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Mathematics Anxiety: A Study Of Its Causes As Proclaimed By Educational Research, Jennifer Rupp

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

In today's fast-paced, high-stress society, feelings of anxiety have become commonplace; even normal. Of the many anxieties that have been found to affect people, one that I, as a future math teacher, have become very concerned about is mathematics anxiety (also called mathphobia). Even now, during my college career, I have noticed an alarming number of people around me (colleagues, co-workers, relatives, roommates, etc.) who claim to be "terrified" of math. Listening to their explanations as to why they find math so threatening has made me realize the importance that math anxiety will have in my career.

For these reasons, …

Infusing Global Education Into The Foreign Language Classroom: A Look At The Iowa Global Education Standard, Darcie J. Novotny

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

This study is designed to focus on the various aspects of infusing global education, as mandated by the Iowa Department of Education, into the high school foreign language classroom. Included in the study is an assessment of the approaches infusion of global education and a sample lesson plan meeting the guidelines as established by the mandate. A survey of 52 Iowa foreign language teachers was conducted to assess attitudes toward global education and to assess the implementation of global education. Further areas for research will also be discussed.

The Psychology And Measurement Of Revenge, Paul A. Cardis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A theory of revenge, which distinguishes four types, is presented and tested with the Revenge Scale among 154 college students ranging in age from 18 to 40. The results support the theory of revenge put forth in this thesis. All but one of the hypothesis were supported by the data. The Revenge Scale correlated significantly and negatively with the Psychological Profile of Forgiveness, a measure of interpersonal forgiveness. The Revenge Scale was also significantly and positively correlated with State Anger, Anger Expression, and Anger Reaction, measured by the State-Trait Anger Expression Scale. No relationship was found between the Revenge Scale …

Zulu Mothers’/Grandmothers’ Beliefs About Their Involvement In The Education Of Their Children/Grandchildren, Boniface Bonifar Hadebe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There has been a marked decline in the academic achievement of Black South African students. There has also been an increasing dropout rate among these students. This tendency toward school drop-out has brought about concern among Black educators and parents. Strategies need to be devised to reverse this trend. Developing a solid homeschool partnership might prove to be a way of enhancing students' achievement. This study investigated the beliefs that Zulu parents had regarding parental involvement in the education of their children. A random sample of 59 mothers and 58 grandmothers, who resided in Stanger-Maphumulo district, in Natal Province in …

Communicating With Parents About The Whole Language Concept, Carolyn A. Visser

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to describe the value of communicating with parents concerning instructional development in the language arts and to present ways to effectively explain the whole language concept to parents. Specific suggestions for presenting this instructional concept and its implications for the school program to parents will be developed for grade two.

The Role Of The Interdisciplinary Approach In Improving Middle School Curriculum, Kim L. Anderson

Graduate Research Papers

In order to survive successfully in our world, children need to be made aware of interrelatedness within their lives and taught strategies to adapt to that interdependence. Benjamin Troutman (1976) asserted, "It is...the hypothesis of many different perspectives which, in its own analytical form, illuminates aspects of man" (p.49).

Nonverbal Communication And Its Effect On Students In A Multicultural Setting, Elaine Marie Guesnon

Graduate Research Papers

Living in a society with many cultures, we are faced with establishing new and innovative ways to communicate with others. Technology has enabled us to communicate faster with people of foreign countries, as well as inside the United States, in businesses, schools and homes. The United States is not only faced with communicating with foreign countries, but due to the migration of people from all over the globe, Americans are finding themselves having to communicate with people of different backgrounds.

Attention Deficit Disorder In Children And Adolescents, Cheryl L. Harris

Graduate Research Papers

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is now being diagnosed in many of our regular classroom settings. ADD has many symptoms that accompany the disorder. Two of these symptoms are: inappropriate levels of sustained attention and impulse control and poor regulation of activity level to situational demands (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). It is believed that this disorder begins in early childhood and can continue on , throughout childhood and adolescence. According to Barkley, Fischer, Newby, & Breen (1988), the mean age of onset is 4 years. More males than females have been found to evidence this disorder with the incidence ranging from …

The Problems And Remediation Of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome/The Irlen Syndrome, Carol A. Hersom

Graduate Research Papers

Throughout the history of education, large numbers of students have experienced significant reading problems. "Despite tutoring, experiential learning, programmed instruction, remedial instruction, special education classes, plus a host of other attempted strategies, most teachers have had students for whom nothing seemed to work" (Adler & Atwood, 1987, p.1). There still remains a group of students with average or above-average intelligence who are not victims of economic, cultural, or environmental deprivation, but have difficulty reading. "Dyslexia is one label that has been used to identify these particular students" (Adler & Atwood, 1987, p. 1).

The Use Of Creative Drama As An Observation-Based Strategy For Identification Of Gifted Preschool Children, Barbara Heitzman

Graduate Research Papers

Many scholars of gifted education have stated that early placement of children in gifted programs would provide opportunities for maximum development of potential and for nurturance of positive self concepts. Early identification and placement are also strongly suggested to help prevent underachievement (Karnes, 1988; Kitano, 1985a; and Van Tassel-Baska, 1988). Despite these needs, Karnes (1983) described very young gifted children as disadvantaged and underserved. More recently, the needs of young gifted children have become the subject of much discussion in the literature, and many educators have begun to address how to identify and serve this population (Karnes & Johnson, 1991 …

What Parents Can Do To Nurture Emerging Literacy, Jacqueline B. Lahr

Graduate Research Papers

Children's emerging literacy is an amazing phenomenon. Much research has been done to help educators and parents understand how children develop abilities to read and write. The studies compare learning written language to learning oral language. They conclude that children immersed in language, and expected and encouraged to use language as a tool to communicate, learn to speak naturally (Fields, 1988; Fredericks & Rasinski, 1990; Goodman, 1986; Graves & Senecal, 1989; Ross & BBondy, 1987). This same approach to learning written language needs to be taken: Print needs to be introduced at an early age to children in the home. …

Promoting Emergent Literacy Skills In Developmental Preschool, Angela Lickhart

Graduate Research Papers

The perception of what it means to be literate has long defined the type of reading instruction presented to children. Our society has valued the ability to read and write, although different eras have had emphasis placed on different aspects of these skills. As a result, we have followed different methodologies in teaching literacy thoughout [sic] our history (Shannon, 1989).

The Role Of Science In The Elementary Curriculum, Eileen Kay Nation

Graduate Research Papers

In recent years, instructional time for elementary science has taken a back seat to the teaching of reading in the Spirit Lake School District. Because of the emphasis placed on ITBS (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills) scores, the administration advocated teaching reading twice a day, therefore, promoting the idea that students need to be able to read well to do other subjects. It was implied that students would "pick up" science incidentally and there would be time to study the subject m depth after mastering reading in the early grades. Teachers were eager to accept this new philosophy because of …

A Pilot Study: Comparing The Use Of Computer-Based Instruction Materials And Audio-Tape Materials In Practicing Chinese, Ka-Fai Shiu, Sharon E. Smaldino

Faculty Publications

Computer-based and audio tape materials were compared for their effectiveness in helping students practice Chinese language lessons. Subjects were enrolled in an intensive elementary course in Mandarin Chinese. The textbook and audio tape were prepared by the Beijing Language Institute in China; and the computer-based material was developed by the author using HyperCard based on the textbook. Written and spoken components were tested; using tests developed by the instructor; a native of China. The instructional materials were used alternately in the 16-week course at the University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls). Students performed better in the weeks the computer-based materials …

Honoring Diversity In Teacher Education: Infusing Learning Styles; Cooperative Learning And Multicultural Nonsexist Education Into The Student Teaching Semester, Janey L. Montgomery, Joyce Simpson, Judy Lindholm

Faculty Publications

This paper demonstrates how teacher educators can empower preservice teachers to develop a rationale for honoring diversity in their classrooms by building upon an awareness of learning style preference; cooperative learning; and multicultural nonsexist education. A human relations course at the University of Northern Iowa that is taught concurrently with the student teaching experience demonstrates how student teachers become involved in collaborative relationships with their peers by sharing weekly seminars; planning presentations; doing action research; and engaging in classroom instruction. The model involves personalization of concepts through experiential learning in which group building and team teaching are key strategies. Learning …

A Parent Involvement Program For The Parents Of Elementary Students In The Algona Community School District, Holly Filson-Heath

Graduate Research Papers

Throughout history, education has been closely linked to the family and the economy. The family was the primary educator of children prior to the establishment of format schools. Because the economy was a subsistence economy, parents taught their children the necessary skills to survive and children were viewed as important contributors to the business of making a living. Each family's livelihood was closely tied to the home and members of the family were building blocks of the society's economic organization. All the activities and training necessary for adulthood took place within the household or in easy distance from it (Coleman, …

Essential Learner Characteristics In Instructional Design, Fong-Chin Fan

Graduate Research Papers

"The role of the professional educator is to be familiar with those factors affecting learning and to design educational experiences that maximize the learning that occurs" (Armstrong, 1987, p. 157). If professional educators want learners to gain the most from education, they must consider those factors affecting learners' learning. For example, as noted by Kemp (1985), suppose that you had never known the design of instruction, and you begin your lecture at the first class meeting of your course. You have put a lot of work into developing the beginning unit in order to influence students with the value of …

Predicting Adolescent Aids-Related Risk Behavior From Psychosocial Factors: A Replication, Erika Lea Kumerow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to replicate Hays's (1992) methodology and extend her sample size. Replication of Hays's (1992) results would allow for generalization and would lend support to the path model of sexual activity she proposed.

Subjects for the study were 529 ninth grade students attending four schools in a rural midwestern state. Of the four schools, three were public schools and one was a parochial school. The parochial school was made up of two separate buildings, one located in a metropolitan area and the other in a rural area. Although the buildings were considered to be combined …

Mechanistic Studies On The Preparation Of The Hantzsch’S Base From Ethyl Acetoacetate And Chloromethylmethyl Ether, Huo-Jin Hsieh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dihydropyridines, which were first studied by Hantzsch in 1882, now bear his name. A new synthesis of Hantzsch 's base, 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dicarboethoxy-l ,4- dihydropyridine (lb), was discovered. The preparation of Hantzsch's base (lb) from new starting materials, ethyl acetoacetate (3) and chloromethylmethyl ether (4), was described. Ethyl acetoacetate was reacted with sodium amide in liquid ammonia followed by chloromethylmethyl ether to form the 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dicarboethoxy1,4-dihydropyridine (lb) in 84% overall yield. Compound (lb) was further identified by its oxidation to the corresponding pyridine, 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dicarboethoxypyridine ( 11 b) by glacial acetic acid. A mechanism for the formation of the compound ( 1 b) was …

Educational Aspirations And Perceptions Of Health Occupation Graduates From Community Colleges, Lawrence A. Dahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The major purpose of this study was to investigate whether associate degree health occupation graduates perceived that the factors proposed in Dougherty's (1987) model on the continuance of education were valid. A second purpose was to profile selected characteristics of this population.

The sample consisted of licensed health care practitioners for whom an associate degree might be an entry level of preparation. The data were collected through the use of a questionnaire constructed to determine educational aspirations degree and to assess perceptions of the factors identified by Dougherty (1987). The data were analyzed using t tests and the chi-square test …

Third World Development And Korean Society: A Case Study Of The Automobile Industry, Jaephil Cho

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The objective of this research is to analyze the development of the Korean industrialization process. The question posed herein specifically involves the industrialization process in Korean society with regard to dependent development in the Third World. This research will elucidate major reasons for Korean economic development process by illustrating several different theoretical perspectives which center on Third World industrialization process. The review of literature is presented to outline the complex process of Third World industrialization by using seven different perspectives which try to explain the pattern of the uneven development of industry in the Third World. The methods used to …

Verbal Rehearsal Methods And Their Effects On Expressive Music Performance: A Comparison Of Verbal Explanation And Transformational Verbal Imagery, Leonard M. Upham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine if use of transformational verbal imagery rehearsal methods, when compared to use of methods based on verbal explanation, resulted in (a) higher levels of expressive performance by wind quintets and (b) greater appreciation of the composition by quintet members.

The study used a posttest-only control-group design. Thirty high school brass and/or woodwind quintets were randomly assigned to experimental groups (n = 15) or control groups (n = 15). A composition rich in expressive aspects of music was used. Each quintet had three rehearsals. The first rehearsal dealt with the technical aspects of …

Cooperative Teaching As A Method Of Collaboration Between Regular And Special Educators In An Integrated Setting, Mary J. Takes

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Concerns about meeting the needs of students with disabilities through integration have led to increased collaboration between special and regular educators (Johnson, Pugach, & Devlin, 1990). Cooperative teaching, a nontraditional method of meeting the needs of students with disabilities, lacks sufficient research regarding its implementation.

This study investigated, using a case study methodology, cooperative teaching arrangements in an integrated setting and formative factors impacting those arrangements. The researcher collected data regarding 10 different cooperative teaching partnerships. Data collection included the use of observation, interviewing, and the collection of documents. These facilitated a constant comparative method of analysis which allowed the …

A Meeting Of Cultures: Faculty And Part-Time Doctoral Students In An Edd Program, Paul R. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the cultural perspectives of the part-time doctoral students in educational administration and of selected faculty in the college of education at a medium sized middle western university. More specifically, the intent was to determine what types of cultures existed within these groups, the factors contributing to the development of these cultures, and what affect these factors had on the Ed.D. degree itself. A qualitative research approach was taken and included individual interviews, classroom observations, and university documents. Non-participant observations included five doctoral classes and related formal and informal conversations. The data gathering …

An Investigation Of The Practices And Perceptions Of Three Regular Elementary Teachers Regarding The Integration Of Students With Severe Disabilities, Beth L. Wright

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Regular classrooms have been increasingly identified as the placement of choice for special-needs children, including those diagnosed to have severe disabilities. Undergirding this movement has been an increase in research unfavorable to segregated, homogeneous and favorable to integrated, heterogeneous instructional arrangements. The knowledge base regarding how to facilitate the regular-class integration of severely disabled students, however, is in its infancy.

The purpose of this inquiry was to examine regular elementary teachers' practices and perceptions concerning their instruction of students with severe disabilities who had been integrated into their classrooms. Participant observation, interviewing, and constant comparative methods were employed to render …

Exploring The Relationship Between People And The Environment In The English Classroom, Annette Worm

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The power of literature may help bring the status of the environment into the minds of readers while providing the basis for people to find ways to heal themselves and their world. The English classroom can integrate critical thinking skills with nature literature to help the teenagers learn decision-making techniques and construct their own values and attitudes toward the environment

Fall Commencement [Program], December 19, 1992, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, December 14, 1992, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

Meeting minutes from the Faculty Senate of the University of Northern Iowa.

An Investigation Of Performance Appraisal With Recommendations For White Collar And Blue Collar Workers, Mark W. Alberts

Graduate Research Papers

The accurate evaluation of an employee's performance, whether it be a salary or wage worker, is one of the most challenging problems confronting any organization. According to Lazer (1977), which is still true today, performance appraisal is absolutely necessary if an organization is to prosper in the highly competitive world of modern business.

Regardless of all that has been written about the how and why of performance appraisal, there still seems to be constant problems and areas of clear disagreement. Published writings about performance appraisal cover approximately the past 30 years and deal mostly with private corporations. Before that, performance …

Pls Newsletter, V3n4, December 1992-January 1993, University Of Northern Iowa. Malcolm Price Laboratory School

Malcolm Price Laboratory School Newsletter

Inside this issue:
-- Fiber Optics Pilot Testing Off to a Great Start
-- Labels for Learning
-- Multicultural Education
-- UNI Instructor Receives Sperati Award
-- Victorian Christmas 1992
-- Elementary Music Assembly
-- Middle School Music Groups on Field Trips
-- Communication is Number 1
-- Iowa's Director of Education Takes Time to Visit PLS
-- Hawkeye Tech Offers New Program
-- From the Health Office
-- Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 18, 1993
-- Elementary Inservice Meetings
-- Highlights of Fall Activity Program
-- Opening a Linguistic and Cultural Window on the World
-- NCA …