Browsing by Author "Timpson, William, committee member"
Now showing 1 - 18 of 18
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Open Access A classroom of horrors and lessons from the dark: an affective learning framework for engaging students in literacy(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Davis, Justin Daniel, author; Jennings, Louise, advisor; Birmingham, Daniel, committee member; Brinks, Ellen, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberWhile student engagement has long been acknowledged as important in the learning process in scholarship, the concept of engagement has just recently shifted from an idea of passive compliance to overt interest. Much of the research continues to focus on largely cognitive aspects of engagement such as higher level thinking processes, taxonomies, and rigor. While cognitive engagement is important, far less attention has focused on affective, or emotional, engagement. The researcher seeks to capture personal student experiences around engagement and analyze participant responses for possible themes to examine the potentially positive impacts and possible constraints of using the horror genre as a means to apply a proposed Affective Learning Framework in order to effectively and holistically engage students. The Affective Learning Framework consisted of four key domains: Relevancy/Connectedness, Interest/Autonomy, Hook/Controversy, and a Positive Learning Environment. Broadly, the purpose of this research is to capture the insights and voices of secondary students around using horror as a means to emotionally engage them in literacy and relevant real-world issues in an after-school horror literature club in an effort to battle feelings of boredom and disconnectedness that students often experience in the classroom. It examines horror as a potentially powerful teaching tool in secondary and post-secondary settings. As a qualitative study, the analysis of open-ended survey questions, transcribed dialogue, and interviews resulted in a thematic analysis case study in order to detail the potential of emerging or common themes as they related to the application of the Affective Learning Framework. As student voice is often lacking in the literature about what they feel about engagement, and this was a primary driver for the purpose of this study, student voice is a critical aspect of this research. The study also addresses meaningful implementation of the horror genre into reading and writing, with further implications around the use of subgenres and how this work may fit into the general classroom setting through the Affective Learning Framework.Item Open Access A decolonial analysis of peace education in India and Pakistan(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Jalal, Runeela, author; Jennings, Louise, advisor; Timpson, William, committee member; Archibeque-Engle, Shannon, committee member; Ehlers-Zavala, Fabiola, committee memberThis dissertation investigates the current state of peace pedagogy in formal and informal educational platforms in India and Pakistan. The overarching goal is to amass pedagogical strategies for peace teaching by understanding the aspirations of peace as understood by the local wisdom in the spirit of decolonial educational approaches. The socio-political postcolonial conflict scene is understood through the theories of Structural Violence (Galtung, 1969) and Cascades of Violence (Braithwaite and D'Costa. 2018). It was important as India and Pakistan were colonized for a century and the postcolonial conflict climate has its distinctive nature. There is considerable research done to explain the postcolonial repercussions on a society entailing violence, conflicts, and nationalism and how such negative impacts trickle down into the education system in India and Pakistan. Additionally, The Theory of Positive Psychology (Seligman, 1998) defines the parameters of decolonized peace pedagogy for analyzing educational documents and the work of self-motivated peace practitioners working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). After this foundational understanding is developed for this research study in Chapter 1, Chapters 2-4 explore the possible implementation of peace pedagogy in education in India and Pakistan through three interrelated articles. The first article is a systematic review of the peace pedagogy literature in postcolonial lands around the world. These regions mainly are located in the Global South which includes Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The second article takes a closer look at the place of peace pedagogy in existing formal/informal educational platforms through document analysis of policy papers, college programs, and a few non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Pakistan and India. The third article focuses on the efforts of NGOs at the grassroots level through phenomenological interviews with peace practitioners in Pakistan and India; this study focuses on how these practitioners engage with local communities to make meaning of peace at the local level and devise a suitable peace pedagogy to continue their mission of peace education. Chapter 5 addresses implications of this research study by contributing to the decolonial ways of building knowledge for implementing peace pedagogy in postcolonial lands specifically India and Pakistan. In doing so, Chapter 5 summarizes comparative knowledge through a literature review of peace pedagogy in postcolonial lands around the world and India and Pakistan. This helped identifying gaps which prevent linear implementation of peace pedagogy from early education up to graduate level in India and Pakistan, thus, compromising the objectives of establishing peace. Recommendations for the education system mainly through the lessons learned by the self-motivated peace educators and activists are put forward for considerations.Item Open Access A multiple case study of instructors utilizing classroom response systems (CRS) to achieve pedagogical goals(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Milholland, Eric Stanley, author; Kaminski, Karen, advisor; Timpson, William, committee member; Most, David, committee member; Miller, Jeffrey, committee memberThis study examined five instructors who have employed Classroom Response Systems (CRS) for a minimum of five years. Instructors were asked their initial pedagogical goals when adopting CRS, and also to describe any changes in those goals or use of the technology since that time. Emerging themes were identified using a multiple case study methodology. All instructors said their use of CRS evolved and changed from initial adoption to their current use of the technology today. Student engagement was the single ubiquitous reason provided for choosing to employ CRS. Other potential reason for using CRS include: peer instruction via group and cooperative learning, increasing student responsibility, reducing lecture while increasing interaction, employing deep learning pedagogy, redistributing classroom power back to students, increasing student achievement, and making classroom learning more enjoyable. No single technique appeared to be required to benefit from the use of CRS. Instructors described an assortment of practices they found personally successful in a variety of classroom sizes. Some even chose to utilize the same pedagogical techniques as if they were using CRS, but purposefully eschewed the devices because they found them too constraining for the desired learning outcome. This indicates that the teaching methodology was more important that the technology. CRS seems to be suitable for performing a variety of pedagogical tasks, even if it is not the ideal way to achieve any single one. Based on this research, it appears the greatest strength of CRS is that it can proficiently accomplish a multitude of learning goals in a relatively easy manner.Item Open Access Academic engagement: university student athletes meta-analysis(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Wightman, Lowell, author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Timpson, William, committee member; Wallner, Barbara, committee member; Engle, Terry, committee memberThe purpose of this analysis was to understand the role of academic engagement for university student athletes' perceptions of how academic engagement influences their academic success. The meta-analytical process in this study focused on student athletes' awareness of the academic environment and opportunities for engagement and interpretation of how these factors influence their academic performance (e.g., comments like "Having an open study hall available every day, along my path to class and practice that includes study resources removes so many obstacles to staying focused on my class work."). From the analysis of the students' perceptions, the intent was to review academic engagement constructs and their relationships with National Collegiate Athletic Association Academic Progress Rating, U.S. Department of Education, and National Student Survey of Engagement standards for the purpose of identifying how these are similar and different. Similarities and differences inform advising/guiding students' understanding of the scholarship expectations, their interactions with faculty and staff, and their performance as students. In addition, it was important that this study inform coaches, administrators, and faculty about pedagogical strategies and environmental conditions supporting scholarship student athletes' academic engagement and academic performance. The analysis stage of this meta-analytical study systematically discovered data that answered this study's research questions in whole or part. Methodology provided guidance for discovering key findings focused on the impact of environmental settings influencing academic engagement. Examples of prosocial environment influences on academic engagement, defined by social emotional learning theory, provided findings linked to improving student athletes' academic performance. That being said, there were no concrete literature intersections, but there were literature references implying that student athletes may connect prosocial environments to academic engagement or academic performance. As the data crystallized themes and patterns emerged indicating that student athletes did not connect academic engagement or their academic performance to maintaining their scholarship or participation on their teams. In addition, this study found student athletes academically engaged in the presence of a socially and emotionally competent instructors. It was shown in the findings, pedagogical strategies used by instructors promoting social emotional constructs created an engaging and competent environment resulting in academic performance improvement.Item Open Access "Are you feeling what I'm feeling?": an analysis of communication and emotional work of Korean social workers(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Kim, Min Kyung, author; Williams, Elizabeth A., advisor; Long, Ziyu, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberThis study investigates how Korean social workers experience and communicate emotional work in their organizational experience. Using a qualitative interview approach, I explore the emotional experiences of Korean social workers. Korean social workers experience wide array of different types of emotional work, however, expresses them implicitly and indirectly due to contemplative and considerate communication tactics in order to save others’ face and avoid burdening others with their emotions. Furthermore, the emotional work experience leads Korean social workers to develop a sense of pride, responsibility, and compassion toward their clients which were not inherent from the beginning of their professional experience due to lack of autonomy when choosing their profession. Korean social workers also communicate their emotional work through in-group association, strongly relying on connections through their alma mater, others who are their age, their position, and their tenure in the organization. However, a notable challenge to the original theory of emotional work is that for Korean social workers they also experience emotional labor and emotional dissonance due to organizational constraints that generate a clash of inner feeling with what organizations expect them to present. The study provides evidence of how different cultural expectations influence emotional work experiences as well as the communication of emotion. The findings not only support the different cultural norms and constraints that influence Korean social workers’ emotional work but also contribute to further the understanding of the role of organizations in providing proper outlets for emotional work experiences.Item Open Access Awareness of e-cigarettes and correlation of use among high school students(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Santistevan, Aysun, author; Makela, Carole J., advisor; Kennedy, Catherine, advisor; Nelson, Tracy, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberThe purpose of this study was to assess awareness of e-cigarettes, to identify the factors associated with initial and continuing use of e-cigarettes, and to explore the reasons to use e-cigarettes among high school students. Three high schools in Colorado participated in the study. High school students (n = 251) who were enrolled in health classes were surveyed in the fall semester of 2015. The majority of students were sophomores (59%), followed by freshmen (28%), juniors (8%), and seniors (3%). A majority of students reported never using e-cigarettes (81%) and a few students reported using them in the past (14%), using them occasionally (4%), and a very few (.4%) using them everyday. Pearson's chi-squared tests were performed to examine correlations among variables since most of the variables were nominal and assumptions of the parametric data were violated. The awareness of e-cigarettes included seeing, hearing, or watching e-cigarette advertising, receiving information through social media, and sharing information about e-cigarettes with close friends. Findings revealed no significant correlations between seeing, hearing, or watching e-cigarette advertising and current use of e-cigarettes. Findings indicated a significant correlation between variables of receiving or sharing information about e-cigarettes and using e-cigarettes. Seventy-one percent of non-users, 21% of past users, and 7% of current users of e-cigarettes reported receiving information about e-cigarettes through social media. Sixty-percent of non-users, 29% of past users, and 11% of current users of e-cigarettes reported sharing information about e-cigarettes with close friends. The implication of findings showed that there has been exposure to e-cigarette advertising among high schoolers. The factors associated with initial and continuing use of e-cigarettes included teens' tobacco history, close friends', parents', and family members' e-cigarette and traditional cigarette use. Findings showed statistical significance between past, current, and future use of tobacco products and e-cigarette use in high schoolers. Fifty-one percent of students, who used tobacco in the past, reported past use of e-cigarettes, where 21% of students, who used tobacco in the past, reported current use of e-cigarettes. Findings suggested being a former or current smoker was correlated with having ever used e-cigarettes and past e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes may be used as a smoking cessation tool or alternative to other tobacco products. Further research is needed on the use of e-cigarettes among tobacco users. A few students (2%) considered e-cigarettes as a future use of tobacco products alone or with waterpipe tobacco and traditional cigarettes because of being seen as "fun", "cool", "harmless", and because "friends used them. " The associations between parents', family members', and close friends' use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and teens' current use of e-cigarettes were explored. Findings showed family members', and close friends' e-cigarette use was related to teens' e-cigarette use. Thirty-eight percent, who used e-cigarettes in the past or are currently using e-cigarettes, reported having at least one family member using e-cigarettes, and 45% who used e-cigarettes in the past or are currently using e-cigarettes reported close friends' e-cigarette use. Findings suggested that close friends' and family members' e-cigarette use may model behavior for teens and may provide a source for e-cigarette experimentation. Teens reported that "peer pressure" and "fitting into a social group" were some of the reasons that teens might initiate and continue use of e-cigarettes. Mann-Whitney U test was performed to explore gender differences in e-cigarette users' reasons to use e-cigarettes, and gender differences in non-e-cigarette users' reasons for the teens’ e-cigarette use. Reasons included curiosity, addiction, healthier than tobacco, cheaper than tobacco, quitting smoking, dealing with stress, losing weight, and socializing with friends. Females who used e-cigarettes in the past or are currently using e-cigarettes had a higher mean rank than males on the variables of dealing with stress (15.68; 8.05) and addiction (15.42; 7.55), respectively. Females, who never used e-cigarettes, had higher mean rank than males on variable of dealing with stress (119.50; 95.51) and losing weight (119.68; 97.25) as to teens' reasons to use e-cigarettes. E-cigarette messages and claims related to stress management and weight control might be leading young girls to experiment with or use e-cigarettes. It is crucial to restrict e-cigarette advertising and to educate teens on nicotine addiction and risk of respiratory diseases. Health educators should educate teens on the health effects of e-cigarettes and the health risk of dual or multiple use of tobacco products, and about using e-cigarettes as a cessation tool driven by perceptions of reduced harm and being an alternative to tobacco smoking.Item Open Access Comparison and acceptabilty of gluten-free yeast breads made with quinoa flour(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Chase, Caraline Bianchetto, author; Stone, Martha, advisor; Bunning, Marisa, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberQuinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is a plant that is native to South America and is grown in the Andean mountains. The quinoa plant is resistant to harsh weather conditions and drought. It is a gluten free (GF) grain and has significance in making a GF yeast bread for people who cannot safely consume gluten proteins due to celiac disease, gluten allergies, or other issues. Most GF yeast breads on the market are made with a large portion of white or brown rice flour, which is neutral in taste, easily digestible, but low in vitamins and nutrients compared to quinoa flour. Quinoa flour is more expensive than rice flour and can impart negative aftertastes. The objectives of this study were to develop GF yeast bread formulas incorporating quinoa flour for rice flour and potato starch at 0, 36, 72, or 100% and obtain sensory and instrumental data on the breads. Specific gravity was calculated on the batter before baking with significant (p<0.05) differences existing among all batters. The 100% GF quinoa yeast bread was (p<0.05) smaller in volume than the other breads. The GF bread made with 100% rice flour and potato starch was significantly (p<0.05) softer (less hardness or firmness values) than the GF breads containing quinoa flour, while the 100% GF quinoa flour bread was firmest and least tender. Crust and crumb color did not (p>0.05) differ among any of the breads. The 100% GF quinoa yeast bread had the lowest water activity (p<0.05). Sensory analysis showed that for tenderness, flavor, and overall acceptability the 100% GF quinoa yeast bread was liked less (p<0.05) compared to the other breads. Based on the instrumental and sensory data collected, both the 36 and 72% QF yeast breads are acceptable GF yeast bread options containing QF.Item Open Access Constructing the collective experience of being Arab American in post-9/11 America(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Mufdi, Jamillah L., author; Banning, James, advisor; Dickmann, Ellyn, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Bubar, Roe, committee memberThe events of September 11, 2001 dramatically changed the lives of Arab Americans. Some lost loved ones in the attacks while others, Arab Americans, became targets of discrimination and differential treatment because they had names and faces similar to the hijackers or they shared the same religion. Arab Americans defended themselves against accusations of being sympathetic to the hijackers and experienced treatment that indicated Arab citizens were not completely American. Like all Americans, those of Arab descent experienced fear, anger and grief in response to the attacks. Unlike other Americans, Arab Americans experienced fear that blame for the attacks would be place on them and shame that other Arabs committed such atrocities. America came together after the attacks and united as a people. Unfortunately, this unification process seemed to exclude Arab and Muslim Americans. Reports of hate crimes, discrimination and differential treatment climbed sharply and public opinion of Arabs declined steadily. This study examined the experience of navigating post-9/11 America as an Arab American. Findings confirmed that Arab Americans experience differential treatment on a regular basis and that there are commonalities in how the othering occurs. A collective story of the Arab American experience in post-9/11 America was constructed. The findings affirm existing studies regarding the collective experience and treatment of non-dominant groups who exist in America's margins.Item Open Access Dissolving boundaries among applied disciplines: a narrative study of transdisciplinary collaboration during a charrette(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Domres, Debra, author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Quick, Don, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Leigh, Katharine, committee memberCharrettes have a long history of use in medical, architectural, and planning professions. An extensive literature search found little application of the charrette model implemented to advance, support, and identify transdisciplinarity (TD) research, transdisciplinary teaming models (TDM), transdisciplinary learning (TDL) supporting transformative learning (TL) among participants. This study highlighted differing approaches among teams as they navigated ideation and proposed solutions advancing comprehension among students of applied disciplines and how each approached, negotiated, and solved community-based problems. I implemented a TDM charrette to address TDL in educational settings. This two charrette case study implemented 1) an exploratory investigation joined a competition to create a high school of the future in underserved Montbello, Colorado, and 2) a proposal to renovate and develop a historic homestead on a working cattle ranch and wildlife reserve to support a multi-generational educational program, in Sedalia, Colorado. Charrettes included college students from architectural design, construction management, education, environmental sciences, and fish and wildlife. High school students were joined by POs from education, business and ranching professions, artists, and authors. Participants were challenged to create programs using site attributes. Charrette's culminated with team project proposals shared with invited stakeholders. Using Hall's four-phases of TD team based experiential learning and Kolb's Learning Style Models I used visual narrative and a sustainability lens to reflect and incorporate participant experiences and outcomes. Findings identified how students experienced charrettes, how they interacted with other disciplines, participant observers (PO)/facilitator observers (FO), and project stakeholders. TDM emphasized the importance of self-reflection revealed by mutual learning of transferable solutions, synthesis of results, and the visibility and relevance to problem solving. Outcomes showed how participants explored, described discipline knowledge; how shared skills shaped and influenced information sharing, leading to transformative learning (TL). Key findings identified knowledge derived from multiple modes of inquiry gained from TDL addressed problems, contributed to transferability. Challenges identified recruitment of participants from more than three disciplines. This study described and shared how participation advanced knowledge production and integration to solve unstructured problems. The TDM charrette supported TDL and knowledge production that bridged solution oriented approaches among participants leading to TL.Item Open Access Exploring the development and practices of culturally responsive teachers: observations of and teachers voices in K-8 public education(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Martin, Alex, author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Timpson, William, committee member; Coke, Pamela, committee member; Jennings, Louise, committee memberIn response to increased diversity in the United States, educational system teachers must be equipped with the skills to teach diverse learners. Multicultural education has been proposed as a framework in which to prepare the educational system and teachers for diversity. A critical component of multicultural education is culturally responsive teaching. "Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural knowledge, prior experience, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant and effective for them" (Gay, 2000, p. 29). The theoretical and conceptual base of the cultural responsive teaching construct has been clearly articulated in literature. However, the developmental process of individual teachers in attaining cultural responsive practices is an area of needed investigation. This research looks to contribute to knowledge of cultural responsive development by examining teachers’ perspectives about development and practice of cultural responsive teaching. I utilized a collective case study approach to explore the phenomena of culturally responsive teaching in an interpretive and constructive method across a group of nine teachers. The culturally responsive practices of nine elementary/middle school teachers were examined in classroom observations and participant interviews. As a collective group common codes, categories, and themes emerged from data analysis of the nine teachers' culturally responsive practices. The collective case analysis revealed common culturally responsive teaching characteristics in teacher pedagogy, development, and mental approaches. Findings indicate that for teachers in this study, (1) culturally responsive teaching development is independent in nature and accrued outside teaching education support networks, (2) there are specific pedagogic practices associated with culturally responsive teaching, and (3) mindsets and thinking patterns of teachers are identifiable. These findings provide implications for the continued understanding and development of culturally responsive practices. There is a continued need for established cultural responsive teacher training that includes the development of cultural awareness, culturally responsive pedagogy, and mental strategies to address the needs of all students. Explicit pedagogical practices are associated with culturally responsive practice and should be developed in teacher preparation programming and on-going professional development. The identified mindsets and thinking patterns of these culturally responsive teachers provide examples of characteristics to be cultivated in aspiring and practicing teachers.Item Open Access Exploring the Lenses© Framework: regenerative design for the built environment(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Greenwell, Craig Russell, author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Bohren, Lenora, committee member; Kaminski, Karen, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberThe Living Environment Natural, Social, and Economic Systems (LENSES©) Framework is a process-based decision support tool promoting regenerative built environment design, surpassing current sustainability tools. Regenerative design is important because it restores ecosystems to pre-built environment levels. A constant comparative analysis reduced obscurity for regenerative criteria on eleven content specific Flow--Land Use, Transportation, Money, Energy, Water, Materials, Education, Ecosystems, Well-Being, Culture, and Beauty-- producing more concrete realities. A 2013 pilot study better informed the method of inquiry and coding scheme, after it was found that criteria were too broad, and findings could not be replicated using three-step coding without first delineating criteria into subjective or prescriptive topics. In this analysis, the first coding step delineated criteria into major topics, which were then refined into respective industry roles and tangible, usable design realities. Findings yielded two types of realities, subjective (i.e., Education, Money, Well-Being, Culture, and Beauty) and prescriptive (i.e., Land Use, Transportation, Energy, Water, Materials, and Ecosystems). Lessening obscurity of criteria reduced the need for facilitators to implement and use the tool, permitting stakeholders to self-guide regenerative design. Limitations of realities prevented the presentation of precision standards. Parameters for subjective realities should be established, as should standards for prescriptive realities. Designs can be regenerative following yielded realities presuming local building codes allow them and stakeholders desire to do so.Item Open Access Grandma, could this dissertation be my Indigenous Tayal facial tattoo? An autoethnography of overcoming the fear of statistics through the dichotomous use of p-values(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Lin, Hsiao-Ching, author; Most, David, advisor; Aragon, Antonette, advisor; Doe, Sue, committee member; Faircloth, Susan, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberThis dissertation's idea began with my class notes and questions in the statistics courses I attended in my doctoral program. These notes and questions originally were about the concepts of the bell shape, statistical distribution, and hypothesis testing. They then became my inquiries of p-values because what I learned in the courses about how the dominant use of p-values have generated inequities such as academic bias and misleading statistics education; they caught my attention as inequities were at the root of my learning growing up as a Taiwanese Indigenous student and woman. I reference Indigenous critical theories' (ICT) concept of challenging the mastery of knowledge via centering Indigenous intelligence in the knowledge (Justice, 2016) as the primary epistemology to conduct this autoethnographic study. All in all, using autoethnography as the research method, I ask four research questions to explore my meaning-making of learning the dichotomous use of p-values: 1. How do I make meaning of the dichotomous use of p-values in the statistics courses I attended? The exploration of this research question illustrates how and why I was drawn to the issue of p-values and what is the essential problem of using p-values dichotomously. Using p-values dichotomously means using statistical significance to decide the effectiveness of a research treatment or intervention. 2. How do I make meaning of the dichotomous use of p-values in the literature of this study? The analysis of this research question shows the broader contexts of the canonical teaching and use of p-values and that of inequities engendered by them. To answer this research question, I explored the history and philosophy of the connection between statistics and scientific research and inequities caused by using p-values dichotomously. These inequities explored and explained in this study are death, job loss, life threats, and academic bias. 3. How do research questions 1 and 2 help me address inequities discussed in this study as an Indigenous woman researcher? The answer to this research question explains how the inequities generated from improper use of p-values. It also aligns with the inequities I have encountered as an Indigenous woman and graduate student in a country not of my birth. 4. How do research questions 1, 2, and 3 help me overcome my fear of statistics? Pondering this question led me to complete this dissertation—Grandma, Could This Dissertation Be My Indigenous Tayal Facial Tattoo? An Autoethnography of Overcoming the Fear of Statistics Through the Dichotomous Use of P-Values. This study not only critiques the dichotomous use of p-values but also explains the inequities generated from it by unraveling the social norm ingrained in the use of p-values. It also heals me from feeling unintelligent, timid, and small about statistics as, during the process of completing this dissertation, I have overcome the fear that accompanies emotional trauma associated with the numeric dimension of confirming realities.Item Open Access Hispanic male students: changing majors and predictors of graduation at St. Petersburg College(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Davis, Rodrigo M., author; Makela, Carole, advisor; Quick, Don, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Miller, Jeffrey, committee memberThe purpose of this study was to collect, examine, and analyze retrospective data from a cohort of Hispanic male students at St. Petersburg College (SPC) Florida, to understand how specific variables relate to the number of times Hispanic males change majors and the correlation between changing majors and graduation. The research primarily focused on the relationships among contributing variables (Crisp & Nora, 2010; Taggart & Crisp, 2011), which may influence the length of time Hispanic males take to graduate from SPC. This study was designed to answer the following two questions: whether there are factors associated with how students change majors, and how to identify patterns around changing of majors that may hinder graduation among Hispanic male students (N = 706) who had changed their majors one, two, or three times. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and survival analysis were used to examine and evaluate graduation as outcomes. The data collected yielded conclusions mirrored in other studies while taking into account that Hispanic students who enroll in college may be unprepared for it. Educators and researchers need to adopt the concept of acculturation for Hispanic males to focus on academic conscientiousness and ethnic identity (Ojeda et al., 2012). These appear to be factors for Hispanic males when selecting a college and/or the frequency with which they change majors, thus it may affect their likelihood of graduation.Item Open Access Messaging and national park visitor attitudes(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Taff, Brendan Derrick, author; Newman, Peter, advisor; Bright, Alan, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Vagias, Wade, committee memberNational Park Service annual visitation is approaching 300 million, and managers must balance internal stress, such as visitor use, and external stress, such as noise from aircraft overflights, while protecting resource and social conditions. Attitudes affect visitor perceptions of these influences, and largely determine behaviors via behavioral intentions. The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate national park visitor attitudes, specifically in regard to Leave No Trace minimum impact practices, alternative transportation, and soundscapes, and to increase understanding of effective strategies, such as educational messaging, which can alter visitor attitudes, perceptions and behaviors. This dissertation summarizes three studies and is presented as three journal articles suitable for submission to tier one or two journals. It begins by describing the origins of visitor capacity in national parks, and the associated frameworks and theoretical models that assess visitor perceptions and assist with the creation of effective messaging. The Theory of Planned Behavior and the Elaboration Likelihood Model are introduced as pertinent frameworks to the development of effective messaging which can alter visitor attitudes and perceptions. Chapters two and three present studies which evaluated visitor attitudes in NPS units, and chapter four builds upon this understanding by testing theoretically-based messaging with park visitors to determine if messaging can alter perceptions. Chapter five connects these studies by discussing how messaging can be applied in parks to alter visitor attitudes, perceptions and behaviors, while suggesting implications of the results and recommendations for future research. Study one investigates day-user and backcountry-overnight visitor attitudes concerning Leave No Trace at Rocky Mountain and Olympic National Parks. Leave No Trace is the most prominent educational message used to influence behaviors of protected-areas visitors with the end-goal of sustaining or improving resource conditions. The majority of previous research regarding Leave No Trace has focused on backcountry-overnight visitors. However, day-users are by far the largest user group of protected areas, and yet, research focused on this large and growing segment of users has been neglected. The purpose of this study was to enhance understanding of day-user knowledge, awareness and perceptions, and attitudes regarding Leave No Trace and compare them with those of overnight users. Greater understanding of the similarities and differences between these two user-groups is essential so that management can improve efficacy and create effective messaging strategies that alter behaviors and curb depreciative actions. Study two examines visitor attitudes toward alternative transportation systems in Rocky Mountain and Yosemite National Parks. The National Park Service is increasingly using alternative transportation to accommodate escalating visitation, while reducing the reliance upon personal vehicles that have attributed to resource and social condition impacts. Understanding of visitor perceptions of alternative transportation is vital for managers so that they may develop effective management strategies, frameworks, and messaging concerning alternative transportation use, yet little is known about visitor attitudes toward these systems. The purpose of this study was to examine visitor attitudes toward the alternative transportation experience and to determine salient variables that can be applied to user capacity frameworks, communication strategies, and park planning. Study three explores the role of educational messaging on visitor perceptions of military aircraft sounds in Sequoia National Park. Mandates require that the National Park Service protect natural soundscape, and research suggests that opportunities to experience natural sounds are among the most important reasons for visiting parks. Aircraft overflights are a significant source of anthropogenic noise intrusion in parks, and studies suggest that visitors frequently find these events annoying and unacceptable. The National Park Service must integrate methods to mitigate these impacts, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of educational messaging and to determine if this information can significantly affect visitor acceptability of military aircraft sounds by altering visitor expectations.Item Open Access Policy administrator position diffusion: regionally accredited higher education institutions in the United States(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Pyke, Janelle L., author; Makela, Carole J., advisor; Doe, Sue, committee member; Shelton, Paul, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberWhen I was asked to work with policies at my university, the process in place was hazy at best. I learned of the Association of College and University Administrators (ACUPA), which was an informal list serve at the time, but eventually incorporated as a recognized professional association. ACUPA membership represented a very small number of higher education institutions in the United States. This raised my curiosity as I wondered how many institutions have established such a position. Is it an emerging profession among regionally accredited higher education institutions in the United States? If so, why? An email invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to the chief academic officers, vice presidents for finance, and legal counsel at all (N = 2,889) regionally accredited higher education institutions in the United States and Washington, DC for which both contacts and IPEDS data were available. To establish prevalence, survey recipients were requested to respond even if their institution did not have the position. In addition to the survey, institutional characteristics were downloaded from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and merged with survey results. Everett Rogers (2003) Diffusion of Innovation theory was the framework to learn how and why this position was adopted or rejected. A binary logistic regression was used to determine if independent variables (institutional characteristics) contribute to the likelihood the dichotomous dependent variable (adoption or rejection of the position) had for one outcome versus the other. Based on the year of adoption, a cumulative frequency was generated which created the S-curve described by Rogers, depicting the rate of adoption. The survey collected data describing the position (e.g., FTEs, educational background, where it fits within the organization). Part of the qualitative portion of the survey was structured using Rogers' (2003) "innovation-decision process," which includes the following stages: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation of decision. Directed content analysis was chosen as the method of analyzing the open-ended responses. The S-curve created by plotting cumulative frequencies indicated an emerging profession. Although, the odds ratios suggest the odds of an institution establishing a policy administrator position decreases as the size of the institution decreases; institutions in all size categories reported having the position. Often expressed by respondents whose institutions do not have the position was the notion a full-time position could not be justified. However, the data show many positions are part time with varying percentages of an FTE devoted to policy work. Respondents stated goals or desired outcomes for the position and the issues to be addressed to achieve these goals and outcomes. This should be helpful to institutions considering the position as well as institutions who are just starting on the journey of establishing the position. A list of best practices emerged, which institutions may find helpful in implementing the position, to validate current policy practices whether or not they have the position, or may assist institutions in evaluating their need for the position.Item Open Access The experiences of women leaders advancing international peacebuilding: a cross-case study of Nobel Peace Prize laureates(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Hentschel, Margit, author; Kees, Nathalie, advisor; Jennings, Louise, committee member; Timpson, William, committee member; Zimmerman, Toni, committee memberRepresentative testimony is showcased from four living women Nobel Peace Prize laureates from a multitude of public texts, presentations, and interviews that document their voices and experiences to advance international peacebuilding. Critical feminist theory and critical literacy theory provide the theoretical framework to support my cross-case study. Mindful inquiry and appreciative inquiry are also employed as methods. Thematic findings include both an individual case study and a cross-case study presentation, which showcased two themes for each participant. The cross-case study findings reveal four predominant themes; 1) having access, power, and a platform as Nobel Peace Prize laureates, 2) social justice identity construction, 3) non-violent action, and 4) promoting a strategy of hope. The implications of my research highlight the importance of including women's voices in international peacebuilding and how their political leadership and activism promote human rights and democracy for all people. Recommendations for future research include greater gender equality in language construction and in fostering political peacebuilding leadership roles. Understanding how to replicate the exceptional qualities embodied by these four women is key in advancing future such leaders.Item Open Access The phenomena driving youth professional development initiatives in northeastern Colorado(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Cindrich, Cindy, author; Kaminski, Karen, advisor; Lopes, Tobin, advisor; Timpson, William, committee member; Scott, Malcolm, committee memberThe purpose of the study was to describe the phenomena driving youth professional development initiatives across 10 counties in northeastern Colorado by interpreting open-ended surveys from community residents and researcher observations. The design of the study used thematic analysis framed with Social Exchange Theory (Sabatelli & Shehan, 1993; Schilke, Reimann, & Cook, 2015; Smith et al., 2014) to describe the stakeholders involved in youth professional development programing and explore how power and trust support or impede region wide initiatives. The findings from nine open-ended surveys combined with communications and researcher's observations suggest that trust is built between individuals across the region but slowly dissolves at the organizational level creating what was described by a participant as the, "we tried and failed syndrome out here" across the region. Based on the findings, a methodology of appreciative inquiry is recommended to strengthen region wide initiatives by developing trust and balancing power across the communities in northeastern Colorado.Item Open Access Voices of interfaith dialogue: a phenomenological analysis(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Krebs, Stephanie Russell, author; Kees, Nathalie, advisor; Anderson, Sharon, committee member; Haddock, Shelley, committee member; Timpson, William, committee memberThe purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the lived-experiences of students participating in interfaith dialogue at the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) Interfaith Leadership Institute (ILI) in Atlanta. The lived-experiences of the participants were explored though the following research questions: (1) How do participants define interfaith dialogue in their own words? (2) How do participants experience interfaith dialogue? (3) What do participants perceive that they learn or gain through participation in interfaith dialogue? A purposive sample of eleven participants who self-selected to attend the ILI were recruited through the assistance of the IFYC staff. The researcher conducted a brief face-to-face screening in Atlanta with each participant, followed by a semi-structured interview via Skype or phone. Data was analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological approach, inductively looking for themes to emerge. Results demonstrated that the lived-experience of interfaith dialogue was characterized by: (1) the role of the environment, (2) the value of individual relationships through sharing and storytelling, (3) holding an ecumenical worldview, which led to the (4) strengthening of the individual's faith or non-faith tradition. The results of this study support past research on curricular intergroup dialogue and serves as a vehicle to translate similar outcomes to a co-curricular format. Recommendations include: intentionally creating environments to foster interfaith dialogue, expanding formats of interfaith dialogue to include co-curricular options and experiential opportunities, and increasing religious literacy through education and training. In addition, expanding the faith discussion to include the secular and others that do not fit with the current paradigm of religion must be explored.