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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 Indigenizing the National Parks Service-Unlearning Settler Colonial History on Native Lands(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024-05) Dugan-Kimball, Amy JoEach year, millions of people retreat to what are now known as (WANKA) America’s national parks and their units. This escape from the settler-colonial lives of our capitalistic economy and imperialistic mindset is often touted as a much-needed respite for overworked, stressed-out adults and technology-addicted youth- a result of our “more is better” lifestyle and demand for instant gratification. The learning opportunity afforded, although unconventional, provides space with which to bring the voice of Indigenous Peoples to the forefront of the narrative of national parks’ history and the legacy of displacement.Item From Surviving to Thriving: Exploring the Experiences of LGBTQ+ Adolescents and Engaging Teacher Allies in Rural Montana Schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024-05) MacAlister, EmmaWritten by an educator for educators, this qualitative research study explores two questions: (1) What are the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ adolescents residing in rural Montana? (2) How can rural educators become LGBTQ+ allies in their schools and communities? Relying on the voices of five participants, this case study examines queer adolescents’ lived experiences within their family units, rural high school, and local community. The research study also explores ways rural educators can become teacher allies by creating more inclusive, equitable classrooms and communities for rural-living LGBTQ+ youth. Existing research analyzes queer adolescents’ lived experiences in the rural Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest United States, yet much of this research adheres to a deficit narrative; in essence, what rural places lack. Existing research also depicts high rates of school victimization among LGBTQ+ youth, mental health and behavioral issues, and a lack of queer representation in the rural classroom. This study’s data derives from semi-structured interviews and sheds light on participants’ experiences (both positive and negative) in one rural Montana community, and its findings are broken into seven themes: (1) Outsider Status: Lacking a Rural Sense of Belonging; (2) Conflicting Familial Support; (3) School Victimization & Subsequent Anxiety; (4) Catching a “Vibe” About Teacher Allies; (5) Lack of LGBTQ+ Representation in School; (6) Resilience & Western Toughness; (7) Heightened Sense of Empathy & Advocacy. With Critical Rural English Pedagogy (CREP) (Petrone & Wynhoff Olsen, 2021) as its theoretical framework, the research study further examines the complex intersection between queerness and rurality and provides ways rural educators can LGBTQ: Listen to queer students, Give queer students support, foster queer students’ rural sense of Belonging, Transform rural classrooms and communities, and Question damaging beliefs about gender and sexuality—with the goals of not only engaging queer students in the classroom but empowering them to enact positive social change in rural America.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.Item Propensity Score-Matching Methods for Observational Studies: An Application to Stat 216 Data(2016-04) Theobold, AllisonMany fields of science are faced with the inability to perform randomized experiments, but wish to have the ability to estimate a treatment effect and make causal inference. Propensity score matching is a method that can be used in observational studies to obtain unbiased estimates of the treatment effect. In this paper we consider the theory behind utilizing propensity score matching to obtain these such estimates, as well as explain how to implement propensity score matching in R using the Matching package for data from Montana State University’s Introductory Statistics curriculum.