Education Commons^™

Evaluating The Effect Of A Guided Fantasy Visualization On The Figural And Verbal Originality Of Upper Elementary Students, David B. Windahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated a method for stimulating several aspects of short-term creative thinking. It was hypothesized that the figural and verbal originality scores of students receiving a guided fantasy visualization (GFV) would be significantly different from those scores of students not receiving a GFV. Fifty-six children from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades of Price Laboratory School, Cedar Falls, Iowa, were pre-tested on one figural and one verbal subtest from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). After scoring the subtest on the originality scale only, students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Following a four week interval, …

Selected Characteristics Of The Iowa Elementary Principalship, 1980-81, Dennis A. Heth

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to provide current information and analyses of selected characteristics of Iowa elementary principals for the 1980-81 school year. Data concerning the current status of Iowa elementary principals was sought by the Iowa Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals.

The study reported data available from Iowa, other individual states and the nation. Comparisons were made of data provided from this study and those previously reported.

Data was collected by means of a questionnaire sent to 225 persons listed as elementary principals with the Iowa Department of Public Instruction. For comparative purposes, the data was …

The Staffing: A Naturalistic Study Of The Educational Placement Process, Susan Laurene Law

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The intent of this study was to do a naturalistic observation of a series of staffings in order to generate a descriptive basis for theoretical notions or working hypotheses concerning the procedures, functioning and social relationships within the process. Relevant categories that emerged from the data were: labelling, test validity and reliability, laws and regulations, encouraging a decision, space, and parental participation. The study suggests that there are differences between the formally prescribed procedures and functions of a staffing and the actual behaviours of professionals and parents involved with the process. The variety of necessary coping strategies used by professionals …

Application Of Piaget’S Theory Of Cognitive Growth To The Development Of An Interview Protocol And Validation Of A Task To Assess Reasoning Abilities Of College Students, Bruce Edward Perry

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The developmental theory of Jean Piaget provides a paradigm for evaluation of the reasoning abilities of an individual. The overall aim of Piaget's work was to delineate the sequence of the development of intelligence, particularly the ability of a subject to interact successfully with complex problems or to deal with simple problems in more efficient ways. To this end, this study investigated the validation of a new interview task as an instrument for assessing the formal reasoning abilities of college students. The new task, patterned after a game called MasterMind, requires the subject to deduce the color and location of …

A Study Of Industrial Arts Teachers' Opinions Of Gifted And Talented Students In Black Hawk County, Iowa, James Robert Wrona

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

While the handicapped and disadvantaged have enjoyed the benefit of some unique industrial arts educational programming, relatively little has been done to provide for the special educational needs of gifted and talented students. This may be partially a result of little research completed associating the gifted and talented student with industrial arts. Additionally, legislative support for gifted and talented students has been lacking. It was not until 1978, with the passage of Public Law 95-561, that programs for gifted and talented students have been granted some funding on the federal level. Although this public law can authorize up to $35 …

Identification Of Learning Disabled Children And Effects Of Resource Room Programs: A Descriptive Study, Michael Edwin Brown

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the process involved in identifying who is eligible for special education programs under the learning disabilities label, and the effects of one type of special education program, the resource room, on the educational development of children identified as learning disabled (LD). The identification process was found, in general, to be guided by a theoretical definition and accompanying operational criteria, which were developed as a result of a need for a compromise definition of a learning disability. Because of the broad scope of the definition and operational criteria, a degree of …

Evaluation Of The Cedar Falls, Iowa Title I Reading Program In Grades Two, Three, Four: With An Emphasis On Comprehension Instruction, Katherine Dyke Beebe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 initiated federal aid to education on a large scale. Since Title I's inception, evaluative data have been attempting to demonstrate conclusively the value of the program in reducing reading failure. This study investigated the effectiveness of the Cedar Falls Title I reading program within the evaluation models established by the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System (TIERS). In addition, this study investigated the effectiveness of the Diagnostic and Instructional Materials and Procedures for Improved Instruction in the Area of Reading Comprehension (DMPRC) in improving reading instruction in Title I. …

Attitudes Of Non-Disabled College Students Toward Other Successful College Students With Histories Of Psychiatric Hospitalization Through The Attribution Of Locus Of Control, Robert Herman Stensrud

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine how nondisabled college students would perceive disabled college students who were depicted as being successful. Undergraduate students at the University of Northern Iowa were studied to determine the attitudes they maintained toward a hypothetical individual. One-half of the 253 subjects received a story about an individual who had been a patient at the State Mental Health Institute, Independence, Iowa. The other one-half of the subjects received a story about an individual who had never been hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. Aside from this aspect, both stories were identical. Subjects evaluated both hypothetical individuals …

The Effects Of A Modified Language Experience Cloze Approach Upon The Comprehension Scores Of Seventh Grade Developmental Reading Students, Nancy Dykstra Russell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was conducted to detennine if a modified language experience cloze approach is an effective means of teaching reading to seventh grade students. Researchers and specialists in the field have indicated that the use of the cloze procedure is a valid technique for improving comprehension for two reasons. First, cloze forces the student to manipulate the semantic and syntactic cues of the language. Second, the cloze procedure material more closely approximates the reading process than the traditional questioning fonnat used with reading materials. The language experience approach was suggested for use in teaching reading since the approach eliminates the …

Curriculum Articulation In The Cedar Falls, Iowa, Secondary Schools, Elaine Linda Rasmussen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Continuity of educational experiences and activities from grade to grade and classroom to classroom has been acknowledged as a primary factor in the development of a sound educational program. The diverse aspects of the American educational system serve to obstruct rather than assist schools in the attainment of such continuity, and philosophical differences about the role and function of the schools serve to further obfuscate the curriculum articulation process. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, Community Schools have recognized the problems inherent in the absence of a vertical articulation structure and their detrimental effect upon the educational process. This study has attempted …

Intelligence, Intelligence Tests, And Developmental Characteristics Of Three To Six Year Olds: A Review And Critique, Margreta Ellen Hartje

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research had a dual purpose. First it reviewed literature relevant to issues surrounding the construct of intelligence, developmental characteristics of the preschool child, and the measurement of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of preschool development. The review attempted to bridge the gap between the development of and the measurement of intelligence. The second function of the study was to provide a limited review and critique of commercial and non-commercial preschool measurement devices. The tests were categorized as intelligence/cognitive, language, motor, social/adaptive, or tests constructed on the basis of specific developmental theories. Criteria for inclusion centered around the test's usage …

A Post-Hoc Analysis Of Factors Contributing To The Preponderance Of Males In Learning Disabilities, Roger Joseph Piwowarski

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study assessed the efficacy of specific classes of variables (Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Extrapersonal) for the explanation of the preponderance of males in learning disabilities placements (LO). Factors were selected which represented a cross-section of variable classes and included behavioral, genetic, and physiological factors. A large number of variables were included to facilitate a relationship between the present study and the many mutually exclusive theories of LO. A significant purpose of the present study was to examine the applicability of specific theories of LO to an actual population. An examination was made of the case histories of a complete population …

Achievement, Productivity, And Participation As A Function Of Task Feedback Among Kindergarten Students, Catherine M. Hill

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There has been little research which specifically explores the effects of visually charted feedback techniques with kindergarten aged students working independently in a classroom setting. Consequently, the role of feedback, an externally observable event, is not well understood. Using a learning centers approach in which kindergartners worked daily at an independent task, the present study investigated the relationship between two feedback conditions (a) teacher-charting of student progress and (b) student self-charting of progress and the measures of student achievement, productivity, and participation. Subjects were twenty white, middle-class students who were enrolled in a kindergarten in a mid-western school district. A …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Bilalian Children's Error Pattern On The Ppvt-R, Carole Redfield Coffey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to analyze the errors made by four year old Bilalian (Black) children to the stimuli which comprise the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (PPVT-R) in order to generate possible explanations for the.children's preferred ("incorrect") responses in terms of language patterns and reasoning processes. Standardized administration procedures were disregarded; testing with each of the 21 children began with Plate 10 and proceeded until six "misses" occurred within eight consecutive responses. Each error, along with the test publishers' stipulated ("correct") response and a distractor, was queried in an attempt to ascertain the reason for the …

Placing A Parent In A Nursing Home: Factors Related To Adult Children's Decisions, Ruth Cordle Hatch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify alternatives and factors considered in the decision to place parents in nursing homes and to Identify feelings, relationships, needs, and satisfaction levels of the adult children involved in the decision. The researcher also sought suggestions of ways adult children's needs might be met.

Procedure. Adult children who were listed as next-of-kin of parents residing in Black Hawk County, Iowa intermediate care nursing homes were sent questionnaires developed by the researcher. Structured interviews were conducted with 12 of the 106 respondents to obtain information of greater depth. Instruments included multiple …

The Correlation Of Ses And Children’S Performance On The Wisc-R And R-Cpm, Anne Carolyn Robb

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the relationship between the WISC-R and the R-CPM for a sample of 44 fourth grade males classified according to SES. The questions asked were: 1) Does the R-CPM correlate most highly with the Block Design and Object Assembly subtests of the WISC-R; and, 2) what, if any, effect has SES on children's performance on these two instruments? Results indicate a moderate (.52) correlation between the R-CPM and the Performance Scale of the WISC-R. Within that scale, the R-CPM correlated most highly with the Picture Completion, Block Design and Object Assembly subtests. A moderate correlation (.56) was also …

A Study Of The Administrative And Instructional Usage Of Electronic Data Processing In The Iowa Public Schools During 1979-1980, Gary B. Shontz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The major purposes of this study were: (1) to determine electronic data processing usage in the Iowa public school districts during the 1979-1980 fiscal year, including administrative and instructional uses of electronic data processing services and their sources; and (2) to determine the planned use of statewide computer software for administrative and instructional applications.

Questionnaires were mailed to all 443 Iowa school districts in existence as of July 1, 1980. A total of 384 districts (86.7 percent) participated in the study. For analysis purposes, the school districts were divided into seven size codes as defined by the State of Iowa …