Digital Commons Network^™

Certified Nonprofit Professionals Early Career Decisions And College Student Loan Debt, Kristina Elizabeth-Ann Kofoot

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the United States today college students graduate with more than $35,000 in student loan debt (Berman, 2015). There is little research as to what the impact of this debt has had on the career choices and trajectories of these graduates particularly those considering entering the nonprofit sector. The nonprofit sector serves millions of people across the United States every year (National Center for Charitable Statistics, 2016). In order to stay current, these organizations need to hire highly qualified professionals. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance (NLA) offers a professional credential to students that enter their program. This credential titled Certified Nonprofit …

Current Practices Of Co-Teaching In An Elementary Inclusive School: Moving Toward Effective Co-Teaching Relationship, Mona Nassir Al Nassir

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Co-teaching has become more prevalent in schools. The purpose of this study is to explore how general and special education teachers build successful co-teaching relationships to provide special education services to students with disabilities. This case study specifically described how two pairs of co-teachers including one special education teacher and two general education teachers interact, collaborate, and build and promote their co-teaching relationships.

The observation and interviews with two first grade co-teaching pairs provided data that told the story of how their co-teaching relationships developed and were promoted through working together in an inclusive classroom. Research data for this qualitative …

Improving Learning Center Usage Verification Processes Using Six Sigma, Latricia C. Hylton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Academic Learning Center at the University of Northern Iowa provides tutoring and advising services to enrolled students at the university. As Iowa legislatures consider performance based funding, having accurate and timely student usage data is imperative for the Academic Learning Center as the data is used in making funding decisions. The purpose of this research is to improve the student usage verification process and increase the accuracy of data collected by a math and science tutoring center located in the Academic Learning Center. An Access database was designed to record and track the math and science tutoring services provided …

A Graduate Recital In Piano, Jennifer Regina Legarde

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This recital abstract examines the program that was performed by Jennifer R. LeGarde on Friday, February 24, 2017 at eight o’clock in the evening, in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center’s Davis Hall. This recital was performed in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. The pieces that were performed on this program were selected by Ms. LeGarde because of their representation of four general stylistic periods of music. The program was presented in two parts and in chronological order. While each piece showcases stylistic features unique to each time period, they also are …

Seth Nordin In Recital, Matthew Seth Nordin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This recital was prepared in collaboration with Dr. Polina Khatsko, Brent Mead, Nathaniel Welshons, and Tom Rauch. It was presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the University of Northern Iowa's Master of Music degree. The works presented were carefully chosen to showcase the performer's instrumental proficiency and understanding of a variety of solo tenor and alto trombone literature and chamber music. They are, in order, Concerto for Alto Trombone and Piano by Georg Christoph Wagenseil, selections from Dichterliebe by Robert Schumann, Improvisation No. 1 by Enrique Crespo, Fantasy for Trombone by Sigismond Stojowski, Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra …

Master's Recital In Jazz Pedagogy: A Demonstration Of Proficiency On Rhythm Section Instruments, Compositions, And Arrangements By Sam Stranz, Sam Stranz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this recital is to demonstrate a practical competency in playing techniques on the rhythm section instruments piano, bass, and drum set in addition to presenting arrangements and compositions by the performer. The study of rhythm section instruments provides the solid understanding of jazz rhythm and harmony necessary for any jazz educator endeavoring to provide adequate instruction for his or her students. The study of jazz arranging and composition also aids in instructing students of jazz at any level of proficiency. Although not a complete representation of the studies required of a student studying jazz pedagogy, this recital …

Ecocritical Post-Colonial Studies On Humans, Land, And Animals, Alia Afzal

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Ecocritical post-colonial study is a newly emerged field in literary criticism. The theory combines the study of post-colonial environment in literary work and reveals a relationship between literature and the environment. Before the word ‘Ecocriticism’ was coined in the world of literature, from the beginning, writers were exclusively engaged presenting nature as source of inspiration and a privilege to evolve their ideas and pen them down. With the introduction of the term Ecocriticism in literary criticism by the Association of the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) in 1993, scholars approached the analysis of texts to highlight environmental concerns and …

The Power Of Team In Iep Meetings, Caroline Elser

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine school-family collaboration for students with disabilities by exploring how communication during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings supports or limits parental participation. Research has indicated strong school-family partnerships lead to better educational outcomes for students. The IEP meeting is a critical component of the educational process for a child with a disability. The interactions between parents and school personnel during IEP meetings are complex events that can leave parents feeling frustrated or uninvolved in their child’s education. This qualitative study examined one IEP team meeting through in-depth interviews, participant observation of an IEP …

Living And Teaching For Social Justice: Teacher Educators' Stories And Experiences, Courtney Kay Clausen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the United States, the population of students’ with diverse racial/ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds is on the rise, while teachers entering the field of education continue to be White or of European decent, monolingual, and female. These experiential differences between students and teachers can result in a demographic gap, where teachers struggle to meet the needs of all learners due to misperceptions, stereotypical beliefs, and biases. Educational scholars have called for the integration of social justice education into teacher preparation programs in order to assist preservice teachers in challenging their perceptions of students, to challenge the existing inequitable educational …

Impact Of Teacher Scientist Partnerships On High School Students' Perceptions Of Science, Kevin John Schneider

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There exist a multitude of global issues in the 21^st century that can be addressed with the scientific process. In response to these dilemmas, there are a number of education initiatives that aim to raise interest in science careers. This study provides an evaluation for one such effort. Over 200 students from 4 different high schools and 4 teachers were presented with a pre to post survey to measure the impact of Research Experience for Teachers (RET) curricula. High school science teachers participated in a research experience, created curriculum with a scientist, taught the content in their classrooms, and …

An Investigation Of The Assessment Practices Of Elementary General Music Teachers In Iowa, Michelle Linn Hyde Swanson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Assessment, leading to informed decisions, is an integral part of music education and may be a means to justify the importance of music as a valued content subject (Brophy, 2000). The purpose of this study was to describe the elementary general music assessment practices in Iowa. The study was framed using Stiggins’ (2005) categorical definition of assessment as gathering, organizing, summarizing, and reporting data. Mixed methodologies were utilized to gather data regarding these four categories through survey questions (N=211) and two focus group discussions. The participants were from a variety of school district sizes as well as teachers with varying …

Aquatic Managers Of Northeast Iowa : A Description Of Current Practices Of Staff Training And Implementation Detailing Competencies, Frequency, And Evaluation, Tracy N. Carey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe how aquatic managers implement aquatic staff training and development. According to the American Society for Training and Development, U.S. organizations spend more than $50 billion annually on employee training. Organizations place an important emphasis on training and development for their employees. Aquatic facilities play an important role in the communities they serve. Operating an aquatic facility has become increasingly more complex in recent years due to new technology with filtration systems, differentiating certifications and facility regulations.

Therefore, aquatic managers must ensure their lifeguards are capable and competent of doing everything …

A Master's Recital In Horn, Casey M. Chlapek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Casey Chlapek performed his graduate horn recital on November 9, 2017 at 6:00 pm in Davis Hall of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. He was assisted by pianist Natia Shioshvili. This recital represents the partial fulfillment of obtaining a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance. The program included works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jan Koetsier Sigurd Berge, Carl Nielsen, and Jean Françaix. This abstract examines each piece in the context of its composer’s total musical output, explores the purpose and circumstances of composition, and provides brief comments regarding the …

Intergenerational Conversation: Authentic Learning Through Critical Reflection Of A Community Engagement Learning Experience, Amy Davison

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the type of reflection students are using in their final reflection stories to see if there was evidence of reflection in relation to authentic learning. Assignments from four Human Relations courses that included a community engagement learning component provided the data for a qualitative content analysis to determine authentic learning through the reflective writing assignments. Levels of reflection outlined in Kember, McKay, Sinclair, and Wong’s (2008) four category scheme for coding and assessing the level of reflection was applied to students’ written work. The student’s final essay written about their intergenerational community …

Valproic Acid: A Neural Outgrowth Model For The Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hannah M. Bergan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Autism spectrum disorder has been dramatically on the rise since the early 1990s, with one in forty-five children being diagnosed in 2014. It is known that contributing factors to autism spectrum disorder may have genetic and epigenetic origins, as well as environmental triggers. What is still unclear, however, is the impact of teratogenic drugs, consumed by the mother, have on a developing fetus in utero. How can they lead to the child developing autistic-like behaviors? The current study documents the effects of one teratogenic drug Valproic acid, a known histone deacetylase inhibitor. It establishes the role it plays on developing …

Career Development And Trajectories: Women In Senior-Level Management Positions In Nonprofit Organizations And Government Agencies, Jennifer Diane Stevens

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Lighting the way for women today, pioneers like Jane Addams and others have helped women make gallant strides in the field of human and leisure services for the past 50 years. These women took necessary steps towards equality, which ultimately led to changes in attitudes of women, attitudes towards women, and gender roles. Women now make up half of the workforce and are accepted in all sectors today.

However, inequality still exists through transparent barriers that keep women from advancing to senior-level management and decision-making positions. Elements such as family, education, and organizational and personal factors can positively or negatively …

Factors Influencing Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Home Range Size In Iowa: A Comparison Between Suburban And Rural Populations, Joshua Gregory Otten

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Home range size, movement patterns, and site fidelity of wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) were compared between a suburban population in Black Hawk County (BH) and a rural population in Butler County (BC), Iowa. Approximately 89% of individuals captured for studies conducted in Iowa during 2014 and 2015 were >14 years old. 45 individuals (22 females, 18 males, and 5 juveniles) were used for radio telemetry surveys in 2014–2015, 24 of which were located in BC, and 21 at BH.

Home range size of male and female wood turtles was significantly different at the 100% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), …

Analyzing Rana Plaza Crisis Discourse From A Postcolonial Perspective: Implications For Identity And Crisis Communication Studies, Mir Ashfaquzzaman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An inherently managerial commitment, functionalist/positivist theoretical orientation, and Western/U.S. bias characterize the dominant stream of crisis communication research and scholarship in the United States. These characteristics render analysis and assessment of crisis and crisis communication especially in nonWestern settings somewhat limited in scope and coverage. This limitation becomes all the more apparent when crisis is conceptualized as a social phenomenon, not merely an organizational one. Such conceptualization decenters the organization as the sole source of power to initiate crisis response and management, foregrounds the discursive terrain related to a crisis whereby multiple sources compete with their respective realities about the …

Smartphone Based Ubiquitous Sensing Platform Leveraging Audio Jack For Power And Communication, Ranjana Joshi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

With the popularization of smartphones, various smartphone centric ubiquitous sensing applications, which use a smartphone in conjunction with external sensors for data acquisition, processing, display, communication, and storage, have emerged. Because smartphones do not have a universal data interfaces, many ubiquitous sensing applications use the earphone and the microphone channels of the 3.5mm audio interface for data communications so that they can work with various types of smartphones. The earphone channels of the 3.5mm audio interface can only send AC signal out of a smartphone, hence DC power needs to be harvested from the earphone channels.

In this research, based …

A Qualitative Comparison Of General Chemistry And Advanced Placement Chemistry Students' Misconceptions Regarding Solution Chemistry, Megan J. Vandersee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focused on identifying misconceptions which high school AP and collegiate general chemistry students hold with regards to solution chemistry topics and comparing the misconceptions held by each student group. Previous research has found that misconceptions can greatly impact students’ understanding of material and have a negative impact on student learning. However, not all solution chemistry topics had been explored in previous research. In addition, it has been suggested that collegiate students have reached a higher level of cognitive development as they are older and more advanced in their studies. If this is the case, one could assume that …

Developing Writing Prompt Assessments For The Next Generation Science Standards: Physical Science, Kristen Ann Birchard

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project is to discuss the development of writing prompt assessments that are aligned with the High School Physical Science performance expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards. Eight writing prompts aligned with HS-PS1 Matter and Its Interactions were developed. These prompts utilize phenomena and real-life connections, while incorporating the three dimensions of the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross-Cutting Concepts. Along with the development of these prompts, key vocabulary words were identified, and rubrics were created to aide in the assessment of the students’ responses. The quality of the writing prompts was also …

Strategies For Integrating Literacy Into A Science Classroom, Michelle Seddon

Graduate Research Papers

A science reading course offers opportunities for students to develop their scientific literacy by delving into current topics in science through reading and writing. Due to the nature of the course, students could be enrolled for one semester or for the whole year. Through differentiation, Science Reading is accessible for a variety learning and interest levels. This creative component lays the groundwork for the development of a science reading course by providing examples of topics, methods, lesson activities, and assessments that could be incorporated into a Science Reading curriculum. The project recognizes the resources that are available to educators and …

First Year Professional Learning Community Implementation Within The Marion High School Science Department, Madilyn M. Ramaekers

Graduate Research Papers

The underlying theory of this research study is a radical constructivist worldview. Radical constructivism is based on two main ideas, that knowledge is not passively received but instead is actively built by individual people and that the function of cognition is adaptive and works to organize the experiential world (Von Glasersfeld, 1989). It is assumed that as teachers partake in a professional learning community they seek understanding of their school and classroom. Findings of the research will not be narrow but rather varied and multiple, leading to a range of views rather than a singular view. In radical constructivism, experience …

Development Of A Standards-Based Classroom For High School Physics At Solon Community School District, Tim Sheeley

Graduate Research Papers

Current educational reform focuses on achievement based on standardized-testing. In addition, both national and state standards have been developed and approved. These frameworks logically demand standards-based reporting of achievement within schools. Standards-based grading systems communicate accurate student learning progress, target specific teacher feedback and allow multiple reassessments for unrestricted growth.

The problem of practice investigated in this paper is “How do teachers effectively communicate learning progress and promote continued growth in a high school physics classroom using standards-based grading?” This paper describes my personal experience developing a standards-based classroom. I share lessons learned, and the next steps I intend to …

Developing Model Identification Skills In An Advanced Placement Physics 1 Classroom, Ian Spangenberg

Graduate Research Papers

Every year, hundreds of thousands of high school students take the AP Physics 1 Exam. Passing scores can mean college credit, recognition, and scholarships. While typical physics courses teach the content and solution procedures in discrete units such as dynamics, energy, and momentum, the AP Physics 1 Exam requires students to solve problems without problem-type headings or unit captions. Students must also be able to support ideas and answers using overarching theories, laws, and principles. This research looks at a curricular and pedagogical strategy designed to teach AP Physics 1 students how those discrete units fit together into a complete …

Teacher Librarians And Technology Leadership, Jennifer Kizer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies and techniques of current teacher librarians who are technology leaders in their schools. It aims to clarify teacher librarians’ roles in technology integration for administrators and newly hired professionals. In order to investigate the techniques and strategies, that make teacher librarians successful technology leaders, the researcher used a qualitative approach to gather data from participants via a focus group.

The study set out to find the ways technology leaders and teacher librarians are able to successfully integrate technology in lessons, how frequently they collaborate with classroom teachers, the strategies and …

Infant And Toddler Care, Maggie Trecker

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this review of recent research is to identify the quality of care that infants and toddlers are receiving in both home-based and center-based care settings. The review will also identify how infant and toddler caregivers perceive their work, and ways that professional development opportunities can positively impact the quality of care for infant and toddlers. The conclusion of this literature review includes recommendations for future action and education policies based on the research reviewed.

Technology And Young Children, Jamie Vircks

Graduate Research Papers

This review examined the purpose of technology use with young children. Examination of literature on effects of technology usage in the classroom, and ebook use to teach emergent literacy skills, was done. Insights showed that young children are learning more than just academic skills while using technology. They are learning cultural and social norms. In the classroom, children as young as three years old are being introduced to technology as a way to teach practice and reinforce new literacy skills. The review had mixed results as to whether technology use with young children to teach literacy skills is effective. Further …

Energy, Matter, And Change: A High School Chemistry Unit Development, Allison Schipper

Graduate Research Papers

The project I have chosen to focus on for the creative component of the Science Masters of Arts program is the creation of a high school chemistry instructional unit. The focus of this unit is on Energy, Matter, and Change, which is addressed in the Iowa Core/Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (Lead States, 2013a ). This unit will be adapted using Unit 2, Energy Particles in Motion and Unit 3, Energy and States of Matter of the Modeling Instruction curriculum developed by the American Modeling Teachers Association (Modeling Instruction for High School Chemistry, 2017). The Energy Particles in Motion unit …

Reading Aloud To Tweens And Teens To Create Empathy: A Functional Criteria, Elizabeth Good

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was twofold: to develop criteria to analyze literature and determine if it would make a good classroom read aloud, then to apply this criteria to three young adult texts identified by Jen Scott Curwood's (2012) in Redefining Normal: A Critical Analysis of (Dis)ability in Young Adult Literature as appropriately depicting teens with disabilities to determine if they would make good classroom read aloud selections. The researcher developed seven criteria by which to judge texts and identified themes within the readings that encompassed the traits the studied texts all possessed in regard to the research questions. …