Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Exploring the impact of remote learning on student engagement and communication in science and other classes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Gamache, Dylan William; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, students pivoted from one learning model to the next, switching between remote, hybrid, and in-person schedules. Students and teachers were surveyed and interviewed to explore how remote learning impacted student engagement and communication in the classroom during the 2020-2021 school year. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis to gain insight into the student experience from both students' and teachers' perspectives. Four recurring themes were referenced throughout responses from each research population; for students, technology, social and academic interactions, autonomy, and health were commonly mentioned; for teachers, technology, student involvement, relationships and support systems, and evaluating student progress were commonly discussed. The results suggested that students were less engaged in their academic work and communicated less meaningfully with their peers and teachers.Item Navigating scientific literacy in the midst of crisis: teachers' challenges and supports as framed by social ecological theory(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Pavlovich, Christina Lynn; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Jayne Downey and Rebekah HammackThis dissertation investigated the long-standing challenge of achieving scientific literacy in K-12 public schools, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizing a need to understand teacher experiences to address systemic issues and enhance student scientific literacy. The study focused on describing factors impacting experiences teaching scientific literacy during the COVID-19 socio-economic-health crisis. Participants included ten high school science teachers in a Northwestern state of the United States. Methods were grounded in the theoretical framework of constructivism epistemology and Bronfenbrenner's (1997) Social Ecological Theory. Data collection was modeled from the methodology of Ali et al. (2022), collecting data from teacher surveys and one-on-one interviews. Interviews produced a 1) free-ranked list, 2) concept map, and 3) interview transcription for each participant. Data analysis employed complementary strategies and consisted of two phases: 1) an initial analysis phase which employed three complementary data analysis strategies, and 2) a secondary analysis phase rooted in constant comparison for triangulated synthesis. Findings revealed factors impacting teaching scientific literacy during the socio-economic-health crisis of COVID-19 including influence from community and societal perspectives of science, student inequities, teaching dynamics, and the balancing of demands between personal and professional responsibilities. Subfactors aligned to these themes helped further describe participant experiences in context. Participants described several relationships between their social networks, or social ecologies, and factors which impacted teaching scientific literacy. Science, particularly trust in science, was centered in participant descriptions of public-level impacts. The findings underscored the need for education systems to bridge the cultural gap between science and education. Interactions and processes involved in teaching within the classroom environment presented an unexpected result, with a precisely inverse relationship between frequency and magnitude. While it was frequently encountered, it was not perceived as highly impactful compared to other factors. This finding suggests the importance of considering both frequency and magnitude of impact in decision- making processes and raises questions about the prioritization of resources and support efforts within educational systems. Recommendations include the development of culturally responsive science policies, empowering local curriculum, fostering teacher support networks, and expanding pedagogical strategies to engage students and families beyond the classroom.Item Covid-19 response and recovery by tribes and urban Indian organizations in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Sorrell, Anna Whiting; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Alexandra K. Adams; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Research shows American Indians and Alaska Natives' resilience when they are connected to cultural lifeways, beliefs, and in relationship with families, their communities, and Tribes. It aids in traumatic times. This was true during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, it still disproportionally affected AIANs in the number of cases, hospitalizations, stays in intensive care units, deaths, and at younger ages than non-Hispanic Whites. This unequal impact of COVID-19 may be explained using the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's social determinants of health, but also raises doubt on the accuracy and thoroughness of data collected for AIANs. Additionally, when Tribes and urban Indian organizations responded to meet the needs of their members and communities, there were positive outcomes. This dissertation shows lessons learned in the response and recovery led by Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations, while successful, may have been improved if their actions were guided by a Tribal or UIO specific, comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. The literature review is a comprehensive examination of available reports, newspaper stories, and journal articles. It found there are gaps in available data that is tribal or UIO specific that has confidence of accuracy and cultural appropriateness as determined by Indigenous researchers. The co-authored manuscript focuses on the social, mental, physical, and spiritual impact COVID-19 had on one Native American and one Hispanic community. While the findings of the study revealed the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic on each of these qualities, there were positive realization about resilience and adaptability. The third dissertation product builds on the findings of the first two products and interviews from two Tribes and one UIO to create an Indigenous strategic planning process for Tribes and UIOs to use when they develop their own emergency preparedness plan to guide their response to the next emergency, crisis, or pandemic. These plans must be written by the Tribe or UIO and incorporate tribal lifeways, beliefs, and values, and shared with key stakeholders. Collectively, the three dissertation products affirm Indigenous leadership is fully capable of directing Tribes and UIOs recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and set plans to prepare for the next emergent event.Item Comparison of emotional engagement in online learning environments: an online classroom investigation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Ryan, Katie Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesAfter the COVID-19 pandemic, there were more online educational opportunities for both families and teachers. Each unique opportunity varied in the amount of emotional engagement for students, specifically social engagement, and teacher presence. The purpose of this study was to look at the effects on emotional engagement of students between synchronous and asynchronous online education. Situation A had a virtual teacher interact with a classroom of students on a daily basis, where Situation B had an asynchronous class structure with the option for teacher interaction. At the end of first semester, Likert-Scale and free response survey questions were distributed to students, and teacher reflections were collected for a month. From the data collected, it was seen that students in a synchronous format did not believe their online education was supporting them, while students in the asynchronous did. It was also seen that when students felt that their ideas were being valued in a class, they were more likely to feel comfortable asking for help. Based on limited participation numbers, it was hard to make stronger claims about which situation supports students more successfully. It seems that although a synchronous situation lends itself to more student/teacher interactions, students still show variation in their perceptions of connection and support.Item Mitigating labor shortages: investigating the efficacy of return to work programs(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2023) Reis-Henrie, Justin Nehemiah; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Yang YuAre supply-side interventions effective at combating labor shortages? Many state governments faced tight labor markets as their states re-opened in the late spring of 2021. On May 4th, 2021, Montana announced it would be ending COVID-19 era unemployment schemes early. Additionally, they incentivized the unemployed to find work through a Return to Work (RTW) program. The unemployed would receive $1,200 for getting and keeping a job for four weeks. Similar RTW programs were subsequently adopted by several states. The impact of these RTW programs on labor markets has not yet been investigated. Using data on continued unemployment insurance claims I explore the impact of RTW programs on labor markets with a two-way fixed effects model. I find that RTW programs, at best, on average had a marginal negative impact on unemployment. However, I find a large degree of RTW heterogeneity with some states seeing large and statistically significant impacts. Additionally, I present a number of case studies to demonstrate the consequences of outreach and accessibility on RTW programs.