Digital Commons Network^™

Computer Use In K-12 Classrooms, Terry J. Shaw

Graduate Research Papers

This project has two components: a survey of educators to determine how technology is being used in K-12 classrooms and a web site of software, Internet sites, and contact person in each grade level and subject area. To discover the use of technology in the K-12 classroom, a survey was sent to 3,500 educators within the Area Education Agency 7 boundaries. The results of the survey have been published on a website and will serve as a place for teachers seeking guidance on what software and Internet sites are considered "best practice." The website is divided by academic disciplines and …

Need Help Asap!! A Call For The Development Of Online Research Guidelines And Protocols, G. Jon Hall, Douglas J. Frederick

Iowa Journal of Communication

The use of electronic forums for research has recently been recognized and encouraged. Research via Usenet saves time, is convenient, and is accessible 24 hours per day. Moreover, electronic forums may serve as a potential research site for virtually any topic in any discipline. However, research methodology has failed to keep pace with technological advancement. Application of traditional research methods to electronic forums often are inappropriate and injurious to member-participants. The development of research methodology by trial and error is irresponsible. This study, an outgrowth of an actual case study, seeks to call attention to the need for protocols and …

The Virtual Pet Ate My Homework, Mark D. Jones

Iowa Journal of Communication

The Virtual Pet Are My Homework contains an examination of the social and psychological relationships developed by early-adolescent and pre-adolescent children around the miniature electronic devices known as tomagotchis, or virtual pets. Two sets of children, one older and one younger, were interviewed in focus group settings. The interview protocol made use of prior research on social-psychological relationships with television and computers, and employed the results of these studies as sensitizing concepts. Though the number of subjects interviewed was small, it was observed that the children cognitively differentiated between the devices and the pets represented on the device screen. …

Predictable Text With Primary Age Children In A Title One Reading Program, Joanne H. Dearment

Graduate Research Papers

Readers create meaning in print through the process of prediction. Prediction and comprehension are intricately tied together. Reading predictable books helps young readers comprehend text because their expectations are repeatedly confirmed. Predictable text brings children naturally into the reading process and allows them to process print much as mature readers.

When predictable text is implemented into a Title One reading program, students can more successfully interact with text. This sense of achievement motivates them to become actively engaged in reading experiences. As a result, students became better readers because they are reading more. Also, they became improved writers because the …

Emergent Literacy : School To Home Connection, Barbara Grell

Graduate Research Papers

All homes have opportunities to influence young children's emerging literacy. Parents or other caregivers and teachers can work together to help children develop literacy abilities. Sharing this responsibility between the home.and school demonstrates to children the importance of learning. Establishing connections from home to school and from school to home will help children make sense of the world in which they live. The school can provide families with ideas to support literacy development in the home.

A project to support children's emerging literacy at home is provided through the use of literacy theme bags. This project is designed for first …

A Literature-Based Extension Of A Basal Reading Unit, Julie J. Holdsworth-Nagal

Graduate Research Papers

A unit on friendship in the basal reader was extended to include many literature experiences and teacher-directed and student-initiated activities for children in second grade. Quality pieces of literature from different genres served as the unit's basis. Many different expressive activities that extended the literature experiences were offered through learning centers, both sustaining and specific to the unit. Children worked in the centers individually, in pairs, and in small groups. Whole group sharing time at the end of daily center sessions was provided.

The print-rich environment with many opportunities for engaging in the language processes led to quality comprehension-composition connections. …

Differential Effects Of Game Structure And Sociomoral Atmosphere On The Social Behaviors Of First Grade Students, Taunjah Patrease Bell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous research has suggested that the structure of games influences children's social behaviors. However, no research to date has focused on the effects of both game structure and sociomoral atmosphere on children's social behaviors in the classroom. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to detennine the differential effects of game structure and sociomoral atmosphere on children's social behaviors during game time. Specifically, this study examined the differential effects of cooperative and competitive games on the cooperative, aggressive, disengaged and engaged onlooking behaviors of children in a constructivist and traditional classroom atmosphere. A total of 36 first grade students …

Field Methods To Enhance Degradation Of Nitrate In Surficial Soils, Urko Atxotegi Alegria

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An environmental field study was conducted from April to October 1998 in the Black Hawk County, Iowa. The main goal of the study was to find an appropriate field method to enhance degradation of nitrates in the surficial soil. Seven different methods were developed in the study to compare between four variables. The variables that were investigated were the source of nitrates, the moisture content of the soil, the uptake by plants and the total carbon content of the soil. The investigation has also been conducted to find out the specific influence of each parameter on landuse. A weather station …

The Relationship Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Aggression In Children: A Cross-Sectional Study, Eric Wayne Boelter

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examined the correlation between aggression and ADHD symptoms across several age groups in children. Participants were elementary and secondary students recruited from grades 1st through 12th in a suburban, university-affiliated laboratory school (N = 426). The students' teachers also participated in the study. The study consisted of administering questionnaires to students and teachers. These included: (a) The Self-Report Inventory, (b) The Peer Nomination Inventory, and (c) The Teacher Report Inventory. All of these measures were designed for this study. One way analysis of variance for gender showed that males were more aggressive and had more ADHD symptoms than …

Sex, Violence, And Hand Puppets: History And Structure Of Punch And Judy Performance Tradition, James Robert Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Punch and Judy are characters who exist only within the boundaries of the puppet theatre, in performances where characters are portrayed by inanimate figures. Nonetheless, the history of the puppet theatre, and particularly that of Punch and Judy, is closely related to the history of more widely accepted, actor-based theatre, where characters are portrayed by human beings. While the two traditions-share many common elements--such as the importance of characterization, direction, and design--the essential difference between actor-theatre and puppetry is the manner in which the performance is presented. The approach of this study is threefold: first, a linear history of the …

Factors That Influence Women’S Decision Regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy At Menopause, Judy Mixsell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence women's decision regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at menopause. It is estimated that between 15 and 25% of eligible women are on HRT today. With all of the scientific evidence on the benefits of HR T, this percentage is very low. A questionnaire was sent to 420 randomly selected women from Black Hawk County ages 40 years and older. There were 161 usable responses for a 38.3% return rate. The majority of the women in the study were in the 40-60 years-old age group and were Caucasian college graduates. …

Degradation Of Explosives In Solution Using Bacteria, A Fungus (Phanerochaete Chrysosporium), Titanium Dioxide, Ozone, And Electrochemical Peroxidation, Stéphane Debost

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

As a result of munitions manufacturing and decommissioning, explosive compounds have contaminated groundwater and soils at many sites throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Three of the most commonly occurring explosive contaminants are TNT, ROX, and HMX. Many processes, biological as well as physical, have been developed to remediate the contaminated material. But feasibility studies rarely take into account the three contaminants at once. We chose four of the technologies used to remediate explosives-contaminated water and studied comparatively their effectiveness and efficiency in degrading TNT, ROX, and HMX in solution at their maximal solubilities. The chosen technologies were bacterial and fungal …

Dramaturgical Perspective In Modern Police Work : An Analysis Of Interviews And Observations, Michael P. Wagner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Using a qualitative approach, I analyze data collected from two small Midwestern police departments. I gathered this data through a combination of methods: ethnographic interviewing, participant observation, and content analysis of police artifacts and documents. Most of the data derive from (1) my ethnographic interviews of 17 police officers and (2) my observations of officers during 16 "ride-along."

My analyses are guided by Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical analysis of face-to-face interaction, Manning's (1971; 1977) dramaturgical approach to policing, and Hunt and Manning's (1991) dramaturgical studies of police lying and the use of normal force (see also Hunt 1985). I rely most …

Simulation Of Optimal Drive Systems Consisting Of Gear-Cam Mechanisms With Brushless Dc Servomotors, Norbert Fritz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study presents the development of flexible tools for the numerical simulation of processing machine drives that consist of servomotors, mechanisms, and machine tools. The simulation allows predicting the motions or vibrations of linkages, forces and torques in joints, motor currents, and system response times as well as evaluating stability and characteristic frequencies of the drive system The simulation tools were implemented as macro components in macro component libraries using the EASY5* Dynamic System Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis software by the Boeing Company. Application of the developed macro components allows fast and efficient modeling of a variety of different drive …

Yusef Komunyakaa: Questioning Traditional Metaphors Of Light And Darkness, Katarzyna Jakubiak

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The theory of language promoted by cognitive linguistics points to metaphor as the crucial element of language and thought: a mode of thinking which determines our perception of reality. Stressing the importance of metaphor in our everyday life, George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, and Mark Turner state that the nature of poetic metaphors is the same as the nature of conventional metaphors which appear in "standard" language. Creating poetic metaphors, poets simply explore "conventional" metaphors, using four major strategies: expanding, elaborating, composing, and questioning. Focusing on questioning as the main strategy through which American "multicultural" literatures can undermine basic Western concepts …

The Commonweal In The Heartland: Charles T. Kelly And Iowa's Industrial Army, Ryan James Sprau

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Decades before the 1930s, or the period most Americans refer to as the Great Depression, the United States suffered through one of the worst economic crises in national history. While not as devastating nor as prolonged as the economic disaster that affected the United States in the 1930s, the depression that gripped the nation from 1893 to 1897 forced millions out of work. The Commonweal of Christ, more commonly known as the industrial army movement of 1894, offered one solution to the nation's crippling unemployment problem. Crusade founder Jacob S. Coxey planned to lead the nation's unemployed and discontented into …

Parents And Schools : Making The Literacy Connection, Patricia A. Greguras

Graduate Research Papers

Families can offer children many opportunities to read and write in their home. By being role models, parents demonstrate to their children the genuine functions of language. Letting children know that reading and writing are meaningful activities and are used for practical and enjoyable reasons fosters literacy.

A home/school literacy project was developed in a fifth grade class to encourage the home/school connection and to provide more parental support for the school program. Students wrote a monthly newsletter to their parents, read and journaled nightly with their parents, and invited parents to share their job experience, favorite book, vacation or …

Developing Literacy Through Symbolic Play, Lisa Kaiser

Graduate Research Papers

This study examined the effects of symbolic play on children's emerging literacy. Benefits, as well as problems, associated with facilitating literacy through symbolic play were discussed. Guidelines for teachers on the successful use of symbolic play as a tool for literacy development were presented. Conclusions were drawn from the literature and recommendations made for the future facilitation of literacy-based play.

Ballast Quarterly Review, V14n1, Autumn 1998, Roy R. Behrens

Ballast Quarterly Review

A journal devoted to wit, the contents of which are intended to be insightful, amusing, or thought provoking.

Earth News, Fall 1998, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Faculty Achievements and Activities
--- 1998 Earth Science Graduates
--- Student Research Presentations
--- Sigma Gamma Epsilon - Gamma Sigma Chapter
--- Earth Science Majors
--- Observatory: Room with a Stellar View
--- Gifts to the Department of Earth Science
--- 1998 Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- UNI Students Get Up Close and Personal with Nature
--- Earth Science Alumni Notes

Programs And Courses 1998-2000, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Programs and Courses Catalogs

This catalog is published for students and other persons who want to know more about the University of Northern Iowa. Its purpose is to communicate as objectively and completely as possible what the university is and what it does. The catalog is presented in sections to give a general view of the university as well as the detailed information required for informed decision making.

Program Abstracts, 110th Session, Iowa Academy Of Science, April 24-25, 1998, Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Presentation abstracts from the annual meeting of the Iowa Academy of Science

The Annual Meeting Of The Iowa Academy Of Science April 24-25, 1998 [Program, 110th Meeting], Iowa Academy Of Science

Iowa Academy of Science Documents

Contents:

Program Summary -- 3
General Session Speakers -- 5
Awards -- 8
Symposia Programs -- 9
Poster Session -- 10
Map -- Centerfold
Section Programs/Special Sessions -- 14
Agricultural Sciences -- 14
Anthropology -- 15
Botany -- 15
Biology: Cellular, Molecular, & Microbiology -- 16
Chemical Education -- 17
Chemistry: Inorganic, Analytical & Physical -- 17
Conservation -- 18
Engineering -- 19
Geology -- 23
Physics -- 24
Physiology -- 25
Psychology/Linguistics -- 27
Science Teaching -- 28
Zoology -- 28
Local Arrangements Committee -- 29
IAS Officers & Directors -- 29
IAS Annual Meeting Committee -- 30
Future …

Oppositional Defiant Disorder And Conduct Disorder : Different Names For The Same Condition?, Daryl L. Hawkins

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the literature related to the proposition that oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder are, in essence, the same disorder, with varying degrees of severity. The author of this paper believes that it would make more sense diagnostically to combine these two diagnoses into one category.

This paper will cover a variety of areas related to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. First, a section on the formulation of the diagnostic criteria is presented. Brief definitions and descriptions of the two disorders follow the diagnostic criteria section. In addition to …

Iowa's Avifauna: Recent Changes And Prospects For The Future, James J. Dinsmore

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Iowa's avifauna has changed dramatically since 1980. The state list now has 40 additional species and totals 398 species, the most of any vertebrate group. Four species that had not previously nested in Iowa (Ring-billed Gull, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Eurasian Tree Sparrow) and four whose nesting populations had disappeared (Double-crested Cormorant, Sandhill Crane, Piping Plover, Least Tern) now breed regularly here. Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Mississippi Kite, Prairie Warbler, and Red Crossbill nested for the first time but do not have established nesting populations. Trumpeter Swan, Peregrine Falcon, Greater Prairie Chicken, and Sharp-tailed Grouse have been …

Checklist Of Instructions For Authors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Characteristics And Treatment Of Conduct Disorders, Vicky Jo Kukral

Graduate Research Papers

Conduct Disorder is the most diagnosed condition in both outpatient and inpatient mental health facilities for children in the United States. Behavior problems such as aggression, destruction of property, theft and violation of basic rules are concerns for parents, teachers, peers and other adults. In an effort to help increase the reader's understanding of the Conduct Disorder population and their treatment, the author of this paper will describe and characteristics of this population. The author will also address specific mental health concerns as found in a review of the literature, and the status of mental health treatment.

Northern Iowa Today, V81n2, Winter 1998, University Of Northern Iowa Alumni Association

UNI Today

Inside This Issue:
--The next great thing
--Challenging our cherished products
--A little more Mozart
--Faculty profile: Rick Stinchfield
--Alumni profile: Joan Larsen
--College & University
--UNI Alumni World
--Perspective: Educational reform: from the perspective of a 50-year educator

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.