Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Writing: Increasing Higher Level Thinking For All Students, Caroline Elser

Graduate Research Papers

Teachers can use writing in three important ways to increase higher level thinking skills for all students. First, they must increase writing proficiency for struggling writers; second, writing can increase higher-level thinking, and third, writing can be used across content areas to increase writing fluency while fostering higher-level thinking.

Music And The Brain, Kimberly D. Madison

Graduate Research Papers

A great deal of literature focuses on the subject of music and the brain and how music can affect learning. Music stimulates brain patterns, and therefore should be considered essential in an academic setting. This review was written to provide an analysis of the published literature and studies in the area of music and cognitive development, to examine how the brain is wired for music, and to determine whether music is an effective tool in enhancing environmental and cognitive learning conditions in classrooms.

Identity In Second Language Learning: Access To The Target Language Group, Stephanie J. Marra

Graduate Research Papers

In recent years the role of identity in SLA has emerged in the literature as the linguistic community develops an understanding of the significance of identity in language learning (McKay & Wong, 1996). Norton (2000) refers to identity as “how a person understands his or her relationship to the world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how the person understands possibilities for the future” (p. 5). An understanding of identity in language learning and the relationship of the language learner to the learning environment helps to illuminate what previous theories about the role of affective variables …

Insects: A Sixth Grade Curriculum Unit, Katherine Schultz

Graduate Research Papers

This unit is designed to teach sixth grade students the importance of insects to our world. Insects appear everywhere on Earth in an amazing number and with great diversity. There are over a million species (York, 2002) identified and more are being discovered. Insects have adapted and multiplied to the point where they represent over eighty percent of the animal species that are found on Earth (Walters& Johnson, 1999)

National Board Of Professional Standards Portfolio Option, Rochelle Rene Wilkins

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Echoic Properties In Vocalizations Of A Preverbal Child On The Autistic Spectrum, Sarah A. Mcconnell

Honors Program Theses

Echolalia, the echoing of words, is a hallmark of language in children with autism. Echolalia in autistic language is generally viewed as a manifestation of gestalt learning, a particular cognitive style that impacts language learning, memory, and overall cognition. While extensive research has investigated echolalia, research has not investigated non-word echoing.

A Journey Of Advising: Experiences Of Doctoral International Students And Faculty Advisors In The College Of Education At A Midwestern University, Madalina Florentina Tincu

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the last five decades, higher education in the United States has faced a large influx of international students (Institute of International Education, 2004). However, a review of selected literature showed a paucity of research on faculty advising graduate international students. The literature pointed out that not all institutions were prepared to work with the international student population (Adrian-Taylor, Noels, & Tischler, 2007; Khabiri, 1985; Seeger, 1993) and that further investigation was needed in the area of faculty advising related to international students (Adrian-Taylor, et al.; Trice, 2003). Therefore, this study focused on the following research question: How do selected …

Variability In L1 And L2 French Wh- Interrogatives: The Roles Of Communicative Function, Wh- Word, And Metalinguistic Awareness, Elizabeth Zwanziger

Faculty Publications

Research on variability in French interrogatives and the factors affecting word order in questions has many foci, but largely centers around socio-stylistic factors. In contrast, this dissertation explores two under-investigated constraints on French questions: communicative function and WH-element as well as the role metalinguistic awareness plays in the question structure produced. A corpus of 1200 questions each for L1 (n=30) and advanced L2 (n=30) groups was collected via a Discourse Elicitation Task crossing five communicative functions (echo, presupposition, topic-introduction, rhetorical, and self-addressed) and four WH-words (où, pourquoi, combien, and qui). Post DCT, the participants were interviewed regarding metalinguistic knowledge affecting …

An American's Guide To Cultural Brokering, Jessica Anna Sauer

Honors Program Theses

The United States is the world's largest refugee host, welcoming almost 3 million people in the last 30 years, according to the January 16th, 2007 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to refugees, the United States accepted 1,266,264 immigrants in 2006, as stated in the Office of Immigration Statistics 2006 Yearbook of Statistics. Furthermore, the Kids Count Data Center reports that one out of every five children lives in an immigrant family. Clearly, these numbers show that immigrants compose a significant part of our communities.

While the US strives to welcome newcomers, many immigrants are left in the …

Memories Of Flesh And Fire: Crossing Over Color Lines, Alice A. Filmer

Iowa Journal of Communication

Throughout this autoethnography, the author weaves personal memories of her early life in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1960s and 70s into a larger set of social and historical events of that turbulent era. Using the metaphor of "crossing over," she traces her growing awareness of racial inequality and white privilege during a period in which she must also come to terms with a series of deaths by disease, fire, and assassination. While literally crossing bridges and terrain, she figuratively crosses class and color lines that have long separated generations of her once-wealthy white family from the people …

Preparing Instructors Of Adult Learners To Address The Needs Of Minority Students, Travell Unique Brock

Graduate Research Papers

In predominately Caucasian educational systems, diversity in the classroom is becoming a fast-growing phenomenon. With this new phenomenon, adult instructors now have a new challenge of facilitating learning in an environment where the learners not only have different learning capabilities, but also language and cultural differences. The reviewer answers the following questions: what are the important considerations for instructors to prepare diverse adult learners for corporate work environments, higher education, and K-12 professional development? And what are the appropriate cultural specific media and literature resources to include in training?

The literature collected focused on resources related to teaching adult minority …

Respiratory Kinematics Of Adult Males During Graded Listening Tasks, Laura Lerette Gingrich

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Covert speech movements have been observed to increase with linguistic complexity during listening tasks. This study investigated the presence of covert respiratory movements during listening tasks of increasing complexity to answer the following research questions: 1. Do normal adult male listeners aged fifty and above without central nervous system injury change from rest breathing patterns to speech breathing patterns while listening to passages of increasing complexity; 2. Is there a greater shift towards speech breathing while listening to passages of greater complexity? Chest wall kinematics often male participants were obtained and analyzed for significant changes from rest breathing during four …

"Stand And Unfold Yourself": The Subjectivity Of Interpretation In Hamlet, Josh Mahoney

Student Writing Awards

Critical interpretations of Hamlet are largely dependent upon the cultural zeitgeist that provides the cognitive paradigm through which critics formulate their ideas. The zeitgeist also influences which text of Hamlet to consider, since no single authoritative manuscript of the play exists. Critics must also consider Hamlet beyond a simple textual reading, since the competing documents of Q1, Q2 and F1—among later additions—only serve as the basis for theatrical representations. The inherent fluidity of performance is apparent to anyone who has ever been to the theater, even a modern one. Actors embodying characters on stage in front of an audience make …

Militarization Versus Democratization: A Case Study Of Pakistan And India's Divergent Political Paths Since Independence, Zenab Afzal Chowdhry

Honors Program Theses

Since the fall of colonialism, countries once ruled by French, British, Spanish, and Belgian empires have embarked upon state and nation-building, constructing social, political, and economic institutions to solidify their status as a functional and sovereign state. While several former colonies have slowly adopted democratic policies and institutions, many countries in South Asia and Latin America have undergone a series of military dictatorships, communism, socialism, and other governing forms. Some of these regime forms, as in the case of Cuba and communism or Pakistan and its military dictatorship, have proved resilient in the face of what scholars have called "waves …

Give ‘Em Hill: The Fighter Persona In Hillary Clinton’S 2008 Presidential Campaign, Rebecca Diane Buel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Hillary Clinton announced her intentions to form a presidential exploratory committee on January 20, 2007. The campaign that followed this announcement was complicated by the many existing images created by Hillary Clinton's many years in the public eye. Throughout these many years, Hillary Clinton struggled to establish voter identification, and was frequently the subject of public criticism, rendering many existing images negative. Furthermore, she served in a variety of roles: governor's wife, first lady, senator, and most recently presidential candidate. Because of the conflicting data resulting from Hillary Clinton's negative publicity and her many roles, her presidential campaign faced a …

Now Have We Gotten It Right?: Exploring The Special Education Referral Process, Janine Sue Wahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This qualitative inquiry explored the special education referral process as understood and implemented by two first grade teachers in a rural school. Both were interviewed and their classes observed; team meetings about their referrals were attended and recorded. The results of these observations were examined through the beliefs and assumptions about teaching and learning by the two teachers.

Each teacher referred two students into the process during this study, but none of the four students was found eligible for special education services during first grade. Through a cross-case analysis of the teachers and these students, distinct differences and commonalities were …

Flores-Figueroa V. United States Petition

Postville Project Documents

A brief filed for Ignacio Flores-Figueroa in the appeal of a case of a Mexican citizen working in East Moline, Illinois who was convicted of identity theft. The grounds for the appeal were that the petitioner did not know that the social security and alien registration numbers he used were assigned to other people.

Comparing The Effects Of Sung Versus Spoken Lyrics On Speech And Language Acquisition In Late-Talking Toddlers, Chelsea Ki Sook Clock Bell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of two intervention approaches with children who are delayed in their development of expressive language (i.e. "late talkers"). Identification and intervention for late talkers is often controversial. This study examined whether music therapy has an equal or greater effect on speech and language acquisition in two toddlers with late-developing speech and expressive language when compared to a literacy-based intervention involving storybook reading. The use of storybook reading in speech and language therapy has been examined and found successful when used with children with communication disorders. However additional research is needed …

Aging Effects On The Transcription Of Differentially Impaired Dysarthric Speech, Molly Anne Duggan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Thirty participants transcribed 60 words and 30 sentences spoken by persons with dysarthria. Participants, all aged 65 and older were divided into three age groups: Young-Old, Middle-Old, and Old-Old. Each group was comprised of 10 participants. Stimuli were recorded by two male speakers with differing severity levels of dysarthria. Results suggested age did affect the transcription scores, as the Young-Old participants were able to transcribe words and sentences with greater accuracy than the Old-Old participants. The severity of the dysarthric speaker also affected the accuracy of participants in transcribing their words and sentences. Utterances produced by the speaker with mild …

Western Images In African Media: A Semiotic Investigation Of Three Nigerian-Made Films, Terence Ebi Ekiseh

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study makes a critical analysis of the portrayal of Western images in African-made films as represented in three selected Nigerian home-made movies. In other words, the study seeks to find out how images of Western European and North American cultures are portrayed in African films. The three films selected for the study are Spirit cf Love, Market Seller, and One Dollar. The films were selected on the basis of their popularity among Nigerian film audiences. They were also selected because they are recent, and are produced by renowned Nigerian filmmakers. The study utilized qualitative method to achieve its objective. …

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Fall 2007, 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.

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Summer 2007, 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.

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Spring 2007, 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.

Objectional Language In Young Adult Literature: A Mixed Method Analysis Of Twenty-Five Novels, Ann P. Larkin Kurt

Graduate Research Papers

This research examined 25 award-winning novels on the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults lists from 1995-2005 to identify through content analysis the frequency of use of objectionable language. A further textual analysis was then done to look for contextual patterns in the use of objectionable language in dialogue.

The researcher kept record of each instance of such language used in each novel. These instances were then analyzed by novel, by word, by most often used in each novel, and by most often used overall. Next, information was gathered to see if the objectionable language appeared in dialogue. …

African Americans Participation And Counseling, Tawanna L. Moore

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this literature reviewed is to understand African Americans' underutilization of mental health services available to them. It is also important to understand barriers that keep African Americans from seeking mental health services, so this population of people can maintain a healthy life. This review also addresses implications for Caucasian clinicians. The following literature review will explore: The kind of support and treatment African Americans seek or receive to help them with mental health problems, effectiveness of these programs, and barriers to treatment when services are available.

Gender And Racial Masquerade: Female Body Performance On The Late 19th Century And Early 20th Century Variety Stage, Kathleen M. Golden

Iowa Journal of Communication

There were three women who were at the forefront of vaudeville's rise in popularity: May Irwin, Eva Tanguay, and Aida Overton Walker. These women represent, each in their own way, transformation and emergence of new gender and race roles in America. Irwin, Tanguay, and Walker developed individual styles of performance that both reinforced the accepted forms of discourse on the variety of stage, but also broke through barriers related to gender and race. Butler's (1997) work on performativity and her adoption of Austin's (1965) ideas on illocutionary and perlocutionary acts, and Bourdieu's (1991) concept of "social magic" inform this analysis.

Opening "Eyes", Ray Smith

Short Story

No abstract provided.

The Smuggler's Son Grows Older, Clark Blaise

Short Story

No abstract provided.

University Of Northern Iowa Today, V91n1, Winter 2007, University Of Northern Iowa Alumni Association

UNI Today

Inside This Issue:
-- New home, old tradition
-- Contents
-- A Teacher's Gift
-- A focus on positive impact
-- From history major to financial entrepreneur
-- Got butter?
-- On Ice
-- Helping others get "the good start"
-- A Season to Remember for Panther Volleyball
-- Teaching is doing in the Iowa Writing Project
-- Groundbreaking for HPC
-- Donors Set Records
-- John Deere helps fund master's startup
-- Cooperative Education & Internship Program a "certified" success for 30 years
-- Class Notes
-- UNIAA brings two new staffers on board
-- PBS to air Tallgrass …

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (Siop) : A Model For English Language Learners, Edith L. Bakley

Graduate Research Papers

With so many second language learners entering our public schools, it is imperative that educators prepare themselves with training and strategies to best meet the needs of these students. The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, or SIOP Model, has been developed for the purpose of instructing English Language Learners (ELL) in mainstream classrooms and bestow effective methods for teaching all content areas, while promoting fluency of the English language. In this literature review, the components involved in the SIOP Model will be examined as well as the effects it has on second language learners and their ability with language fluency.