Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Sound Field Amplification In A Regular Classroom On Academic Achievement, Susan I. Maahs

Graduate Research Papers

Auditory learning makes up a major portion of the total learning process in an elementary classroom. Sound field FM amplification systems are currently being used in some classrooms across the nation to help students focus on the sound signals significant to their academic achievement. With this technology, the FM signal is transmitted to a common FM receiver-amplifier coupled to 3 or 4 electroacoustic speakers. The talker with the transmitter is mobile, and all the students can hear a transmitted amplified signal.

The Developmentally Appropriate Use Of Computers With Young Children, Bonnie Potter

Graduate Research Papers

With millions of computers now in place in our society, we can safely assume that in one form or another they are here to stay. In fact, it is difficult to think of any sector of our society that is not adapting to this technology (Caissy, 1987). It is also safe to say that the idea of computers being used in education is not to be short lived. Research on the use of computers in elementary schools supports this assumption. According to reports from the 1985 National Survey: Institutional Uses of School Computers. (Becker, 1986) the proportion of U.S. elementary …

International Volunteer Exchange: An Attitudinal Study Among Iowa And Tijuana, Mexico Environmental Organizations, Rosa M. Bustamante

Graduate Research Papers

Exchanging ideas stimulates people's imagination, facilitating creativity and productivity. Three world issues have the opportunity to be linked through this stimulus: international cooperation, environmentalism, and volunteerism.

The link could be manifested in the form of an international volunteer exchange program (IVE), where interested volunteers from Iowa (a state in a developed country), would go to Tijuana (a city in a developing country) to work in an environmental organization, and volunteers from Tijuana would come to Iowa to work in environmental organizations. Through the use of volunteers, nations would be able to work together and learn about environmental protection from one …

The Regular Education Initiative: A Collaboration Between Regular Education And Special Education, Kathy Winters

Graduate Research Papers

Prior to the 1960s, students needing special education services received their education in segregated classrooms and schools. Since then Special Education services have changed dramatically in response to the needs of the handicapped, their families, and the public school system. During the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the field of Special Education experienced growth through the efforts of educators, parents, legislators, and the legal system (Smith & Neisworth, 1977; Hallahan & Kauffman, 1978). The field of Learning Disabilities developed in the mid 1960s and continues to grow and develop as more is learned about students with learning disabilities (Learner, …

Enhancing Children's Literacy Through Story Retelling, Rita M. Heims

Graduate Research Papers

Implementing the whole language concept into an instructional program involves creating a supportive learning environment. This environment needs to be rich in content and filled with a whole array of possibilities for engaging in the thinking-language processes, but at the same time needs to be predictable and secure. Within such a classroom structure, children can engage in the functions of language to create their own meaning, thus developing thinking-language abilities and discovering the nature of the language. Retelling stories listened to or read is one of the activities that can nurture thinking-language abilities (Goodman, 1986).

Faculty Development In The Use Of Multimedia, Marcia Ng

Graduate Research Papers

Falk and Carlson (1992) observed that educators have, in the last 15 years, witnessed a phenomenal growth in the variety and capability of tools available to them. In 1977, teachers were using traditional teaching aids such as chalkboards, slides, overhead projectors, audio cassettes, and films. In 1992, new and powerful tools such as videotapes, personal computers, interactive video, multimedia, networks, distance learning, and a whole spectrum of possibilities in the form of CAI, CD-ROM, DVI and CD-I become available to them. Hence, teachers today are faced with the challenge to move beyond teaching the way they themselves have been taught, …

Emerging Trends In Presentation Technology, Pamela R. Reisinger

Graduate Research Papers

Presenters who are responsible for delivering this message are concerned with how best to communicate it in an effective way. They make choices concerning the needs of today's learners who have grown up in a technologically advanced society where constant change necessitates a greater need for training and development and where a multitude of professional organizations are providing their constituents with the most updated information in their field. According to Koenig {1982), "the continuing changes in our world require continuing re-education, re-tooling of human resources, and the effective use of communication and technology in education and training" (p. 1). 2 …

Play And Literacy Development: The Role Of The Teacher And Classroom Design, Lisa Kay Schmidt

Graduate Research Papers

During the past decade, research has flourished on play and its relationship to children's learning and development (Bergen, 1987). When focusing on preschool age children, play has been seen as a leading influence on their development (Vygotsky, 1991). Recently researchers have begun to link play with literacy development (Hall, 1991). To understand play and literacy better, both terms will need to be carefully defined and their development examined.

An Evaluation Of 15 Studies Concerning The Effectiveness Of Tutorial Cai, Chin-Kau Tung

Graduate Research Papers

Increased use of the computer in business, in the classroom, and in the home has become apparent in recent years. Especially, the amount of computers in classrooms has been increasing rapidly in the last several years. According to Tolman and Allred (1991), the number of microcomputers and terminals in U.S. schools was estimated to be between 200,000 and 300,000 in 1982. In 1989, the number had increased to approximately 2.4 million. According to U.S. government statistics, the number of computers in homes is elevating. At the beginning of the 1980s, there were fewer than one million, but by the end …

Fostering Children's Literacy Through The Graphic Arts, Mary A. Vandermillen

Graduate Research Papers

This paper will discuss how picture books can offer children experiences with the graphic arts and how these experiences can nurture their emerging literacy. Then ways to implement the graphic arts, as part of the whole language concept, into an instructional program will be explored. Picture Books as a Base for Visual-Verbal Literacy Illustrations in picture books not only complement texts but, in many cases, extend their meaning. This verbal-visual collaboration can nurture children's emerging literacy.

Public Preschools: Are They An Answer?, Robyn Leigh Swisher

Graduate Research Papers

In recent years, our nation has become extremely interested in early childhood education (Jorde, 1988). Education of preschoolers has been singled out by President Bush and the State Governors' Commission during their Education Summit in 1989. This is evident by the declaration that was made during this summit that stated "by the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn" (Copple, 1990 p. 5). Youngster's readiness to learn can be harmed because they do not have accessibility to high quality and developmentally appropriate preschool programs. Changes in our society have caused the supply of preschools to …

The Importance Of Problem Solving In The Middle School Mathematics Curriculum, Beth A. Wycoff

Graduate Research Papers

Today's students are learning in a much different school environment than students of the past. Although students most likely appreciate the fact that computers and calculators have taken over the drudgery of pencil and paper calculations in mathematics, this presents a pedagogical dilemma for teachers. Since the commencement of formal education, mathematics curriculum has focused on the memorization of basic facts and simple procedures. Now the ability to think creatively and critically necessitates equal emphasis in the mathematics classroom as the ability to manipulate numbers (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 1991 ).

A Vision For Administering Schools: A Reflective Essay, Christine M. Beumer

Graduate Research Papers

Education can be restructured through strategic leadership, curriculum, evaluation, collaboration, vision, site-based management, technology, reflection, finance and life 1 long learning. Following are some of the points on how a personal vision on restructuring in education may be a success. This vision could be a framework that guides me and others through the many daily situations faced in schools, and it will provide direction in a less random and more thoughtful way. Barth (1990) wrote: Expanding the vision within the school house is an enterprise that will create schools with room enough for all of us to live and work …

Interdisciplinary Teaching At The Middle Level, Janice Koenecke

Graduate Research Papers

When the junior high school movement began in the United Slates around 1910, the junior high school was intended lo be a junior version of high school. The junior high school was proposed as a means lo offer accelerated programs for the college bound student and vocational courses lo better prepare those who dropped out after 8th grade for the world of work. The curriculum was often an adapted version of a high school curriculum (Beane, 1991). When the middle school movement began in the 1960's. the subject-centered curriculum of the junior high continued to dominate. Since the l 960's, …

Global Education In The Middle School Curriculum, Marilyn K. Powers

Graduate Research Papers

Several significant and historical changes in the world indicate it is becoming a more negotiable place in which to live. Recent political changes with far reaching effects include the disarmament of nuclear warheads, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United Nations involvement in the "Desert Storm War," and the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. There also have been technological changes that have provided an information explosion via media and communication capacities. Because of business priorities, overpopulation, and the materialistic nature of people, environmental changes continue to occur that are causing world-wide effects. These changes have helped pave the way …

Portfolio Assessment Of Children's Reading Growth, Jean D. Emlet

Graduate Research Papers

The teaching of reading has taken a dramatic turn in the last two decades because emerging literacy is seen in a more holistic light. This concept of literacy, known as whole language, focuses on students creating their own meaning through the language processes. When educators engage in instructional development to extend the whole language concept into the school program, they consider the nature of language and emerging literacy. With this view of language in mind, reading does not simply mean decoding words but is a far more complex process. Reading is building meaning by integrating prior knowledge with new information …

Gender-Related Differences In Adolescents In The Study Of Heat Transfer, Linda L. Norris

Graduate Research Papers

As we approach the year 2000, males and females in the United States differ markedly in their representation in science -related careers. Although women comprise nearly 48% of the pool of professional workers, they represent only 25% of all scientists (Martinez, 1992). The influences and direct causes of gender differences in scientific aspiration and achievement are many, they are varied, and they are interactive. But students' attitudes toward and interest in science should not be overlooked. There is evidence that attitudes and interests might be shaped or influenced in some measure by experiences in the classroom.

Differences In Parenting Skills And Practices Between Older And Younger Mothers: Effects On The Developmental Levels Of Their Children, Leaann Johnson Ross

Graduate Research Papers

The relationship of parenting skills and practices to children's school achievement has been the subject of much research in the last decade (Bee et al., 1982; Bradley & Caldwell, 1980; Bradley, Caldwell, & Rock, 1988; Estrada, Arsenic, Hess, & Holloway, 1987; Hess, Holloway, Dickson, & Price, 1984; Ramey, Farran, & Campbell, 1979). The research has indicated that the foundation for children's school achievement begins with factors pertaining to the parents' education, home environment, availability of play materials, and socioeconomic status (Wadsworth, 1986).

Humanities Through World History: A Curriculum Development Project In Humanities Education For The Gifted, Susan E. Scott Cline

Graduate Research Papers

The humanities have been considered an interesting and valuable area of study for many years. The, time-honored image of a well-rounded person includes a command of literature, languages,. philosophy and the appreciation of the fine arts (Beers, 1990). In the present world, it is important to be conversant in current events, politics, religion, philosophy, fine arts and popular arts to be seen as intelligent and educated. All of these areas can be considered parts of the humanities.

Class Size And Its Considerations For At-Risk Student Academic Achievement, Debra Ann Morrow

Graduate Research Papers

Class size has been an ongoing educational issue that has ebbed and flowed. School officials are faced with a variety of funding pressures and often class size is considered to meet fiscal constructs. Is there evidence that smaller classes have benefits over larger classes and that small class sizes are cost effective? Crucial to this issue of class size is the question: What are tie findings of research studies on class size and student learning?

Using Writing To Enhance Critical Thinking Skills In The Middle Level Classroom, Colleen Peltz

Graduate Research Papers

The Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development suggests that middle schools can vastly improve their curriculum by teaching adolescents to think critically (Carnegie, 1989). One way to teach students to think critically is to let them explore their own thoughts through the writing process. Kurfiss (1985) states that a student's ability to think critically is most likely to develop when prior knowledge and thinking skills are intertwined. For more than a decade, educators have utilized writing as a tool to help students learn in the classroom. Maimon (1982) suggests that writing should be an integral part of the learning process in …

Drama Education: A Teaching Strategy For Young Children Affected By Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder, Janice C. Miller

Graduate Research Papers

According to many experts, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) represents the most common developmental problem in school children (Coleman & Levine, 1988; Goodyear & Hynd 1992; Henker & Whalen, 1989). Children diagnosed with ADHD share a group of symptoms including: impulsiveness, inappropriate attention span, distractibility, and in some cases, hyperactivity (American Psychiatriatric Association [APA], 1987). Problems associated with ADHD result in chronic academic and social failure (Parker, 1990). This study is a concerted effort to help parents and teachers understand the difficulties children affected by ADHD experience and to present a strategy that will help the ADHD affected child achieve success.

Attitudes Of Gifted Students Toward Pullout Programs, Terrie Jensen Huff

Graduate Research Papers

The effectiveness of various programs for gifted learners is of great concern to parents and educators. The most widely used program model for intellectually gifted students is the pullout model (Cox, Daniel, & Boston, 1985). In a nationwide comprehensive survey of gifted programs reported by Cox et al. (1985), 72% of the 4,000 responding districts used the pullout model to meet the needs of their gifted learners. This percentage increases to approximately 95% when considering only the upper elementary grade levels (Oglesby & Gallagher, 1983) .

The Color Of Jazz, Elvin Jenkins

Graduate Research Papers

In the book THE STORY OF JAZZ, author Marshall Stearns (1956) tells the story of a conference of musicologists. During a conversation following the conference, a representative from the classical music world told another from the jazz world that it wasn't that he hated jazz music, it was the fact that its musicians and patrons treated the music as if it were holy. The jazz person pointed out the same could be said about people in the classical world. The classical person's response to this accusation was simply, "Ah, BUT CLASSICAL MUSIC IS!"

Extending The Literature Based Theme Of Change In A First Grade Classroom, Kristina J. Eells

Graduate Research Papers

In the school at which Regie Routman taught, a literature based reading program was begun as a way to prevent reading failure of at-risk students. (Routman 1988). In this program children read and interacted with trade books. The students' interest in these stories was so high and their motivation so strong, they quickly learned to read the books. This approach is being used in regular education classrooms all around the world. A major influence to literature based reading programs has been Don Holdaway of New Zealand. He developed ideas to facilitate literacy using literature as the basis of instruction (Holdaway …

The Effectiveness Of Channel One In Denver, Ia, Secondary School, David Kubalsky

Graduate Research Papers

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Channel One programming in the Denver, Iowa, Secondary School. The seventh grade class was divided into three groups for the study. One group was selected as a control group and did not view Channel One. The other two groups viewed the programming daily. One of the two groups that viewed the programming also participated in brief follow-up discussions each day. Weekly current events quizzes were administered covering news stories from both Channel One programming and from other common news sources. The data were tabulated and analyzed in an attempt to determine if Channel One …

The Relationship Of Teachers' Job Satisfaction And Their Perceptions Of Principals' Leadership Styles In Private Vocational High Schools In A Selected Metropolitan Area Of Taiwan, Ining Yuan-Hsiang Chu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and their perceptions of principals' leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles) in the Kaohsiung Metropolitan Area of Taiwan. A secondary purpose was to examine the difference between teachers' gender, educational level, and length of service in terms of their perceptions of the three different leadership styles and job satisfaction.

The sample consisted of 629 full-time private vocational high school teachers. The translated Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership styles. The translated Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) …

Review Of The Principle Of The Alphabet Literacy System (Pals) Educational Program, Charmaine M. Carney

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine how the Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS) was implemented by local sites, and (b) to ascertain the perceptions and attitudes of PALS students, teachers, and administrators regarding the instruction and outcomes. Participants were involved in PALS programs in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota during April and May, 1990. Data collection instruments were mailed to site contact persons who distributed them to and collected them from the participants. Students did not complete the instruments until they finished PALS instruction. There were three data collection instruments, one …

Challenge To Sam Becker: Keep Polishing The Mosaic, Robert C. Allen

Iowa Journal of Communication

Given the opportunity to speak to and about Sam Becker, I am sorely tempted to turn a challenge into a tribute. That is a temptation to which I will succumb, at least to some degree, since my challenge to him arises directly out of my admiration for all he has accomplished.

Communication In The 21st Century: A Charge To Sam Becker, James A. Anderson

Iowa Journal of Communication

Twenty-eight years ago, nearly to the day, I stood in Sam Becker's office as a callow youth in dire need of some research funds to prepare the stimulus materials--now there's a phrase I haven't written for 15 years--for my dissertation. Sam listened, picked up the phone and negotiated $300 out of the University's research chair as I stood there. Admittedly, those were simpler times--nowadays he would have reached voice mail. Nonetheless, I was impressed. It was a lesson in finding ways to say "Yes, now" to people trying to do their job.