Scholarship & Research
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/1
Browse
11 results
Search Results
Item The impact of mindfulness on the integrated science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Fox, Kevin R.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThis study was conducted over the winter and spring in a predominantly ninth grade Integrated Science Class. The goal was to find out if practicing mindfulness had any impact on the classroom environment and student learning. Students first took pre and post- summative tests in a non-treatment unit that focused on the study of waves. During the treatment unit, which focused on the study of astronomy, students participated in mindfulness three days a week, for two to five minutes, at the beginning of the class. Students took pre-and post- summative tests for this unit as well. They took a Likert survey, both before and after the treatment unit, to gauge their impressions of a variety of classroom factors. Additionally, students submitted short answer responses to questions related to the mindfulness treatment unit. Finally, during the treatment unit, the instructor kept a daily journal. There was no statistical difference in the students' summative test scores when the treatment and non-treatment units were compared. There were also no statistical differences pre-and post-treatment in student answers to any of the thirteen items on the Likert survey. Student responses to the free response questions, and the instructor journal showed a positive correlation between the treatment and the classroom environment. Based largely on the qualitative data, from the student responses and the instructor journal, mindfulness practice was shown to have a positive impact on the classroom. Students said that they were able to focus better, they were calmer, and had reduced levels of stress and anxiety. The instructor journal also showed that the students maintained better focus and were less restless on days where mindfulness was practiced.Item Stigmatic spectroscopy of the solar atmosphere in the vacuum-ultraviolet(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Courrier, Hans Thomas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Charles C. Kankelborg; Charles C. Kankelborg was a co-author of the article, 'Using local correlation tracking to recover solar spectral information from a slitless spectrograph' in the journal 'Journal of astronomical telescopes and imaging systems, SPIE' which is contained within this dissertation.; Charles C. Kankelborg, Bart De Pontieu and Jean-Pierre Wulser were co-authors of the article, 'An on orbit determination of point spread functions for the interface region imaging spectrograph' in the journal 'Solar physics' which is contained within this dissertation.; Charles C. Kankelborg, Amy R. Winebarger, Ken Kobayashi, Brent Beabout, Dyana Beabout, Ben Carroll, Jonathan W. Cirtain, James A. Duffy, Carlos Gomez, Eric M. Gullikson, Micah Johnson, Jacob D.Parker, Laurel A. Rachmeler, Roy T. Smart, Larry Springer and David L. Windt were co-authors of the article, 'The EUV snapshot imaging spectrograph (ESIS)' which is contained within this dissertation.The solar atmosphere presents a complicated observing target since tremendous variability exists in solar features over a wide range of spatial, spectral, and temporal scales. Stigmatic spectrographs are indispensable tools that provide simultaneous access to spatial context and spectroscopy, enabling the diagnosis of solar events that cannot be accomplished by imaging or spectroscopy alone. In this dissertation I develop and apply a novel technique for on orbit spectrograph calibration, recover co-temporal Doppler shifts of widely spaced solar features, and describe a new design for a slitless solar spectrograph. The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, (IRIS) is currently the highest spatial and spectral resolution, space based, solar spectrograph. Ongoing calibration is important to maintaining the quality of IRIS data. Using a Mercury transit against the backdrop of the dynamic solar atmosphere, I characterize the spatial point spread functions of the spectrograph with a unique, iterative, blind, deconvolution algorithm. An associated deconvolution routine improves the ability of IRIS to resolve spatially compact solar features. This technique is made freely available to the community for use with past and future IRIS observations. The Multi-Order Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph (MOSES) is a slitless spectrograph that collects co-temporal, but overlapping spatial and spectral images of solar spectral lines. Untangling these images presents an ill-posed inversion problem. I develop a fast, automated method that returns Doppler shifts of compact solar objects over the entire MOSES field of view with a minimum of effort and interpretation bias. The Extreme ultraviolet Snapshot Imaging Spectrograph (ESIS) is a slitless spectrograph that extends the MOSES concept. I describe this new instrument, which is far more complex and distinct as compared to MOSES, and the contributions I made in the form of optical design and optimization. ESIS will improve the quality of spatial and spectral information obtained from compact and extended solar features, and represents the next step in solar slitless spectroscopy. Taken together, these contributions advance the field by supporting existing instrumentation and by developing new instrumentation and techniques for future observations of the solar atmosphere.Item Generating epistemic change through utilizing nature of science material within astronomy(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Johnson, Keith Lukas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Shannon WilloughbyAt universities across the United States the epistemological beliefs of students have been observed to deteriorate after a semester of instruction in an introductory physics course. What this indicates is that after taking a course in physics most students, for example, may become less capable of delineating between evidence- based reasoning and mere opinion, less likely to believe that they can get better at physics by doing physics, and/or less likely to engage in metacognitive practices. This research proposed that additional course material, based predominantly on the Nature of Science (i.e. the tenets of science) would help prevent this decay of epistemic beliefs. To test this, two years of epistemic data were collected on students in an introductory astronomy class during which time no changes to the course were made. This was subsequently followed by three years of epistemic data collection on students in the same introductory astronomy class in which explicit Nature of Science material had been included. Epistemic data were collected using the Epistemological Belief Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS). Results indicated that these course modifications helped to prevent epistemological decay, specifically with respect to student views about science and student beliefs about the role of hard work as compared to natural ability. In order to help identify the impact of the additional material, a complete epistemological framework was identified using student responses to the EBAPS. Functionally, this represents a baseline off which future epistemic work may be conducted within science, as well as outlining a methodology for discovering the complete epistemological framework within students of any study utilizing an epistemic instrument such as the Epistemological Belief Assessment for Physical Science or the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey. This work also provides further insight into how students are responding to a prominent epistemological instrument within physics, the EBAPS, for which little validation work is present in literature.Item The flipped classroom model in an introductory astronomy course(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Kennedy, Rodney Merle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisIn higher education presentation of science content to students has traditionally been through lecture. Lecture, or direct instruction, is a very passive mode of learning for students. This study investigated whether the flipped classroom model of instruction is effective in improving student engagement and achievement in an introductory high school astronomy course. Students were surveyed and interviewed about their feelings of engagement in previous science classes as well as their feelings about the flipped classroom model. Achievement was measured using the Astronomy Diagnostic Test prior to and following the course and a comparison of the treatment semester to the previous four classes in the areas of assignments, quizzes and labs.Item Impacts of a kinesthetic astronomy afterschool program on students' interest in STEM topics(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Johns, Carla J.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisAstronomy is a multidisciplinary field, rich in history, broad in content, and universally appealing to students of all ages and backgrounds. Through the study of astronomy, students can gain a deeper appreciation for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and how these fields intersect, ultimately enabling us to explore space and learn about our universe. Few formal educators take college-level astronomy courses, and those who do often find the complexity of the subject matter too difficult to convey to elementary school students. The goal of this educational research project was to supplement classroom curriculum during an afterschool program. Informal education environments reward curiosity and engagement, and encourage exploration and inquiry. Through this project, the researcher hoped to increase students' interest in the STEM subjects and to build students' self-efficacy towards learning about and doing science. The researcher partnered with five Before and After School Enrichment Camps in Larimer County, Colorado. The week-long program focused on structured exploratory and kinesthetic activities encouraging students to make observations, build models, predict outcomes, and develop explanations. Based upon the data from the surveys and assessments, it was difficult to determine if a change had occurred as a result of the treatment. High fluctuations of attendance levels over the course of the study may have had an impact on the overall results. Qualitative data indicated that a change had occurred in the level of students' interest in and knowledge of STEM and space-related topics after the program. Many students, unprompted, began taking charge of their own learning and developed methods for their journey towards lifelong learning.Item Using models with rubrics as a form of assessment in astronomy and biology(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2015) Gillispie, Tassay Sarah; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.This study explored the use of scientific models as a form of better understanding the processes and sequence of science ideas. The study was conducted in an Alternative Education High School in Albany, Oregon. The specific classes this unit was taught in were Biology and Astronomy. Each class was given a different set of standards to follow, models were continually drawn to aid in the understanding of a star's life cycle as well as the cell cycle. Students who participated in this study were given a Likert-scale survey as well as pre and post tests to monitor knowledge. The Likert-scale questions probed student motivation, science interest, and the use of models and rubrics. The pre and post tests for each class were centered on standards focused on for the term. The findings of this study were that the use of science models and rubrics increased student motivation and learning. Analysis of surveys and tests showed the use of visuals is important when students learned new concepts, especially those that tend to deal with cycles and the need to understand multiple steps or parts of a standard.Item The impact of integrated telescope use on attitudes and conceptual understanding of introductory astronomy students(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2015) Delain, Kisha Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.This paper discusses a pilot program using real data from our university telescope in laboratory exercises with our students at the University of St. Thomas. In this paper, I evaluate the effectiveness of these labs and their impact on student attitudes using standardized learning assessments combined with student interviews and surveys. One hundred and sixteen undergraduate students enrolled our fall introductory astronomy course completed our newly developed exercises as a normal part of the laboratory portion of the introductory astronomy course, with comparison groups utilizing "canned" or simulated data. Student attitudes improved in the treatment group more than in the comparison group in both questions of interest: how students feel about science, and whether or not students feel they can do science. In addition, student content knowledge gains are about 10% higher in treatment groups than in comparison groups.Item Impact of authentic astronomical research on astronomy club students(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2014) Powers, Lynn Louise; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.The Bozeman High School Astronomy Club was used to look at the impacts of conducting authentic astronomical research through participation in several research projects. Students were given opportunities to learn real world science and develop new skills. Students worked with scientists and principal investigators from different NASA missions through different Citizen Science research projects using varied methods. The results indicated that student interest and participation in the astronomy club greatly increased. The students exhibited positive changes in attitudes and motivation towards how science is done both within and outside of the classroom. They also showed an improvements in skills used during the program.Item Limits to the extragalactic distance scale from integrated properties of local group galaxies(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1985) Westpfahl, David JohnItem Development and calibration of a concept inventory to measure introductory college astronomy and physics students' understanding of Newtonian gravity(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2013) Williamson, Kathryn Elizabeth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Shannon WilloughbyThe topic of Newtonian gravity offers a unique vantage point from which to investigate and encourage conceptual change because it is something with which everyone has daily experience, and because it is taught in two courses that reach a wide variety of students - introductory-level college astronomy ("Astro 101") and physics ("Phys 101"). Informed by the constructivist theory of learning, this study characterizes and measures Astro 101 and Phys 101 students' understanding of Newtonian gravity within four conceptual domains - Directionality, Force Law, Independence of Other Forces, and Threshold. A phenomenographic analysis of Astro 101 student-supplied responses to open-ended questions about gravity results in the characterization of students' alternative mental models and misapplications of the scientific model. These student difficulties inform the development of a multiple-choice assessment instrument, the Newtonian Gravity Concept Inventory (NGCI). Classical Test Theory (CTT) statistics, student interviews, and expert review show that the NGCI is a reliable and valid tool for assessing both Astro 101 and Phys 101 students' understanding of gravity. Furthermore, the NGCI can provide extensive and robust information about differences between Astro 101 and Phys 101 students and curricula. Comparing and contrasting the Astro 101 and Phys 101 CTT values and student response patterns shows qualitative differences in each of the four conceptual domains. Additionally, performing an Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis of NGCI student response data calibrates item parameters for all Astro 101 and Phys 101 courses and provides Newtonian gravity ability estimates for each student. Physics students show significantly higher pre-instruction and post-instruction IRT abilities than astronomy students, but they show approximately equal gains. To investigate the differential effect of Astro 101 compared to Phys 101 curricula on students' overall post-instruction Newtonian gravity ability, linear regression models control for student characteristics and classroom dynamics. Results show that differences in post-instruction abilities are most influenced by students' pre-instruction abilities and the level of interactivity in the classroom, rather than the astronomy curriculum compared to the physics curriculum. These analyses show that the NGCI has broad capabilities.