Digital Commons Network^™

2020-2021 Graduate Survey Report, Shefei Schultz

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

Graduate College Staff --- 2
Degrees Awarded 2020-2021 --- 3
Graduate Demographics --- 4
Degrees Awarded over 5 Years --- 5
Survey Methodology --- 7
Post-Graduation Activity --- 8
Activity During UNI Experience --- 9
Reasons to Attend UNI --- 11
Confidence in Graduate Experience --- 12
Graduate Education Finance --- 14
Survey Sample --- 18

Communication Theory Of Identity, Identity Gap Theory, And Motherscholaring During Covid-19, Sarah Symonds Leblanc, Elizabeth L. Spradley, Heather K. Olson Beal, Lauren E. Burrow, Chrissy Cross

Iowa Journal of Communication

This article uses an interactive interviewing approach to capture the lived experiences of five MotherScholars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying the Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) and identity gaps, we aim to understand how COVID-19 impacted our MotherScholar identities. While CTI and identity gap research has advanced a layered perspective of identity across different contexts, the research is just beginning to explore gaps within and between layers to understand how individuals and groups make sense of those gaps. Our use of “collaborative autoethnography” enables us to extend CTI and identity gap research by teasing out identity gaps that we experienced …

Watching The Watchdogs: Online News Commenters' Critiques Of Journalistic Performance During Terrorist Attacks, Ioana A. Coman

Iowa Journal of Communication

This international comparative analysis explores what categories the public uses to evaluate the media performances of American and French journalists and media covering terrorist attacks. Specifically, the study looked at the Boston Marathon bombing (2013), and the Paris (Bataclan) terrorist attacks (2015), and the related online news stories comment sections of The New York Times and Le Figaro. The online comments of each news story were examined through a qualitative content analysis. The study shows that in a time of crisis commenters both appreciate and criticize journalistic performance and make direct demands to the journalists and editors. When applying journalistic …

Consideration Of The Ethical Implications Of Artificial Intelligence In The Audit Profession, Marcy Kim Uglum

Honors Program Theses

Given its burgeoning development and powerful use of data interpretation and analyses, AI is important to the future of the auditing profession. These new and emerging tools are needed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of tasks (Baldwin, Brown, & Trinkle, 2007). Firms that provide these auditing services are looking for ways to use AI to assess the risk of unstructured and semi-structured, repetitive, decisions. Although AI is currently playing a prominent role in various aspects of our modern society, the use of this technology is still in the earlier stages of development for the auditing profession. Therefore, this research …

Homeownership By Race: Factors That Explain The Homeownership Gap Between Blacks And Whites, Sarah Madsen

Honors Program Theses

A key source of wealth and a symbol of hard work, homeownership is at the heart of the American Dream. The disparity of homeownership between whites and blacks has existed for decades and has only increased. The homeownership rate gap is wider now than before the 1968 Fair Housing Act, with about a 30-percentage point gap. This paper investigates the reasons for the homeownership rate gap by discussing policies history, discriminatory practices, and other minority disadvantages.

Csbs Statements, V23, 2021, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Social And Behavioral Sciences.

CSBS Statements

Contents:

From the Dean --- 4
Shining Bright --- 5
Mapping Connections --- 8
Saving Faith --- 10
Coping with COVID --- 12
Addressing Adversity --- 14
College News --- 16
Student Spotlight --- 21
Alumni Highlights --- 26
Class Notes --- 32
Annual Giving --- 34

Uni Football 2021 Spring Season Guide, University Of Northern Iowa

Athletics Media Guides

Contents:

President Mark Nook --- 3

Director of Athletics David Harris --- 3

Board of Regents --- 4

Head Coach Mark Farley --- 5

Assistant Coaches --- 7

2019 Season Review --- 11

2019 Season Stats --- 13

2021 Spring Preview --- 15

Missouri Valley Football Conference --- 19

Panthers in the Pros --- 21

Panther Sports Network --- 22

Courtesy Car Dealers --- 23

Key Returners --- 25

Football Support Staff --- 31

The Future of Panther Football --- 32

Photo Roster --- 33

UNI-Dome --- 36

Numerical Roster --- 37

Panthers Rising --- 39

125th Anniversary of UNI …

Nonprofit Crowdfunding Best Practices, Shelly Smith

Graduate Research Papers

Crowdfunding has grown in popularity amongst the general public. This paper is a literature review that examines the opportunities and challenges for nonprofit organizations to use crowdfunding to supplement traditional fundraising efforts. Literature sources were used to identify what crowdfunding is and where it came from, crowdfunding platforms, crowdfunding campaign benefits and limitations, organizational costs for nonprofit crowdfunding, and crowdfunding regulation and oversight. Sources for the literature review include study areas of crowdfunding definitions and history, crowdfunding platform examination, crowdfunding benefits and limitations, costs for nonprofit crowdfunding, and crowdfunding regulation and oversight. Authors share insight into the risks, benefits, and …

Examining The Impact A Teacher Librarian Has On Students' Self-Selection Strategies, Stefanie Throndson

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact a Teacher Librarian has on students’ self-selection strategies and the broader impact on a culture of reading in a school building. Data was collected from 263 students in middle school (grades 5-8) resulting in 1322 reponses over eight weeks. Research Question 1 asked, What appeal strategies do students use when selecting an independent reading book? “You liked the author or it is in a series” was the number one book selection approach used with 21.6% of the responses indicating this approach when selecting a book. The least helpful book …

Accuracy Of Self-Assessment In A Ninth Grade Earth Science Classroom, Alyssa Jacobson

Graduate Research Papers

Student engagement is a constant struggle teachers and schools work to address. Students who are not engaged are more likely to drop out of school and participate in risky behaviors that negatively impact themselves and society as a whole. As a means to combat student disengagement, school districts have begun to implement The New Art and Science of Teaching, a framework meant to engage students by involving them in the learning process through self-assessment.

The purpose of this study is to determine how accurately high school aged students can self-assess and how students make decisions when they self-assess. To …

Immediate Vs. Deferred Feedback During Formative Assessments In A 9th Grade Physical Science Course, Jordan Sonntag

Graduate Research Papers

For educators, feedback has become a very important part of the teaching practice that is taught in both teacher education programs and building-level professional development. While many studies have been done on feedback itself, there is much less research on the effectiveness of certain types of feedback used within a Learning Management System (LMS). The goal of this experiment is to determine if there is any difference on summative assessment scores based on the use of different types of feedback on formative assessments using an LMS.

An LMS is a program that allows the educator to create step by step …

Abracadabra: Combatting Nonprofit Turnover When Your Staff Perform The Disappearing Act, Averi Gabrielle Jones

Graduate Research Papers

As one of America’s top employers, the nonprofit sector is filled with outlets for individuals to blossom in creativity and innovation, while allowing them to be connected to a cause they are passionate about advocating for. However, more and more nonprofit organizations are faced with a frightening disappearing act amongst their staff. With this readily growing rate of high employee turnover, it is more vital than ever for employers to build workforce environments that inspire dedication and longevity amongst staff. This study is focused on pinpointing sources for poor employee retention and differentiating the role that these sources play amongst …

Identifying Spanish-English Cognates As Intervention Targets For Speech Sound Disorders With Bilingual Children, Janessa A. Klein

Honors Program Theses

The focus of this thesis was to generate a comprehensive list of age-appropriate words to use in therapy for children ages 3-8 years old. Additionally, the research involved identifying words that are cognates in both Spanish and English. Word similarity was analyzed across languages to identify cognates using a well-known tool, the Crosslinguistic Overlap Scale of Phonology (COSP; Kohnert et al., 2004), which will be described in the methodology. Ideally, these target words will be used in speech therapy by a SLP who is serving preschoolers and early elementary-aged students with identified SSDs. As such, the research question addressed was: …

Redefining What's Manly: Using Masculine Attributes To Describe Counseling Services For Men, Riley Nicholas Rodemaker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Men are diagnosed with mental illness at a similar rate to women, and men deal with similar levels of impairment (Kessler et al., 1994). Despite this impairment, men do not seek help for their mental health as often as women do (Smith et al., 2013). One reason may be that counseling is seen as feminine. In this thesis, I describe an experimental study that examined the effect of using masculine attributes to describe counseling services on men’s attitudes. Adult male participants ages 18 to 35 (N = 818) read a short story that featured a conversation with a friend that …

Examining Individual Differences In Attitudes Toward The Insanity Defense, Dominique M. Kornely

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to examine how individual differences in stigma against people who are mentally ill, free will beliefs, just world beliefs, and sentencing goals are associated with attitudes toward the insanity defense. Because there are many misconceptions about what the insanity defense is, and how it is actually used as a sentence, the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) plea may be underutilized due to public opinions reflecting misunderstanding and/or possible biases (Perlin, 2017). Understanding the relation between individual beliefs and attitudes about the insanity defense would help to better understand potential biases present …

The Moderating Role Of Mindful Awareness In The Associations Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Coronavirus Exposure With Sleep Patterns, Shyanne Faith Sporrer

Honors Program Theses

Although many studies have focused on the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and sleep outcomes (Chapman et al., 2011; Kajeepeta et al., 2015), the role of mindful awareness has not been explored in this interaction. Additionally, few studies have explored the impact of COVID-19 on sleep outcomes. The current study worked to bridge these gaps in the current literature. Data in this study was collected by asking students at the University of Northern Iowa to self-report their current sleep patterns, exposure to COVID-19, and mindful awareness while retrospectively reporting their past ACEs (N = 143). Past literature in …

"It All Just Ends": Death Attitudes Across Age, Gender, And Religion, Bekah Bass

Honors Program Theses

Death is a social and biological reality that affects everyone.However,the effects of death are not uniform. Data for this study were collected from a convenience sample (N=322) through an online survey distributed through social media and email (January and February 2021). The survey utilizes the Death Attitudes Profile –Revised by Wong, Reker, and Gesser (1994) to investigate differences in death attitudes across different demographics including age, gender, and religion. Results show correlations between positive, neutral, and negative death attitudes and the age of respondents, suggesting that negative death attitudes decrease as one ages, and certain types of positive attitudes increase. …

Precarious Enjoyment: Suicide Contra Schizophrenia, Mohammed Rawwas

Honors Program Theses

Mainstream psychology denies the unconscious, and is therefore unequipped to properly address the problematic of mental health, instead providing the coordinates for the symptom-formation of mental unwellness as a reaction to the inherent split of the subject, through the installation of the myth of the self-identical I. This same myth is perpetuated through capitalist individualism and the imperative to enjoy, and in the University through the discourse of science. The aim of psychoanalysis is to traverse the fantasy of this symptom-formation, and return the split to the subject. Finally, suicide is posited as the inevitable result of a self-identical notion …

Literature Review: Improving End-Of-Life Care And Creating A Good Death, Erna Smlatic

Honors Program Theses

The need for quality end-of-life care has increased drastically around the world in the last few centuries due to a surge in life expectancy. As people are living much longer, they are developing and succumbing to chronic progressive diseases which can significantly decrease quality of life. But what exactly does it mean to care for the aging population who are nearing death? Defining quality care at the end-of-life is important but also differs for individuals based on a variety of factors including age, culture, and life experiences. End-of-life care does not come as “one size fits all” and it challenges …

The Influence Of Gain-Loss Framing And Its Interaction With Political Ideology On Social Distancing And Mask Wearing Compliance During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jordan Steffen

Honors Program Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of cases and over half a million deaths in the United States.While health experts urge citizens to adopt preventative measures such as social distancing and wearing a mask, these recommended behaviors are not always followed by the public. To find a way to promote preventative measures, the present study examined the role of gain-loss framing of COVID-19 related messages on social distancing and mask wearing compliance. Moreover, the study also tested potential moderating effects on framing with three individual characteristics: political ideology, subjective numeracy, and risk attitude. A sample of 375 U.S. adult residents …

Reasons For Self-Mutilating Behavior In The 21st Century, Zhiqing Yaw

Honors Program Theses

Self-harm, also known as Self-Mutilating Behavior (SMB) has emerged as a major concern in this era of globalization as the prevalence rate of self-mutilating behavior has increased drastically. The statistic usually depends on self-report as SMB are often done in private. There was a total of one hundred and six participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk) and each participant was given $1.00 for their time. The survey was administered via Qualtrics. In the result, 90 participants have reported to be involved in SMB and 67 were males while 28 were females. The age range of the participants were …

Promoting A Culture Of Student Self-Advocacy Within Secondary Science Classrooms, Elizabeth Anne Wessels

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the greatest source of self-efficacy that exists among 5-12 students in science through a meta-analysis of three previous studies. After analyzing the collected data, teaching strategies that aim to boost the most influential source of self-efficacy for students are recommended and briefly discussed. Gaining a better understanding of the sources self-efficacy, along with how to support these sources will help science educators understand how to support student self-advocacy.

A Critical Examination Of Corporate Ideology In Educational Policy And Practice: The Real Cost, Grace Brady

Honors Program Theses

In this thesis, I provide a historical background and conceptual analysis of how we arrived at our current educational policy landscape. By tracing educational policy and practice through the 20th century, I offer a critical perspective on contemporary educational policy and practice. Specifically, I assess how corporate culture and corporate ideology influenced contemporary educational policy. Additionally, I explore alternatives and possible recommendations for reforming education in both policy and practice through preservice teacher education and funding for public schools.

Rising Above The Stigma: Developing Young Leaders Through Peer Mentoring, Shawn Miller

Graduate Research Papers

Permanence is ideally the ultimate goal of the child welfare system, however it is unrealistic to believe that every young adult transitioning out of care will not only find a permanent home, but have had the opportunity to build the social capital needed for a successful transition in today’s society (Scannapieco, Smith, Blakeney-Strong, 2015).

Analysis Of Assessments On Secondary Students' Development And Interpretation Of Models, Alaina L. Appley

Graduate Research Papers

As districts are making the shift to three-dimensional learning the development of a coherent set of high-quality task-based assessments has been a challenge. For this research I collected and analyzed twelve of my district's assessments over the scientific skill of modeling from grades seven through 12. The analysis involved two tools developed by NGSS and Achieve.org to determine the extent to which the assessments ask students to perform tasks that are driven by phenomena and use the three-dimensional in service of sense-making, the Task Screener and the Framework to Evaluate Cognitive Complexity in Science Assessments. The findings support what …

Effects Of Exercise On Tests Measuring Attention And Executive Function In Younger And Older Adults, Angela N. Burda, Jennifer Baldwin, Johanna Cravatta, Jody Heetland, Kayla Jacobs, Hannah Merfeld, Jaden Rausch, Mallory Rinnels, Regan Zollman

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study investigated whether or not performance differed between Young and Older Exercisers and between Young and Older Non-exercisers on the Attention Processing Training-Test (APT-Test), Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS), and Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strategies (FAVRES). Methods: A total of 119 participants were divided into the following groups: 46 Young Exercisers: (aged 18-40 years), 45 Older Exercisers (aged 60 and older), fourteen Young Non-exercisers, and fourteen Older Non-exercisers. Participants completed the APT-Test, BADS, and FAVRES in a counterbalanced manner. Independent sample t-tests were used to calculate outcomes. Results: Young Exercisers had significantly higher scores …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Asian American Transracial Adoptees In College, Frances Elizabeth Mcdermott

Honors Program Theses

Asian American transracial adoptees are an underserved and underrepresented population in America, specifically on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of experiences lived by individuals in this group, focusing on their time in college. Through qualitative interviews, this research captured the feelings, opinions, and experiences of select individuals within this group. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with six separate participants via video chat. All participants attend(ed) the University of Northern Iowa, were 18 years of age or older, and were adopted from an Asian country into a White, American family. Results showed that …

Methods And Evaluation Outcomes In Speech, Language, And Hearing Camps, Lindsey Paige Carter

Honors Program Theses

This investigation explores survey information on speech, language, and hearing camps throughout the United States. Thirty-seven speech-language pathologists from the United States agreed to complete the survey about their camp and thirteen completed the entire survey. These camps are growing in popularity and express benefits of attendance. There is currently limited research on assessment measures taken pre- and post- camp to determine the effectiveness of these camps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the structure of these camps, pre- and post- camp evaluation methods, how success is defined, and the impact these camps have. Results from the survey …

Pre-Service Students Understanding Of Professional Roles, Anne Whalen Gradoville

Honors Program Theses

This study aims to begin understanding how well pre-service speech-language pathologists and teachers understand their roles in collaboration in the schools. Data were collected from a survey completed by undergraduate and graduate students in the Communication Sciences and Disorders and Education departments at one middle-sized university in the Midwest. Results indicated a wide range of understanding and preparedness. Several themes emerged as to what students feel confident about in terms of collaboration, as well as what they believe they still need to learn before they can be confident in collaborating in the schools. The data provides insight into what pre-service …

Multicultural Education And Attitudes Towards Immigrant Groups In The United States, Anika Marie Lillegard-Bouton

Honors Program Theses

Individuals with higher levels of education tend to have more positive attitudes towards immigrant groups as well as immigration in general (Hainmueller & Hiscox, 2007). This study examined the relationship between one particular type of education and attitudes towards Arab, Chinese, and Mexican immigrant groups in the United States. As a part of a larger, ongoing study on attitudes of college students towards immigrant groups, participants completed measures of their multicultural education experiences. I hypothesized that individuals with higher levels of multicultural education experiences would report more positive attitudes towards Arab, Chinese, and Mexican immigrant groups and that attitudes towards …