Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Behavioral Assessment : A New Model For Interviewing, Shelley K. Schafer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The factors which affect how children learn are as varied as the individual students within any given classroom. These factors can affect not only the academic resilience of the student, but their behavior as well. Problem behaviors that create substantial amounts of tension in the classroom can inhibit the academic success of an individual child, as well as the performance of his or her peers. Some students do not have the appropriate behavioral repertoires necessary to cope with the many academic and social expectations of attending school. The purpose of the current study is to develop and assess the effectiveness …

The Contribution Of Socio-Economic Status And Maturity On Injury Risk In Youth Soccer, Kristin Noel Stoneberg

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Soccer is considered the universal sport as it is played by youth in nearly every nation around the world. With such a large number of children involved in soccer, injury is inevitable. Many possible risk factors have been identified, but very little current data address other risk factors such as maturity and socio-economic status (SES). The purpose of this study was to determine injury rates and the association between injury, maturity, socio-economic status, and other risk factors in youth soccer players. There were 440 youth soccer players ages 6-18 years involved in the cohort sample and a sub-sample of 102 …

Objectified Body Consciousness And Eating Attitudes And Behaviors Of College Females And Males, Danielle Jo Eastman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the relationship between objectified body consciousness (OBC) and eating attitudes and behaviors of both female and male students at a Midwestern university. Based on a survey completed by 369 females and 181 males, relationships between OBC as measured by the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS; McKinley, 1995) and eating attitudes and behaviors as measured by the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; Garner, Olmstead, Bohr, & Garfinkle, 1982) were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations. The OBCS consists of three subscales representing body surveillance, body shame, and control beliefs. A higher score on the EA T-26 indicates an increased likelihood …

The Revolt Revisited: A Study Of Popular 20th-Century American Small-Town Literature, Ted Ray Duitsman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The subject of small towns has both attracted and made some of the greatest authors in American literature. Through stunning imagery, description, and dialogue they create realistic portrayals of this places that lay them bare for all to see. Generous treatments portray them as generally good places that uphold the myth of small towns as utopian villages. For those with more unfavorable views, however, the literature shows the dullness of the town as well as the provinciality and closed-mindedness of its people. It is unfair to categorize some of the better works into either/or arguments however, for they involve more …

Voicing Women's Resistance Within Religious Studies: An Interrogation Of Rational Choice Theory, Anne E. Tedore

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

While women are generally oppressed within hierarchical and patriarchal religious traditions, researchers continue to detail the ways women negotiate power and construct meaning in religion. Within this thesis I interrogate the use of rational choice theory, a prominent theory utilized to describe religious behavior, as a framework for the analysis of women's religious experience and agency. I compare two texts, Brenda Brasher's Godly Women: Fundamentalism and Female Power and Jeanette Rodriguez's Our Lady of Guadalupe: Faith and Empowerment Among Mexican-American Women, in order to illustrate the inadequacies of rational choice theory in describing the religious experiences of marginalized women. I …

Relationship Of Perceived Physical Competence, Exercise Intensity, And Body Mass Index To Enjoyment Of Elementary Students In Physical Education, Wei Mei Sin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The sedentary lifestyles of some children have led to negative consequences for present and long-term health. Schools have the potential to improve the health of youth by providing positive enjoyable learning environments that promote physical activity outside school. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of perceived physical competence, exercise intensity, and body mass index to enjoyment in physical education among elementary students. The sample consisted of 56 fourth and fifth grade students enrolled at Grundy Center Elementary School in Iowa. A self-report questionnaire was used to ascertain information regarding children's enjoyment during participation in physical education …

Direction Of Ghosts By Henrik Ibsen: Theatre Uni, Spring Semester 2004, Megan E. Schumacher

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to record and explain choices made in the direction of Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen. This creative thesis describes the director's process and includes a production journal, research and analysis, production goals and schedules, and a visual video recording of the production in performance. The goal of this process documentation is to provide the choices made through collaboration and authenticate those choices up to performances.

Ghosts was performed in the Bertha Martin Theatre located within the StrayerWood building as part of Theatre UNI's 2003-2004 season. Henrik Ibsen, the playwright, penned a domestic tale about a …

No Child Left Behind (2001) And High Stakes Tests : How They Affect Teachers' Experiences In The Classroom, Emily N. Olson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether No Child Left Behind (2001) and high-stakes tests affect teachers' experiences in the classroom, in areas such as instruction, attitude/anxiety, and job satisfaction. This study also investigates whether teachers in schools labeled "in need of improvement" are affected differently than teachers in schools that are not labeled. Thirty-eight teachers in four urban elementary schools in Iowa who work with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students responded to a 30-question survey that used a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as ANOVA to investigate a possible difference …

Addressing Diversity: A Case Study Of Teacher Educators' Views And Instructional Practices At A Midwestern University, Alina Slapac

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It is well documented that while the student population is becoming more and more diverse, the teacher population remains mostly white, female, monolingual, and monocultural (Banks, 2001a; Darling-Hammond, 2002; Nieto, 2000a). Consequently, teacher education programs have the important role of addressing diversity throughout curriculum, field experiences and faculty recruitment.

The purpose of this qualitative research was to gain more understanding, from the teacher educators' perspectives, about the way diversity is being addressed at a Midwestern university by examining teacher educators' various methods of instruction, and their course materials, which focus on diversity issues and the needs of diverse learners. The …

Job Satisfaction Of Iowa Public School Principals, Boris Sodoma

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In recent decades, job satisfaction has been the theme of numerous studies in both public and private organizations. As some researchers report, the examinations into the job satisfaction of school administrators have been frequently overlooked. Little attention has been given to job satisfaction among public school principals serving at elementary and secondary levels.

On a daily basis a wide variety of demands are being placed on principals. The legislature and taxpayers demand more services, industry expects competent workers, parents insist that social issues ought to be addressed, and the public wants achievement scores to improve. As a result, principals are …

Family, Child, Teacher Perceptions Of What African American Adult Family Members Think And Do To Assist Their Elementary School-Aged Children To Become Better Readers, Shadrack Gabriel Msengi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this study, the perceptions were investigated of how African American adult family members, children, and teachers viewed the family members' roles in assisting their elementary school-aged children to become better readers. These perceptions were explored to provide a detailed account of ideas that can impact the home-school relationship. To conduct this study, the researcher examined how similar or different the perceptions were among the three subgroups regarding: (a) the child's reading level; (b) what families do to assist children in reading; and (c) the perceived barriers and opportunities in adult family members' decisions to assist their children to become …

Iep Team Decision-Making Process In The Reintegration Of Special Education Students: A Qualitative Analysis Of Exiting Decisions, Kenneth G. Hayes

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to take an in-depth look at the decision-making process that an IEP team goes through regarding the reintegration of special education students. In particular, this study looked at the exiting criteria used by an IEP team in determining whether or not a student should be exited back into the general education classroom prior to graduation. Furthermore, using Raven's (1992) Power/Interaction Model as the theoretical framework, this study also looked at the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of an IEP team that were adopted through the processes involved in exiting students from special education programs.

The …

School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports : An Evaluation Of An Elementary School Program, Lisa Andreasen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The outcomes of a school-wide positive behavior support program at a rural elementary school were evaluated to determine the effects of a school-wide program on the behavior of students. A program evaluation was conducted using student office referrals that were collected over a six year period. The results indicated that student office referrals significantly decreased from Year 1 to Year 6 and that specific behaviors of aggression and inappropriate language also decreased significantly from Year 1 to Year 6. Data were investigated to indicate trends in total office referrals by gender, grade, month, location, and problem behavior.

Gender Socialization Through Children’S Literature: Body And Beauty Image, Meera Basnet

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This exploratory study centers on a small number of children's books to examine how female characters are portrayed, and to consider the question, "Do gendered images of female characters exist visually in children's literature? I selected 5 books from the time periods of 1980 to 1989 and from 2000 to 2005. These books were written by U.S. authors and are directed at children aged 5-8 years. Findings are tentative, based upon the limited number of books included in the study, but patterns indicate that children's literature portrays gender somewhat stereotypically. I include body structure, dress, beauty and decoration, and movement …

The Effects Of Hallucination Simulations On Neurocognition: An Investigation Of Auditory Hallucinations Using The Irrelevant Speech Paradigm, Suzanne Adele Horsager

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research has made it clear that severe psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, are often associated with deficits in neurocognition. Unfortunately, because of the complicated makeup of most psychiatric disorders, it is challenging to distinguish the nature of the neurocognitive deficits. Recent research has begun to look more specifically at the symptoms of these disorders ( e.g., auditory hallucinations) to examine the specific effects the symptoms have on patients. This research has suggested a link between auditory hallucinations and deficits in attentional inhibition as well as working memory abilities. However, current research has not considered whether the impairments associated with these …

Fall Commencement [Program], December 17, 2005, 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 Graduate Council Minutes, December 1, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate Council.

Documents - Graduate Council

Meeting minutes from the Graduate Council of the University of Northern Iowa.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda, November 28, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Minutes Of Graduate College Curriculum Committee, November 2, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College Curriculum Committee.

Minutes - Graduate Curriculum Committee

Minutes of the committee that oversees the development of the curriculum of the University of Northern Iowa Graduate College.

Minutes Of Graduate College Curriculum Committee, October 12, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College Curriculum Committee.

Minutes - Graduate Curriculum Committee

Minutes of the committee that oversees the development of the curriculum of the University of Northern Iowa Graduate College.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda, October 10, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Minutes Of Graduate College Curriculum Committee, October 5, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate College Curriculum Committee.

Minutes - Graduate Curriculum Committee

Minutes of the committee that oversees the development of the curriculum of the University of Northern Iowa Graduate College.

Instruction Size Report, Fall 2005, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Gives breakdowns of student credit hours offered by status of instructor, average class size overall, and average class size by status of instructor.

Student Profile, Fall Semester 2005, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Preface
--- At a Glance
--- Profile Summary
--- Section I: Total Student Enrollment for Fall Semester 2005
--- Section II: New Students Entering UNI Fall Semester 2005
--- Section III: Miscellaneous

Instruction Cost Report, Fall 2005, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Shows the costs associated with running the University of Northern Iowa broken down by college and department

Faculty Tenure Report, Fall 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Institutional Research.

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Statistical report showing the number of faculty that are tenured, on the tenure track, or not on the tenure track, broken down by college, department, gender, minority status, and if full or part time.

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Fall 2005, 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.

Academic Rigor: An Explanation Or An Apology?, James Lubker

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Academic rigor is a topic that elicits some rather strong feelings. I've heard students complain that the courses they are taking are too easy and that we don't demand enough of them. Those students want more rigor in their courses. I've heard faculty complain that students are poorly prepared, have distressingly short attention-spans, and seem to be more interested in parties than in studying. Those faculty don't think that students want or will tolerate increased academic rigor. I've heard parents demand that we refund their money for a course because their child didn't really learn anything and that faculty are …

Academic Rigor: A Critical Analysis, Dennis Clayson

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

There is a segment in the movie "Bedazzled" which appears pertinent to the present discussion. The scene is inside a classroom. A table is covered with a stack of red apples, indicating the popularity of the teacher and perhaps symbolizing forbidden fruit. Actress Elizabeth Hurley, wearing a short skirt and tight sweater, is teaching in front of a classroom full of young men. She walks to a blackboard where tomorrow's homework assignments are written. "OK boys, tonight's homework. Algebra: X^N + Y^N = Z^N, but you are never going to use that, are you?" She erases …

University Of Northern Iowa Graduate Council Minutes, August 25, 2005, University Of Northern Iowa. Graduate Council.

Documents - Graduate Council

Meeting minutes from the Graduate Council of the University of Northern Iowa.