcountry skiers and snowboarders (aged ≥18 y) in the United States and Canada completed an anonymous29-question online survey distributed by regional avalanche centers, education providers, and skiing organizations (n=4792). Respondents were stratified by backcountry experience, defining “newcomers” who began backcountry skiing from 2019 to 2021, coincident with the COVID-19 pandemic. Percentages of ski days spent in the backcountry were compared before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using paired t-tests and across cohorts using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Avalanche education was compared using unpaired χ2 tests. Results. Of established skiers, 81% noticed more people in the backcountry and 27% reported increasing their own use. Participants reported spending 17% (95% CI, 15.8–17.9) more of their days in the backcountry during the COVID-19 pandemic, with newcomers increasing their time spent by 36% and established skiers increasing their time spent by 13% (P<0.0001). Of newcomers, 27% cited the COVID-19 pandemic as motivation to enter the backcountry and 24% lacked formal avalanche education, which is significantly higher than the 14% of established skiers (P<0.0001). Conclusions. Influenced by factors related to COVID-19, reported backcountry use increased during the pandemic. Newcomers had a lower level of avalanche education and less confidence in evaluating terrain. Because 80% of participants were recruited from avalanche safety or education websites, this likely underestimates skiers lacking avalanche awareness or education and is further limited by the nature of online surveys.Item Quantifying National Biomechanics Day’s Impact on Student Perceptions toward Biomechanics: A Multisite Pilot Study(Elsevier BV, 2021-12) Monfort, Scott M.; Bigelow, Kimberly E.; Vallabhajosula, Srikant; Evertz, Loribeth Q.; Becker, James N.; Wittstein, Matthew W.; Gannon, Paul; DeVita, PaulNational Biomechanics Day (NBD) is an international celebration of biomechanics that seeks to increase the awareness and appreciation of biomechanics among the high school community. Initial research supports the positive effects of NBD on students’ attitudes toward the field of biomechanics; however, quantitative evidence remains scarce. The purpose of this study was to quantify changes in high school students’ perceptions toward biomechanics after participating in NBD events to better understand the impact of NBD. Data were collected at two locations during the 2019 NBD season. Surveys were collected before and after NBD events for 112 high school students from Montana and North Carolina. Paired pre- versus post-NBD surveys for the aggregate sample population suggest that students perceived biomechanics as more appealing (p = 0.050), exciting (p = 0.007), and important (p = 0.018) following the NBD events. Students did not report a change in whether they could see themselves in a biomechanics-related career (p = 0.49). These findings further support the ability for NBD events to positively impact students’ perceptions toward biomechanics, although opportunities persist to increase student career interest in biomechanics. This paper presents and discusses the study’s results, interpretations, limitations, and implications for future research on biomechanics outreach activities.