Montana Tech Nursing and Associate of Science Students Publish Research

The Community College Journal of Research and Practice has published the research study of two Montana Tech students, Virginia Wait, Nursing, and Robert Shelton, Associate of Science, along with their faculty mentors, Dr. Elyse D’nn Lovell and Jeff Draper. The research study is entitled: Student-Researchers Explore Cell Phone Socialization and Addiction: Strengthening Academic and Community Connections.
Virginia is a Tech Nursing Student and Robert is working on his Associate of Science degree from Tech’s Highlands College. Dr. Lovell is a Montana Tech faculty member teaching Psychology and Gerontology.
“Cell phones are everywhere and people seem to be glued to them,” aid Virginia. “Robert and I believed it to be important to understand what that means, especially for my generation and our children.”

This research focused on the impact of cell phone usage on different groups of students, including student-parents, non-traditional aged students and males and females. Their findings suggested that although cell phone usage is ubiquitous among college students, the impact of that usage is very different among the various groups studied.

“We encourage a well-rounded education,” said Karen VanDaveer, Director of Nursing at Montana Tech. “Applied research, such as this, conducted by students, with faculty assistance, gives our students much more than classroom education. It is very exciting when their research actually gets recognized in an academic journal.”

For any further information about this issue or any issue pertaining to Montana Tech or Highlands College, please contact Amanda Badovinac at 406-496-4828 or Dr. Elyse Lovell at 406-496-3786.