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Art Teaching And American Society: An Exploration Of How Art Makes Us Think And Why America Needs It Right Now, Julie Marie Hammerand

Honors Program Theses

The motivation for this thesis comes from my own experience as a learner, an artist, and as a teacher. When I was young, I was always fascinated with the idea of the unknown. Each new piece of knowledge I acquired was a part of the greater puzzle I had yet to understand. As I got older, I understood the value of new perspectives and how each person creates a personal relationship with the world around them. I saw how teaching was the art of bringing a person into and through a new realm of knowledge and thought. Each new realm …

Secondary Traumatic Stress: Therapists’ Past Trauma And Workplace Interventions, Morgan Wickman

Honors Program Theses

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is a type of indirect trauma wherein listening to the traumatic experiences of another causes a stress reaction. STS can lead to PTSD-like symptoms which can develop after only one instance. STS affects mental health professionals at high rates because they have high rates of exposure to traumatic content. In particular, therapists with a personal trauma history have an increased risk of developing STS, as they are more likely to identify with their client’s traumatic experience. This review examines how therapists’ STS severity and frequency is impacted by a personal trauma history. It also identifies workplace …

Nature-Based Education: Expanding The Walls Of The Classroom, Halle Louise Kilburg

Honors Program Theses

Are the current practices of education one that best benefits a student? Every day, millions of children go to school. While there is a wide variety of what this experience may look like, there are common factors, such as sterile classroom environments, canned experiences, and dry lectures that often contribute to leaving students feeling burnt out, exhausted, and unmotivated. The purpose of this study was to explore how various schools use Nature-Based education to run their programs and the impact of this approach on students and teachers. For this study, four educators from three various programs were interviewed and asked …

Iowa Journal Of Communication, Volume 55, Number 2, Fall 2023 [Download Entire Issue]

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Artificial Intelligence In Crisis Communication: A Study Of Public Perceptions And Trust Of Ai, Travis Loof, Rachel Ehlers, Julia Lobo Paes, Prah Haider, Rachel Spinks

Iowa Journal of Communication

Organizational crises can be detrimental if not offset with an appropriate communication strategy. The Situational Crisis Communication Theory (Coombs, 2007) has been studied as a framework for understanding how organizations can respond to crises. The current study explores the effectiveness of a nontraditional message source, artificial intelligence (AI), when delivering a rebuilding crisis response strategy. The current study empirically tests and discusses future research in AI trust building and crisis communication response strategies.

Photojournalism, Public Health, And Politicization: Analyzing Photographic News Coverage Of Health Crises In The 20th And 21st Centuries, Hans C. Schmidt

Iowa Journal of Communication

While political division has been present in the American press since its start, politicized and polarized content is now stretching beyond straightforward political news – where such content might be expected – and is increasingly seen in other news categories, including science, medical, and health journalism. This development has been especially notable during the COVID-19 pandemic, when medical and health reporting frequently became coopted by a political narrative. This study builds on research into the politicization of pandemic and medical reporting with an investigation of pandemic-era photojournalism. Using a content analysis, this study aims to provide greater insight into the …

Alcohol: The Permitted Drug In Our Society, Madison Tenhulzen

Honors Program Theses

In this thesis, I hope to shed light on how alcohol is advertised in our society, specifically to minors below the age of 21. I researched which alcohol brands I was able to follow, disguising myself as a minor on Instagram and Twitter. After the initial analysis, I specifically observed how the branding and social media presence of each brand is intentionally or unintentionally appealing to a younger audience. To accompany these observations, I conclude by proposing several solutions to help address this issue in our society.

Anchored To A Community: Middle School Students’ Experience Of Belonging In The Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Angela Thera Butler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A student’s sense of belonging in the classroom makes a difference. Students who experience a feeling of belonging within the learning environment are more engaged and prepared to learn and contribute. Students who do not feel this sense of belonging in the classroom often pull away from school norms, and may separate themselves from formal education entirely. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of belonging for a small group of 6th grade students from a suburban, midwestern school. Experiences and intentions of three educators who shared these students were also collected and compared to the experiences and perceptions …

Principals’ Knowledge Of Trauma-Informed School Practices, Elsa Leyhe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Trauma has become a larger issue in schools, and it is necessary for school administrators, specifically principals, to be fully aware of and equipped to deal with trauma in the student body. There is limited quantitative research on what principals currently know about trauma and trauma-informed practices. To help fill this need for more quantitative data, this research study surveyed principals in two Midwest states to address the following questions: To what extent do principals know about traumainformed care in schools? Did the principals receive any training on trauma-informed care in their graduate/certification programs? Did they seek training on their …

Do We Want Them To Understand Each Other? Perceptions Of Political Perspective-Takers, Ian Beatty

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

America has been more divided along partisan lines in recent years (Pew Research Center, 2019). One major factor contributing to this polarization is a lack of understanding regarding why members of political out-groups maintain their beliefs. The simple act of perspective-taking may help to counter the negative effects of this ideological division. Although the benefits of perspective-taking are well documented (Batson, Polycarpou et al., 1997), less is known regarding perceived perspective-taking or perceptions of perspective-takers. In this study, I explore whether the benefits of perspective-taking can be achieved by witnessing a member of the political in-group take the perspective of …

Boundary Lines Crossed? Seeking Honor After The Vietnam War Took Their Sons, Hannah Ackerman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

On June 3 1969, a Navy destroyer, USS Frank E. Evans DD-754 and seventy-four Evans sailors who were serving on her were killed in an accident with the Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, in the South China Sea. Family members would later discover their names were not inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. due to criteria which disqualified them. Facts of the Evans case to determine if the names of 74 Evans sailors rightfully belong on the Wall are examined. Continuing legislative efforts by the Evans Association to put the names on the Wall and other …

Understanding Student Perceptions Of Supplemental Instruction: Student Perceptions Of Supplemental Instruction Implemented In Order To Overcome Perceived Skill Deficits, Andrew Miehe

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Supplemental instruction has become so prevalent that it is simply a thing educators do to students without the students’ input or their understanding of its purpose. This prevalence combined with a lack of understanding on the part of the students could create problems around programmatic success and student motivation in addition to the potential of limiting access to coursework. Due to the fact that there is not an abundance of research focused on the student perceptions of supplemental instruction there is consensus that this perspective is often absent despite its critical role (Yazzie-Mintz & McCormick, 2012).

The proliferation of supplemental …

Non-Traditional Learning In Stem: How Students Autonomy And The Impact Of Teacher Delivery Develops Deeper Conceptual Understanding At The Middle School Level, Sarah Kelly

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Non-traditional forms of curriculum development and delivery have shown particular promise in supporting the autonomy of students particularly in relation to science. Programs such as OPENSCIED are inquiry based- learning that promotes problem solving skills and cross curricular development supported by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This mixed method research study sought to illuminate how these types of curricular programs influence student autonomy and learning, especially with the implementation of OpenSciEd within Des Moines Public Schools. The study utilizes student state testing (ISASP)data alongside teacher surveys, interviews and observations to investigate the strengths or potential deficits of inquiry based …

The Pandemic-Uncanny: Self-Estrangement And Environment In Out There And Bliss Montage, Kersten Khaley

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency lasted from January 30, 2020, to May 11, 2023. During this time, abundant literature across disciplines began appearing, assessing the pandemic experience and aftermath. However, there needs to be more investigation and application of the term uncanny in the pandemic experience and literature.

Two short story collections, Out There by Kate Folk and Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, both published in 2022, are works of pandemic literature demonstrating the pandemic's inherent uncanniness and the human experience. The term pandemic-uncanny represents an inherent attachment …

Dual Identity, Self-Esteem, And Well-Being In Tibetan Refugees, Tenzin Urgyen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There are approximately 127,935 Tibetans in exile. As immigrants and stateless refugees, Tibetans carry their identity of Tibetan-origin and are tied to Indian, American, or other identities as well; however, there is little research on whether having more than one identity is an advantage for some or all people, especially within the Tibetan context. Using social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) as a framework, this pre-registered correlational study investigated the relationship between dual identity, self-esteem, and well-being. While several studies (e.g., Berry, 2005; Curran et al., 2002; Mok et al., 2007) have shown that holding dual identities is related …

The Critical Role Of Happiness In Education: Resilience, Retention, And What Happy Teachers Do Differently, Jill Marie Hayes White

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teachers are unhappy, stressed, and leaving the field at an alarming rate. This paper analyzes how teacher happiness is related to resilience and retention. It also looks for patterns that identify what happy teachers do differently at work. To complete this investigation, current K-12 public school teachers throughout Iowa completed electronic surveys that assessed their happiness, resilience, and work life. These surveys included the Subjective Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith, et al., 2008), and 14 additional survey questions created by the researcher. Correlational, comparative, and descriptive analyses were completed to examine potential relationships and …

Preparing Students For Life After College: A Mixed-Methods Analysis, Nichole Zumbach Harken

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Institutions of higher education work to engage students in high-impact practices throughout their educational journey. Although prior research highlights the increase of stress as students near graduation, little research has explored how students manage the transition out of higher education. The purpose of this study was to investigate graduating students’ concerns, the emotional impact of those concerns, the discovery of information related to adulting practices, and the potential impact of a curriculum-infused exit program. The data were collected at a Midwest, comprehensive, liberal arts institution that confers bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees. To develop better praxis, the authentic union of …

From Art To Propaganda: The Shift In The Concept Of The “Most Dead” In True Crime Literature, Hannah Mcconkey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis studies the shift of the true crime genre from art to inescapable propaganda. This change is due, in part, to the politization of the genre by modern society. This includes the concept of the “most dead” seen within the true crime genre over the past several decades. The idea of the most dead is the belief that some victims of crimes are more or less dead depending on how marketable their demographic is. For instance, a blonde, Caucasian child would be considered the most dead while a woman of color in the sex work industry would be the …

Out In Education: A Qualitative Study Examining The Intersectionality And The Lived Out Experiences Of Prek–12 Lgbtq+ Educators, Landon Wood

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The role of a teacher is typically stereotyped as adhering to the status quo and societal norms, but LGBTQ+ educators and their intersecting identities have the power to interrupt the norm and move toward inclusion and advocacy for all, thus allowing the concepts of critical theory and queer theory to intersect. I have titled this merger queertical theory to discuss how LGBTQ+ teachers and their intersecting identities/nuanced perceptions and lived experiences can enact change in the field of education. Little research or information exists regarding how LGBTQ+ educators manage, handle, or even perceive intersectionality in their profession.

This qualitative study …

Application Of Lortie's Apprenticeship Of Observation Model: Evidence Of Iowa Teaching Standards With Amish School Teachers, Jacquelyn R. Burr Moorman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Classroom educators are held to standards of teaching and learning throughout their professional careers. The standards are the expectations laid out by the national and state levels to determine how and why teachers should teach the way they do to increase student achievement (NBPTS, 2016; State of Iowa Department of Education, 2019; CCSSO, 2013). The teaching standards in Iowa align with pedagogy, instruction, and professionalism (State of Iowa Department of Education, 2019).

Some educators learn how to become teachers through their post-secondary education courses. Those teachers who are part of the Amish community do not follow a traditional path to …

Can White Nationalist Rhetoric Increase Prejudice Toward Mexican Immigrants?, Nathan Lewey

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Western populism wave of ethno-nationalism (i.e., exclusionary resistance to egalitarianism: exclusionist belief in the superiority of ingroup goals over superordinate goals that are inclusive of all cultures) may increase prejudice toward minorities (Schmuck & Matthes, 2017). Integrated threat theory (ITT; Stephan & Stephan, 1996) states that prejudiced attitudes are mediated by four types of threat, which are affected by quantity and quality of intergroup contact (Stephan et al., 2000). These threats include realistic threat (e.g., fear of losing one’s job to an immigrant), symbolic threat (e.g., fear of losing one’s societal values/norms to a foreign culture), intergroup anxiety, and …

The Flow Experience Of Adults Age 50 And Older In Recreational Doubles Pickleball, Glynis Worthington

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Pickleball, often described as a combination of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, is America’s fastest-growing sport. An estimated 4.8 million players enjoyed the game in 2021, 40% greater than in 2019 (Sports & Fitness Industry [SFIA], 2022). The game is especially popular with older players when played recreationally (for fun rather than prepare for or participate in competitions) in a doubles format (four players per court) (USA Pickleball Association [USAPA], 2022). This study identifies the degree adults age 50 and older experience flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) while playing recreational doubles pickleball.

The Long Dispositional Flow Scale – Physical (DFS-2) was used to …

Intimate Partner Violence Stigma: The Intersection Of Race And Socioeconomic Status, Antoinette Fleming

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Approximately 36% of all women in the United States will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at some point in their lifetime (Smith et al., 2018). Intimate partner violence can cause physical injury, poor mental health, chronic health problems, hospitalization, disability, or death (Breiding et al., 2015). Stigma is another consequence associated with IPV. Many victims of IPV report feeling guilt, denial, shame, and embarrassment as a result of the intimate partner violence victimization (Lichtenstein, 2006). Additionally, African American (Black) victims may be more heavily stigmatized than European American (White) victims. Socioeconomic status (SES) may also affect a person’s perception of …

“I Can’T Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids To Serve”: A Qualitative Study Of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout, Sarah Cohen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Early pioneers of burnout defined it as “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources'' (Freudenberger, 1974, p. 159; Freudenberger, 1977; Schaufeli & Enzmann, 1998). The traditional structures and activities of summer camps play a large role in creating experiences for staff and campers alike, but can lead to full-time staff working long hours with little time off and a culture of being overworked as a symbol of dedication to the program. While burnout research has become more popular over the past few decades, little is known about how burnout is experienced …

Assessing Transfer Student Acclimation And Help-Seeking, Dylan Haase

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

No abstract provided.

Strengths-Based Leadership Traits In Intercollegiate Student-Athletes, Caitlin Thilges

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine the top five HIGH5 leadership strengths of collegiate level student-athletes in relation to formal and informal leaders. Collegiate student-athletes (N = 97) completed the HIGH5 Test, designed to assess leadership strengths. A frequency analysis was conducted on the whole population resulting in the strengths of: Coach, Empathizer, Deliverer, Time Keeper, and Philomath emerging as prominent. Formal and informal leaders’ strengths were also analyzed. Emergent strengths shared between formal and informal leaders were: Deliverer, Time Keeper, Coach, and Empathizer. Whereas the strength of Believer emerged in formal leaders and Optimist and Thinker emerged …

No Need To Set The Alarm, I’Ve Been Up Since 2:30am! Why My Teaching Job Keeps Me Up At Night: A Phenomenological Research Study On Empathic Strain Of Iowa Educators, Lindsey Cornwell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Empathic strain describes a stressor on individuals in professions in which one cares for others who have endured their own trauma or stress (Mathieu, 2021). While previous studies have looked mainly at medical, social work and law enforcement fields as being some of the most impacted by empathic strain, more recently educators have been identified as those challenged with this phenomenon.

Through a phenomenological qualitative study, which included a Facebook marketed Qualtrics survey on empathic strain, four individual interviews and a metaphorical data analysis focus group experience, the lived experiences of educators with empathic strain were collected. Each of the …

An Exploration Of Commitment In Walk-On Athletes, Clint Huemann

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to examine two types of commitment with intercollegiate athletes as well as differences between walk-on (non-scholarship) athletes and scholarship athletes (partial/full) using the sport commitment model (SCM; Scanlan et al., 2016). Participants included 153 Division I athletes (54 males, 98 females, & 1 nonbinary) from 12 different intercollegiate sports at the University of Northern Iowa. These participants were between the ages of 18 and 24 years of age (M = 20.26 years, SD = 1.31). Approximately 35% of the participants were on a full scholarship, 41.8% were on partial scholarship, and 22.9% of the …

Building Educational Leaders’ Capacity In A Community Of Practice, Théophile Muhayimana, Denise Schares, Megan Ruxton

Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examined rural educational leaders’ perceptions of the outcomes of the 2019 Leadership Camps (LCs). This capacity-building opportunity helped educational leaders meet as a community of practice (CoP) where participants’ interactions contributed to learning with and from one another, reducing perceived isolation and increasing self-efficacy. We analyzed data collected from 242 participants’ responses using an open, axial, and selective coding process. With this sample, 52.5% of participants were rural educational leaders. Overall, educational leaders most often appreciated interacting, networking, and collaborating with peers. Additionally, educational leaders highlighted the importance of the in-depth understanding and application of the Leadership …

Commencement [Program], December 17, 2022, 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. This commencement program is not an official graduate list.