Digital Commons Network^™

The Rise Of Close Reading, Jayne E. Larsen

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this advanced literature review is to examine the evolution of close reading as a reading strategy. Currently, close reading is a strategy used to teach students to independently navigate through challenging text. This strategy was previously used in higher education, but as years progressed, the strategy was used less frequently. Since the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) there has been a rebirth of close reading as a reading strategy.

The literature review discusses the history and background of close reading starting in the early 1900's. Next the literature review explores instructional strategies, and effective …

Education: An Unexplored Variable On Millennial Volunteer Attitudes, Darian N. Everding

Honors Program Theses

For the 1.9 million nonprofit organizations in the United States, engaging potential volunteers in an efficient way is critical to their success. As Baby Boomers retire, the Millennial generation is expected to populate an ever-growing percentage of the volunteer workforce. The Millennial population totals nearly 80 million in the United States alone. The current body of research has been focused primarily on general attitudes of Millennials in regards to volunteering, philanthropy, and corporate social responsibility. There has been very little analysis on the attitudes of Millennials based on their demographic information, especially their education level. Less than a third of …

The Wright Message, 2016-2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Mathematics.

The Wright Message

Inside this issue:

-- Dear Alumni and Friends
-- A Tribute for Karen Sabey
-- The 2016 Hari Shankar Lecture
-- Faculty Spotlight
-- Around Wright Hall
-- Alumni Spotlight
-- CTLM News
-- Interview with Allysen Lovstuen
-- Students Spotlight
-- Donor Spotlight
-- Contributions to an Account - Recognition
-- Department Funds

"Yeah, I Taught Myself On Youtube": Young Women And Navigating The World Of Traditional Crafting, Emily A. Gardner

Honors Program Theses

In this study I work to understand how US women ages 18 to 24 navigate the world of crafting (e.g., crocheting, knitting, quilting, etc.) and how their motivations and methods may differ from the older women that traditionally inhabit that space. In-person interviews with ten younger women and results from an online mixed methods survey show that young women who participate in crafting show that young women primarily use crafting as a way to cope with stress from school and work, they participate in informal groupings to develop friendships and gain technical crafting insight, and they use internet sites extensively …

The Adolescent Refugee Experience: Cultural Attitudes Of High School Burmese Refugees Living In Iowa, Alexis Helgens

Honors Program Theses

This research seeks to explore the experience of a group of high school refugee students who currently reside in Waterloo, Iowa. At home, the Burmese refugee high school students are surrounded by a rich Burmese culture; they interact with the Burmese language, food, and family. In school, they are surrounded by American systems; English is the only accepted language, and American pop culture is inescapable. With a growing number of refugees entering the country, it is vital to understand the experience and perceptions of developing young adults. Better understanding will facilitate in giving schools and other services tools to equip …

Liberty And Justice For All? : Ethics In The American Criminal Justice System, Haley Hasenstein

Honors Program Theses

The American Bar Association (ABA) claims a commitment to ethics for all that fall under its jurisdiction. As a part of the Bar Exam that lawyers must take to join the Association they are issued a character and fitness test, where some prior misbehavior may disqualify an individual from becoming barred. “Miscarriages of justice” is a common theme among literature about lawyers in the criminal justice system. In this study I will shed light on some of the ethical discrepancies in the legal profession’s values and practice. This study focuses on criminal lawyers’ experiences with personal ethics as well as …

Contrasting American And Chinese Exceptionalism : Representations Of Political Corruption, Tatiana Rice

Honors Program Theses

This thesis compares media portrayals of political corruption in the United States of America versus the People’s Republic of China. Political corruption is considerably understudied and poses a serious threat to the social, political, and economic wellbeing of all nations. By studying each country’s corresponding media portrayals, this thesis was able to identify how seemingly opposing styles of government and culture framed political corruption in their own nation and abroad. In examining each country’s national newspapers, this study resulted in two major findings: 1) each country had differing ideas of corruption; and 2) these portrayals played a role in framing …

Dropping In On Dropouts: An Analysis Of Withdrawals From The University Of Northern Iowa, Lindsey Marie Pedersen

Honors Program Theses

A university needs to maintain enrollment to keep its budget relatively constant each year. Universities can maintain enrollment by either recruiting new students or retaining current students. Retaining current students requires fewer resources, making retention the more cost effective strategy. To increase retention a university must know the factors that lead to withdrawal. However, current withdrawal studies focus on aggregate enrollment. At the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), students who have decided to withdraw from classes during the semester complete a form that asks for their reason of withdrawal. The Enrollment Management Department at UNI could use the student responses …

The Role Of Motivational Climate On Rehabilitation Behaviors, Katie Marie Langmeier

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of perceived motivational climate of motivational climate. Additionally, differences in perceptions of the motivational climate between injured and non-injured athletes. Participants were 219 male and female athletes from a Division I institute completed an athletic demographics questionnaire and the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire-2 (PMCSQ-2). If athletes become injured (n = 41 ), certified athletic trainers and senior athletic training students completed a weekly injury report and a rehabilitation behavior questionnaire on these athletes. Preliminary analyses (frequencies, descriptives, reliabilities, and correlations) followed by a MANOV A, ANOV A, and …

The Impact Of Teacher Prompting And Questioning On Third Grade Students' Comprehension, Jenna Francois

Honors Program Theses

This qualitative research study explores how teacher prompting and questioning impacts students’ comprehension of texts. The researcher observed a third grade teacher, Mrs. G., at a local elementary school in order to discern patterns in how this teacher used verbal prompts and questions to assist her students in understanding what they read. An initial interview was conducted with Mrs. G. to determine how she typically teaches and assesses reading comprehension, as well as the types of verbal prompts and questions she utilizes to assist students in comprehension. The researcher observed two literacy lessons in which Mrs. G. instructed the whole …

The Effects Of Control Threat On Women's Acceptance Of Benevolent Sexism And Traditional Gender Roles, Zheng Li

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

System Justification Theory (SJT; Jost & Banaji, 1994) predicts that people tend to accept and endorse the current socioeconomic and political arrangement when they feel threatened. Based on SJT, women should support traditional gender roles and benevolent sexism when they feel threatened because these system-justifying beliefs can mitigate anxiety and distress elicited by existential threats. In the current study, female participants’ responses to a control threat were measured by an author-generated scale on attitudes toward traditional gender roles for women and Benevolent Sexism Scale (Glick & Fiske, 1996). In a community sample (but not in a student sample), participants whose …

Perceptions Of Questionable Research Practices In Social Work And Other Disciplines, Anita M. Gordon, Cindy Juby, Helen C. Harton

Faculty Work

Outline

 Background on research misconduct

 Study purpose and method

 Overview of descriptive results

 Regression results

 Limitations

 Implications for reducing misconduct

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2015/2016, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Some Comparisons
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Degrees Granted 2015/16
--- Degree Summary 2015/16
--- Program Certificates 2015/16
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree and Racial/Ethnic Classification

Family Involvement In Camp Adventure Child And Youth Services, Kimber Alexandra Bell

Graduate Research Papers

The basic social unit of society is the family (Benokraitis, 2003). Aristotle wrote that the family is "nature's established association for the supply of mankind's everyday wants" (Walsh, 2006, p. 76). The terrnfamily has multiple meanings. Traditionally, it is defined as "a social unit living together" or "parents and their children, whether dwelling together or not" (Benokraitis, 2003, p. 4). Families are connected with each other through bloodlines such as brothers, sisters, nephews, cousins etc., or a rite of passage or ritual that recognizes the person as a part of the family such as marriage, adoption or initiation. Western societies …

Female Athletes' Perceptions Towards Alcohol And Performance: A Psychological Approach, Stephanie Dalmacio

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Alcohol consumption amongst athletes has been a frequently debated topic with common beliefs being mostly negative. This study aimed to investigate former and active female athletes’ perceptions toward alcohol consumption prior to competition. The design used for this study was exploratory-descriptive in nature. A questionnaire was administered to 111 female athletes from 17 different countries. Since the majority of the respondents were tennis players (n = 85), results were presented for this more homogenous group. The questionnaire was comprised of 10 questions that examined demographics, perceptions regarding whether alcohol was more likely to help or hurt performance, and alcohol consumption. …

A Qualitative Study Of The Perceptions Of Public School Teachers And Administrators On The Teachers' Association And The Collective Bargaining Process In An Iowa Urban School Setting, Eric J. Gjerde

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous studies have looked at collective bargaining and teachers’ associations and their impact on student achievement, but the results are mixed. Absent from the literature are studies that analyze data gathered after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The focus of this study was to explore urban Iowa public school administrators’ and teachers’ current perceptions of the relationship between teacher associations and collective bargaining. It is the intent of this research to understand what the administrators and teachers in this study perceive about teacher associations and collective bargaining and why they maintain these perceptions. …

Up Close And Personal : Examining The Role Race Plays In Public Perceptions Of Law Enforcement, Olivia K. Thompson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Perceived racial biases of police officers may impact encounters with Blacks and negatively impact relations between Black communities and police officers. Understanding factors that influence public perceptions of law enforcement may help researchers and policy makers target intervention programs to improve relations. This study examined the role race plays in public perceptions of a routine traffic stop and local local law enforcement. White and Black participants, recruited at public places in a midsize city in Iowa, read a vignette about a Black or White individual who was pulled over by a White police officer. Participants then answered questions regarding whether …

An Examination Of The Perceptions Of The Iep Process As A Team Plans For The Potential Reintegration Of A Student From An Alternative Setting To The Resident District, Sarah J. Knudsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1990 determined that students with disabilities are to learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The IEP team has the responsibility to determine placement that is as non-restrictive as possible and yet appropriate. For students with Emotional Disturbances (ED) the concept of LRE is contentious. The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of IEP team members as to the factors on which decisions are made throughout the IEP process for students with ED as the team planned for reintegration from an alternative setting into the student’s home district. This …

"Joy For What It Is": Narratives Of Two Mothers On Raising Their Children With Disabilities, Zeina H. Yousof

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of two mothers of children with disabilities on parenting their children and navigating the world of disabilities. For many parents, the diagnosis of a child with disabilities represents a form of interpersonal loss through the loss of the imagined child. Mothers are often identified as the primary caregivers of their children with disabilities and are often at the front-end of seeking, providing, and advocating for medical, education, and social services.

Employing qualitative research methods, autoethnography and narrative inquiry were used to reveal the mothers’ experiences. Through conversational interviews and journaling, …

Fall Commencement [Program], December 19, 2015, 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 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, November 9, 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Dragaganza [Poster], University Of Northern Iowa. Gender & Sexuality Services, Uni Proud.

UNI Proud Documents

A poster promoting Dragaganza event.

University Of Northern Iowa Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, October 12, 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Faculty Senate.

Documents - Faculty Senate

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

Uni Today, V98n3 [V99n2], Fall 2015, University Of Northern Iowa Alumni Association

UNI Today

Inside This Issue:
--Follow Your Dreams
--A Perfect Match for UNI Wrestling
--New Faces on Campus
--Like Father, Like Son
--A Star Student in Astrochemistry
--Welcome Home!
--North American Review Bicentennial
--Faculty Profile
--Campus Updates
--New Vice President for Advancement
--Brittany Deal Foundation Profile
--UNI Throwback
--Student Outreach Groups
--UNI Alumni Clubs
--Athletics Ticket Savings for Recent Grads
--Class Notes
--Fraternity Celebrates 100 Years
--Alumni Travel Program
--UNI Calendar of Events

Coe Acclaim, Fall 2015, Issue 9 [10], University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Education.

COE Acclaim

Inside This Issue:
--Jacobson Center celebrates 25 years of Reading Recovery in Iowa
--Youth Academy Cafe discusses challenges facing area youth
--Grant ensures qualified early childhood special ed teachers
--COE conferences offer a variety of learning opportunities
--UNI faculty work with Waterloo schools for STEM education
--Therapeutic Recreation students tour Mayo Clinic
--Awards and Honors
--Presentations
--Publications
--Grants and Contracts Completed
--Community Involvement
--Schindler Education Center Renovation

Faculty Tenure Report, Fall 2015, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of Institutional Research And Effectiveness.

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 2015, 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.

Factors Contributing To Faculty Research Misconduct, Anita Gordon, Helen Harton

Ethics Conference

This session shares selected results from a national survey, funded by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, to investigate the perceptions of research misconduct by faculty researchers from four disciplinary areas (biology, social work, sociology, and psychology). About 4,500 faculty from 107 randomly selected research-intensive and master’s comprehensive universities were invited to participate, leading to a response rate of approximately 40%. Respondents assessed scenarios depicting researcher misbehavior and reported how likely they would be to take those actions under the same circumstances. They also rated their perceptions of how wrong the actions were, how likely the actions were to become …

The Ethics Of Words In An Ethical (Academic) World, Bill Koch

Ethics Conference

The topic of my presentation was prompted by a question I’ve asked students in my writing class: why is it that colleges almost uniformly require students take courses on writing and speaking in their first year of college? Why do programs like Cornerstone usually consist of courses on writing and speech and not, say, biology and business? Why are words in spoken and written form so important? My presentation will answer these questions and show that the ethical issues related to integrity and cheating can be greatly clarified when students and faculty engage more deeply, radically with their words.

This …

Cheating Resistant Pedagogies: Applying Insights From “Cheating Lessons” In The Classroom, Martha Reineke, Kim Baker, Lisa Brodersen, Timothy Adamson

Ethics Conference

Our panel discussion will focus on James Lang’s Cheating Lessons. Our goal is to capture the attention of any faculty members who suffer from plagiarism fatigue and think that everything that can be said about cheating in higher education has already been said. Our presentation will demonstrate that Lang breaks new ground. He draws on case studies of cheating, but not primarily to teach his readers about why students plagiarize or commit other academic ethics infractions. Rather, Lang invites his readers to treat each case as a distinct lesson in how students learn. Focusing on contextual rather than dispositional factors …