Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Technology Committee For The Integration Of Technology At Edison Elementary In Waterloo, Iowa, Travis Elliott

Graduate Research Papers

Everywhere you look there are new technologies springing up! People are showing other people the new and latest electronic devices they have acquired to make their lives easier and get things done quicker. Most people would say that you must get on board with technology or get left behind.

Educators often say that when students start to fall behind it is very hard for them to get caught up without extra time and support. Most educators do not realize that they themselves are already falling behind. They are falling behind in the integration of technology into their classrooms. This is …

Is Reading Recovery A Beneficial Reading Program To Have Implemented In A School District?, Carrie Langan

Graduate Research Papers

Reading Recovery is an instructional program that offers individualized reading and writing instruction to struggling first graders. This program is costly and with the limited number of first graders that can be served, it raises the question : Is Reading Recovery really beneficial in the long run?

The purpose of this paper is to explain the importance that Reading Recovery has to offer. While this program may be costly, Reading Recovery children usually complete their series of lessons within 12 - 20 weeks. After that time, other children take their place. With good classroom instruction , many children who discontinue …

Jazz And Gender : Teaching Improvisation To Girls, Valerie A. Shanley

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons that girls do not pursue advanced jazz education and to suggest teaching strategies that could encourage greater female participation. I have observed that the number of female students is approximately equal to that of the male students in concert band, and in a concert band setting these girls do seem to advance more quickly than boys. Through literature review and interviews with music educators and female jazz musicians, this study will examine whether some of the teaching techniques that allow girls to succeed in concert band could be adapted to …

Cns Connections, Winter 2009-10, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Natural Sciences.

CNS Connections

Inside this issue:

-- Message from the Dean
-- CNS explores alternative energy possibilities
-- CNS News in Short
-- Green promises kept at CEEE
-- Applause
-- Transitions
-- Summer camps help middle school students to experience science firsthand
-- CNS students in the news
-- IMSEP awards grants
-- Citizen Science aims to make science accessible
-- CNS team participates in project to explore Earth's interior
-- Faculty research
-- Imagine the impact
-- South campus trail provides portal to nature
-- Internationally distinguished UNI grad establishes teaching and learning award
-- Alumni News
-- CNS advisory board

A Light Unto Our Path: Toward A Mutual Understanding Of Fundamentalist Christianity And Science, Kassidy K. Lyons

Honors Program Theses

My research into the Christian fundamentalist and scientific worldviews shows that existing hostility between the two can be attributed to extremists on either side. Such polarization can be a hindrance to all involved by inhibiting scientific learning and disregarding valid methods to signify and understand one’s place in the world. I explore each worldview and its validity as well as provide examples of how each can be harmful when taken to the extreme. I then outline philosophies by Stephen Jay Gould, Michael Ruse, Marcus Borg, Karl Popper and others who deny extremism and will allow an individual to find middle …

Characteristics Of Highly Effective Teachers: A Perspective From Students With Disabilities, David J. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teacher quality is a widely discussed topic in education. States, districts, schools, parents, and other stakeholders want to know how to measure, improve, and reward teacher quality. A major factor in the rise in interest about teacher quality is clear evidence that individual teachers are able to positively affect student achievement, specifically in relationship to students' standardized test scores (No Child Left Behind Legislation). Even a cursory look at statewide student achievement data reveals that students with disabilities are achieving at lower levels in comparison to their peers without disabilities.

While several researchers have asked students to identify characteristics of …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Students' Perceptions Of Online Graduate Education, Hou Chun Kuong

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate graduate students' perceptions of online education. Online learning has grown tremendously over the past several years and has made learning and teaching opportunities more available to many people throughout the world. As an increased number of higher education institutions use online education as a means of delivering courses and programs, educational researchers have been working tirelessly to uncover and delineate the factors that facilitate and enhance success in online learning. One major factor that researchers (e.g., Pérez Cereijo, 2006) have established as a predictor of success is students' perceptions of online learning. …

The Effect Of Self-Efficacy And Psychosocial Development On The Factors That Influence Major Changing Behavior, Karen Cunningham

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This quantitative research study sought to determine the factors that distinguish those students who are classified as “major-changers” from those who are classified as “relatively stable” (never changing their initial major or changing only once or twice). Participants of this study were full-time undergraduate students attending the University of Northern Iowa. The following variables were measured as possible factors influencing major-changing behavior: (a) level of psychosocial development, (b) level of self-efficacy, and (c) level of parental education. The Life-Skills Inventory–College Form (LSDI-CF) was used to measure students' level of psychosocial development and the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) was used to …

A Study Of Constructivist Career Development, Empowerment, Indecision, And Certainty, Nicole R. Skaar, Tabitha L. Grier-Reed, Lorien B. Parson

Faculty Publications

In times of uncertainty and change where the job market is fluid and the U.S. economy is weak, students need to feel empowered to construct their lives and forge their career paths. Constructivism has been suggested as one way to empower people. The current study explored outcomes in constructivist career courses using a quasi-experimental pre/post-test design. The empowerment, indecision, and certainty of 115 culturally diverse college students were measured using the Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (CDSE-SF) and the Career Decision Scale (CDS). Results indicated that students in the career courses showed significant increases in empowerment and certainty and significant …

Problem-Solving Behaviors In College Relationships, Bethanie Frattini-Scott

Honors Program Theses

This study examined the individual characteristics that affect one’s willingness and ability to resolve problems in romantic relationships and one’s decision to seek support from a romantic partner. One hundred twenty-six college students in romantic relationships completed measures of attachment style, relationship efficacy, partner attributions, and relationship satisfaction, and responded to hypothetical scenarios assessing their problem-solving and support-seeking behaviors. Participants reporting higher attachment ambivalence were more perceptive than others to threats to their relationships and exhibited a greater effort to reduce conflict, although they reported lower levels of confidence in their problemsolving abilities. People reporting higher avoidance anticipated placing greater …

Attention And Memory In Young And Middle-Aged Adults, Emily Sorensen

Honors Program Theses

Within the field of communication sciences and disorders, studies concerning performance on cognitive tests tend to focus on the differences between young and old-age groups. The geriatric population has significantly increased over the years and will continue to rise in the coming decades. This rise in the number of older adults has resulted in research that is directed towards investigating the decline in cognitive ability in the aging population.

Powerful And Powerless Speech Styles In Employment Mock Interviews, Amanda M. Wilson

Honors Program Theses

This thesis examines powerful and powerless speech styles in employment mock interviews. A powerless speech style is defined as the use of linguistic features that have negative effects on how the speaker is perceived. Features analyzed in this study include intensifiers, hedges, and hesitations. A powerful speech style is defined as the absence of powerless linguistic features within speech. Twenty-eight examples of employment mock interviews conducted in the office of Career Services at the University of Northern Iowa were recorded for analysis in this thesis. Four common questions within the interviews were selected and the responses were transcribed and analyzed, …

The Effects Of Sport And Physical Activity On Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In Youth From Mass Trauma Populations, Sydney De Victoria-Michel

Honors Program Theses

This project will focus on the effects of exercise and sport on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be debilitating to those who suffer, and incredibly confusing when children are involved. Feelings of rage, anger, depression and anxiety can render individuals incapable of normal day-to-day activities. Traditional treatment options offer individual and group therapy in which the patients simply share their feelings and experiences. Although there have been a vast number of studies and texts published on PTSD sufferers using treatment based on psychotherapy, there has been little done to document effects of exercise and physical activity on PTSD. Despite …

Postville: The Emotional Consequences Applying Diagnostic Criteria To A Unique Event, Mollie Katherine Burke

Honors Program Theses

Group interviews were conducted with small groups of Guatemalan women who were affected by the immigration raid in Postville, Iowa. During these interviews, participants responded to questions about emotional reactions in the months following the raid, as well as current emotional states and functioning. The women reported several negative effects, including emotional, social, and economic hardship during the months between the raid and the interviews. The way in which these responses correlate to the traditional model for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder allows insight into the appropriateness of diagnostic criteria. As similar raids are conducted, it is vital to have an understanding …

The Mental Health Of Low Socio-Economic Populations, Sarah E. Bumgarner

Honors Program Theses

Depression is an illness that has a negative impact on our society. Depression not only lowers the depressed person's quality of life, but it also negatively impacts people close to the person suffering from this illness. This research is in response to the seriousness of this epidemic, particularly in the low socio-economic status (low SES) population. Topics explored include factors of a low SES environment that influence the onset of depression as well as how those factors relate to the quality of mental health care among depressed people of low SES. A review of the literature identified many barriers to …

Examining Differences Of Precompetition Sport Anxiety Between Individual Sport And Team Sport Athletes, Jordan E. Lacy

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to examine levels of anxiety in athletes that participate in individual and team sports, and to examine potential gender differences. It was hypothesized that athletes that take part in an individual sport will exhibit higher levels of sport anxiety due to the fact that all attention is focused on them when they are performing. Individual sport athletes do not have any teammates present that the focus could be shifted to. It is just the athlete and his or her opponent or the individual task involved in that particular sport. Athletes in team sports may …

Gender Segregation And The Physical Education Classroom, Amanda Kopplin-Rodgers

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of single sex classrooms and student learning through an examination of the research on how females and males learn and the effects of gender segregation in the general education classroom. The discussion will also include the impact of Title IX on physical education classrooms and the effects of segregation in physical education classrooms. Limited research has been conducted to investigate the relationship among several variables affecting learning including: hearing, brain development, student gender, age, body image, self-esteem, teacher gender, and which type of classroom is most conducive to student learning. …

School Readiness : What It Means To Be "Ready" For Kindergarten, Brian D. Kingrey

Graduate Research Papers

This review of the literature examined the recent literature on the subject of school readiness. The purpose of this review of the literature was to identify how schools and parents view school readiness, as well as how emergent literacy plays a role in preparing students for public school education. Assessments, skills, early learning standards, literacy practices, and entry age were discussed.

In researching recent literature for the review multiple searches were conducted including the search terms of school readiness and transition. Pianta, Cox, and Snow (2007) discussed the domains of developmental functioning in the early childhood years, which served as …

Leisure Programming For Alzheimer’S Clients In Long-Term Care, Timothy D. Doyle

Graduate Research Papers

Leisure programming continues to become more specialized due to the increased needs of special populations of leisure consumers. To meet the needs of the targeted population leisure programmers are required to gather increased information regarding potential clients to stay abreast of current trends. Data gathered regarding more diverse populations, such as persons with disabilities or specific disease, has long been the focus of therapeutic recreation but was often overlooked by other leisure professionals.

The purpose of this paper is to provide information to leisure professionals regarding the use of leisure activities for Alzheimer's clients in long-term care. Research has found …

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: The Effects Of Using Music With Young Children, Eileen Heck

Graduate Research Papers

One way for children to experience music and develop early literacy skills is through nursery rhymes such as Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. This project addresses the benefits of using music with young children and the importance of professional development with early childhood educators. More and more research is being done to explore and study the effects of music with young children. It is becoming evident that music has many benefits that can enhance young children's lives. Some of these benefits include expanding children's communication skills, building oral language skills, developing phonological awareness skills, and extending concepts of print. Some …

How Including Music While Exercising Enhances And Affects The Total Well-Being Of An Individual, Darci Fuelling

Graduate Research Papers

This review of literature summarizes findings from 1989-2009 regarding the effects of the inclusion of music during exercise. A few articles included were beyond the 20-year period because the information proved to be relevant and beneficial to this review of literature. The purpose of this paper is to answer the following questions: (1) Why does music affect exercise? (2) How should music be selected in order to gain the most ergogenic potential? (3) Do synchronous and asynchronous movement to music result in similar exercise responses? (4) What is the effect of music on aerobic and anaerobic exercise? (5) What is …

Children With Cleft Lips And/Or Palates In Early Childhood Classrooms : Overcoming Obstacles And Misconceptions, Angel Simons

Graduate Research Papers

One in 750 live births results in a baby born with a cleft lip and/or palate (CLP), making it the second most common birth impairment in the United States (Speltz, Endrig, Fisher, & Mason, 1997). Being born with a cleft lip and/or palate brings on many obstacles in a child's life.

Educators can help children born with cleft lip and/or palate by knowing: are there any correlations between how a child born with a cleft is treated by teachers and parents when it comes to teacher and/or parent expectations and perceptions; do children with clefts have distinct common personality or …

"I Can Do It" And You Can, Too : Toddlers And Autonomy In A Multicultural Classroom, Chelssi Lynn Michelle Parrott

Graduate Research Papers

This article will define autonomy and its relationship to learning and development in an infant or toddler classroom. It will discuss the differing cultural views concerning autonomy and the challenges this can bring to a culturally diverse classroom. It will give examples of what the development of autonomy looks like in my own classroom, and I will also share the guidelines that I keep in mind when encouraging autonomy with infants and toddlers.

Factors That Influence Student Motivation, Abbie Petsche

Graduate Research Papers

This paper discusses different factors in a student's education that can affect motivation and overall learning. It focuses on extrinsic and intrinsic strategies, social-cognitive processes, and the classroom environment. There have been many studies done on motivation and achievement. This paper will focus on the findings of studies done on strategies used to enhance students' beliefs about ability and emotions as well as environmental strategies used by teachers.

The Third Space: The Use Of Self-Study To Examine The Culture Of A Science Classroom, Dashia M. Magee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Science educators are in the position to create bridges between their students and the world of science (Aikenhead, 1996, 1999). This connection has often been described as the third space (Bhabha, 1994; Moje, Collazo, Carrillo, & Marx, 2001; Wallace, 2004), which is represented as a combination or a meeting of the students' world and the world of science. In this study, I examined my role in creating the third space through the use of self-study. Self-study is a form of research, educators use to understand their practice (Austin & Senese, 2004; Loughran, 2004; Northfield & Loughran, 1996). It is a …

The Effects Of Different Types Of Background Music On Preschoolers’ Aggressive Classroom Behavior, Marissa Anne Arnett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous research has suggested that background music influences children's classroom behaviors. However, the results of research to date are conflicting on the effects of hard rock background music on children's behavior. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the differential effects of hard rock and easy listening music on preschoolers' aggressive behaviors during center time (e.g., during free play at the water table, art, blocks, and reading centers). Four classrooms with a combined total of 74 students (31 boys and 43 girls) participated in the study. During the 55-day study, we recorded the frequency of children's aggressive …

Detecting Coached Underreporting On The Mmpi-2 And Mmpi-2-Rf, Elizabeth M. Bolinger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Early analyses performed by the authors of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) and others (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008; Sellbom & Bagby, 2008) have shown promise in detecting faking good profiles. Two validity scales designed to detect underreporting and defensiveness on the MMPI-2-RF are the L-r (a measure of underreporting by claiming unlikely moral virtues) and the K-r (a measure of underreporting by claiming good psychological adjustment) scales (Wygant, Ben-Porath, & Tellegen, 2007). These early studies have found very similar results and patterns as observed in studies of underreporting with the MMPI-2. This study attempts to add to …

Applying The Job Strain Model: Control, Conflict, And Facilitation, Kama D. Dodge

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Among college students enrolled full-time in the U.S., approximately 48% are employed during the academic year, with 30% working more than 20 hours per week (Fox, Connolly, & Snyder, 2005). Working during the academic year may create a burden for college students, resulting in poorer academic performance and an increased time to graduate (Canabal, 1988; Trockel, Barnes, & Egget, 2000). Conversely, employment may enrich a student's education by increasing self-efficacy and shaping their plans for the future (Finch, Shanahan, Mortimer, & Ryu, 1991). In this study, I used the job demands-control (JD-C) model (Karasek, 1979) to make predictions about how …

The Impact Of An International Healthcare Mission Experience On Healthcare Professional Students At The University Of Northern Iowa, Evelyn Adom-Boateng

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

U.S. Demographic changes have had an impact on health education, care, and promotion. The best health education, promotion, and care can be delivered by culturally sensitive health professionals. The importance of addressing the issue of culture is widely acclaimed by educators from various health disciplines. Participation in an international healthcare mission (IHM) is one means to expand cultural awareness and sensitivity. Little research exists regarding methods for preparing culturally sensitive healthcare professionals. Little published research documents the impact of an IHM experience on the preparation of healthcare professionals.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of The Mmpi-2 And The Pai In The Detection Of Random Responding, Lesley Ann Hiebing

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Intermittent Random Responding, Front Random Responding, and Back Random Responding were investigated on the MMPI-2 and PAL Random responses were inserted in increasing proportions into profiles from a large clinical sample. Validity scales sensitive to random responding on each scale (VRIN, F, FB, and FP on the MMPI-2 and ICN and INF on the PAI) were evaluated to determine which scale(s) would best detect random responding. Results indicate that validity scales from both measures were more sensitive to random responding in the intermittent random condition and performed worse in the back random condition. Overall, the MMPI-2 validity scales were better …