Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Professional Development For Elementary Teachers : Creating Dialogic Classrooms To Improve Reading Comprehension, Amanda J. Mroch

Graduate Research Papers

Understanding the importance of teacher language, literacy discussions, and teacher questioning on students' literacy development in the classroom is important in order to facilitate deeper understanding by students. This research project first describes what dialogic classrooms are and how teachers can create more dialogic spaces for students. The paper also focuses on research that looks at the importance of literacy discussions and teacher questioning in creating classrooms that are open to student ideas.

A professional development program is then developed that will help teachers learn the importance of teacher language and creating dialogic spaces for students to explore complex ideas. …

A Study For Comprehensive And Collaborative Relationships: Partnering Public Schools And Nonprofit Outdoor Programs, Nicole Rottinghaus

Graduate Research Papers

My research paper will explore the divide between urban youth and their participation in outdoor programs. In an effort to provide a foundation of reason for the lack of participation in outdoor programs by urban youth, this study will be completed through an abstract approach on heuristic research and constraint theory. Heuristic research can be defined as the process of researching a “personal venture in search of understanding one’s self and the world around them” (Moustakas, 1990). In addition, constraint theory focuses on the barriers individuals face in regards to participation in activities or the completion of a goal (Samdahl …

Iowa Conference On Communicative Disorders [Program, 2015], Iowa Conference On Communicative Disorders

Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders Programs

The Iowa Conference on Communicative Disorders provides continuing education activities in speech- language pathology that are acceptable to the State of Iowa and the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. Areas of emphasis include adults and pediatrics.

Collegiate Athletes' Perceptions Of Social Support And Athletic Trainer-Coach Conflict, Nathan Newman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Following an injury, athletes go through a cognitive evaluation to determine if resources are present to manage any potential stress attributed to being injured (e.g., Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 1995). This evaluation determines both behavioral and emotional responses to the injury and can be influenced by a number of factors, including social support (e.g., Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 1998). Social support serves as a resource that allows injured athletes to make a positive cognitive evaluation (e.g., Wiese-Bjornstal et al., 1998). Another factor that could influence the cognitive evaluation is interpersonal conflict. In athletics, interpersonal conflict is present in the form of athletic …

The Influence Of The Single Stereotype On Moral Judgments, Peng Zhang

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Stereotypes can powerfully influence people’s moral judgments. For example, stereotypes of atheists lead people to report immoral behavior as more consistent for atheists than Christians (Wright & Nichols, 2014). When targets are labeled as “obese” or “hippie”, perceivers morally judge them more harshly than targets who are not assigned such labels (Masicampo, Barth, & Ambady, 2014). However, limited research has examined how stereotypes of single people can influence perceivers’ moral judgments. Because of various negative stereotypes people hold about single people (Conley & Collins, 2002; DePaulo & Morris, 2005), it was anticipated that people would morally judge a single target …

Gleaning In The Cedar Valley: A Post-Evaluation Study, Dylan Thomas Hillyer

Honors Program Theses

Gleaning is a term describing the act of either picking, cleaning or sorting produce that would otherwise be wasted. It is a practice long known to Europe, and in the past thirty years has gained immense popularity among non-profit organizations throughout the United States. The Cedar Valley Gleaning Program (CVGP) had its pilot-year in the fall of 2014. This thesis seeks to improve the efficacy of the CVGP through examining both the pilot year, and a qualitative study of gleaning operations worldwide, to answer the question: How can gleaning become an effective tool for communities in the Cedar Valley.

The Pura Belpré Award And The Portrayal Of Disability, Zoe Houser

Honors Program Theses

The Pura Belpré Award is one of the lesser known literary awards. Because other literary awards have been around longer and received a large amount of attention, there has been much research done over the other literary awards, including how the award books portray disabled characters within their pages. However, there is a lack of research about the portrayal of disability in books that have been awarded or honored by the Pura Belpré Award.

This paper will address the question of how many Pura Belpré Award winning books include prominent characters with disabilities and if they are portrayed positively or …

Investigating Educational Quality At One Comprehensive University, Blake Thurston Findley

Honors Program Theses

President Obama has called for increased access to higher education and simultaneously wants greater educational quality from our colleges and universities. Comprehensive universities in particular, due to their high enrollment of underserved populations, need to ensure they are providing the highest quality education possible. The current study investigated educational quality at a comprehensive university by examining research-supported behaviors related to educational quality as well as perceptions of educational quality of faculty and students. The study found that faculty play a tremendous role in comprehensive universities, yet are underappreciated by their administration. Additionally, comprehensive universities are trying to be everything to …

Juror Misperceptions Of Eyewitness Evidence : Impact On Expert Testimony And Credibility, Tiffany M. Anderson

Honors Program Theses

The criminal justice system generally assumes that jurors have a base knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding memory evidence. On some occasions, however, experts are brought in to testify and explain these issues to jurors. Though jurors (along with judges and attorneys) like to believe they are knowledgeable about the variables that may affect eyewitness memory, the reality is that they have a very limited understanding. However, there is little research on what misperceptions exist among laypeople regarding eyewitness memory. This is problematic because expert testimony may be more useful if it specifically addresses common misperceptions rather than just …

Exploring The Meaning Of Cohabitation: A Relationship Dialectics Perspective, Lindsey J. Thomas, Kristina M. Scharp

Iowa Journal of Communication

This study employed relational dialectics theory to investigate what cohabitation means to cohabiters. Cohabitation is an ambiguous relationship state (e.g., perceived as "more than dating" but "less than marriage") associated with negative outcomes. Scholars have empirically investigated cohabitation; however, little research explores what cohabitation means using a qualitative approach. Exploring the meaning of cohabitation can illuminate perceptions that might coincide with negative outcomes. Framed by Relational Dialectics Theory, a contrapuntal analysis of cohabiters' online stories (n=27) revealed three counter-discourses: Narratives of Cohabitation as a Normal Relationship, Cohabitation as an Easy Relationship, and Cohabitation as a Worthwhile Struggle. Each counter-discourse resisted …

The Impact Of Hyped Ipo's On The Market, Elias Escobedo

Honors Program Theses

Increasingly, finance researchers are including irrationality into their understanding of the stock market, including emotions (Tetlock, 2007) or misunderstanding of available information (Huberman & Regev, 2007). The popularity of the recent Alibaba IPO demonstrates that investors can get excited.1 Is excitement an important determinant of the behavior of stock market investors? Empirical evidence suggests that investors “herd” into similar stocks (Wermers, 1999) and may experience common feelings of optimism and pessimism (Tetlock, 2007). If investor’s emotions correlate, what about excitement? Can the excitement for a particular stock spill over into the excitement of other stocks?

To analyze the impact excitement …

Investigating The Linguistic Identity Development Of Dual Language Learners, Elizabeth Silbernagel

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this research study was to analyze ways in which dual language learners were impacted by their environment (school, home, and community) and explore how these environments impacted their cultural and linguistic identity. Specifically, the goal was to find ways in which educators could better support these students in the classroom to help them achieve academic success, as well as make students feel that their culture is acknowledged and appreciated in the classroom environment. Both of these goals point toward the need to consider the “role identity plays in children’s demonstration and construction of knowledge” (Owocki & Goodman, …

A Literature Review And Application Of Quiet Eye, Anton Stalzer

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper was review the current literature on the concept of Quiet Eye. Quiet Eye is an emerging concept in targeting tasks, and it can improve performance for both experts and non-experts when used properly. It may also help shield performers from the effects of anxiety. The second part of this paper summarized the application of Quiet Eye with a junior high basketball team and how the athletes used Quiet Eye from a coach's perspective. The team was taught how to use Quiet Eye during free throw shooting. The athletes that utilized Quiet Eye had a higher …

Health And Gratitude: Grateful Patient Fundraising Practices And Considerations, Scott R. Ford

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of the study is to conduct a comprehensive literature review related to the emerging and rapidly changing landscape of grateful patient related healthcare philanthropy. Of specific review is research relating to the nuances and relationship interactions of patient/caregiver, caregiver/healthcare organization, and patient/organization in the work of soliciting financial support from health care recipients and their families.

Some health care outcomes are truly miraculous. Grateful patients abound. However, sometimes healthcare providers are reluctant to pursue expressions of gratitude, or may not even be aware of when a patient is overtly offering to support their work. Also, offering compelling opportunities …

The Impact And Evaluation Of Forgiveness Education With Early Adolescents, Hillary Karyn Elda Hilbert

Honors Program Theses

Research has shown that forgiveness is a complex process and is vital to one’s well-being (Coyle & Enright, 1997; Enright, 1991; Freedman, 2007). There have been several research studies conducted with various populations (Freedman & Enright, 1996; Coyle & Enright, 1997; Gambaro, Enright, Baskin, & Klatt, 2008; Waltman et al., 2009) who have experienced deep, personal, and unfair hurts. Forgiveness has been found to be healing and beneficial to one’s overall psychological well-being in these studies. It is often assumed that forgiveness is a natural process, but this is not necessarily true. Forgiveness is something that can be taught (Freedman, …

Asset-Based Community Development Practices In International Service-Learning: A Content Analysis Of Short-Term Programs In Nicaragua, Kara Christine Poppe

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of the study is to explore how students on short-term international service-learning programs in Nicaragua interact with local communities by analyzing the structure of the programs as evidenced by course syllabi and website content. After extensive online research of international service-learning programs offered in Nicaragua, seven programs became the focus of the study. The four research questions included: 1) In what ways do the international service-learning programs support key components of service-learning, such as academic connections and reflection? 2) In what ways do the international service-learning program structure the time in the host country for service and tourism? …

Turkish Identity In Poetry Before And After The 1928 Language Revolution, Angela Marie Wrage

Honors Program Theses

The 1928 language revolution in Turkey involved the change of the Turkish writing script from the Arabic to the Latin alphabet, as well as the elimination of Arabic and Persian loan words and associated imported grammar. In this study, we assessed the impact this language revolution had on Turkish identity by examining it through the lens of Ottoman and Turkish literature and poetry. To achieve this, we compared literary and poetic themes from before and after the language revolution; we also studied the activity of prolific writers from before and after the transition to determine what effect, if any, the …

A Model For Measuring The Contribution Of Form To Perception Of Biological Sex In Point-Light Actors, Michael Mintz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

People are able to judge the sex of actors represented in point-light displays. Much of the previous literature has focused on the contribution of motion information to this judgment, or has focused specifically on information gathered from the shoulders and hips. The purpose of the current study is to model how form information, based upon the distance between the dots representing a point-light actor’s key joints, the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee, wrist, and ankle points, contributes to the perception of biological sex. In a pilot study, 6 naïve observers responded to 63 computer generated stimuli that ranged from extremely female …

Injunctive And Descriptive Norms Effect On Physical Activity, Monica Lynn Ehn

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Nearly half of adults in the United States do not meet the recommended guidelines for both aerobic and strengthening activities despite the benefits of regular physical activity (National Center for Health Statistics, 2014; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). The purpose of the current study was to test whether normative feedback (i.e., descriptive and descriptive plus injunctive norms) affects levels of physical activity. Participants wore a Fitbit Zip pedometer to record exercise behavior and received normative feedback messages sent to their mobile phones. Participants were 52 undergraduate students with a mean age of 18.66 (SD = 0.83); 27 …

Gender Differences In Social Support During Injury Rehabilitation, Chelsey Ann Bruns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Athletic injury can be a stress-inducing event that could have negative consequences on the psychological health of the athlete (Anderson & Williams, 1988; Gould, Udry, Bridges, & Beck, 1997). Injuries not only challenge the athlete physically, but also mentally challenge their ability to cope and overcome. A growing amount of research has indicated social support as a key factor in the rehabilitation process for an injured athlete (Yang, Peek, Lowe, Heiden, & Foster, 2010). Athletic injury causes an emotional disruption, and social support could influence the athlete’s reaction to the injury and his or her ability to cope with rehabilitation …

A Graduate Recital In Voice, Branden D. S. Haralson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Branden D. S. Haralson, baritone, presented his graduate voice recital on Friday, April 3, 2015, at 6:00 p.m., in Davis Hall of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center on the University of Northern Iowa campus. The recital was presented in collaboration with pianist Dr. Robin Guy, and included works by Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, and Duparc. This abstract discusses musical and historical features of the works performed.

Perceived Relational Evaluation : Biological, Psychological, And Physical Health Correlates, Emily Christina Banitt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Humans have a fundamental need to belong, and being rejected or devalued elicits strong emotional reactions such as stress and anxiety (Leary, 2001). Low perceived relational evaluation (PRE), as a type of rejection, occurs when one person in a relationship believes his or her significant other does not regard his or her bond with the other person as valuable, close, or important (Leary, 2001). The goal of the research was to examine the interrelations among PRE, cortisol (biological stress), relationship quality, and physical and psychological within dating couples. Undergraduate female students (N = 109) who were involved in dating relationships …

Pedagogical Reasoning Of Pre-Service Teachers: Juggling Priorities And Managing Resources, Jennifer Lynn Rasmussen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive and motivational factors related to the development of self-regulated teaching. These factors were defined by Shulman (1986; 2006) as theoretical, practical and moral knowledge for pedagogical reasoning. This study occurred in a clinical, instructional setting specifically designed to provide pre-service teachers with the environmental factors necessary to support the development of self-regulated instructional decision making. These factors included specific modeling of teacher thinking, regular formative feedback, instructional autonomy and strategic reflection. An instructional sequence based on Schunk and Zimmerman’s (1998; 2007) Model of the Development of Self-Regulatory Skill was applied …

Front Matter - Table Of Contents - Preface

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Communicating To Change Communication: Alcoholics' Romantic Partners' Mutual-Aid Group Attendance In Relation To Communication With Their Alcoholic Partners, Venla Kuuluvainen, Pekka Isotalus

Iowa Journal of Communication

Although the strain that a romantic partner's alcoholism puts on a relationship is well documented, less is known about the ways in which individuals deal with a malfunctioning relationship of this kind. This qualitative study explores one way of coping with a partner's alcoholism: attending Al-Anon, a world-wide network of mutual-aid groups for alcoholics' friends and families. This paper will look at Al-Anon members' perceptions of their communication experiences at Al-Anon in relation to their communication with their alcoholic partners. The research material is composed of interviews with Finnish Al-Anon members (n=19), as well as their writings (n=128), which have …

Communication And Female Date Initiation: Differences In Perceptions Based On Asesertiveness Of Initiator, Lindsey K. Odom, Erin Sahlstein Parcell, Benjamin M. A. Baker, Valerie Cronin-Fisher

Iowa Journal of Communication

First dates represent an important event in the early development of dating relationships. Commonly, date initiation is a behavior in which men take control in heterosexual relationships; however, more women are conducting this task. Women initiating dates, as opposed to men, has traditionally been viewed as a deviation from American cultural norms for expected behavior. The deviation in behavior could have negative repercussions for women, which was investigated for the current study. College-aged participants (n = 232) completed an online survey regarding their perceptions of two hypothetical women who initiated dates (i.e., one where her assertiveness was high and one …

Southeast Polk High School's Suicide Culture: Analysis Of Communication And Community Resilience Strategies, Molly D. Wells

Iowa Journal of Communication

This paper analyzes the response to the outbreak of student suicides at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, during the 2008-09 school year, by applying the theoretical framework of the communication and community resilience approach to crisis management. The key strategies of the communication and resilience framework were applied to assess the efforts of the school district to adapt and build resilience. It was identified that the school district succeeded in implementing two out of the five recommended strategies. The framework highlighted the need to consider suicide as a crisis and to employ all the strategies in order …

Review Of The Sage Handbook Of Family Communication, Donna R. Pawlowski

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2014/2015, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

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

Free Online Resources Not To Miss For Teaching Middle School Mathematics, Clayton M. Edwards

Curriculum & Instruction Faculty Publications

Do you need an infusion of richer tasks into your middle level mathematics classroom? Ask yourself the following questions:

-- Have you been using the same text for your mathematics curriculum for multiple years?

-- Has the promise of your text being “Iowa Core compatible” failed to come to fruition? • Are you a new middle school mathematics instructor and feel stuck with the materials present when you first got your job?

-- Are your middle school students generally lacking excitement towards any curricular choices you make or materials you use?

-- Do you wish your students would show and …