Digital Commons Network^™

Same-Sex Peer Influence On Female Undergraduate Body Image Perception, Caitlyn Buchanan

Masters Theses

Regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic class, women throughout western cultures are well documented for having body image related insecurities. These insecurities can be the result of pressure to look and behave a certain way from a variety of sources including media and peers. This study explored the role that same-sex peers play in undergraduate women's perception of body image. Four undergraduate women at a public, Midwestern university who lived within campus housing were interviewed. Results of the study showed that same-sex peers did not play a significant role in the women's perception of body image. The results of this …

Hamstring Training Effects On Strength Gains In Ncaa Division I Varsity Soccer Players, Andrea M. Chilcote

Masters Theses

Those athletes who run at high speeds require eccentric strength when the hamstring muscles are in a lengthened state in order to absorb the increased forces, decreasing injury rate and performance deficits (Schmitt, Tyler & McHugh 2012). The purpose of this study was to determine if the intervention of an eccentric hamstring strengthening program would increase peak torque production in eccentric and concentric hamstring and quadriceps movements in Division I Men and Women Varsity soccer players.

Participants included 8 Division I soccer athletes (3 men, 5 women, mean age = 19.3 years (men) and 19.4 years (women), mean height = …

Written Discourse Performance After Blast Injury, Brittany M. Loomis

Masters Theses

A blast injury (BI) is caused by a wave from a bomb which damages organs, specifically the brain. Once soldiers/veterans have sustained a BI, they will most likely present with a cognitive-communication deficit resulting from the traumatic brain injury. Language related symptoms are most apparent in written language skills due to the high level of cognitive function required for writing. This study investigated written discourse skills following a BI. Written discourse samples were collected from four participants and four controls. A description of the Butcher Picture from the Aphasia Diagnostic Profile was analyzed for productivity, efficiency, and local and global …

The Functional Role Of Leaf Nutrients In An Old-Field Successional Community, Kirstin I. Duffin

Masters Theses

In functional ecology, traits that capture aspects of plant performance are used to understand how organisms interact with their environment. Leaf nutrients are an example of a functional trait that directly links to plant metabolic processes and therefore may describe plant assemblage dynamics. Multivariate leaf nutrient analyses may be used with other functional traits to understand ecological strategies because they are a direct measure of leaf metabolic processes and can describe nuances in plant allocation patterns. In this thesis, I explored (1) whether a suite of leaf nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) was related to plant growth …

Financial Literacy: Past, Present And Future Impact On College Freshmen, Jennifer Monkman

Masters Theses

This study researched the financial literacy of first-year students relating to their personal finances and financial aid at a rural, Midwestern, four-year public institution. The participants in the study were limited to first-year students with no previous college credit. There were 97 participants in this study, with 84 participant's completing the entire survey. Results of the study indicated that overall students did have financial literacy relating to their financial aid. The results also indicated that students main and original source of financial knowledge came from their parent or guardian. Recommended for Student Affairs Professional is to create more comprehensive orientation …

Trophic Interactions In A Semiaquatic Snake Community: Insights Into The Structure Of A Floodplain Food Web, Cynthia M. Carter

Masters Theses

Food webs provide a useful conceptual framework for evaluating the relationships that exist within ecological systems. Characterizing the interactions within these webs can improve our understanding of how communities are structured and what mechanisms stabilize them. Untangling these interactions can be an intractable problem in complex systems and insights gained from conventional methods are often accompanied by inherent sources of bias. This study used stable isotope analysis, an alternative to traditional methods, to investigate the roles and relative contributions of consumers at the top of a food web to community structure and stability. I compared the niche parameters of five …

The Effects Of Cued Speech On Phonemic Awareness Skills, Jessica M. Phillips

Masters Theses

Research suggests phonemic awareness is enhanced through multimodality training. Cued Speech is a multimodality system that combines hand signs with mouth movements to represent phonemes of the spoken language. This system has been utilized successfully in developing phonological awareness with children with hearing loss. However, no research is available on its effectiveness with children who are not deaf or hard-of-hearing. The efficacy of the use of Cued Speech for the enhancement of phonological skills in typically developing 1st grade students was evaluated in this study. Twenty-six 1^st graders identified as low-achieving readers by their classroom teachers were administered the …

Not Just Blowin' Smoke: Marijuana Legalization Initiatives And The 2012 Presidential Election, Steven Anderson

Masters Theses

Since 1996, numerous states have passed laws to allow use of marijuana for medical purposes. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the drug for recreational use. The two recreational legalization movements, along with many medical laws, were passed via citizen's referendum (passed by the legislature and approved by voters) or initiative (placed on ballot by petition and approved by voters). This paper seeks to examine the link between support for the legalization movements in three states (Colorado, Washington and Oregon) and support for President Obama in the 2012 Presidential Election. Ten different variables are examined …

Creative Writing Pedagogy: The Autobiographical Narrative In Hybrid Projects As A Means To Explore Intersectionality, Tana G. Young

Masters Theses

My thesis addresses the role of creative writing methods in fostering close observation, attention to detail, critical thinking and a keener awareness of intersectionalities in writing classrooms across disciplines, but most especially the humanities and social sciences. I contend that the "real work" of the academy is critical thinking. Further, using creative writing, specifically autobiographical narrative in FYC, anticipates multimodal projects and digital storytelling, all of which fosters creative and critical thinking.

Between Heaven And Hell And Heathens, Gabrielle Knock

Masters Theses

This work of fiction explores the relationship between worshipped and worshipper by dually depicting it as a child/parent relationship and as a relationship between lovers. Written in the tradition of parodies like Don Quixote and re-imaginings of myths like The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee, I use humor and a contemporary setting in my book about a child who could be the second coming of Christ, but who cares more about his mother' s approval than he does about God.

Troubled, Solomohn Nallshi Ennis-Klyczek

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Accommodating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Writing Center, Rebekah Barton

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how collegiate writing centers could better serve the needs of students with autism. As there is so little research that involves writing centers and college students with autism, scholarship was pulled from traditional writing center pedagogy, research concerning adults with autism, and the information that was available about teaching students with autism in the college composition classroom. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct my own research: my study involved surveys, interviews, visits, and website analysis. It became clear that not only are writing centers not ready to accommodate students with autism, but some writing center …

From Prairienet To The Cdi: Writing The History, Sally Van Der Graaff

Masters Theses

This paper, the companion to the written work I completed for the Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI) at the University of Illinois, will provide the background of the project and describe my involvement in its production. The project itself is a comprehensive history of the center's work in the field of information access, with particular emphasis on the digital divide. Insofar as gaining an understanding of digital divide theory was a necessary precursor to researching and writing this history, the companion paper will begin with an exploration of the literature on the digital divide debate and proceed with an analysis …

Daily Eastern News: December 15, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

December 12, 2014, Council On University Planning And Budget

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 12, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 11, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 10, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 09, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 08, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 05, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 04, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 03, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

December 2, 2014, Faculty Senate

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 02, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 01, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 21, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 20, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 19, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

November 18, 2014, Faculty Senate

Minutes

No abstract provided.