Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Effects of social information on driving courtesy(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2015) Chowdhury, Nazi Faisal Ahmed; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Nicholas WardAggressive driving, defined as a behavior that intentionally endangers other road users psychologically, physically, or both, has been considered the second most serious issue in road safety after driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and drugs. Researchers have tried to understand the factors involved in driving aggression, but on the other side of it, there has been little research on driving courtesy, which is defined as a polite and safer action or reaction of drivers to other road users. This research approaches the problem of aggressive driving by focusing on both, factors that provoke driving aggression and factors that encourage driving courtesy. Three such factors were identified through an intensive literature review and three focus groups. These three factors, self-identity (being anonymous or identifiable on the road), recent driving experience (good or bad behavior of other drivers on the road) and group affiliation (social identity of other drivers as in- or out-group) were tested for their significance in driving courtesy and aggression through a vignette survey. The vignette stories were developed using two courtesy-encouraging and two aggression-provoking scenarios which had been identified in the focus groups as common and important in traffic safety. The repeated measure logistic regression model was used to analyze the responses and all three factors were found to be statistically significant predictors of driving behavior. Moreover, it was found that these factors can be used in reducing aggression and also promoting courtesy. Sharing in-group information and being identifiable promote courtesy, and being courteous on the road promotes a better environment in which drivers perceive a good driving experience. Since it was identified that having a recent good driving experience helps to reduce aggression, it was concluded that promoting courtesy can reduce aggression. A feasibility study with video vignette was conducted to explore the idea where drivers could share social identity with other drivers through Connected Vehicle Systems (CVS) or similar technology. The results verified the vignette survey experiment, showing that sharing common group identity does indeed reduce aggression and also promotes courtesy. It should be noted, however, that sharing out-group identity can provoke aggression.Item Male students' experiences with faculty incivility(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2014) Larson, Amy Charlotte; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Susan LuparellAcademic incivility can cause strain in the teaching learning environment. The problem of academic incivility from the male nursing student perspective has not been previously studied. The purpose of this study was to explore male students' perspectives of faculty incivility and compare male nursing students' perspectives to that of non-nursing male students. Twenty-five non-nursing male students and twenty-seven male nursing students completed a questionnaire about faculty incivility. A majority (92 %) of non-nursing students perceived that ineffective teaching is the most disruptive behavior and 56% have experienced or seen this behavior occur in the last 12 months. While 100% of nursing students perceived that making condescending remarks or putdowns is the most disruptive behavior, the top disruptive behavior experienced or seen in the last 12 months was ineffective teaching (67%). The most frequent threatening faculty behavior perceived by nursing students was general taunts or disrespect to other students (33%), whereas the most frequent threatening faculty behaviors perceived by the non-nursing students was challenges to other faculty knowledge or credibility (24%). Additionally, many male nursing students (89%) perceived academic incivility a mild to serious problem, while only 64% of their male non-nursing student colleagues did. Recommendations for nursing education based on the study findings include: faculty development, communication, setting goals and expectations, diversity awareness and change, and the ability for students to report incivility. Recommendations for nursing practice include recognizing the link of incivility in the workplace and the impact on new graduate nurses, particularly in the areas of retention and patient safety. Addressing incivility in academia could afford the opportunity to break the cycle of incivility before it reaches the nursing environment, mitigating the loss of qualified male nurses or deleterious impacts on patient care.