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Extending Children's Literacy Through A Thematic Unit, Sally A. Hamilton

Graduate Research Papers

This paper will present the rationale for extending the literature base of a reading and language arts instructional program. Implications for instruction, based on a review of professional literature, will be discussed and then applied to the development of a fifth-grade unit based on the theme of memories. Literature-based units provide children with many opportunities to engage in the functions of language, thus strengthening their thinking-language abilities.

The Effect Of Cooperative Learning On Student Social Attitudes, Mary Hampton

Graduate Research Papers

The effects of cooperative learning on student social attitudes was investigated in two parts. The first part presented a literature review which focused on the effect cooperative learning has had on social acceptance among various ethnic groups in culturally diverse classrooms and on mainstreamed mentally handicapped students. The results showed that, in general, cooperative learning as an instructional strategy does have positive effects on the formation of cross-racial friendships, increases the acceptance of differences among ethnically diverse students, and promotes positive attitudes among normal-progress students and those who have been mainstreamed due to handicaps. The second part was an investigation …

Influences Of The Home Environment Upon Intellectual Giftedness In Young Children, M. Lynn Keller

Graduate Research Papers

Several factors contribute to the development of intelligence in an individual. Historically, theories concerning the source of human intelligence have ranged from the notion that heredity is the only determinant of intelligence to the concept that positive environmental influences play a major role in the development of the human mind (Clark, 1988; Feldhusen, 1989a; Grinder, 1990; Sternberg & Davidson, 1986).

Teacher-Home Communication: Fostering Emergent Writing Abilities Of Preschool And Kindergarten Children, Roxanne F. Tjaden

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to explore ways teachers can explain emergent writing to parents of preschool and kindergarten children and to provide ideas for home activities that will foster children's writing abilities.

Promoting Children's Oral Language Development Through Story Retelling, Kathy M. Meyer

Graduate Research Papers

Meaningful language experiences offered to children at a young age nurture their emerging literacy. These experiences encourage children to be active participants in the language processes (Bredekamp, 1987). Their involvement in the language processes can be greatly enhanced through a quality literature base (Strickland & Morrow, 1989b). One type of literature-based experience that facilitates children 1 s emerging language abilities is the oral retelling of stories that they have heard or read (Magee & Sutton-Smith, 1983). Retellings resemble a long-established form of behavior called 11 telling about 11 (Brown & Cambourne, 1987). Telling about something that has happened is a …

Psychological Factors Related To The Rehabilitation Of Athletic Injuries: A Literature Review, University Of Northern Iowa

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study was to review the literature on the subject of psychological factors related to the rehabilitation of injured athletes. The study attempted to answer questions concerning athletes' perceptions of injuries, experiences with grief response to injury, self-blame, irrational thinking, and alienation. The issues of stress and levels of self-esteem were also discussed in the review.

Research into the literature revealed that athletes may experience many psychological problems and barriers during recovery from sports injuries. Grief was found to be a very natural and healthy aspect of injury rehabilitation. Feelings of guilt, fear, lowered self-esteem, and alienation …

Parent Education: A Historical Perspective And The Perceptions Of Parent Education Facilitators Toward Program Participation In Iowa, Marisa Rivera

Graduate Research Papers

This study was designed to provide a historical perspective of parent education and to identify barriers to participation as they relate to Iowa. This study came about as a result of the low response level to parent education programs in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo community.

The study was specifically limited to 22 parent education facilitators who are members of the Iowa Chapter, National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse. A questionnaire was designed which gathered parent education facilitator's perceptions of barriers to participation with regard to their respective programs. The respondents were also asked: (a) how those barriers are addressed, …

An Approach To The Evaluation Of Elt Preparation Programs, Stephen J. Gaies

Faculty Publications

Discussion of the evaluation of training programs for teachers of English as a Second Language consists of: (1) characterization of general approaches; (2) review of reasons for interest in program evaluation; and (3) description of a University of Northern Iowa (UNI) evaluation project that uses a portfolio approach extending 3 years beyond program completion. At UNI; assessment of teacher trainees occurs at four points in the trainee's career: at declaration of undergraduate ESL major; at approximately the second semester of the junior year; during the last undergraduate semester; and 1-3 years after graduation. The principal method used is evaluation of …

Effect Of Expository Writing In Mathematics With Middle School Sixth Grade Students, Rebecca J. Dickinson

Graduate Research Papers

The effects of expository writing (a writing to learn approach) on achievement in a math unit on fractions was investigated. Two groups of intact sixth grade mathematics classes (N = 44) were chosen and the treatment of expository writing was randomly assigned to one group. The control group received direct instruction for the unit on addition and subtraction of fractions while the treatment group practiced expository writing (a how-to descriptive writing) plus direct instruction. The study lasted four weeks. The same summative post test of the fraction unit was given to both groups when the unit was complete. The null …

Fostering Spelling Ability, Beth Dykstra-Van Meeteren

Graduate Research Papers

Many teachers of primary-age children are seeking to implement the whole language concept into instructional programs by focusing on children's involvement in the language processes (comprehension and composition). Smith and Goodman (1971) explain that the whole language concept is based on the nature of language and how children learn language. As children engage in the language processes, language abilities emerge. Children generate their own hypotheses about the regularity underlying language, test them, and revise these hypotheses based on the feedback they receive.

Portfolio Assessment In Kindergarten, Deanna J. Berry

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of portfolios with emergent writers in kindergarten as an alternative method assessing and reporting student progress. Professional literature describing emergent writers and nurturing language arts programs, offering a rationale for portfolios as a means of writing assessment, explaining the implementation of portfolios in the classroom, and suggesting the role of portfolios in reporting to parents will be presented.

Educating Baby: Preparing Children For Future School Success, Jill R. Bergman

Graduate Research Papers

Parents generally are their children's first teachers. Children learn more in their first five years than at any other five year time period in their life. Ninety percent of all requisite intellectual skills are learned by children before they enter school (Disibio, 1984). "Some researchers suggest that maternal socialization, and teaching patterns in particular, are strong predictors of later intellectual and cognitive performances" (Moreno, 1991, p. 395). Therefore, parents play extremely important parts in the education of their children.

Towards The Development Of A Kantian Environmental Ethic, Sally Nelson Wiedmann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis is a response to Aldo Leopold's 1949 call for a new, wholistic environmental ethic. Leopold's call stemmed from his concern over the increasing degradation of the environment as a result of a utilitarian approach which judges nature as good only insofar as it is good for human economic and recreational benefit. This thesis is aimed at the development of a wholistic, non-utilitarian environmental ethic grounded in the philosophy. of Immanuel Kant. The thesis begins with a brief review of the utilitarian environmental ethic which Leopold opposed and some of the consequences it has wrought in the natural world. …

The Egypt-Palestine/Israel Boundary: 1841-1992, Thabit Abu-Rass

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In 1841, with the involvement of European powers, the Ottoman Empire distinguished by Firman territory subject to a Khedive of Egypt from that subject more directly to Istanbul. With British pressure in 1906, a more formal boundary was established between Egypt and Ottoman Palestine. This study focuses on these events and on the history from 1841 to the present. The study area includes the Sinai peninsula and extends from the Suez Canal in the west to what is today southern Israel from Ashqelon on the Mediterranean to the southern shore of the Dead Sea in the east. Both alterations in …

Development Of An Automated Ultrasonic Inspection Cell For Detecting Subsurface Discontinuities In Cast Iron, John Scott Burningham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Manufacturing of value added products by companies in todays global marketplace requires the vendors to meet certain minimum standards, SAE, ASTM, ISO, etc. In a global economy, as a manufacturer for the year 2000 and beyond, preferred vendors will become ISO 9000 certified to maintain a market share of produced goods.

An automated inspection cell was developed for the inspection of cast iron ports to detect subsurface discontinuities. The cell consists of an ultrasonic flaw detector (UFD), transducer, robot, immersion tank, computer, and software. Normal beam pulse-echo ultrasonic nondestructive testing is performed on each rough casting.

Using test blocks and …

Job Characteristics Of Construction Craftsmen And Their Relationships To Affective Work Outcomes, Musibau Adeola Shofoluwe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research was undertaken to investigate the extent to which employee-perceived job characteristics were related to internal work motivation and general satisfaction. Research shows that the structure of work has a significant influence on the motivation and general satisfaction of workers.

A job characteristic model developed by Hackman and Oldham (1980) was used as a basis for conducting this study. The study population consisted of construction craft workers who were registered members of the bricklayers, carpenters, and electrical unions located in a mid-western state. Job diagnostic survey questionnaires were mailed to 650 craftsmen. A total of 236 (36.3%) instruments were …

A Study Of Effective Practice In Primary Science Teachers, Leslie Jane Wilkinson-Brandt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine if the science teaching practices identified by Tobin and Fraser (1988) are indeed used more often by science teachers who have been judged more effective by supervisors. Through a review of the articles on the project, Exemplary Practice in Science and Mathematics Education (EPSME) an observation model of effective teaching was created. The observation model listed practices determined to be effective through the qualitative observations of teachers identified as exemplary by their supervisors. This observation model was then tested in a mathematics and science institute for the at-risk student. The research consisted …

Influence Of Physical Fitness Level On Susceptibility To Tts As Measured By Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions, Lisa Renee Battani

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recent research suggests that physical fitness level may influence hearing sensitivity to noise (Ismail et al., 1973; Manson, Alessio, Huchinson, & Cristell, 1992). Frequency-specific changes in hearing acuity resulting from noise overexposure have been detected in human subjects using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) (Whitehead, Lonsbury-Martin, & Martin, 1992). A decrease in DPOAE amplitude was reported at frequencies at which behavioral thresholds were reduced following a noise exposure (Harris, 1990; Lonsbury-Martin & Martin, 1990; Martin, Probst, & Lonsbury-Martin, 1990). The purposes of this study were to: 1. Examine the relationship between physical fitness level and susceptibility to a temporary noise-induced …

A Survey Of Consumer Satisfaction In Residential Treatment Centers In Iowa, David Allen Gates

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The expressed satisfaction of youth in placement in residential treatment centers (RTCs) has not been utilized for maximum benefit. A survey of the consumer's satisfaction with the programs in which they were placed was conducted. Eight of 18 treatment centers participated with a total of 65 surveys completed. Youth ages 12 to 17 in placement in RTCs in Iowa, were randomly selected to respond to 10 questions regarding their level of satisfaction with the program at the center in which they were placed. In general the youth were satisfied with the programs and the staff with whom they worked. They …

Anaerobic Power Gains Through Plyometrics: Comparison Of College Basketball Players Performing Drills At The Beginning Versus The End Of Practice, Benton Adam Miller

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of plyometric training performed either before or after practice on selected power measurements for NCAA Division I male basketball players.

Sixteen subjects were split into two groups of eight players each. The groups were split up by a matched pairs method, based on preseason estimates of playing time for each player by the coaching staff. All subjects were pretested (Week 0) on four selected measures of power. Each subject was measured on vertical jump, with a no-step and a two-step approach, standing long jump, and the 30-yard (27.3 m) dash. …

Visual Communication Through Illustration, Osie L. Johnson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The images I create are visual interpretations of various literal and non-literal subject matter. They are intended as vehicles for communication, and the expressive content is very important for creating an interaction between the piece and the viewer. In many cases, the message itself, which is derived from one or many ideas combined visually, is of greater importance than the initial intent and finished outcome. Some of the images are simply "constructions" for the sole purpose of experimenting with technical and compositional concerns, with the subject matter serving a minimal role. The greater number of the illustrations focus on technique …

The Standardization Of The Symptom Checklist-90 (Scl-90) For An Occupational Health Population, Laura Lynn Diemer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The cost of work-related musculoskeletal injuries to industry and to society as a whole is discussed. Literature concerning the means by which psychological variables interact and have an affect on rehabilitation from such injuries is also reviewed. Research supporting the necessity for gauging the presence of such psychological variables and the need for a multidisciplinary treatment modality to assist in a successful treatment outcome is presented. The current research: 1. Developed norms for an occupational health population based on length of time since the original complaint of injury (Less than l month, 1-3 months, 3-6 months and more than 6 …

Publication Design, Lanette Kay Harmsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The primary intention of my studio thesis, as a graduate student in graphic design in the UNI Department of Art, is an intensive study of the design of publications. This study involves the use of computers, computer software, and related technology in my approach to researching, planning, and executing each project presented in my studio thesis . My first experience in publication design was while completing my studies toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I became directly responsible for the entire design and production of Theatre Topics, a new academic journal housed and edited at UNI and published twice …

A Qualitative Study Of The Communicative Acts Involved In The Coming Out Process Of Male Homosexuals, Heidi Lynn Hinds

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The intent with this qualitative study was to explore the communicative acts involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals. The participants in this study were 10, male, selfidentified homosexuals living in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The participants ranged in age from 21 to 40, and also differed in how long they had been involved in the coming out process. The participants were selected through personal encounters or referral by other individuals. Two research questions were posed. The first question posed was, "What communication is involved in the coming out process of male homosexuals?" The second question posed was, …

An Analysis Of The Basic Assumptions About Psychology Of Teachers And School Psychologists, Timothy James Harmon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The introduction of the Regular Education Initiative into the schools has caused a shift in roles for many school personnel. Perhaps most impacted are the regular classroom teachers who must begin to serve the needs of all children, including those traditionally served by special education. The resulting concerns these teachers voice center on psychoeducational issues such as assessment or developmentally appropriate instructional objectives. Increasingly, teachers have begun to turn toward school psychologists for support and guidance in the form of a consultative relationship. current consultation theory and research suggests that one of the ingredients of more effective consultation is the …

Graphic Design: Eastern And Western Design Elements In Visual Communication, Li-Ying Bao

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

To pursue the combination of Eastern and Western aesthetics in visual communication, I came to study in the United States from China. As a graphic designer, the juxtaposition of my Chinese and American education and working experiences enable me to perceive and approach design works cross-culturally. My thesis is the continuous exploration of the affinity between Eastern and Western design elements in visual communication. In my design works, my intention is to combine the traditional Eastern design methodology, modern Western technology, and contemporary design theories to such an extent that these design elements could enrich each other and produce unique …

Fall Commencement [Program], December 21, 1991, 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 9, 1991, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, October 14, 1991, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Fall 1991, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the University of Northern Iowa.