Education Commons^™

Collaboration Between Student Affairs And Academic Affairs At Liberal Arts Institutions, Jessica Lynn Moon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the perceptions, attitudes, and practices of senior student affairs administrators and academic affairs administrators regarding collaborative work between their respective divisions. Through a survey adapted for this study, senior administrators at liberal arts institutions were asked to report their perceptions and opinions on the relationship between student affairs and academic affairs at their institution. They were also asked their perceptions of the need for collaborative relationships, the benefits of partnerships, occurrences of collaboration, and the perceived barriers to collaboration at their institutions. Seven scale composites were created to allow for a clear comparison of administrative responses on …

Resource Consultation : A Study Of The Relationship Between An Elementary Mathematics Teacher And The Talented And Gifted Coordinator, Janine Kane

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to document the relationship between a fourth grade teacher and the talented and gifted (TAG) coordinator as they provided services to advanced learners in mathematics. The participants' conversations during consultation sessions were transcribed and analyzed. Categories included curriculum and methods, grouping, relationship, barriers, and mentoring. Interviews, questionnaires, and observations of classroom instruction provided supporting data. Little mentoring occurred during the participants' interactions and a pull-out model of service provision was followed. Possible reasons for the continued use of the pull-out model were barriers (e.g., time, space, and class assignment practices), the participants' beliefs, the …

Teacher Perceptions Of Iowa Workshop Model Aspects Fostering Use Of Project Wet, Marcene Seavey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

State partners of national environmental education (EE) programs contribute to professional development in EE through their program delivery. This study describes teacher perceptions of individual elements of EE workshops provided by one such program, Iowa Project WET. The study found that educators associate three types of workshop activities with successful classroom integration of Project WET activities: ( a) Experiencing activities first-hand, (b) interacting with other educators, and (c) learning about the Project WET Activity and Curriculum Guide. Almost 90% of survey respondents integrate some of the activities they experience during the workshop into their classrooms. Some of these teachers also …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Application Of Instructional Design Elements In The Distance Teaching Process, Lihua Zheng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educators use an instructional design process to improve instruction and to ensure learning. Faculty who teach at a distance must rely heavily on the instructional design process because of constraints in distance instruction. Thus, it is especially important for instructors to know, understand, and apply instructional design elements when planning to teaching at a distance. However, little research has been done in this field. Therefore, additional research has become the focus of this study. This study examines the perceptions of instructors at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Cedar Falls, Iowa, regarding how they understood and applied instructional design elements …

Development And Implementation Of The University Of Northern Iowa's “Students First” Capital Campaign: A Case Study, Cornelius Anthony Castain

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A case study was conducted of The University of Northern Iowa's Students First 100 million-dollar comprehensive capital campaign. This study examined the predominant forces, activities, and participants associated with employing the capital campaign strategy at a public comprehensive university. When, how, and in what sequence did these major forces, activities, and participants converge to develop and implement the capital campaign? The study also describes major challenges incurred during the campaign cycle. The initial interview questionnaire was adapted from a study by Leonard Moisan (1986) of the University of Virginia's capital campaign. Seventeen people were interviewed including the President, development staff, …

Social Experiences Of African-American Female Students On A Predominantly White Campus, Guy Alexander Sims

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the social experiences of African American female students at a predominantly white institution finding that in several areas of student life African American female students persisted to graduation without necessarily establishing informal social interactions within the university community. This is contrary to Vincent Tinto's posit that students who fail to make a connection with the campus community are more likely to withdraw from the institution. This study introduces the term irrelation as a descriptor of a social construct I have applied to African American female college students on the campus of a large, public, mid-western university. Irrelation …

An Analysis Of Progress Toward Safe And Drug-Free Schools, Kristina A. Lorenzen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Childhood Depression And Resiliency : An Evaluation Of The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Program, Sarah Carroll Jones

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Some researchers have investigated the use of resiliency-building programs to prevent childhood depression in at risk populations (Comer, 1985; Gladstone & Beardslee, 2000; Seligman, 1995). The following study investigates the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Program (DECA). The DECA Program is designed to build resiliency in preschool children by increasing factors that have been found to be related to resiliency: initiative, self-control, and attachment. The study evaluated the short-term effectiveness of the DECA Program. Two Head Start Centers participated in the study. Pretest DECA rating scales were completed by the classroom teachers. For the next three months the experimental classrooms used …

An Investigation Of The Concept Of Balance In Children Ages 6–9: Logic And Protologic Identifiable In Making Mobiles, Seon Chun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research was conducted to explore children's construction of protologic (foreshadowing of operations) in the context of experience with balance mobiles in a constructivist setting and to explore the usefulness of making mobiles in promoting children's development of the concept of balance.

The statement of the problem is (a) Can constructivist principles of cognitive development be used to understand children's progress in the course of educational activities involving balance? If so, how? What does the progressive construction of notions about balance look like in children's behaviors? and (b) Does children's understanding of balance improve after experimenting with making mobiles?

The …

Effectiveness Of Educator-Oriented Content Courses, Joslyn K. Burt

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The idea of teaching science strikes fear into the hearts and minds of many elementary teachers; however, as a core piece of the overall curriculum, they cannot escape teaching science. The courses taken at the university and the professional development classes taken on the job play a critical role in helping educators feel comfortable teaching science. Such courses also impact how the content is taught by introducing the best practices used in science teaching.

As a Basic Science Minor in the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, I have taken many science content courses and several courses …

Factors Associated With The Decision Not To Become 7–12 Principals By Those Holding The License, Gail Moorman Behrens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to find out from educators who held the requisite credentials to be a secondary principal, but were not serving in that position, why fewer licensed educators are choosing to apply for secondary principal positions. This investigation was initiated because a shortage of qualified secondary principals in the state of Iowa had been indicated.

Four research questions were utilized with a quantitative research approach. A survey instrument was mailed to a sample of Iowa educators holding the Iowa 7-12 principal license but not serving 7-12 principal positions. The final sample included 131 responses which represented …

Preparation For The Role Of Baccalaureate Nurse Educator: Implications For Development Of Nurse Educator Curriculum, Vickie R. Barth

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics, experience and opinions of nurse educator faculty related to preparation for the role of nurse educator. Eighty-nine baccalaureate nurse educators randomly selected from each time zone of the continental United States electronically completed the “Nursing Faculty Development Survey.” Faculty members within nursing education programs typically hold advanced degrees in nursing. They are considered to be experts within their specialty area. Faculty are often hired for their clinical expertise rather than any formal educator preparation. Colleges of nursing routinely evaluate their programs and review student outcomes to ensure quality education. However, …

Internationalizing Higher Education: A Case Study Of A Midwest Comprehensive University, Irene Tan Ai Lian

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The international component of higher education has faced significant challenges over the past two decades due to the effects of globalization. The realization that international interdependence is not an abstract theory but a reality has prompted institutions of higher education in the United States to internationalize their campuses.

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how and to what extent a Midwest comprehensive university has developed its internationalization process Special focus was placed on understanding and drawing conclusions from the perceptions of administrators and faculty members regarding the importance of internationalizing a campus and the factors that …

A Qualitative Study Of Relational Aggression In Sixth Grade Girls, Catherine Tinsley Mclallen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Middle school can be a time of great upheaval and unfamiliar footing for a new sixth grader. When students enter middle school, the peer hierarchy and social dynamics of elementary school are often shifted in ways that can be confusing and intimidating. Many new things are expected of a sixth grader that was not expected from a fifth grader. Suddenly there are different teachers for all the classes. There is a choice of classes to take, homework, there is a schedule to memorize. Students are asked to take the initiative and decide what they want to do, rather than having …

Reading Recovery, Wendy C. Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Reading Recovery students' performance was compared to Title One and Comparison students' performance on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Curriculum Based Measurement reading probes, and teacher ranking. The following questions were addressed in order to answer the primary question, "Do Reading Recovery students maintain their reading gains when compared to other groups of students who did not participate in Reading Recovery?" 1. Does the number of Reading Recovery, Title One, and Comparison students who scored above the 40th percentile change from second through fifth grade? 2. Are there statistically significant differences in ITBS Total Reading scores between groups (i.e., …

The Effects Of Aerobic Activity On The Self-Stimulating Behaviors Of Children Diagnosed With Autism, Jason Lee Witte

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Predicting Ghanaian Pre-Service Teachers' Intention To Teach High-Risk Sexual Behavior Prevention From Teaching Efficacy And Prevention Approach, Joseph Kwesi Ogah

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Youth and adolescents in African Countries have been experiencing high prevalence levels of the outcomes of high-risk sexual behavior (HRSB), such as HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, illegal abortions, and dropping out of school. Education is one means by which HRSB can be reduced among adolescents, but the sensitive nature of sex education and the controversy over which prevention approach to use have made the teaching of HRSB prevention in schools a cautious undertaking. The purpose of this study was to describe (a) pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs for teaching HRSB prevention and (b) pre-service teachers’ preferred approach to HRSB prevention, as determinants …

Student Perceptions Of Ethics And Professionalism In Computer Science: Does Age, Gender, Or Experience Matter?, James Stuart Bohy

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This work explores several factors that impact ethics education in undergraduate computer science, including: the overall understanding of ethics material, any differences between male and female subjects, any differences between traditional age and non-traditional age subjects, and any differences in experience level. Instruments (attitudinal surveys and reflective scenarios) were distributed to four institutions in the Midwest; 74 out of 170 were returned.

Female subjects demonstrated a markedly better ability to distinguish between ethical and unethical behavior in the scenarios (especially in areas where the distinctions were less obvious) and produced higher quality written justifications. There were only 4 attitudinal survey …