Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item The neurology of learning in a secondary science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Campbell, Carlan Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisBy actively teaching students about the neurology behind their learning students will integrate positive learning practices into their education and everyday lives. The questions associated with the focus statement were: Can teaching about the neurology behind learning increase tenacity in the classroom? Does implementing a lesson about how the human brain learns impact students' scores, demeanor, and work ethic? Teaching students about neurology resulted in students who are more likely to implement positive learning practices including, tenacity, increased test scores through study skills, and fewer behavioral redirects. Pre- and post- content tests, a Likert style survey, an unsolvable problem set, an interview, and a categorized behavioral journal were used as data collection instruments. Data were processed and analyze using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results suggested teaching students about neurology has a positive impact in the classroom. After learning about neurology, students were more likely to spend a longer period of time working on a puzzle that does not have a solution than the same students before learning about neurology. Students who learned about neurology improved more on their pre- post- test when compared to the same students before learning about neurology. When students were asked, if they felt that learning about neurology was valuable, the majority of them said 'yes'. One student said, 'I will stick with problems now more than ever. If I don't understand something, I know that if I keep trying eventually, I will build that connection.' Ultimately it is evident that students who were taught about neurology in the classroom are more likely to implement and consistently use positive learning practices, display appropriate behaviors, and increased the likelihood that a student would stick with a problem for a longer period of time if they were directly taught about the processes of their brain while learning.Item Examining the cultural congruity and intentions of persistence among American Indian college students in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Ortega, Eleazar; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersAmerican Indian college students tend to have lower persistence and graduation rates compared to students of other ethnicities. This quantitative research study involved multiple regression to analyze survey data that measured cultural congruity and intentions of persistence of American Indian students attending a two-year and four-year college in Montana. Cultural identity was measured through a survey item measuring level of attachment to their ethnic group. Results showed a significant relationship existed between the following variables: attachment to ethnic group and cultural congruity; institutional type, attachment to ethnic group, age, gender, and first generation college student status to cultural congruity; cultural congruity and persistence; attachment to ethnic group and persistence; institutional type, cultural congruity, and attachment to ethnic group to persistence; and institutional type, cultural congruity, attachment to ethnic group, age, gender, and first generation college student status to persistence. Results from this study indicate that institutional type was not a significant predictor of cultural congruity or persistence. Also, students who were more strongly attached to their ethnic group were less likely to feel that they 'fit in' at their college (cultural incongruity). Older students were more likely to have higher cultural congruity than younger students, and higher levels of cultural congruity was associated with higher persistence scores.Item Grittiness of adolescent residential frontline staff(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2020) Clark, Jessica Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Alice RunningThere are an estimated 48,000 adolescents residing in U.S. residential facilities (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention [OJJDP], 2019). While this is a 50% reduction in the last two decades (Sickmund, Sladky, Kang, & Puzzanchera, 2017), adolescent residential facilities are housing extremely violent and emotionally disturbed adolescents. Because of the violent nature of these adolescents, turnover rates of staff in this field are as high as 70% (Seti, 2008). There is an abundance of literature assessing burnout, emotional exhaustion, and compassion fatigue in this area but a gap in the literature exists examining individual protective factors, such as grit, of employees who choose to stay despite difficulties associated with the job. Duckworth (2016) describes individuals with high grit as being resilient, tenacious, and having the ability to overcome significant setbacks with high levels of self-control. The aim of this project was to reduce the literature gap and supplement present literature by evaluating grittiness of frontline staff working in an adolescent residential facility as well as determine usefulness of pre-screening future candidates with the use of the Grit Scale. Employees of a Midwest adolescent residential facility who remained in a frontline staff position for greater than one year completed a12-item Grit Scale (Duckworth, 2016) and a demographics questionnaire. Overall, results showed that participants were 'very gritty' with an average grit score of 4.3, falling in the 80th percentile of a large group of adult Americans (Duckworth, 2016). The results of this project are promising and could be used as a foundation for practice change and future research with a larger sample.Item Anonymous anomaly: nonresident undergraduates on a 21st century land grant campus(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Hicks II, James Merle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tricia SeifertThe experiences of nonresident undergraduates enrolled in US public universities have remained understudied. Accordingly, the purpose of this qualitative intrinsic case study was to explore the nonresident undergraduate's experience, persistence and sense of belonging on a land grant university campus. Combined, findings were intended to expand the literature base, methodological approaches and practitioner programming regarding nonresident persistence. Existing transition and institutional logics theory formed the basis of the study's theoretical framework. Nine first-time, full-time third year undergraduates from states across three time zones were interviewed twice during their sixth semester of college enrollment. Additionally, data was collected through photovoice and document analysis methods. Findings for each research question were reported through a thematic analysis. Themes related to experience included: adapting from home to university life, motivating from enrollment to degree, and recreating as a lifestyle. Themes related to persistence included: accessing campus resources, familying from afar, and socializing to stay. Themes related to sense of belonging included: transforming through personal growth, identifying across groups and areas, and supporting across communities. Lived experience findings supported existing literature on socioeconomic and enrollment management while extending the literature on financial challenges. Persistence findings supported past literature on third year priorities and extended the literature on nonresident peer groups and family support. Sense of belonging findings supported literature on the theoretical construct of interdependence while extending the literature on the influence of community characteristics and campus climate. Policy implications for nonresident retention centered on leveraging outdoor curriculum, addressing nonresident insurance, revising nonresident tuition models and expanding nonresident mentoring programs. Practice implications for nonresident retention focused on innovations to summer orientation programming, expanding transportation options, expanding family weekend opportunities, and offering more resources on the surrounding community. Future recommendations focused on expanding research both in methodological scope and duration to better understand the nonresident experience.