Digital Commons Network^™

Priorities For Pan-American Geography Education: Needs And Trends, Alex Oberle, Fabian Araya, Sandra Alvarez

Faculty Publications

Geography education research in Latin America is uneven in terms of its thematic focus and country-level contributions. Research demonstrates the necessity for a region-wide prioritization of geography education themes that builds on existing scholarship and adapts to emerging needs and trends. The Pan-American Institute for Geography and History, a scholarly society, established a research team with a four-year charge of advancing geography education in the region. Titled “Geographic Literacy for the Countries of the Americas”, the initiative develops research agendas that encompass the diversity of definitions and criteria, scholarly activities, and curricular resources across countries. The purpose of this study …

“Our Hands Are Tied”: How State Educational Diversity Laws Affect Iowa Public Educators And How Educators Respond, Lydia Berns-Schweingruber

Honors Program Theses

In May 2023, Iowa passed Senate File 496, which restricts public educators from sending students social-emotional learning surveys, requires public educators to inform parents when students request a pronoun change, and bans any books depicting a sexual act from public schools (Iowa Legislature 2023). Iowa and other states’ recent educational diversity laws are part of a broader history of public school censorship. This study examines how state educational diversity laws affect Iowa public educators and how educators respond. This paper draws on data from eight interviews with Iowa public teachers, administrators, and counselors. The findings show that state educational diversity …

Gender Socialization And Social Media In College Students' Fear Of Crime, Ashlyn C. Miller

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between gender (socialization), viewing crime related material on social media, and fear of crime experienced by college students. While violent crime rates have fallen, the majority of college students report levels of crime are increasing. Many individuals lack both knowledge and experience related to crime, leading media exposure to influence their levels of fear. Previous research has focused on television media related to fear of crime with little research on social media, the preferred media source of young adults. College students (n = 124) from a midwestern university completed a …

Information Provided By State Human Trafficking Websites: A Content Analysis, Brooklyn Dilley

Honors Program Theses

Human trafficking evolved from the legal and regulated slavery of the past and has likely been in existence throughout human history. Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, and slavery and servitude were prohibited globally through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (United Nations General Assembly, 1948). Nevertheless, modern-day slavery has still thrived in the form of human trafficking. There have been many global and national efforts to combat human trafficking, including the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (OMCTP). The Trafficking Victims Protection …

Desert Or Mirage? An Examination Of Food Deserts In Iowa Cities, Andrew Creasey

Graduate Research Papers

Food insecurity affects millions of Americans and has been widely recognized as a significant health and economic issue. Because of this, researchers have sought to develop ways to identify areas that are prone to food insecurity, which have become known as food deserts. Food deserts have been broadly defined through a confluence of three factors: low income, a lack of vehicle access, and a predetermined distance from a healthy food retailer. But research into food deserts in Iowa is limited, and the most prominent source of information on this topic, the Food Access Research Atlas created by the U.S. Department …

The Impact Of Sexual Assault And The Influence Of Leadership Within The Military, Holly Rigel

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between service member’s resilience levels and leadership’s response to sexual assault and sexual harassment. This research is conducted based on a quantitative study utilizing secondary data analysis of data collected by the Office of People Analytics on gender relations (2023) that is composed of several topics such as perception of the military and servicemembers’ resilience. Conducting both a univariate and a bivariate analysis of the data, the findings in the research revealed a statistically significant relationship between service members’ resilience levels and leadership’s response. The more positive leadership response is …

Integrating Music In Pk-12 Classrooms To Impact Behavior, Improve Academics, And Support Developmental Milestones In Children, Emily Grace Manis

Honors Program Theses

As a child, music was always a part of my life, and I believe this immersion has greatly impacted how I view music’s role in the world of education. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until I started courses at the University of Northern Iowa that I really decided to focus on early childhood and social emotional learning. My desire to teach, combined with my passion for all things music, led to my decision to focus on how music integration can be a useful tool in every classroom. Specifically I want to focus the research and …

Why Would I Read When The Game Is On?: Reasons Adults Give For Reading Or Not, Emmy C. Nelson

Honors Program Theses

This thesis dives into the ideas of why people read and do not read, beginning in their childhood years. Many different factors add to why people choose to read or why they choose not to read. School plays an important role as to why people choose to read because reading is not necessarily a natural process since it is different from learning how to speak. Reading has to be taught and understood fully in order to read independently, understand the material, expand ideas, and connect with the reading. Without this, individuals can become “poor” readers or have a low reader …

Changing Demographics In A Rural Iowa High School: A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Emergent Bilinguals, Lindsay Carter

Honors Program Theses

For this thesis project, I conducted a qualitative case study of a rural high school facing demographic changes that affected the district’s population of English language learner (ELL) students. This study took place in Smalltown Community School District (all locations and names in this study are pseudonyms), an Iowa school district located in a very rural area of the state. I have close ties to this district and have spoken with people involved in their efforts to work with this population change they are facing. As a future teacher of ELL and multilingual students, I was highly interested in pursuing …

The Relationship Between Athletes' Competitive State Anxiety And Self-Confidence And Coaches' Behaviors, Derek Anderson

Honors Program Theses

Competitive state anxiety (CSA) and self-confidence are prominent issues in athletics and can cause detrimental effects on athletic performance. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of perceived coach anxiety and perceived coach self-confidence on athlete competitive state anxiety and self-confidence. It was predicted that as perceived coach anxiety increases, athlete competitive anxiety will increase. Furthermore, as perceived coach self-confidence decreases, athlete self-confidence will decrease. Ninety-six Division I athletes from three sports (men’s/women’s track and field, women’s soccer, women’s softball) were recruited. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 25 years of age (M = 20.33, SD …

A Literature Review Of Factors Contributing To Archaeal Diversity, Anna R. Carmen

Honors Program Theses

Archaea, being classified as its own separate domain only within the past fifty years, has earned a reputation of being notoriously difficult to culture in a laboratory setting. Because of this, their functions in ecosystems and potential for use in bioremediation is largely unknown and untapped. In order to further develop methodologies to successfully cultivate these microbes, an analysis of past research is needed to help understand where to lead research. After analyzing past studies on archaea and recalcitrant microbes as a whole, it is found that other factors are often overlooked and a label of recalcitrance is added. This …

Little Miss Sure Shot: Essays On A Young Woman Journalist's Search For Fulfillment, Mallory Schmitz

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Exercise In Cognitive Function In Older Ad, Josephine Sagan

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Impact Of High School Climate And Bullying On Depression And Anxiety In Emerging Adulthood, Tyler K. D. Larson

Honors Program Theses

Depression and anxiety disorders are a significant public health concern, especially among adolescents and emerging adults. Education is a central component of adolescents’ lives that shapes their development and experiences. School climate refers to the overall nature and quality of a school’s environment. Social relationships, teaching and learning practices, school facilities, safety, and school connectedness all contribute to school climate. Previous studies have found that positive school environments serve as a protective factor against adverse mental health outcomes. However, many of these studies focus on a single aspect of school climate, and there is conflicting evidence on how school climate …

Death And Grief In 21st Century America: A Literature Review On Bereavement & Attitudes Toward Death, Jordan Whitney

Honors Program Theses

In modern Western society, death has been dissected and neatly packaged like meat at the grocery store. The unsavory aspects are hidden and our discomfort around dying has turned death into a commodity. In typical consumerist fashion, we are sold the “proper way” to die and grieve as a result. Funeral homes guide us through this new experience with the goal of assisting us through our grief. While most report positive experiences with funeral directors’ services, there remains evidence of overcharging and pressuring into the purchases of unnecessary additional services. This thesis explores modern attitudes and practices towards death, grief, …

We Did What? To Whom? An Analysis Of How Us Educational Materials Present The Philippine-American War And Occupation, Jude Beekman

Honors Program Theses

Since the turn of the 21st century, decisions of American leaders have continued traditions of American exceptionalism and general attempts at dominance, although this is continuously brought into question. A generation has since passed through school and experienced curriculums that have implied such American exceptionalism and dominance. Acknowledged for decades, the military-industrial complex has extended into the 21st century with involvement across the globe, but notably in the Middle East. For those indigenous to the Pacific, militarism extends to how people perceive the bodies and selves of indigenous peoples. There exist multiple definitions of colonialism and imperialism, but in essence, …

A Comparison Between Two Schools Implementing Trauma-Informed Classroom Management, Maddie Steffen

Honors Program Theses

Traditional classroom management methods are ineffective with students who have or are experiencing trauma. Students will not physically be able to learn until they feel like they are in a safe space. A trauma-informed classroom provides students with a safe environment to facilitate learning. This approach to classroom management focuses on more than academics, but also the student’s well-being. It involves teachers trained in trauma awareness and strategies to help students cope with their emotions and engage in learning effectively. This project will study how two schools in a large urban public school district in the Midwest part of the …

Using Fiddler Crab Species To Identify Coastal Biomes Around The Perimeter Of The Atlantic Ocean, Amber Finke

Honors Program Theses

Organisms are distributed differentially across world’s surface based on many environmental characteristics. What part do physical characteristics play in demarcating the distribution of species? Using several international fiddler crab collections and GIS-linked sets of habitat factors, I sought an answer to this question. Geographic distribution data for 23 species from over 1700 collecting sites situated along the coasts of Europe, Africa, North America, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America were used to characterize coastal biogeographic biomes around the perimeter of the North and South Atlantic Ocean. As an initial objective, the exact geographic distribution of each species based …

Why Play? Exploring The Realities Of Play-Based Learning In Kindergarten, Sofia Josephine Steele

Honors Program Theses

By nature, children are curious and love to explore the world around them. Play is one way that children can fulfill that innate curiosity. Through play-based learning, educators can utilize that innate curiosity and wonder in children to create valuable learning experiences that will engage and teach them. This pedagogical approach is used in early childhood education to help children develop their academic, social, and emotional skills through appropriate learning experiences that consider their abilities and interests. However, in recent years, there has been a shift away from play-based learning in kindergarten classrooms. The reasoning behind this shift may be …

Concert Band Methods And Supplemental Ensemble Material For The High School Band, Carissa Blumka

Honors Program Theses

In a school band setting, most music educators will begin a rehearsal with a warm-up routine. When a unified group warm-up is desired, rather than allowing open time for students to warm up individually, a resource is needed. Many supplemental method books and materials have been published to provide exercises to organize this desired ensemble warm-up. After physically preparing students to play through a warm-up, many effective band directors choose to devote additional rehearsal time to the development of fundamental musical skills. Though much of the school band curriculum is taught through the repertoire selected for the ensemble to perform, …

Mathematical Conjectures In Grades Three Through Five Relating To Fractions And Decimals, Lauren Elizabeth Bork

Honors Program Theses

Studying fractions and decimals is foundational work in upper elementary grades. There are many challenges that students face with these topics and many ways teachers can build on the understanding that they bring to the classroom. Studying conjectures and students’ mathematical thinking is important as we build foundational knowledge for students with fractions and decimals. Studying the conjectures that students make can be a captivating journey into the world of mathematical reasoning and exploration. Making conjectures is one part of mathematical argumentation, an important practice to include in mathematics teaching. I studied the conjectures of grades 3-5 students in the …

An Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence's Potential In Assessments Of Math Learning, Casandra Tounjian

Honors Program Theses

Many aspects of math teaching could be impacted by the implementation of AI in schools, but I chose to focus on the implementation of AI in assessments of mathematical learning. A large part of teaching mathematics is determining how students are progressing in their understanding of mathematics. There are typically certain benchmarks that students are expected to reach. For example, in middle school math, students typically learn about equivalent ratios before they learn about proportional relationships. Thus, when students are discussing proportional relationships—think recipes—they can use the language for equivalent ratios to describe proportional relationships—for every 3 cups of water …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Montessori Approaches To Learning Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic In Iowa, Ellie Penick

Honors Program Theses

This research focused on the unique and innovative ways two Montessori Schools handled the pandemic in the context of Iowa’s COVID-19 regulations. Research focused on the state of Iowa due to its relevance and proximity to the researcher and its notably relaxed approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the purpose and scope of this study, research focused on two Montessori contexts within the state of Iowa. While this research is not representative of all Montessori schools in Iowa, it provides useful insight into the topic that can support further research on Montessori approaches to COVID-19.

The driving question behind this …

An Analysis Of Post-War Economic Growth In The Balkans, Edina Tahirovic

Honors Program Theses

When examining the economies of several former Yugoslav countries, presently known as the Balkans, it is essential to consider the economic development that occurred in the aftermath of the region’s civil wars. This paper analyzes the factors influencing post-war economic development in the former Yugoslav countries using statistical regression analysis of panel data collected from 2002 to 2019. In this model, I selected variables based on previous research and theories that underscored their importance. To explain post-war economic development, I tested variables such as foreign direct investments, unemployment, migration, trade, corruption, the Gini index, personal remittances, and population. The results …

The Role Of Flo11 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Colonization Of The Lepidopteran Gastrointestinal Tract, Kayla Jeanette Minor

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2023/2024, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Some Comparisons
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-Time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted 2023/24
--- Degree Summary 2023/24
--- Program Certificates 2023/24
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree and Racial/Ethnic Classification

Uni Alumni Magazine, Issue 06, 2024, University Of Northern Iowa Alumni Association

UNI Alumni Magazine

Contents:

Strategic plan shapes UNI for Tomorrow --- 08
Degrees for Tomorrow --- 10
The End of an Era --- 12
A Hub for Civic Education --- 16
Equipping Our School Leaders for Challenging Times --- 18
20 Years of Sustainable Feedback --- 24
Ukranian Students Find a Home at UNI --- 26
Meeting Human Needs from Things that Grow --- 28
A Bolder, Brighter Tomorrow --- 30
Doing Well by Doing Good --- 32
Through the Eyes of Team TC/TK --- 42
The Panther Evolution --- 44
Celebrating 125 Seasons of Football --- 46
Celebrating 125 Seasons of Wrestling …

How Influencer Marketers Inspire Trust: The Case Of Sadaf Beauty, Maryam Amini

Iowa Journal of Communication

This article presents a qualitative case study of Iranian beauty influencer Sadaf Masaeli (Sadaf Beauty), focusing on how she has cultivated her followers’ trust on her Instagram account. Sadaf was identified as the second most influential beauty influencer of 2019 in the world by Forbes magazine (Caludet, 2019). Her example provides insight into how influencer marketing has become a popular way to increase brand awareness, find new customers and enhance purchase intention. In particular, her case highlights the effects of a contradiction shaping influencer marketing. On the one hand, influencers appear as authentic social media users, to attract followers whilst, …

An Unconventional Etiquette: Emily Post And Etiquette In Society, In Business, In Politics, And At Home., Jillian Klean Zwilling

Iowa Journal of Communication

In 1922, Emily Post published, Etiquette in Society, In Business, In Politics and at Home, which became a national bestseller. While other etiquette manuals had been written up to that point, none has been so successful and enduring in the American consciousness as Post’s. In this article, I explore the rhetorical strategies Post employed in creating a text that follows the conventions of an etiquette manual but breaks the convention of exclusivity generally associated with etiquette texts. I argue Post was successful because of her uniquely American approach to etiquette. The success of Post’s text can be attributed to her …

Programs And Courses Catalog 2024-2025, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Programs and Courses Catalogs

Contents:

Academic Calendar ... 5
General Information ... 7
The University and Its Programs ... 7
Academic Structure ... 9
Admission Requirements ... 16
Enrollment and Registration Procedures ... 21
Fees and Financial Aid ... 22
Student Life ... 28
University Facilities and Educational Services ... 33
The Fine and Performing Arts at UNI ... 39
Academic Regulations ... 44
Undergraduate Information and Degree Requirements ... 61
Graduate Information, Admission, Academic Regulations, and Degree Requirements ... 91
List of Programs by Department ... 120
Department of Accounting ... 127
Department of Applied Engineering & Technical Management ... 129
Department of …